“God moves in a mysterious way
His wonders to perform
He plants His footsteps in the sea
And rides upon the storm
Deep in His dark and hidden mines
With never-failing skill
He fashions all His bright designs
And works His sovereign will”- Bob Kauflin
God is always in control and He always does the right thing. So says the psalm which we will be studying in this lesson.
David certainly lived a life of fear, uneasiness, and trepidation. He dealt with attacks from outside Israel. Once King Saul was dead, David had to assure the family of Saul that he was not going to kill all them. It took some time for David to consolidate the entire nation of Israel under his leadership. David had to deal with the Philistines – 2 Samuel 8 gives us a summary – with the Moabites, the Arameans, the Ammonites. He also had to deal with his own family including his wife Michal, his sons Amnon and Absalom, along with Ziba and Shimei, Joab, and Sheba. And perhaps David’s worst enemy was himself, his own spiritual weaknesses.
David needed to find refuge somewhere. With someone body. And he found that refuge in his God…
REFUGE IS FOUND IN THE LORD – 11:1-3:
Out of the 35 times this verb “to seek refuge” is found in the OT, it is found 24 times in the book of Psalms. Why should we read Psalms? Because the authors remind us that God is our refuge.
Somebody – a friend, family member, maybe just an acquaintance – encouraged David to get out of Jerusalem, to get out of his stressful environment: “Flee as a bird to the mountain…”
When Nehemiah was trying to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem, Israel’s enemies tried to get them discouraged and distracted. Nehemiah responded: “Should a man like me flee? And could one such as I go into the temple to save his life? I will not go in” (Neh. 6:10-11).
Without foundation, there is no hope for a structure. What verse 3 sounds like in this context is that David’s friend is suggesting that all hope is lost. The foundations are destroyed. Get out! Go away! Leave! Maybe they were sincere; maybe they were really thinking of David’s health and safety. But: 1) Isn’t a king supposed to be on his throne? 2) What would David’s flight teach his people about his faith in his God? What would his flight teach others about the nature of his God?
THE LORD REIGNS FROM HEAVEN – 11:4-7:
How is it that David can take refuge in God? Because God is not touched by the stress and frustrations and whims and capricious behaviors of mankind…
God’s temple is holy. That is where the Lord’s throne is.
God sees all.
God tests all.
God hates the one who loves violence. It is not quite accurate to say, “God hates the sin but loves the sinner.” There are a handful of passages like this one which states explicitly that God hates sinners, at least certain sinners. And He hates the one who loves violence.
God rains snares on them; fire, brimstone, and burning wind will be the cup which they drink. There is only one historical event in the OT which involved fire and brimstone: the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah in Genesis 19. It appears that the other references in the prophets are alluding to Sodom and Gomorrah. Of course, the idea that God will make the wicked drink their “portion” of the burning wind is the idea behind the bowls of wrath in the book of Revelation.
Because of God’s nature: He is righteous. Fear can get the best of us.
But He also loves the righteous. God is our “safe space,” and He will never leave us.
In the midst of fear and anxiety in our lives, we will not soar if we “flee as a bird to the mountains,” but we will soar if we “flee as a bird” and find refuge in Jesus Christ!
With God by your side, there is no need to fear. Stay confident in His love and guidance.
Paul Holland
