Part 1: Background | Part 2: Panic | Part 3: Presence
Now David moves from God’s presence to God’s action. God is not just an observer here; he responds to what he sees.
David says that God distinguishes between his people and his enemies (“the wicked”), and he acts to accomplish different outcomes for the two groups. In the situations that frighten his people, he is “trying” us (Ps 11.5a)—not in the sense that he needs to know how things will turn out for us, or how we will respond to the fear; God is omniscient, and he doesn’t need to “find out” anything. No, he is putting us to the test in that sense that he is exercising us for our own betterment.
We all know how this works with athletes; a coach puts them through hard things to make them stronger, better athletes. So God exercises us with hard things, sometimes scary things, to make us stronger, more like his son. Paul talks about that process in Romans 5:
We glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience; 4 And patience, experience; and experience, hope: 5 And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us (Ro 5.3b-5).
Hardship brings endurance; endurance brings experience of success; experience of success brings confidence of success the next time.
So God’s intention for us is entirely benevolent, even when things are hard.
But for the wicked, things are very different. The hard things they experience are warnings of judgment, which they must anticipate.
Upon the wicked he shall rain snares, fire and brimstone,
And an horrible tempest: this shall be the portion of their cup (Ps 11.6).
The word snares is a bit surprising; why would God rain down animal traps? Is he speaking of sending destructive things their way?
Could well be. But readers of the Hebrew text have noticed that if you swap a couple of vowels in the word for “snares” (pachim), you get a word that means “coals” (picham), which makes a lot more sense in the context of “fire and brimstone.” (And since the vowels in Hebrew weren’t written during biblical times, the distinction could have been unnoticed at the time.) Several of the modern English versions (e.g. CSB ESV NIV) render it that way.
This kind of fiery judgment is what awaits the wicked. It happened to Sodom and Gomorrah; it will be the end of Gog (Ezk 38.22), and of the beast of Revelation (Re 14.10), and of the devil (Re 20.10), and of the wicked at the Great White Throne (Re 21.8).
The KJV’s “horrible tempest” is a “raging wind,” raging especially in the sense of “hot.” Mediterranean peoples are well aware of the sirocco, which blows sand from North Africa across the Mediterranean Basin. It’s hot, biting, and destructive to crops as well as just generally unpleasant.
In another Psalm, the same David writes,
If a man does not repent, God will whet his sword; he has bent and readied his bow (Ps 7.12).
It turns out that David’s enemies aren’t the only ones flexing a bow (Ps 11.2).
But David notes that God is not all anger. He is also love—and he loves his people thoroughly, truly, and perfectly.
For the righteous Lord loveth righteousness;
His countenance doth behold the upright (Ps 11.7).
The second line reads in Hebrew, “the upright shall behold his face.”
The Lord told Moses that no one could see his face and live. Moses was allowed to see his “back” (Ex 33.23).
But we have seen the glory of God in the face of Christ (2Co 4.6), and one day we shall see his face (Re 22.4).
David said in yet another psalm,
One thing have I desired of the Lord, that will I seek after;
That I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life,
To behold the beauty of the Lord, and to inquire in his temple (Ps 27.4).
May it be so for us all.
Fear not.
Photo by Alexandra Gorn on Unsplash
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