Psalm 11:1-3

“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?'” (Psalm 11: 1-3)

What does it mean to take refuge in the Lord? Does it mean that when your sick you must reject the aid of medicine? When facing a big decision does it mean you forsake the wise council of others? God forbid such foolish notions! But aren’t we quick to adopt such views as the way to prove that the Lord alone is our shelter.

As if to underscore the foolishness of such notions the scriptures record that David hid in a cave from Saul and found shelter in the land of the Philistine’s for a season. (1 Samuel 22, 1 Samuel 27) Hezekiah, when under attack by Assyria, hid behind the walls of the city and did not venture out. (2 Kings 18 & 19) And yet, these men proved to be good examples of what it means to take refuge in God under such dire circumstances.

In Psalm 11, David is so committed to finding his refuge in God that he answers his counselors who encourage him to flee by saying, “How can you say that to my soul?” It was As if he were saying to them that even if this place is destroyed and all that we now see is ransacked and my life is taken from me the Lord is my refuge. There is nowhere else to go!

In a similar story the apostle Paul found refuge in God even as a ship that he was on was being broken apart and tossed about by a large tempest. When men tried to escape from the ship in a life boat Paul said to the centurion, “Unless these men stay in the ship, you cannot be saved.” (Acts 27:31) They cut the ropes to the empty life boats and watched them float away. The next day the ship was in fact destroyed on a reef but all 276 passengers were saved just as The Lord had told Paul.

What is this refuge in which we can trust if not our mighty ships, our strong cities or our tall mountains? What is this refuge if it is not our government, our military, our money or our might?

The Lord alone is our refuge. But not just any god will do. Sennacherib did not find safety in the temple of his god; but was slain in Nisroch’s temple at the hands of his two sons. (2 Kings 19:37) In contrast, Hezekiah prayed with torn clothes while wearing sackcloth by saying, “O Lord, the God of Israel, enthroned above the Cherubim, you are the God, you alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth; you have made heaven and earth.” The Lord heard his humble prayer and saved His people from Sennacherib’s army.

“Flee like a bird to your mountain”

David was not the first to be tempted to flee from his refuge to a mountain. Again in 2 Kings 19: 23 the Lord speaks of Sennacherib’s arrogance and pride for having conquered so many of these places before. The Lord says, “And you have said, ‘With my many chariots I have gone up the heights of the mountains…‘” Yet despite the fact that these mountains are so often overrun by others there is always a temptation to believe our mountain is indestructible and impenetrable (Amos 6:1). Rare indeed is the one whose faith stands secure when their feet are not firmly planted on a mountain of their own choosing on the day of battle.

“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.” (11:2)

Answers to prayers such as these are rarely seen prior to the bending of the bow. And rarely do they come before the dawning of the sun. Dark nights are to be endured and storms are to be weathered. It would be nice if we never had to see our adversaries up close or hear their taunts and accusations but often times we do. We see the bows bent back and the arrows securely in their place. And in that moment those arrows are seeking one thing – the person with an upright heart.

In those moments it is hard to imagine that David would ever see the light of day again. The enemy is so close to him that he could see his face and hear his taunts. But notice the last few words of David’s words in this psalm. He says, “the upright shall behold his (the Lords) face.” The Lord will deliver. The Lord will save. And remember Jesus’ words in Matthew 5:8 when he says, “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.”

“If the foundations are destroyed, what can the righteous do?”

One must not forget that these words are still those of whom David rebuked for giving him wrong counsel. . Sinful man can conceive of much evil but the foundation of God will stand. To the human eye much destruction can be done to the foundation of Christianity but it truly cannot be toppled. Try as he might not even satan could weaken the work of Christ in the wilderness. Nor could he triumph in the apparent victory of Jesus on a cross. We need not be afraid that the foundations of our hope will ever be laid bare and destroyed. It will never be!

To this allegation David responds quickly and says, “The Lord is in his holy temple; the Lord’s throne is in heaven.” God is capable from there to save the upright in heart; but he is forever out of reach from evil men and their wicked intentions.

Our God is our refuge. He is strong and mighty to save. He is faithful and true. In Him alone we have put our hope and trust. Amen