Flee Like a Bird – Psalm 11

Crosby, Stills and Nash sang, in Suite: Judy Blue Eyes, “I’ve got an answer, I’m going to fly away. What have I got to lose?”  Have you ever felt like simply getting away from it all, going up in the mountains or hiding out on a desert isle, as if that would eliminate all your troubles?  David felt like he had a target on his back and the wicked were bending their bows to shoot him and someone was telling him the answer was to fly away like a bird, to give up his responsibilities and check out.  This psalm was his answer to that tactic.

To the choirmaster. Of David.

In the LORD I take refuge; how can you say to my soul, “Flee like a bird to your mountain, for behold, the wicked bend the bow; they have fitted their arrow to the string to shoot in the dark 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 see, his eyelids test the children of man.  The LORD tests the righteous, but his soul hates the wicked and the one who loves violence.  Let him rain coals on the wicked; fire and sulfur and a scorching wind shall be the portion of their cup.  For the LORD is righteous; he loves righteous deeds; the upright shall behold his face.  (Psalm 11 ESV)

There are always those who lose heart when things get rough and we are all tempted to do that.  When the righteous are being attacked and everything we stand on is crumbling we might be tempted to flee, to give up and hide.  But Yahweh is ruling from heaven and sees all that is going on and will apportion judgment on those who are wicked.  He will test the righteous to see if they will make Him their refuge and they will end up being approved.