Bible Commentaries
Psalms 11

Verses 1-7

There was a time when David's throne was in danger, when Absalom was scheming to usurp the royal power in Israel, when David's very life was no longer secure. It was when the situation finally became acute that some of David's faithful counselors seem to have urged him to flee from Jerusalem, in order to save his life and to let the danger blow over. But David, far from heeding their urging, composed this psalm of faith. To the chief musician, for use in the liturgical services of the Tabernacle, a psalm of David.

v. 1. In the Lord put I my trust, with Jehovah he had found refuge, wherefore he surely needed no other; how say ye to my soul, Flee as a bird to your mountain? As a bird, when in danger, seeks the refuge of the wooded mountains, so the friends of David urged him to flee to the rocky caves of the mountainous section of Palestine, there to remain secure until conditions proved more favorable.

v. 2. For, lo, so the counselors of David told him, the wicked bend their bow, they make ready their arrow upon the string, adjusting it for a sudden shot, that they may privily shoot at the upright in heart, in a treacherous attempt at assassination.

v. 3. If the foundations be destroyed, the laws and ordinances of public justice were rudely overthrown, what can the righteous do? In such an event the outlook evidently is hopeless for those who loved law and order, and therefore David should seek safety in flight. But he felt differently about it.

v. 4. The Lord is in His holy Temple, on the throne of His palace, His heavenly Temple: the Lord's throne is in heaven, all the earth is absolutely under His government. His eyes behold, His eyelids try, with a penetrating, all-seeing glance, the children of men. Jehovah was fully conscious of everything that was going on in the world, and David felt that he could safely trust in His powerful and just rule, that nothing could harm him without the permission of the heavenly King.

v. 5. The Lord trieth the righteous, proving or testing them for evidences of their sincerity and then giving them the full measure of His protection; but the wicked and him that loveth violence His soul hateth, upon them His judgment will finally descend.

v. 6. Upon the wicked He shall rain, sending down in great abundance, snares, to prevent the escape of the ungodly, fire and brimstone, usually associated with the pains of hell, and an horrible tempest, the word really signifying the fiery, poisonous wind of the desert, the samum, to indicate the terrible form of punishment sent upon the wicked by God; this shall be the portion of their cup, that which was measured out to them to drink, what was included in the punishment which they must suffer.

v. 7. For the righteous Lord loveth righteousness, such acts of righteousness as His children on earth delight in; His countenance doth behold the upright, they alone behold His face, they alone are worthy of standing in His sight. Thus the Christians place their trust in their heavenly Father and proudly confess His name, for they know that God looks upon them in love for the sake of their Savior, Jesus Christ, His Son, and that they will finally be delivered from every evil work, to be taken up to the realms of glory.