When The Outlook Is Dark

Bible Book: Psalms 11 : 1-7

Subject: Trouble; Problems; Trust; Faith

Series: Psalms - Kirksey

Introduction

The situation of this psalm refers to the stress of Saul’s resistance to David’s reign or to Absalom’s rebellion against his reign.

Although we do not find either of these situations explicitly listed on the Holmes and Rahe Stress Scale, they produced a tremendous amount of stress in David’s life. When a person is under stress they often become tense, nervous, jittery or uptight. Someone said, “If you can keep your head when all about you are losing theirs, then it's possible that you don't fully understand the situation.”

When the outlook is dark we should follow David’s example. He declares, “In the Lord I put my trust; / How can you say to my soul, / ‘Flee as a bird to your mountain’? 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. If the foundations are destroyed, / What can the righteous do? 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, / But the wicked and the one who loves violence His soul hates. Upon the wicked He will rain coals; / Fire and brimstone and a burning wind / Shall be the portion of their cup. For the Lord is righteous, / He loves righteousness; / His countenance beholds the upright” (Psalm 11:1-7).

Allow me to remind you of three things when the outlook is dark.

I. When the outlook is dark, remember the protection of the LORD.

We read in Psalm 11:1-3, “In the Lord I put my trust; / How can you say to my soul, / ‘Flee as a bird to your mountain’? 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. If the foundations are destroyed, / What can the righteous do?”

Dr. J. J. Stewart Perowne (1823-1904) explains, “The singer is in danger of his life; and timorous and faint-hearted counsellors would fain persuade him to seek safety in flight. But, full of unshaken faith in God, he rejects their counsel, believing that Jehovah, the righteous king, though he tries his servants, does not forsake them. Not the righteous, but the wicked have need to fear.

The Psalm is so short and so general in its character, that it is not easy to say to what circumstances in David's life it should be referred. The choice seems, however, to lie between his persecution by Saul and the rebellion of his son Absalom. Delitzsch decides for the last, and thinks the counsel (ver. 1), ‘flee to your mountain,’ comes from the mouth of friends who were anxious to persuade the king to betake himself, as he had before done when hunted by Saul, to ‘the rocks of the wild goats’ (I Sam. xxiv. 3). It is in favor, to some extent, of this view that the expression in ver. 3, ‘when the foundations are destroyed,’ points to a time when lawful authority was subverted.”[1]

Rev. David Caldwell (1725-1824) comments, “It is by no means always an easy question for the good man to decide when he shall flee, and when resist, the storm of immorality and irreligion that may be prevailing in the community to which he belongs. He may err as widely in precipitating the time for doing a thing as he can in allowing the time to pass by unimproved. It is as much the part of a good general to know when to halt as when to advance; when to retreat as when to attack; when to save life as when to cast it away. The only question for him to settle is, which course for the time being will, in the end, best promote the cause he has in hand. Our Lord both spoke and acted on this principle, counselling His disciples at one time to save themselves by flight, at another to remain at their post, even at the cost of their lives. He counselled them to determine their line of conduct, not by its consequences to themselves, but by its consequences to the cause in which they were identified. If flight would best promote its interests, they were to flee; if remaining at their posts, they were to remain; and, if needs be, die there. Many a bishop in the primitive Church did this; fleeing, so long as flight could best serve their Master’s cause; but when it demanded the surrender of their lives, giving themselves up freely to martyrdom. David, for years after he had been divinely designated to the throne of Israel, fled before his persecutors like a terrified bird. In this Psalm his affairs are no longer as they have been. The time has come when the cause with which he has identified himself can no longer be promoted by his flight. It demands champions and defenders, and it may be martyrs.”[2]

II. When the outlook is dark, remember the presence of the LORD.

Dr. Edward Rice (1779-1862) asks, “How are we to be assured of the truth that the Lord is in His holy temple? We have no visible sign: but He reveals Himself in our hearts, and requires that we should know and feel His presence there.”[3]

In Psalm 11:4 we read, “The Lord is in His holy temple, / The Lord’s throne is in heaven. His eyes behold, / His eyelids test the sons of men.”

Don Fleming, a prolific author and Bible teacher from Belmont, Queensland, Australia, explains, “If people act solely according to common sense, their suggestion in such a crisis will probably be to do what creates least hardship. After all (so the argument runs), if there is no law and order in the community, and if people in positions of power have set themselves to do evil, what can a righteous person gain by trying to resist (11:1-3)? David replies that such action really shows a lack of understanding of God's holiness and no respect for his authority. God sees and understands all. He will pour out his wrath on the wicked, but he will comfort the faithful with the security of his presence (4-7).”[4]

Dr. Henry Morris (1918-2006) one of the founders of the Creation Research Society and the Institute for Creation Research, observes, “This phrase ‘the eyes of the LORD’ occurs no less than 21 times in the Bible.”[5] In Psalm 33:18 we read, “Behold, the eye of the Lord is on those who fear Him, / On those who hope in His mercy.” We read in Psalm 34:15, “The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, / And His ears are open to their cry.” From Psalm 94:9 we read, “He who planted the ear, shall He not hear?
He who formed the eye, shall He not see?” Solomon writes in Proverbs 15:3, “The eyes of the Lord are in every place, / Keeping watch on the evil and the good.” From 2 Chronicles 16:9 we read, “For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him.”

In the words of Civilla D. Martin (1866-1948), “‘Let not your heart be troubled,’ His tender word I hear, / And resting on His goodness, I lose my doubts and fears; / Though by the path He leadeth, but one step I may see; / His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me; / His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me.”[6]

Jesus said in Matthew 10:29-31, “Are not two sparrows sold for a copper coin? And not one of them falls to the ground apart from your Father’s will. But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.”

III. When the outlook is dark, remember the practice of the LORD.

From Psalm 11:4b-7 we read, “His eyes behold, / His eyelids test the sons of men. The Lord tests the righteous, / But the wicked and the one who loves violence His soul hates. Upon the wicked He will rain coals; / Fire and brimstone and a burning wind / Shall be the portion of their cup. For the Lord is righteous, / He loves righteousness; / His countenance beholds the upright.”

On verse 5, where we read, “But the wicked and him that loveth violence his soul hateth,'' Dr. J. Vernon McGee (1904-1988) comments, “If you think God is just lovey-dovey, you had better read this and some of the other psalms again. God hates the wicked who hold on to their wickedness. I don't think God loves the devil. I think God hates him, and He hates those who have no intention of turning to Him. Frankly, I do not like this distinction that I hear today that, ‘God loves the sinner, but He hates the sin.’ God has loved you so much that He gave His Son to die for you; but if you persist in your sin and continue in that sin, you are the enemy of God. And God is your enemy. God wants to save you, and He will save you if you turn to Him and forsake your iniquity. Until then, may I say, God is not a lovey-dovey, sentimental, old gentleman from Georgia.”[7]

On the phrase, “Upon the wicked he will rain,” Dr. Adam Clarke comments, “This is a manifest allusion to the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah.”[8]

We read in Genesis 18: 16-33, “Then the men rose from there and looked toward Sodom, and Abraham went with them to send them on the way. And the Lord said, ‘Shall I hide from Abraham what I am doing, since Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him? For I have known him, in order that he may command his children and his household after him, that they keep the way of the Lord, to do righteousness and justice, that the Lord may bring to Abraham what He has spoken to him.’ And the Lord said, ‘Because the outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and because their sin is very grave, I will go down now and see whether they have done altogether according to the outcry against it that has come to Me; and if not, I will know.’ Then the men turned away from there and went toward Sodom, but Abraham still stood before the Lord. And Abraham came near and said, ‘Would You also destroy the righteous with the wicked? Suppose there were fifty righteous within the city; would You also destroy the place and not spare it for the fifty righteous that were in it? Far be it from You to do such a thing as this, to slay the righteous with the wicked, so that the righteous should be as the wicked; far be it from You! Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?’ So the Lord said, ‘If I find in Sodom fifty righteous within the city, then I will spare all the place for their sakes.’ Then Abraham answered and said, ‘Indeed now, I who am but dust and ashes have taken it upon myself to speak to the Lord: Suppose there were five less than the fifty righteous; would You destroy all of the city for lack of five?’ So He said, ‘If I find there forty-five, I will not destroy it.’ And he spoke to Him yet again and said, ‘Suppose there should be forty found there?’ So He said, ‘I will not do it for the sake of forty.’ Then he said, ‘Let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak: Suppose thirty should be found there?’ So He said, ‘I will not do it if I find thirty there.’ And he said, ‘Indeed now, I have taken it upon myself to speak to the Lord: Suppose twenty should be found there?’ So He said, ‘I will not destroy it for the sake of twenty.’ Then he said, ‘Let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak but once more: Suppose ten should be found there?’ And He said, ‘I will not destroy it for the sake of ten.’ So the Lord went His way as soon as He had finished speaking with Abraham; and Abraham returned to his place.”

From 2 Peter 2:4-9 we read, “For if God did not spare the angels who sinned, but cast them down to hell and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved for judgment; and did not spare the ancient world, but saved Noah, one of eight people, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood on the world of the ungodly; and turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah into ashes, condemned them to destruction, making them an example to those who afterward would live ungodly; and delivered righteous Lot, who was oppressed by the filthy conduct of the wicked (for that righteous man, dwelling among them, tormented his righteous soul from day to day by seeing and hearing their lawless deeds)— then the Lord knows how to deliver the godly out of temptations and to reserve the unjust under punishment for the day of judgment.”

We read in Matthew 24:36-44 “But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only. But as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. For as in the days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and did not know until the flood came and took them all away, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. Then two men will be in the field: one will be taken and the other left. Two women will be grinding at the mill: one will be taken and the other left. Watch therefore, for you do not know what hour your Lord is coming. But know this, that if the master of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched and not allowed his house to be broken into. Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.”

Dr. Luke writes in Luke 17:20-37, “Now when He was asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, He answered them and said, ‘The kingdom of God does not come with observation; nor will they say, ‘See here!’ or ‘See there!’ For indeed, the kingdom of God is within you.’ Then He said to the disciples, ‘The days will come when you will desire to see one of the days of the Son of Man, and you will not see it. And they will say to you, ‘Look here!’ or ‘Look there!’ Do not go after them or follow them. For as the lightning that flashes out of one part under heaven shines to the other part under heaven, so also the Son of Man will be in His day. But first He must suffer many things and be rejected by this generation. And as it was in the days of Noah, so it will be also in the days of the Son of Man: They ate, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all. Likewise as it was also in the days of Lot: They ate, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they built; but on the day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven and destroyed them all. Even so will it be in the day when the Son of Man is revealed. ‘In that day, he who is on the housetop, and his goods are in the house, let him not come down to take them away. And likewise the one who is in the field, let him not turn back. Remember Lot’s wife. Whoever seeks to save his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life will preserve it. I tell you, in that night there will be two men in one bed: the one will be taken and the other will be left. Two women will be grinding together: the one will be taken and the other left. Two men will be in the field: the one will be taken and the other left.’ And they answered and said to Him, ‘Where, Lord?’ So He said to them, ‘Wherever the body is, there the eagles will be gathered together.’”

Conclusion

The Outlook and the Uplook

‘When the outlook is dark, try the uplook’:

These words hold a message of cheer;

Be glad while repeating them over,

And smile when the shadows appear.

Above and beyond stands the Master;

He sees what we do for His sake,

He never will fail nor forsake us,

‘He knoweth the way that we take.’

‘When the outlook is dark try the uplook’:

The uplook of faith and good cheer,

The love of the Father surrounds us,

He knows when the shadows are near.

Be brave, then, and keep eyes lifted,

And smile on the dreariest day.

His smile will glow in the darkness;

His light will illumine the way.

--The British Weekly[9]

Remember Psalm 11, when the outlook is dark.

[1]J. J. Stewart Perowne, The Book of Psalms: A New Translation, Introduction and Notes Explanatory and Critical, (London: Warren F. Draper, 1876), 147-148

[2]David Caldwell, Parochial Lectures on the Psalms, (Philadelphia, PA: William S. & Alfred Martien, 1859), 128-129

[3]The Biblical Illustrator, ed. Joseph S. Exell, (New York: Fleming H. Revell, 1905-1909), Accessed 03 28 13,

http://www.studylight.org/com/tbi/view.cgi?bk=ps&ch=11

[5]Henry Morris, “The Eyes of the Lord,” Accessed: 06/22/13, http://www.icr.org/article/4688/

[6]Civilla D. Martin, “His Eye is on the Sparrow,” [Music by Charles H. Gabriel] (1905)

[7]J. Vernon McGee, Psalm 11:5,” Thru the Bible with J. Vernon McGee WORDsearch Corp.

[9]The Homiletic Review, Vol. 71, No. 1, From January to June, Illustrations, “The Outlook and the Uplook,” (New York: Funk & Wagnalls, 1916), 251

By Dr. Franklin L. Kirksey, pastor First Baptist Church of Spanish Fort 30775 Jay Drive Spanish Fort, Alabama 36527

Author of Sound Biblical Preaching: Giving the Bible a Voice Available on Amazon.com and WORDsearchbible.com

http://www.amazon.com/Sound-Biblical-Preaching-Giving-Bible/dp/1594577684

http://www.wordsearchbible.com/products/Sound_Biblical_Preaching_1476.html