Faith Is A Refuge

Introduction

I invite you to be turning your Bibles this morning to the 11th Psalm. The 11th Psalm, the same psalm that our brother Tom read for us at the beginning of our worship this morning. We’ll be considering that in just a moment. First of all, to the many who we have visiting with us, we thank you for joining us on this Lord’s Day, as we have come yet again to give praise to our Almighty Father, to glorify his name, to give thanks to him, to remember the wonderful sacrifice that he made on our behalf, the sacrifice of his only begotten Son. And now as we take an opportunity to look to his word, and as we are doing throughout this year, as far as I am preaching at the 9 a.m.

hour, we’re looking at some of the psalms that we’re reading in our weekly Bible reading. And so you may have remembered, recalled reading the 11th Psalm throughout this past week. I hope it gave you some encouragement, gave you some pause to think of the great God in which we serve and which we praise. And certainly we aim to look at that a little bit more this morning. We have a good number already. Some of our own are not here due to various ailments. It’s unfortunate this is a time of stomach virus and of the flu, and hopefully, uh, if any of us do contract that, that’ll be a very short illness, but it’s good to see others who are out with us that were not able to be with us even last week because of sickness.

And reading the 11th Psalm, you would just be able to tell just by reading that this is a time of fear. And yet David can say that he’s not afraid. No, he may have had fear. But ultimately, he’s not afraid because he knows who he has refuge in. The Lord is my refuge, the psalm begins. We are not told where this psalm occurs in the life of David. There’s a variety of places where it could have fallen. I’m going to go with that. This is probably occurring, or David pins this, or at least is reflecting on his time in Saul’s court, before he will ultimately have to flee for his life. A time of great danger for David. But you might say this could fit in a variety of the periods of David’s life, even as David has had to take flight, fleeing from Saul later on in David’s reign, as there are various rebellions from his son Absalom and from others, that there have been this counsel to look to the mountains.

1. Real Faith Knows Its Refuge

In fact, we’re going to begin reading the first three verses, as David is confident that he knows where his refuge lies. Read those verses with me again. Psalm 11 and beginning in verse 1. And the Lord, I take refuge. 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 of the upright in heart. If the foundations are destroyed, what can the righteous do? This is reflecting the counsel that David is receiving at this time from whether it be his friends or his advisors. And they are saying, Go, David, flee to the mountains. Some of you are taking the history and geography study that goes throughout the whole Bible.

And so you would recognize from that statement why they are telling David to flee to the mountains. You recognize the land in which Israel lives, with that central hill country going right down the middle of Palestine. And there are being many places where Israel could find sanctuary. And in fact, you would know that in Israel’s history, there were many times in which they cannot inhabit the good land, the really good land, the plains along the sea, even the valley of Jezreel, which was such a fruitful place. But they held on to the highlands throughout much of their time there in Palestine, because that highland, those mountains, gave them safety and security from their enemies. David certainly would have known the mountains. We know from his time in fleeing from Saul that he does go into some of those places and dwells in the caves and hiding from Saul.

David is growing up in Bethlehem there in the foothills of those mountains. He would have known the sanctuary that the mountains afford a man as he is fleeing for his life. And so that is the counsel. And to say that the counsel is not well founded by the standards of man, well, it certainly is well founded. That this is a time of great distress. Note again what they’re saying. The wicked bend the bow. They’re ready. The bow is bent. It’s not as if they’re plodding still. No, the bow is bent. The arrow is there. They’re just waiting to let fly the arrow. They make ready their arrow upon the string to shoot in darkness at the upright in heart. You don’t know when this is coming, David.

It’s going to come upon you at a time you’re not expecting. It’s a time of darkness. You’re not going to be looking for it, but they will slay you if the foundations are destroyed. And this is why many think that this is there in the time of Saul’s reign. Saul as the king of Israel, one who is to be executing justice and righteousness. And yet the foundations of his rule are destroyed. Saul is no longer just. Saul is no longer righteous. And so they are counseling David look at this man who’s sitting on the throne. If the foundations are destroyed, what can the righteous do? If you go back in your old testaments to 1 Samuel in chapters 18 and 19 gives us a little indication of some of the danger which David faced.

David has come off of this great victory over the giant Goliath. And because of that victory, he has come back, and the people are singing his praises. And you know the story. You know how Saul is jealous over the praise as being given to David. And so you read in verse 9, beginning of 1 Samuel chapter 18. That Saul looked at David with suspicion from that day on. Now it came about on the next day that an evil spirit from God came mightily upon Saul, and he raved in the midst of the house while David was playing the harp with his hand as usual, and a spear was in Saul’s hand. And Saul hurled the spear, for he thought, I will pin David to the wall.

But David escaped from his presence twice. The story goes on to talk about how Saul would give his daughter to David in marriage, but he would demand of David a price. 100 foreskins from the Philistines.

Well then you must go to the Philistines, our enemy, and you must slay a hundred of them and bring me back 100 foreskins. David does just that. And because of that, David is praised all the more.

Saul tried to pin David to the wall with a spear, but he slipped away out of Saul’s presence, so that he stuck the spear into the wall, and David fled and escaped that night. Then verse 11, then Saul sent messengers to David’s house to watch him in order to put him to death in the morning. Well founded fear. Are the friends of David giving him good counsel? Flee to the mountains. It would certainly seem so from the standpoint of men. But David’s response is simply in verse 1, In the Lord I take refuge. Did not mean that David would not go ultimately and flee. But even during that story, you recognize that David’s reliance is still on the Lord. He’s not, shall we say, dumb enough to think that just by fleeing to the mountains, that those mountains are going to give him safety and security from Saul.

2. Faith Has a Firm Foundation

He still needs the Lord. In the Lord I take refuge. Real faith knows its refuge. But it’s not within man. It’s not within this world, but the refuge that we need is in God and in God alone. The text goes on then to say why David can take such refuge in the Lord. That’s because his faith has a foundation. He says in verse 4, the Lord is in his holy temple. The Lord’s throne is in heaven. His eyes, behold, his eyelids test the sons of men. The Lord tests the righteous and the wicked. And the one who loves violence, his soul hates. Upon the wicked, he’ll rain snares. Fire and brimstone, and burning wind will be the portion of their cup. You can just imagine David in responding to his friends and his counselors, and they’re coming back to him and they’re telling him all these thoughts of Saul and all the danger that David is in.

And watch David’s response. The Lord knows all this. You’re not telling me anything that the Lord doesn’t know already. For he is enthroned on high. He is in his holy temple. Of course, you would recognize in the chronology that there’s still a tabernacle in Israel. There’s not yet a permanent physical structure, a temple, so to speak. But David already understood the idea of the permanent dwelling place of God, the temple or the palace, you could even translate this, is in heaven. That’s where the Lord is. And because he is reigning in heaven, because he is in his holy temple, his eyes behold.

And so he can look down and he can know exactly what is happening. He tests with his eyelids, the sons of men. The Lord tests the righteous and the wicked, and the one who loves violence, his soul hates, and so upon the wicked he’ll rain snares, fire and brimstone, and burning wind will be the portion of their cup. In the Lord I take refuge, David says. Because it’s the Lord, and only the Lord, who can ultimately do anything about it. What if they killed Saul? Well, there’ll just be more wicked men to take Saul’s place. What if they flee from this adversary? Well, there’ll just be another adversary that would rise up. And so ultimately, David can’t really do anything to fix the situation. But the Lord can.

And David recognizes ultimately the Lord will. Because as he sits on his throne, and his eyes see all, and he tests the righteous, and he tests the wicked, ultimately the wicked will fall. David’s counselors are looking at the situation and looking at how the wicked are prospering. And look how powerful they are. Look how terrifying they seem. But David knows. Ultimately, the Lord will punish them as well. They will meet their end. Fire and brimstone, burning wind will be the portion of their cup. Perhaps an illusion back to Solomon Gomorrah. And that wicked cities, those wicked cities, terrible destruction from the Lord. It would not seem as such a prosperous couple of cities as they were, that they could ever fall in the manner that they did, but they did.

3. Faith Will Be Rewarded

And it came from the hand of the Lord. And David recognizes that will ultimately be the lot of all who reject him, of all who practice wickedness. Faith has a firm foundation. David can take his refuge in the Lord, for he knows it is the Lord who reigns over all. And so the Psalm ends then with this note. Faith will be rewarded. The Lord is righteous. If the Lord is testing with his eyes, the sons of men. If the Lord is looking to behold those who are righteous and those who are wicked, and we understand the wicked will ultimately fall, then what are the righteous? Well, since the Lord is righteous, he loves righteousness. Our holy God, who is just and righteous, looks for the same qualities in his people.

And David can have assurance that because he is seeking to be righteous before the Lord, that even though man may hate him, even though the king may hate him, the king may despise him, the king may be longing to kill him, yet he knows I still have favor in the eyes of my Lord. Because he is righteous, he loves righteousness. And so the great conclusion, the upright will behold his face. And that phrase, that last sentence is so important. David’s not simply taking refuge in the Lord because it offers a benefit to him. He’s not saying I’ll trust in the Lord because he’ll save my skin. He’s saying I’m going to trust in the Lord because I long one day to see his face. This is more than just benefiting me.

This is love.

4. Faith Conquers Fear

And I long to see his face one day. And if I’ll be righteous and I’ll put my trust in him, if I’ll look to him as my refuge, then one day I ultimately will behold his face. Faith conquers fear. And again, I don’t mean to intimate that David never had a fearful moment. We certainly know he must have. Many, many days of fear, of wondering what will man do? But ultimately, you can come back time and time again and recognize. My refuge truly is in the Lord. And if I will follow him in righteousness, then he will love me because he is righteous. And I will one day behold his face. When I read this the first time this week, how could I not think about the world in which we live and even the current events that are happening in our time?

And we look around us, and we look at the things that man looks at, and we look for safety and we look for security. How many of us we don’t constantly look at our bank accounts and our savings, and we think if we just have this much money, then everything will be okay. If I just set aside this much for that rainy day, or if I just set aside this much for the future, then everything’s gonna be okay. Everything’s gonna work out okay. There’s my safety, there’s my refuge. And would not the Lord say the same thing to us that he did to that foolish rich man who had built bigger barns and felt to his soul, okay, now I can rest. You fool, this night your life is required of you.

What safety and security does money really offer us ultimately? Not much. Markets can crash, thieves can break in and steal. All kinds of awful things can happen. And so there’s really no safety in those things. Much of our society, much of our world even looks to government and say, there, so long as we have a good and a strong government, we will be safe. How so? How much protection is the government really going to offer me? The government, no matter how big, how strong, they can’t stop all the terrorists. The government, no matter how big and how strong, they can’t prevent me from getting sick. The government, no matter how big or how strong, they can’t stop evil men from doing evil things. Those problems have always existed and they will always exist so long as this world continues.

Governments have risen and governments have fallen. And none of them ever have been permanent. The gun debate that’s raging in our country now. It’s not my place to tell you whether or not you should own a gun. If you want to ask me personally, I don’t necessarily think it’s the government’s place. But there’s a place for a debate for it. But I have marveled, as even Christians, my own brethren have written to me over the past few weeks, and they’ve asked questions like, you know, if the government requires us to turn in our guns, would a Christian be responsible? Would we have to do that? And my simple response has been, well, show me the passage that guarantees your gun rights. I just can’t find it.

But the point that I want to get to that kind of betrays us underlying all this is why are we so concerned? It’s because, well, I want to protect my family. Okay. I think all of us have invested in some means of protecting our family. We try to live in good neighborhoods. Perhaps some of us have security systems on our house. Some of us may have a dog that looks kind of ferocious. You may have remembered my dog Winston. I don’t think he’d bite any of you, but if you just looked at him, he’s like, whoa, you know, maybe that bulldog, even though he’s just kind of laying there, hey, it doesn’t look too aggressive, doesn’t look like he’s going to run a whole lot. Maybe we shouldn’t come near.

Maybe. You might have a dog that can keeps the people off, or a really ferocious cat, some of you. Or maybe we think if I just have that pistol somewhere in my nightstand, then if someone comes after my family, I’ll be able to protect them. Okay. But that’s going to require you being home when they come after your family. That’s going to require you being able to get to that pistol in time to protect your family. That’s going to be able to require you to be a better shot than the one that’s coming after your family. I’m not trying to sway you one way or the other. The point is, that won’t offer you true refuge and protection either. None of these things will. Nothing that man can devise is going to offer you final and complete safety and security.

What I fear is in all these debates that go on within our society. And there’s a political place for them. You can have a viewpoint right or left. But my fear is that what we’ve discounted is the best safety for my family is me getting on my knees on a daily basis and asking God to watch over them. The psalmist proclaimed, the Lord is my rescue.

And brethren, I think it would be a good place for us to step back and to think and to praise him and to thank him on a daily basis. And truly he is our refuge. Now, some might respond. Then why do awful things happen to innocent people? If the Lord is our refuge, then why do truly awful things happen to some of even the Lord’s people? What about those kids who were shot in the elementary school? What did they do? What did they deserve? How can you put trust in God? How can you say that he’s your refuge when these terrible things happen? And then I recall the taunt that was made to our Lord as he hung on the cross. And in Matthew the 27th chapter in verse 43, those who are passing by as our Lord hung on the cross, they said to him, He trusts in God.

Let God rescue him now if he delights in him, for he said, I am the Son of God. Echoing the 22nd Psalm and in verse 8. Here the very Son of God hanging on the cross, the one who’s put more trust, more faith in God than any of us, than even David did, and yet he’s hanging on the cross, suffering this horrible death. And what do they taunt him with? He trusted in God. Look where it got him. Look where it got him. But as you know the conclusion of the story, that trust in God is ultimately vindicated. Does he suffer? Does he die? Certainly. But he also rose. And he ascended on high. And now he sits at the right hand of God. It’d be better to be taunted in this life.

That how foolish you must be to put so much trust in God. Than to spend all my waking moments, all my energy, all my time, all my money stockpiling my garage with food for when the doomsday comes. Those scenarios, you’ve seen those shows. You know, to build the bunker out in my backyard somewhere because we don’t know when the terrorists are going to take over. To make sure I’ve got plenty of guns and ammunition for when the government comes after me. I tell you, it’d be much rather better to spend my days and my hours and my moments thinking and praising my Father, and for have the world look at me and ridicule me and scoff at me and say, how can you put so much trust in your God, even when things may be happening to my family, ultimately I know it will be vindicated.

Conclusion

Because even though the wicked will ultimately perish, since the Lord is righteous and the Lord loves righteousness, ultimately the righteous will behold his face. Would you go to our great God and Father in prayer with me at this time? Our Father, it is in you that we take refuge. Father, we know that we live in a fearful world. And there are many causes of fear, Father. We look at what the hands of evil men do on a daily basis, Father, and we are afraid. So help us, Father. Help us, Father, as we seek to provide for our own and our families to even protect them. We pray, Father, that you would be with us. We pray, Father, that we would look to you for ultimate safety and security.

We do pray, Father, for the safety of our loved ones. We pray, Father, that we would be able to live and enjoy this prosperity that this country has provided. We pray, Father, that we would see our children and our grandchildren, and maybe even our great grandchildren grow up before us. But Father, if none of those things come about, we still praise you. We still recognize you, Father, as being our refuge. And so, Father, we pray that wicked men would stop and to cease doing wicked things, that hearts would be turned to you, that more and more, Father, would come to look to you as their safety and their refuge. And that ultimately, Father, we know that the wicked will perish, but the righteous will be with you.

We pray, Father, that we will live lives of righteousness, having true faith in you, Father, living in such a way that we would uphold the principles of justice and righteousness and peace, so that one day, Father, we may all behold your face. We give praise and glory and honor to you, Father, in all things. We ask your hands of safety to be upon us and to ultimately, Father, bring us to you and your presence. It’s in your Son’s name that we pray. Amen.

We dismissed a little bit early this morning, but go ahead and be making.