Imagine that you live in a society that's collapsing. The "foundations" of society are falling apart. When you hear the news, it's nothing, except talk about violence, and crime, and drugs. You look around at your city, or your nation, and you know that the end is near. Maybe not of the world as a whole. But certainly, the end of your world. The wicked rule the streets. They rule the courts. They control everything.
And the only real threat to them, is the upright of heart. People who walk rightly, who deal rightly with others, are a threat to the wicked. They are a light that shines on them, revealing their evil. They are a beacon of hope, that points others to a better way of life. And for this reason, in a situation like this, the upright of heart are in grave danger. They have a target on their back, painted there by people who fight dirty.
If you are one of these upright of heart, what should you do?
You have two choices, basically. You can stand your ground, or you can run.
Now, which option should you take?
When we look at the broader biblical picture, we see that sometimes, running is probably the correct response.
Let's turn to 1 Kings 19:1-10 (NRSV):
19 Ahab told Jezebel all that Elijah had done, and how he had killed all the prophets with the sword. 2 Then Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah, saying, “So may the gods do to me, and more also, if I do not make your life like the life of one of them by this time tomorrow.” 3 Then he was afraid; he got up and fled for his life, and came to Beer-sheba, which belongs to Judah; he left his servant there.
4 But he himself went a day’s journey into the wilderness, and came and sat down under a solitary broom tree. He asked that he might die: “It is enough; now, O LORD, take away my life, for I am no better than my ancestors.” 5 Then he lay down under the broom tree and fell asleep. Suddenly an angel touched him and said to him, “Get up and eat.” 6 He looked, and there at his head was a cake baked on hot stones, and a jar of water. He ate and drank, and lay down again. 7 The angel of the LORD came a second time, touched him, and said, “Get up and eat, otherwise the journey will be too much for you.” 8 He got up, and ate and drank; then he went in the strength of that food forty days and forty nights to Horeb the mount of God. 9 At that place he came to a cave, and spent the night there.
Then the word of the LORD came to him, saying, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” 10 He answered, “I have been very zealous for the LORD, the God of hosts; for the Israelites have forsaken your covenant, thrown down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword. I alone am left, and they are seeking my life, to take it away.”
Elijah ran. And few people would blame him for that. Jezebel has successfully killed all of Yahweh's other prophets, to the best of Elijah's knowledge (1 Kings 19:10). All of his friends, and coworkers in ministry, are dead.
And Jezebel won't be content, until Elijah joins them. He's alive, because he ran.
Now, let's turn to Acts 8:1-8 (NRSV):
That day a severe persecution began against the church in Jerusalem, and all except the apostles were scattered throughout the countryside of Judea and Samaria. 2 Devout men buried Stephen and made loud lamentation over him. 3 But Saul was ravaging the church by entering house after house; dragging off both men and women, he committed them to prison.
4 Now those who were scattered went from place to place, proclaiming the word. 5 Philip went down to the city[a] of Samaria and proclaimed the Messiah[b] to them. 6 The crowds with one accord listened eagerly to what was said by Philip, hearing and seeing the signs that he did, 7 for unclean spirits, crying with loud shrieks, came out of many who were possessed; and many others who were paralyzed or lame were cured. 8 So there was great joy in that city.
The early church, in response to the persecution, scattered. And this was a good thing. It led to evangelism, and new growth.
So we can look at these two examples, and decide that there are times when running, is the right thing to do.
That said, there are times when you shouldn't run. There's not an ironclad rule for how you should respond. Our psalm today, describes a situation when running is the wrong thing to do. Sometimes, you need to stand your ground.
Let's start Psalm 11, by reading verses 1-3.
Of/for the director. Of/for David.
(1) In Yahweh I have taken refuge.
How then can you say to me,
"Flee to your mountain, bird!,
(2) because LOOK! The wicked are bending the bow;
They have prepared their arrows upon the bowstring to shoot in the darkness at the upright of heart;
(3) because the foundations/pillars are being destroyed.
The righteous one-- what has he accomplished? "
The psalmist knows that there is no reason to run. And the reason for this, is that he has already run to Yahweh (h/t Artur Weiser). He needed a refuge, for sure, but he found it in God.
How then, can people tell him that he needs to run?
He explains the "how," actually. There are two reasons why people think he should run-- two "because" statements.
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Two quick notes on the Hebrew.
First, on the "how then":
"BHRG 42.3.3.2: (2) Functions primarily in rhetorical questions (almost half the occurrences in the Hebrew Bible).
In these cases the rhetorical question is used to make it clear to listeners that some happening or state of affairs is out of the question. ????? and ?????? are then usually followed by a yiqtol/imperfect form (#a–b). Sometimes the rhetorical question can be used to reproach the person addressed."
Second, on the translation of verse 3. The first word, "because," can also mean "when." And so the NIV reads:
When the foundations are being destroyed,
what can the righteous do?”
The problem with this translation comes with the verb in the second line. It's a qatal, which doesn't lend itself to a modal use ("can"). It's far easier to understand it, "the righteous one-- what has he done/accomplished?" So I think my translation, understanding it as a past/completed action, is to be much preferred-- it's also the approach taken by Peter Craigie, and John Goldingay, fwiw.
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The first is in verse 3. The psalmist should run "because" the wicked are actively gunning for him. They've made plans, and they've started to carry out those plans. The arrows are already on the bowstring. The bow is already bent. At any minute, the arrows will fly. And when they fly, the psalmist will have no additional warning. He's being ambushed-- shot at from the dark.
The second reason the psalmist should run is in verse 3. "Because the foundations are being destroyed; the righteous one-- what has he accomplished?"
Society as a whole is breaking down. The pillars on which it was established, are being destroyed. If this was the U.S., the idea would be that people no longer care about justice, and truth, and God-given rights. They no longer care about right and wrong. It's like when you look at the U.S., and you're seeing that it's all slowly becoming like Los Angeles, or San Francisco, or Chicago.
In each of the cities, there are righteous people. There are people who know what's right, who do what's right, and who walk rightly with God and others. But these people are being swallowed up. They aren't enough of them. They don't have enough power. The problem seems to be too big for them. And you can look at them, and ask the obvious question: "What have they accomplished?" And the answer, is as obvious as the question: "Not much." "Not nearly enough."
Now, let me stop here and rabbit trail a little. One of the things that keeps Christians from really taking full advantage of the psalms, is that the psalms, and our lives, rarely match up perfectly. There may never be a time in your life when someone tries to shoot you on your way to work. And we get caught on that.
The way around this, I think, has two parts.
The first, is to not expect perfect parallels. What you are looking for, is points of contact.
The second, is to understand that psalmists use metaphors, and imagery. There's more than one way to ambush someone. And anyone who's been canceled in the last year, can affirm this.
So let me use three examples, to help you understand, practically, how you can use the psalms with more benefit.
Let's look at three different points of contact, between Psalm 11:1-3, and us today:
(1) Imagine that you're a parent, concerned about what schools are teaching your kids. You know they have books promoting pedophilia, and homosexuality, and transgender identity, and critical race theory. You know that anyone who speaks up against these things gets canceled.
What should you do?
The psalmist's friends, in verses 1-3, would tell you to run. They would say, the foundations of society are collapsing. You need to pull your kids from public school. You need to protect yourself, and your loved ones, and run.
What would the psalmist say?
Maybe, he'd say, "In Yahweh I've taken refuge. And for this reason, I'm standing my ground. We will shine light on what's being taught. We will speak up at board meetings, and challenge the board to defend themselves. And I, and a few friends, will run for school board. We, collectively, will fix this. We will take back our schools, and we will repair the foundations of society from the ground up."
(2) Or imagine that your friend tells you, it's time to leave the big cities. The foundations are collapsing. Your politicians are wicked, promoting violence, and injustice. Run. Leave Illinois. Leave California. Move to North Dakota, or Florida.
And you, the psalmist, say, "In Yahweh I have taken refuge. I'm staying. I will be a light in my community. The gangs ruling the streets will all come to know that I stand for Jesus. And I will fight for my neighborhood, non-violently, one house, one family, one block, at a time."
(3) One more example. Imagine that you are part of a church that's lost its way. It's abandoned the truth of Christianity, in some core way. It preaches a false gospel, maybe. Or it promotes sexual immorality, of one type or another, and no longer calls "sin," "sin."
Your friends might tell you, you need to run. They might tell you it's hopeless. [And maybe they point you to 1 Corinthians 5:11-- there is a tension here. Possibly, the tension is explained on the basis of who has "power" in the church. When leadership is godly, 1 Corinthians applies. When leadership is ungodly, steering the church the wrong way, you end up with Revelation 3].
But you point them to Revelation 3:
3 “And to the angel of the church in Sardis write: These are the words of him who has the seven spirits of God and the seven stars:
“I know your works; you have a name of being alive, but you are dead. 2 Wake up, and strengthen what remains and is on the point of death, for I have not found your works perfect in the sight of my God. 3 Remember then what you received and heard; obey it, and repent. If you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what hour I will come to you. 4 Yet you have still a few persons in Sardis who have not soiled their clothes; they will walk with me, dressed in white, for they are worthy. 5 If you conquer, you will be clothed like them in white robes, and I will not blot your name out of the book of life; I will confess your name before my Father and before his angels. 6 Let anyone who has an ear listen to what the Spirit is saying to the churches.
You tell your friend, "I'm staying. It's true that I'm surrounded by people who have compromised, and who are in grave spiritual danger. But I'm living a godly, holy life. And I will be faithful, to the end, where I am. And hopefully, I will be part of the solution. You can look at what the righteous have accomplished so far, and be discouraged (Psalm 11:3). But I know our story isn't over."
None of these three examples line up perfectly with the psalm. Each of them has aspects, that don't perfectly fit. But that's okay. Again, what you should be looking for, is points of contact. You can use Psalm 11, even if no one is trying to shoot you on the way to the school board meeting.
So, getting back to Psalm 11. The psalmist has made his decision. He has taken refuge in Yahweh. And he asks his friend, "How can you tell me to run?" Why, in the world, would I possibly do that?
In verse 4, the psalmist expands on this, by talking about Yahweh. He won't run, because Yahweh is his refuge.
What kind of God, is Yahweh? What kind of refuge is he?
(4) Yahweh [is] in his holy temple.
Yahweh-- in the heavens, his throne is.
His eyes see;
his pupils test/examine the sons of man.
Throughout all levels of society, people have thrones. Some have more power, and authority, than others. Some thrones are higher.
Yahweh's, is on top. His throne is the heavens. ["in the heavens" is focused in Hebrew]
And Yahweh is the kind of God, who sees what's going on. He looks at people, carefully. He examines them, scrutinizes them.
Verse 5-7:
(5) Yahweh [is] righteous.
He tests/examines,
while the wicked and the one loving violence his soul/inner being hates.
(6) He will rain upon the wicked, coals and brimstone,
while a scorching wind, the portion of their cup, it is,
(7) because righteous, Yahweh [is].
Righteousness, He has loved.
The upright will see his face.
What kind of God is Yahweh? He is "righteous."
And what does "righteous" mean?
We find a clear definition of "righteous" in these verses, actually.
God proves that He is righteous, by how He treats people. He treats them "rightly," and He repays people, according to how they've lived. The wicked, God hates. Yahweh is a God who will treat the wicked, in the end, like Sodom and Gomorrah. He will send rain upon them-- but a rain of coals, and sulfur, and brimstone. And the righteous? The righteous, in the end, will get to see God's face.
All of this could've been said by the apostle Paul. Romans 2:5-11:
5 But by your hard and impenitent heart you are storing up wrath for yourself on the day of wrath, when God’s righteous judgment will be revealed. 6 For he will repay according to each one’s deeds: 7 to those who by patiently doing good seek for glory and honor and immortality, he will give eternal life; 8 while for those who are self-seeking and who obey not the truth but wickedness, there will be wrath and fury. 9 There will be anguish and distress for everyone who does evil, the Jew first and also the Greek, 10 but glory and honor and peace for everyone who does good, the Jew first and also the Greek. 11 For God shows no partiality.
God proves his righteousness, by his lack of partiality, and by the way He rightly repays people, in the end, for how they've lived.
Now, the difference between Romans 2, and Psalm 11, is that the psalmist expects that God will do this sooner than later. He opens his windows in the morning, expecting to see coals and sulfur and brimstone raining from the heavens. He expects God to fight for him NOW.
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So that's Psalm 11. It's a big psalm, honestly. Not in word count, but in confidence.
How can you look at a world that's falling apart, where it looks like you are in danger, and pray Psalm 11?
The only way to do this, is to look up, and focus on God enthroned in the heavens. You can't trust what you see. You can't make logical conclusions about what is, and isn't, possible. You can't look at the past performance of the righteous, and decide that it determines future results. You have to focus only on God, and remember what God is like.
Yahweh is the God enthroned in the heavens. His throne is higher. Yahweh looks, and sees everything. And Yahweh is committed to fighting for his people, and to fighting against those who actively oppose you.
For this reason, if you've taken refuge in Yahweh, you can have total confidence. You aren't fighting alone. You aren't rebuilding the foundations of society, alone. God is with you. Immanuel. And so long as God reigns in heaven, all hope is not lost.
Some of us, when we are confronted by opposition, tend to run faster than others. Our natural response is to tuck tail, and flee to the mountains. We are the first ones to bring back the news of defeat in battle.
Others of you, are more like the warriors of renown in the OT. You will fight against all odds, and you will either live a hero, with a great victory, or die a hero's death. But either way, you have taken refuge in God. He is the one who gives you confidence. If this is how you find yourself living, Psalm 11 will be a great psalm to encourage you.
And for those of us who tend to tuck tail and run, Psalm 11 is a speed bump, that forces us to slow down and think about if we're doing the right thing. Maybe giving up, and running, isn't the answer.
All is not lost, because God is enthroned in the heavens.
(1) Of/for the director. Of/for David.
In Yahweh I have taken refuge.
How then can you say to me,
"Flee to your mountain, bird!,
(2) because LOOK! The wicked are bending the bow;
They have prepared their arrows upon the bowstring to shoot in the darkness at the upright of heart;
(3) because the foundations/pillars are being destroyed.
The righteous one-- what has he accomplished? "
(4) Yahweh [is] in his holy temple.
Yahweh-- in the heavens, his throne is.
His eyes see;
his pupils test/examine the sons of man.
(5) Yahweh [is] righteous.
He tests/examines,
while the wicked and the one loving violence his soul/inner being hates.
(6) He will rain upon the wicked, coals and brimstone,
while a scorching wind, the portion of their cup, it is,
(7) because righteous, Yahweh [is].
Righteousness, He has loved.
The upright will see his face.
