The LORD is in His Holy Temple (Psalm 11)

Today, we are going to consider another psalm written by David. This short psalm of seven verses, is David's reply to a confused saint of his day who doubted the survival of the righteous. Then, as it is today many had reasoned that since most of society was going astray from God and true religion, the righteous would soon have to follow suit to avoid becoming completely irrelevant in society. David confronts this argument with a succinct reminder of who God is and the extent of his power and influence.

Verses 1-3
In the LORD I take refuge, how can you say to my soul, "Flee like a bird to your mountain, for behold, the wicked bend the bow; they have fitted their arrow to the string to shoot in the dark at the upright in heart; if the foundations are destroyed, what can the righteous do?"

In these two opening verses, we have a question and answer presented but not in that order. The question is, what can the righteous do when all the foundations, that is things taken for granted or existing from ages before start crumbling around them. These foundations may be customs that are rooted in scripture. For instance, the institution of marriage is from the Bible and can be considered as the foundation of society. Yet, today we are witnessing a heavy attack on marriage as described and ordained in the bible. This can be seen as a crumbling or destruction of foundations.

The answer David provides for the question is however simple -- Trust in God and find refuge in Him. We can be sure that in spite of all the conspiracies of man to overthrow God and the Bible, in the end His words shall never pass away even when the earth and the heavens pass away.  We can also be sure that even if all the evil forces of this world join forces to persecute Christians, there will be a remnant that will be saved and that remnant will be made up of those who trusted in God for salvation even in difficult times.

Verse 4
The LORD is in His holy temple; the LORD's throne is in heaven; his eyes see, his eyelids test the children of man.

David knows that God is a witness to whatever happens in this world and that without him allowing something to happen, it would never happen. This is the basis of the confidence of a saint.

Verse 5
The LORD tests the righteous, but his soul hates the wicked and the one who loves violence.

Testing and temptation are two different things. God does not tempt his children to sin, but he does test them by allowing seasons of suffering and calamity in their lives. This is to teach them to trust in Him more and to grow spiritually. The goal of testing is to bring victory, while the goal of temptation is to destroy and make one captive to sin.

Verse 6
A graphic portrayal of David's desire to see the wicked punished for their deeds.

Verse 7
For the LORD is righteous, he loves righteous deeds; the upright shall behold his face.

God is the perfection of righteousness and He loves to see his character reflected in the lives of his children just like a earthly father would.