Part 1: Background | Part 2: Panic
Verse 4 is the pivot point of Psalm 11. David has heard the warnings of his advisers, including the panic in their voices. Now it’s time for him to respond.
It’s important to note that David never denies the truth of what they are telling him. He never says, “There are no enemies; they’re not planning evil against me; you guys are just seeing things.” He has enough experience with opposition to know that what they’re saying is very likely true.
But he doesn’t take their advice, either. He doesn’t panic; he doesn’t run. And we should expect that of him, for he’s begun the psalm with his thesis statement, his life principle:
In the LORD have I put my trust (Ps 11.1).
Now he’s going to flesh out that principle.
4The LORD is in his holy temple,
The LORD’s throne is in heaven:
His eyes behold,
His eyelids try, the children of men (Ps 11.4).
Notice how the LORD’s name begins the first two lines. Readers of the Hebrew would say the name is “fronted”; it’s pushed forward in the sentence into an emphatic position. In English we would italicize or underline or circle it; if we said it out loud, we would punch the volume when we spoke his name.
This isn’t Baal or Chemosh or Dagon in the temple, or any of the gods of the other nations, who cannot see or speak or act in response to the prayers of their devotees. No. This is Yahweh, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the creator of heaven and earth, the covenant-keeping God, the one true God.
This is—and I say this reverently—the Real Deal.
And he is in his temple. Not just any temple, mind you, like the one Samson pushed down with his two hands. This is the holy temple.
At its most basic, the word holy means “unique,” “one of a kind,” “in a class by itself.” The LORD’s temple is like no other. Some four centuries later the prophet Habakkuk will quote this line of the psalm and add a line of his own to emphasize the necessary response to the holiness of this temple:
Let all the earth keep silence before him (Hab 2.20).
And so the enemies pale into insignificance. What possible threat can they be, here under the shadow of the Almighty?
Now David adds another line, another consideration:
The LORD’s throne is in heaven.
The LORD has the high ground.
A military veteran like David knows that the high ground is a significant tactical advantage. From the high ground you can see farther than your attackers, who are below you, can see. You can see where the enemy is, and you can shoot down on him, the force of gravity adding to the force of your spears and arrows and slingstones. You have all the advantages.
The LORD has the high ground.
Now, the ironic thing about that is that the LORD doesn’t need the high ground. In the light of his omnipotence, the enemy is insignificant, trivial. The battle is not close enough for any tactical advantage to throw the outcome to one side or the other.
But he does have the high ground.
And so, David continues,
His eyes behold,
His eyelids try, the children of men.
He sees. He knows. He notices.
Nothing escapes him.
You can do that from the high ground. Or even better with omniscience.
God would later tell Judah’s King Jehoshaphat,
The eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to shew himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward him (2Ch 16.9a).
He knows who his people are, and he doesn’t just watch their battles play out; he takes action on their behalf. He knows as well who the enemy is; the foe is located, recognized, identified, and opposed.
What will he do next?
Next time.
Photo by Alexandra Gorn on Unsplash
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