Psalm 11 Continued…
David asks that profound question in verse 3, “When the foundations are being destroyed, what can the righteous do?”
This is still a good question to ask. Today the authority of the Word of God is being challenged on every hand. A social gospel is being preached from many pulpits, instead of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Churches no longer evangelize, churchgoers are on the decline, and many pastors have quit preaching and returned to secular work. If Jesus doesn’t return soon, Christianity may become the “remnant” spoken of in Scripture. The problem is, “what can the righteous do?” The psalmist has the answer!
In verse 2, there was the first reason to support the advice to flee, and here we have the second— “If the foundations be destroyed:” Or, “When the foundations are being destroyed, what has the righteous accomplished?” However, the line is translated, the sense is that when the foundations of the things on which the righteous has put his trust are being torn down, what has been (or will be) the use of his struggling against the agents of destruction? In short, the supporters of the psalmist point out that his cause is falling to pieces, and he is about to be buried in the ruins. David’s philosophical problem appears to be this: “In view of the crumbling of the theocratic society, what can one righteous person, out of a shrinking remnant, do?” The prosperity of wicked people in their wicked, evil ways and the difficulties and distresses which the best men are sometimes brought into, tried David’s faith. But He is not discouraged, because he knows that God has sovereign authority over all the affairs of earth (Habakkuk 2:20).
The question, “what can the righteous do?” has also been translated, “What is the Righteous One doing?” God sometimes “shakes things” so that His people will work on building the church and not focus on maintaining the scaffolding— “This is what the Lord Almighty says: ‘In a little while I will once more shake the heavens and the earth, the sea and the dry land.” (Haggai 2:6) (Also see Hebrews 12:25-29). But the traditional translation is accurate, and the answer to the question is, “Lay the foundation again!”
Each new generation must see to it that the foundations of truth and justice are solid. Samuel laid again the foundations of the covenant (1 Samuel 12), and Ezra laid again the foundations of the temple (Ezra 3). In spite of all his trials, David lived to make preparations for the building of the temple and the organization of the temple worship. During the checkered history of Judah, godly kings cleansed the land of idolatry and brought the people back to the true worship of the Lord. Christ’s messages to the churches in Revelation 2-3 make it clear that local churches need constant examination to see if they are faithful to the Lord, and we need to pray for a constant reviving work of the Spirit.
PRAY
Shine on us dear God. Restore our lives and help us to be wise to redeem the time.