Monday, March 21, 2022

The Sounds of War




With everything going on in the world these days, it seems only appropriate to take a step back and get some heavenly perspective.    The war in Ukraine is nothing short of a travesty.  One man seems to have the world by the tail and is determined to do whatever he pleases.  Today’s study isn’t about tyrants, though; rather it is taking a look at Who is really in charge, both today and for eternity.


Psalm 11

In the Lord I have taken shelter.
How can you say to me,
“Flee to a mountain like a bird!
For look, the wicked prepare their bows,
they put their arrows on the strings,
to shoot in the darkness at the morally upright.
When the foundations are destroyed,
what can the godly accomplish?”
The Lord is in his holy temple;
the Lord’s throne is in heaven.
His eyes watch;
his eyes examine all people.
The Lord approves of the godly,
but he hates the wicked and those who love to do violence.
May the Lord rain down burning coals and brimstone on the wicked!
A whirlwind is what they deserve!
Certainly the Lord is just;
he rewards godly deeds;
the upright will experience his favor.

Things to think about:
·      Is this war stirring up anxiety in you about where the world is headed?
o   Does it feel like maybe we have reached a tipping point where evil is winning? Are the “morally upright” under attack as David suggests?
o   He articulates what many people seem to feel at this point in history, “When the foundations are destroyed, what can the godly accomplish?”
§  Does this describe you?
·      David starts off in verse 1 by saying his faith is in God.
o   Why is this an important foundational statement?
o   His logic then builds to, “if I’m trusting God then why would I run away in fear because powerful people are intent on hurting the morally upright?”
o   There is a tendency when circumstances appear to be too powerful or inevitable to run and hide.  David clearly rejects this kind of cowardice.
·      Verse 4 is really the key here: The Lord is in his holy temple;
the Lord’s throne is in heaven.
o   Our hope does not rely on whoever is sitting in the Oval Office, rather it is in He Who sits on His Holy Throne.
o   How does this truth comfort you in the midst of uncertainty surrounding world events?
·      God will not be mocked, whatever a man’s sows, so will he reap (Galatians 6:7)
o   God is watching, He sees and knows exactly what is going on.
o   Both His judgment and His blessing are coming to those according to their deeds
o   Certainly the Lord is just; He rewards godly deeds and the upright will experience His favor
·      As we have remarked a number of times, be strong, be of good courage. 

o   Proverbs 21:30 says, “There is no wisdom, no insight, no plan that can succeed against the Lord.”