To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David.
David's friends offer advice. David was in danger again. We don't know if this was from Saul, Absalom or some other source. We do know that David fled Saul and hid in the wilderness; and we know he abandoned
1 In the LORD I put my trust;
How can you say to my soul,
"Flee as a bird to your mountain"?
David responds strongly to the advice of those who say they were his friends. To flee as a bird would be an act of fear and that fear would go against David's faith in the Lord. David accepts the danger he is exposed to in order to show his trust in the Lord rather than to flee in a godless fashion.
When is fleeing okay and when do we trust in the Lord and stand our ground? Joseph fled the grip of Potiphar's wife! David fled Saul and Absalom? Now David stands his ground as Ezra stood his ground as he rebuilt the temple. Maybe God directs according to each circumstance and there is no set principle about fleeing verses standing. Or it could be that fleeing is okay when fleeing to the Lord and not away from something fearful. And standing is okay when standing in the Lord. David may have stood in the Lord because his faithless friends were encouraging him to flee. David's stance then became a testimony and witness to the Lord. Maybe we flee when godly counsels advises us to or we flee when ungodly counsel tells us to stay.
2 For look! The wicked bend their bow,
They make ready their arrow on the string,
That they may shoot secretly at the upright in heart.
3 If the foundations are destroyed,
What can the righteous do?
David's friends see the threat on David's life as very real. We might say the gun is loaded, cocked and ready to fire. But David's friends go one step further. They imply that he may be killed secretly. Are they seeing an enemy behind every tree and hidden around every corner? They seem to be going further than they need to so David might be convinced to run. They tell David that the very foundations are destroyed and there is nothing David can do by himself. It almost seems as though these people have an agenda other than David's safety. Was there possibly another reason they wanted him to leave? We don't know.
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.
5 The LORD tests the righteous,
But the wicked and the one who loves violence His soul hates.
6 Upon the wicked He will rain coals;
Fire and brimstone and a burning wind
Shall be the portion of their cup.
David answers his friends. They asked what the righteous can do. The answer on David's mind may well have been, "What can't the righteous do?" David found comfort in the Lord. And if He is in His holy temple and the Lord's throne is in heaven then what could any man devise that would change His plans.
Yes, the Lord tests the righteous. God tests us, examines us, and refines us. How will we act? Every day, in a new way, God asks, "Do you trust me?" How will we answer? The testing and trying from the Lord may look similar to his treatment of the unrighteous. The difference is the outcome. The difference lies in our response.
The wicked and the violent ones, God doesn't test. His soul hates them. He sees their heart and knows what they are up to. God's judgment will fall on them. The judgments are fire and brimstone, along with a burning wind or a windstorm. These things are the portion of their cup and are a reference to the poison in their drink. These things are their poison and will kill them.
7 For the LORD is righteous,
He loves righteousness;
His countenance beholds the upright.
The Lord is righteous and loves justice. David knew that he was acting right and that his trust in the Lord was His source of righteousness. The countenance of the Lord looks on the upright. This may also mean the upright see the Lord. I think the upright see God and God sees the upright when we trust in Him.
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