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Psalm 11 - Refuge in the LORD

Psalm 11

 Refuge in the LORD

 Introduction
Written as a testimonial Psalm by David, it shares similar concepts as Psalm 10. Also, on a little hindsight, Psalms 9 and 10 are believed to be written by the same person - David, even though the authorship of Psalm 10 is not verified.

Summary
v1-3 Confidence in God
v4-6 Actions of God
v7 Character of God

Confidence in God
David expresses great confidence in God - he takes refuge in the LORD, and questions the wicked in his psalm - writing to them - How can they ask him to flee, how can they threaten him with bows and arrows, with destruction of the foundations, how can they question what the righteous can do. He writes mockingly at the wicked, in the knowledge and confidence that the LORD is his refuge.

Actions of God
Looking at this section, our key takeaway is God is the King. Seated on His heavenly throne, He examines and observes both the righteous and the unrighteous. His soul hates the wicked and the violent, and he will rain fiery coals and burning sulfur - sounds like the picture of hell that's always drawn for us in cartoons - with lots of fire and burning stuff. God's judgement for the wicked is indeed hell - eventually.

Character of God
David ends his Psalm in adoration for God - the LORD is righteous, he loves justice. Then David gives the shocking statement - upright men will see his face.
Rewind a little, to Exodus 33:20, where Moses asks for God to reveal His glory to Him. God says to Moses in Exodus 33:20 - "But," he said, "you cannot see my face, for no one may see me and live."
Contradictory? No! Link this up with another statement in the Bible - Romans 3:10 - There is no one righteous, not even one.
Exactly because there is no one righteous, therefore no one can see God. We believe that we will dwell in the presence of God in heaven in the future - because we will have been made righteous through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, and by leaving our sinful earthly bodies behind we are forgiven and brought into God's presence. Then, I believe, we can see God's face.
However, in this statement, David does not seek to cause this small controversy. He instead seeks to encourage the afflicted - to encourage them to press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called them heavenward in Christ Jesus (quote: Paul). The greatest prize is God Himself, and this should be a huge encouragement to strive to live in an upright manner.

Question
Can we trust God to the extent that we do not fear the wicked?
Are we stable in saying that we are righteous before God?
Do we strive for the prize of God Himself, or are we misled into thinking the prize is eternal life, or heaven, or escaping hell etc?

My own thoughts and reflections
I realised I have been having problems breaking down these passages recently because I have been too generic - I look at overall themes in the psalm, instead of zooming into these small details - a bad habit of mine! Today was much more enriching to me.
I was stuck for a moment at my second and third questions. I would consider myself, by all accounts, a violent man. Described alongside the wicked by David. I am often short-tempered (inherited, but I don't blame my mom!), and unhesitant (is there such a word?) to use violence to solve problems. I often believe that a simple bullet, a good punch, or even smashing in a cupboard that refuses to close is the fastest way to end our troubles.
My prayer for today is for God to help me in loving the things and people of this world more - to be a little more gentle.
Also, my third question. What do we "advertise" when we share the Gospel? We often leave it as "forgiven of our sins and given eternal life". It's misleading! The ultimate prize is God, not eternal life! Christianity is not a self-centered eternal-life-centered faith, it's a Christ-centered faith.
I really need to re-look through what's in my gospel messages...
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