Psalm Saturday: Psalm 11

**I took a break from my blog yesterday. I figure that God took a day of rest, so I could take a day off from my blog. There was no particular reason. Nothing really came to mind during the day, and I figured rather than force something, I'd just wait 'til next time. I don't think anyone minded (expect perhaps my mom...she probably clicked all day long waiting to see what I wrote, and for that I thank love her and thank her). Forgive me if this pause in my blogging routine upset anyone in any way or caused your world to turn upside down. I didn't know my blog had such far-reaching consequences. I'm sure all 8 of my usual readers hardly missed a beat.
But enough of that. Here's this week's Psalm Saturday.**
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Psalm 11

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?"

The Lord is in his holy temple;
the Lord's throne is in heaven;
his eyes see, his eyelids test, the children of man.
The Lord tests the righteous,
but his soul hates the wicked and the one who loves violence.
Let him rain coals on the wicked;
fire and sulfur and a scorching wind shall be the portion of their cup.
For the Lord is righteous;
he loves righteous deeds;
the upright shall behold his face.
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Here we see a common theme that runs throughout the Psalms. David seems to be facing some sort of wicked adversary, and in response, David turns to God for help and comfort. In this Psalm there are two main subjects, the present and the future, and each of these topics has the sub-theme of the wicked and the righteous.

We'll begin with the present. David (the righteous person) is in trouble. He is in a situation where he needs the refuge of God for protection. The circumstances around this event are unclear, but one thing is certain: God is testing David. Verse 5 tells us that God "tests the righteous," and sometimes this means placing us in difficult situations. It is often when we are at our wits end and we feel like there is no hope in the situation that God is often the most present. Verse 4 reminds us that he is still on his throne, and he is in control of what's going on.

Now we switch to the present situation of the wicked one. He has cornered the righteous man and is oppressing him. He has attacked David physically and spiritually, and it seems like wickedness will triumph over righteousness. In our present time, this situation is all too common. Wickedness prevails over holiness. Doing right is shunned in the name of a person's best interests. We must bear in mind that just as God is presently on the throne watching and testing the righteous man, he is also currently on his throne watching the wicked. God is in control here, no matter how much power the evil man thinks he holds, which leads us into the future.

The second theme we see in this Psalm is the future. While the righteous man is in a dire situation in the present, he looks to the future to see what God will do. According to verse 7, God loves righteousness and righteous deeds, and if we live righteously, we will be rewarded by seeing the face of God. I am reminded of Jesus' words in Matthew 5:8, when he said, "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God." Although our present times might seem difficult and unfruitful, our righteousness will be rewarded by being in the presence of the Lord, and nothing in the world could be better than that.

On the contrary, the wicked man's future is condemned. Coals of fire and sulfur will rain down upon his head. I know this sounds harsh, but it is the fate of wicked people. Hellfire and brimstone is a common joke, but it's also a real thing. Yes, God is merciful, but he cannot tolerate wickedness, and those who disobey him by living an evil life will reap their due justice on the day of judgment.

God is sovereign. We must bear this in mind. He sees everything we do, and we must understand that our present circumstances are not the reward that he promises us. We must keep our eyes heavenward on the ultimate goal of being with the Lord forever.

That will get us through any situation that we may face.