In Yahweh I take refuge;
Psalm 11
How can you say to my soul, “Flee as a bird to your mountain;
For, behold, the wicked bend the bow,
They make ready their arrow upon the string
To shoot in darkness at the upright in heart.
If the foundations are destroyed,
What can the righteous do?”
Yahweh is in His holy temple; Yahweh’s throne is in heaven;
His eyes behold, His eyelids test the sons of men.
Yahweh tests the righteous,
But the wicked and the one who loves violence His soul hates.
May He rain snares upon the wicked;
Fire and brimstone and burning wind will be the portion of their cup.
For Yahweh is righteous, He loves righteousness;
The upright will behold His face.
Introduction
When David wrote this psalm, he was very likely about to be pursued by King Saul who sought David’s destruction. Saul knew that David was to be the next king over Israel, and he believed that David meant to take that right from him by force. But David knew God was faithful to His promises, and He had promised David the throne. Those around David, whose faith was seemingly more practical, urged him to take flight before the time had come.
And so David responds to those calls in this psalm when he asks, “How can you say to my soul, ‘Flee as a bird to your mountain’”. It was a temptation to distrust God. It was a temptation to be a coward.
The temptation of cowardice
While David did eventually flee, he only did so when the time was apparent. It was only after Saul hurled a spear at David while he played music for the king that David finally left his presence (1 Samuel 19). And even then, David only went to those whom he trusted: first Samuel, and then Jonathan.
It is easy to run from danger when we see it. Our every instinct is to preserve this body of flesh by any means necessary. We are, after all, created to be embodied. But we often forget the One who orchestrates all things. David, in this psalm, does not. He remembers that while God is not visible, He also is not far off. Yes, His “throne is in heaven,” but also, “His eyelids test the sons of men.”
God looks upon everyone with scrutiny. He knows what is in each of our hearts, and judges accordingly. He knows the wicked and judges them. He knows the righteous and reveals Himself to them. The righteous see His face and are emboldened. This has played out time and time again in the history of the Church among the martyrs.
God’s faithfulness against all odds
David’s faith in God was proven true when Saul died in battle, and David was crowned King of Israel. The Lord had promised the throne to David, and He delivered. He has also promised to preserve His Church – even more so, that His Church would triumph over death (Matthew 16:18). This promise has been made manifest throughout history from the Roman persecution of the early Church up to the present day.
One particular example of courage in the face of overwhelming odds comes when a pair of English reformers were burned at the stake for the crime of heresy against the Church of Rome in October of 1555. The two men were dragged into the public square where they were set upon a pyre and burned alive. What a terrifying prospect that must have been!
The two Protestant bishops, Hugh Latimer and Nicholas Ridley, were given the opportunity to publicly debate their positions before being commanded to repent and sentenced to death. But they had confidence the Lord who commands the tides of history would remember His Church and not to forsake their ministry. While tied up to that pyre, Latimer proclaimed, “Be of good comfort, Master Ridley, and play the man; we shall this day light such a candle by God’s grace in England as shall never be put out.”
And he was right. Less than 4 years after their deaths, Parliament passed the Acts of Supremacy and Uniformity, formally marking England as a Protestant nation in full embrace of the Reformation. “Play the man” is a longstanding commission of courage, drawing back to the martyrdom of Polycarp in the mid second century. Whatever you face today, know that God is faithful to His Church, and will see her through to the end. She will not yield to the wicked influences of this world, and though we may die, we live. Play the man, take courage, and trust God.
May the Lord bless you and conform you into the image of His Son.
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