PSALMS 11


     We will begin by giving this Psalm in metre, to show how easily
it could have been sung.

                   THE PSALMS OF DAVID IN METRE

                           Chapter 11

verse 1  "I in Jehovah put my trust; Then wherefore say to me,
          As timid birds a refuge seek, So to your mountains flee?"
verse 2  "For, lo! the wicked bend the bow, On string their arrow fit,
          That those who upright are in heart In secret they may hit."
verse 3  "For if foundations be destroyed, What hath the righteous
          done? Jehovah in his temple is, In heaven is his throne."
verse 4  "His eyes do see, his eyelids try Men's sons. The just he
          proves; But his soul hates the wicked man, And him that
          vi'lence loves."
verse 5  "Snares, fire, and brimstone, raging storms On the sinner he
          shall rain; This, as the portion of their cup, Shall unto
          them pertain."
verse 6  "Because the Lord most righteous doth In righteousness
          delight; And with a pleasant countenance Beholdeth the
          upright."

     We will now begin in the verse by verse study of this Psalm.
Psalms 11:1 "{To the chief Musician, [A Psalm] of David.} In the LORD
put I my trust: how say ye to my soul, Flee [as] a bird to your
mountain?"

     So many times when we are going through trials, loving friends
will tell us to get away from the problem {go to the mountain}. I like
the answer David gave here. In the LORD put I my trust. Sure, we could
run to safety, away from the trials of life, but generally speaking,
the problem would follow us. Have you ever had the urge to run away
and hide? I have. When I prayed, I discovered that God wanted me to
put my trust in Him , even in the midst of the storm. I Peter 5:7
"Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you."  I have said
this so many times, but it bears repeating. God did not save Noah from
the flood, He saved him in the flood. It rained on Noah, too. God made
provision for Noah. God will save us in whatever problem we are facing
now.

     Psalms 11:2 "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."

     Look with me at the next Scripture and rejoice that the world
hates and persecutes you. John 15:18 "If the world hate you, ye know
that it hated me before [it hated] you."  This is printed in red in
my Bible, which means Jesus spoke these very words. Look at one more
Scripture with me on this. John 15:25 "But [this cometh to pass], that
the word might be fulfilled that is written in their law, They hated
me without a cause."  This is what we must be careful of; that they
have no cause to hate us.  Christian, the world will try to destroy
you, because you are not of the world. They hate you, because you
remind them that they chose to sin. They did not have to. They hate
you, because you remind them of their sin.

     Psalms 11:3 "If the foundations be destroyed, what can the
righteous do?"

     The foundation of society has been almost totally destroyed
today. Our ancestors would be hurt deeply, if they could see the
terrible things our society calls normal behavior. The United States
was a Christian nation when it was first founded. Today, most just
turn their back to the filth on television, movies, books, and even
common conversation on the street corner. What can the righteous do?
We can raise a standard of righteousness and holiness where we are.
Christians, do not participate in any of this. Set a standard for you
and your family, live by it, and then try to encourage others to live
better, too. The best thing to do, is read your Bible every day, and
find out what the will of God is, and then do His will. You may not
change the world, but you can change the spot where you live.  Refuse
to be a part of anything you know is not of God.

     Psalms 11:4 "The LORD [is] in his holy temple, the LORD'S throne
[is] in heaven: his eyes behold, his eyelids try, the children of
men."

     The tabernacle in the wilderness was an example of that great
tabernacle in heaven. When Stephen was being stoned to death, he
looked to the heavens and saw Jesus standing at the right side of the
throne of God. John, in his Revelation, saw heaven's door opened. The
door of heaven is never closed to the believer in Christ, because
Jesus opened that door to the very presence of God, when He gave His
body on Calvary. Jesus is our Door to heaven. He is our Way. The
LORD'S throne is in heaven. Jesus sits on the right side of the Father
even now interceding for you and me. Jesus is our great High Priest.
He represents us before the Father. God is not blind, that He can not
see every thing we do. Revelation 1:14 "His head and [his] hairs
[were] white like wool, as white as snow; and his eyes [were] as a
flame of fire;" This description, that we see from Revelation is
speaking of the one you and I know as Jesus our Saviour. These eyes
that were like flames of fire, mean that He can look into the very
heart and soul of man. Fire burns out the evil. As I said before, He
sees everything. There is nothing hid from him. Think before you sin
next time. Jesus is watching.

     Psalms 11:5 "The LORD trieth the righteous: but the wicked and
him that loveth violence his soul hateth."

     Christians are righteous, not because we have never sinned, but
because we took on the righteousness of the LORD when He took our sin
on His body. It is not our righteousness we are clothed with, but the
righteousness of Christ. The wicked, and those who love violence, have
totally rejected the Lord Jesus as their Saviour. They are standing
before Jesus in their cloak of sin. They are hated of God, because
they chose sin over salvation in Jesus Christ.

     Psalms 11:6 "Upon the wicked he shall rain snares, fire and
brimstone, and an horrible tempest: [this shall be] the portion of
their cup."

     This, to me, is speaking of the terrible time when the wrath of
God is poured out upon the earth. God has given them ample time to
repent and they have not. The generation, spoken of here, has totally
rejected God. You may read about these terrible plagues, earthquakes,
and many more terrors that come in the study on Revelation.
The one thing that we must remember is, these people brought this upon
themselves. I will share just one Scripture from the book of
Revelation pertaining to this. Revelation 14:10 "The same shall drink
of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture
into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire
and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence
of the Lamb:"

     Psalms 11:7 "For the righteous LORD loveth righteousness; his
countenance doth behold the upright."

     We are told, to be ye holy for I am holy, by Almighty God.
Righteousness in Christ just means that we have taken on right
standing in Christ. Abraham had faith, and it was counted unto him for
righteousness. The Christian has faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, and
it is counted unto the Christian as righteousness. We are clothed in
His righteousness when our garment has been washed in the blood of the
Lamb. God loves those who are in right standing with Him through Jesus
Christ the Lord.























                             Questions 11

1.  Why do we keep giving these Psalms in metre?
2.  Whose Psalm is this?
3.  Who was this Psalm addressed to?
4.  In the _____ put I my trust.
5.  What do loving friends tell us to do many times, when we are going
    through a trial?
6.  Should we take their advice?
7.  Quote 1 Peter chapter 5 verse 7.
8.  God did not save Noah _____ the flood, but __ the flood.
9.  Why should we rejoice that the world hates and persecutes us?
10. They hated Jesus _________ a ______.
11. What has happened to the foundation of our society?
12. What is some of the filth that most people just ignore now?
13. What can a Christian do?
14. You may not change the world, but you can change what?
15. What was the tabernacle in the wilderness an example of?
16. Who, while being stoned to death, looked into heaven and saw Jesus
    standing at the right side of the throne of God?
17. Who else in the Bible saw the heavens opened?
18. How was heaven opened for the Christian?
19. What is Jesus doing for you and me in heaven now?
20. What were the eyes of Jesus like from Revelation chapter 1 verse
    14?
21. What does this description of His eyes mean?
22. In verse 5, we find that The LORD trieth whom?
23. What makes the Christian righteous?
24. What is meant, when we say we are righteous?
25. Upon the wicked He shall rain what?
26. Where can you read of the terrible things that are to come on the
    earth?
27. The righteous LORD loveth ___________.
28. What made Abraham righteous in God's sight?