Psalm 11 What can the righteous do?

If the foundations be destroyed, what can the righteous do?

What an excellent question! As we look around us I think it is safe to say that the foundations are crumbling: our moral bearings, righteousness in the land, the family, the church. In times like these, “what can the righteous do?” I believe the answer to the question is in the Psalm.

Here is the entire Psalm:

1    In the LORD put I my trust: how say ye to my soul, Flee as a bird to your mountain?

2    For, lo, the wicked bend their bow, they make ready their arrow upon the string,

      that they may privily shoot at the upright in heart.

3    If the foundations be destroyed, what can the righteous do?

4    The LORD is in his holy temple, the LORD'S throne is in heaven:

      his eyes behold, his eyelids try, the children of men.

5    The LORD trieth the righteous: but the wicked and him that loveth violence his soul hateth.

6    Upon the wicked he shall rain snares, fire and brimstone, and an horrible tempest:

      this shall be the portion of their cup.

7    For the righteous LORD loveth righteousness; his countenance doth behold the upright.

In order to get the picture we need to move backward from v 3:

The foundations are being thrown down and the wicked are emboldened to attack the righteous. The situation is disquieting, to say the least. And the righteous man is told to Flee as a bird to your mountain. What can the righteous do?

His answer actually opens the Psalm, in the Lord put I my trust. Amen! I put my trust in the Lord. Not in men, government, money, but in the Lord. Faith. What can the righteous do? Trust in the Lord! The world laughs at us for this and quite honestly, the flesh struggles with this. “The foundations are being destroyed and you want me to trust in the Lord?” Yes. This Psalm presents three levels of faith but it begins with this, Put your trust in the Lord.

Read Habakkuk. The foundations were being destroyed in his day and he cried out to the Lord. He got an answer he didn’t like or understand (ch 1). In 2:1-5 we read, I will stand upon my watch, and set me upon the tower, and will watch to see what he will say unto me . . . And the LORD answered me, and said . . . the just shall live by his faith. Put your trust in the Lord.

When the disciples began to realize that Jesus was going away, their foundation was being destroyed. What did Jesus tell them? Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me.  Put your trust in the Lord!

The Beatles got it wrong. They sang, "When I find myself in times of trouble, mother Mary comes to me, speaking words of wisdom, let it be." No. In times of trouble, Put your trust in the Lord!

I said there are three levels of faith spoken of in Psalm 11. Put your trust in the Lord is the first. The second level is in v 4, The LORD is in his holy temple, the LORD'S throne is in heaven… God is on the throne. He is in control. So he becomes my confidence. When the times they are a-changing my confidence is in the unchanging God. There is a difference between I put my trust in the Lord and the Lord is my confidence. Consider money. So often I trust the Lord for an emergency but my confidence is in the economy or my job. Am I at the place where the Lord is my confidence, my hope?

Then I come to the place where I know, his eyes behold, his eyelids try, the children of men. This is judgment. God has the final word. He will make all things right. I trust in the Lord, he is my confidence, and I know he will prevail. He will reward the righteous.

So, is that it? When the foundations are being destroyed do we just put our trust in the Lord? No. That is our foundation, that is what will get us through, but this faith leads us on: the righteous LORD loveth righteousness; his countenance doth behold the upright. What can the righteous do? Live righteously. When everything around us is falling apart, we live righteously. Living for Jesus has become a cultural thing, but it was never meant to be that. We go against the grain. This is a narrow way and as Jesus said, If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you. When everything around us is lax and unrighteousness is the cool and acceptable thing, we live righteously.

What can the righteous do? Trust in the Lord and live righteously. Sounds a lot like:

Trust and obey, for there's no other way

to be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey.

Convicted by my own blog! Amen!

A few notes from Adam Clarke’s commentary on Psalm 11 [my comments are in brackets]

verse 4 The Lord is in his holy temple ] David’s answer to those who urge him to flee to the mountains: He is still to be sought and found in the place where he has registered his name. I may expect his presence in the temple; he has not promised to meet me in the mountain.

Verse 5. The Lord trieth the righteous ] He does not abandon them; he tries them to show their faithfulness, and he afflicts them for their good.

His soul hateth. ] The wicked man must ever be abhorred of the Lord; and the violent man-the destroyer and murderer-his soul hateth; an expression of uncommon strength and energy.

[He had before him a very early English translation of the Bible] my old Manuscript translates and paraphrases thus [I offer v 6 and 7 in the old spelling, then in modern spelling and I changed the spelling in the commentary to make it easier to read]:

verse 6 He sal rayne on synful, snares, fyre, brimstane, and gost of stormis.

             He shall rain on sinful, snares, fire, brimstone, and ghost of storms.

Paraphrased –

He Shall rain on sinful in this world, snares…

fire is covetousness:

brimstone, that is stink of ill works:

and ghost of storms, that is a stormy [life] that is without rest in Jesus Christ.

Or this is the last separating of sinful from righteous men, and there fire, brimstone, storm… that is, they are their part in pain. He calls their pain a "cup" for such a damned man shall drink of the sorrow of Hell, after the measure of his Sin. Behold the pains of wicked men: first, God rains upon them snares, that is when he allows false prophets that come in clothing of meekness; and within they are worse than wolves, to deceive them through error. Then the fire of lechery, and covetousness wastes all the good that they have done: afterward for stink of ill works they are cast away from Christ, and all his Saints; as in a great storm, driven into a pit of Hell, to burn in fire without end. This is the intent of this verse.

Verse 7. For ryghtwis es Lord; and he lufes ryghtwisnes; evennes saw the face of hym …]

              For righteous is Lord; and he loves righteousness…]

If ye ask why our Lord yields pain to sinful [men]? lo here is an answer; for he is righteous. Also if ye will know why he gives joy to good men? Lo here is an answer; for he loved righteousness

[And the conclusion of the matter, in the words of Adam Clarke:]

You say the foundations are cast down; yet I despair not, for God is sufficient.

He is present in his holy temple; he can defend.

He is a great King, and his throne is in heaven.

Nothing is hidden from him: "His eyes behold, and his eyelids," &c.