Standing on the Sure Foundation – Psalm 11

“In the Lord I put my trust. How can you say to my soul, ‘Flee as a bird to your mountain?’ For look! The wicked bend their bow, they make ready their arrow on the string, that they may shoot secretly at the upright in heart. If the foundations are destroyed, what can the righteous do?” Psalm 11:1-3

Do we trust in the Lord? We find out how strong our trust in the Lord is when the devil is firing his fiery arrows at us. In Ephesians 6:16, Paul wrote, “Above all, take up the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one.”

1 Samuel 21-23 focus on David’s life as a fugitive. He was pursued by a jealous king named Saul.

In 1 Samuel 21:1-9, David went to Nob, located about two miles north of Jerusalem, King Saul’s home city. While there, he picked up food and a sword. 1 Samuel 22:10 says that David also inquired of the Lord. The tabernacle was at Nob in those days.

In 1 Samuel 21:10–15, after securing supplies, David fled to the Philistine city of Gath. But while there, David felt obligated to feign insanity in order to escape from his enemies in that city.

In 1 Samuel 22:1-2, David escaped to the cave of Adullam. While there, his brothers came to him, as well as 400 other men. Some of these men were in distress, some in debt, and others were discontented. David became a captain over them.

In 1 Samuel 23:12-13, David now has 600 men with him in Keilah. The Lord told him that Saul and his army was coming for him, so he fled from that city.

In 1 Samuel 24:24-28, David and his men were on one side of a mountain, and Saul and his army were on the other side of it. Saul’s army was about to overtake David and his men, when Saul received word that the Philistines had invaded Israel! Thus, Saul stopped pursuing David. David and his men called that mountain the Rock of Escape.

Some were saying to David’s soul that he should take flight like a bird to his mountain. The Matthew Henry Commentary suggests that they were telling him to forsake the Lord. But while David was fleeing from persecution, he was not fleeing from the Lord. When he fled from Saul, he was led by God’s Spirit do so. The foundation of David’s soul was His relationship with the Lord. The Lord led David to safety and diverted his enemies away from him.

Jeremiah 36:26 says that God hid the prophet Jeremiah and his scribe, Baruch, when King Jehoiakim ordered their arrest.

In Luke 4:29-30, after teaching in His hometown of Nazareth, people drove Jesus to a cliff to throw Him off, but miraculously He passed through them and left. In John 8:59, religious leaders picked up stones to kill Jesus, but He hid Himself and left the temple.

In 2 Timothy 4:16-18, Paul wrote, “At my first defense no one stood with me, but all forsook me. May it not be charged against them. But the Lord stood with me and strengthened me, so that the message might be preached fully through me, and that all the Gentiles might hear. Also I was delivered out of the mouth of the lion. And the Lord will deliver me from every evil work and preserve me for His heavenly kingdom. To Him be glory forever and ever. Amen!”

As Paul wrote in Ephesians 6:12, “We do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.” The foundation on which we stand against them is faith in the Word of God and faith in the testimony of Jesus Christ.

“The Lord is in His holy temple. The Lord’s throne is in heaven. His eyes behold. His eyelids test the sons of men. The Lord tests the righteous, but the wicked and the one who loves violence His soul hates. Upon the wicked He will rain coals; fire and brimstone and a burning wind shall be the portion of their cup. For the Lord is righteous, He loves righteousness. His countenance beholds the upright.” Psalm 11:4-7

No one has dethroned God. Earthly temples to the Lord have been destroyed. Some fell into disrepair. But in heaven, God’s temple is still standing during the last days of Revelation 3:12; 7:15; 11:1-3, 19; 14:17; 15:5-6, 8; and during Revelation 16:1. But then in Revelation 21:22, John saw “no temple in it, for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple.” In Revelation 21:22, the temporary temple is replaced by God whom it represented.

David wrote that God’s eyes behold. His eyelids test the sons of men. 2 Chronicles 16:9 says, “For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him.” In Luke 18:8, Jesus asked, “When the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on earth?” God is looking for faith in Him among His people.

“The Lord tests the righteous.” How is anyone righteous in the sight of God? The answer is by believing in the One whom God sent into the world to save us. In John 6:28-29, when people asked Jesus, “What shall we do, that we may work the works of God?” Jesus answered and said to them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He sent.”

Are we trusting in our own righteousness or in the Lord’s? Our own righteousness will not stand in the day that tries by fire.

Persecution has a way of leveling the playing field. When you are given the option to either deny the Lord or be tortured, you must decide between denying Him or trusting in Him for grace to endure or be delivered from the torture.

The persecuted need God Almighty Creator of heaven and earth to intervene. They need Jesus to save them and to redeem them from the hand of those who want to destroy them.

David wrote that God hates lovers of violence. It is good to know that God is ready to rain coals, fire, brimstone and a burning wind on such people. He did this to the souls in Sodom and Gomorrah. He promises in Revelation to do this to the beast, the false prophet, their followers and the devil. Eternal suffering shall be their portion and their cup! Why? Because the Lord is righteous! He loves righteousness. His countenance beholds the upright.

David was concerned about the foundation of the righteous being destroyed. This should be the concern of every believer. In 1 Timothy 4:16, Paul wrote, “Take heed to yourself and to the doctrine. Continue in them, for in doing this you will save both yourself and those who hear you.” Bind your conscience to the Word of God! Love it! God’s Word is the sure foundation.

In John 8:32, “You shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” In John 18:37, Jesus said, “For this cause I was born, and for this cause I have come into the world, that I should bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice.”

When the disciples asked Jesus for signs of His return, the first sign He gave to them in Matthew 24:4 was, “Take heed that no one deceives you.” It is wise to know the truth in these last days.

The Spirit of the Lord moved the Bible’s prophets to call people to know and align themselves with the Word of God. Jesus exposed the false teachings and practices of the Pharisees and Sadducees. Jesus taught His disciples by Word and deed the strait and narrow way to God. Paul passionately defended pure doctrine and practice in his epistles, emphasizing salvation by grace through faith in Jesus Christ. In Revelation 19:10, an angel told John, “The testimony of Jesus is the Spirit of prophecy.”

Why was the Apostle John on Patmos Island when he wrote Revelation? In Revelation 1:9, he states why, he wrote, “I, John, both your brother and companion in the tribulation and kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ, was on the island that is called Patmos for the Word of God and for the testimony of Jesus Christ.” Amidst persecution, John stood steadfastly on the foundation of God’s Word and the testimony of Jesus. Jesus was with John. Jesus gave to John visions of things to come in this life and in the life that is yet to come.

David’s sure foundation was his personal relationship with the Lord and with the Lord’s Word. The Lord delivered David from the arrows of violent people. God’s Spirit filled David’s soul with prayers, words and testimonies that helped him and others to remain strong for God’s glory! Praise the Lord!