October 15, 2006

Cawson St. Church of Christ

Hopewell, Virginia

Mural Worthey

 

Violence: Flee as a Bird

 

Introduction: Psalm 11:1-7 ESV

 

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 men

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 their portion of their cup

For the Lord is righteous

He loves righteous deeds

The upright shall behold his face

 

The problem: The wicked bend their bow and make ready their arrow to shoot at the upright in heart. (verse 2.) This is one of David’s many expressions of despair caused by his enemies.  The foundations of society were crumbling due to the poor leadership of King Saul.  They chose the wrong man as king. The spirit of the Lord departed from Saul; he became mad in his jealousy of young David.  The king commanded Jonathan his son and his servants to kill David. (1 Sam. 19:1.)  But Jonathan and David were friends. Michal, David’s wife and Saul’s daughter, helped him to escape. (1 Sam. 19:11-17.)  David once said to Jonathan, “There is but a step between me and death.”  (20:3.)  David had an opportunity once to kill Saul in a cave, but he only cut a corner off of his garment.

 

Advice: How say some of you?  Someone suggested to David, or this is a thought of his own heart, that he should flee as a bird to a mountain. (verse 1.)  David hid in the mountains, in the strongholds of Engedi, when Saul was seeking to kill him. (1 Sam. 23:28-29.) One of our songs is based upon this passage. Instead of taking this advice, David expresses trust and confidence in the Lord. “In the Lord will I put my trust.” (verse 1.)

 

Mary Dana used the phrase from this psalm, “flee as a bird to your mountain,” in her spiritual song that we often sing.

 

Flee as a bird to your mountain

Thou who art weary of sin

Go to the clear flowing fountain

Where you may wash and be clean

 

Fly, for th’ avenger is near thee

Call and the Savior will hear thee

He on his bosom will bear thee

O thou who art weary of sin

 

She lifted this phrase from this psalm and obviously used it in an opposite way.  She pictured one fleeing from sin to the Savior.  God is the avenger of sin and a refuge for the upright in heart.  But David believed that he should stay and face the difficulties. In fact, David became the king who replaced the fallen King Saul.  There are times when it is best to flee (Joseph in Potiphar’s house); at other times we should stay and face the difficulties.  What should we do in our day?  We should flee spiritually to the Savior, but stay and allow God to use us to solve the problems confronting our nation.  “Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a reproach to any people.”  (Prov. 14:34.)

 

When trials come to us individually or as a nation, we have three options. 1) We can run. This is a big temptation to flee to your mountain and hide. Our trembling hearts often say, Go somewhere where we will be free from difficulties.  2) We can stay and complain. We can tough it out, but become bitter and sour.  3) We can stay and trust God. This is the best alternative and the one that David chose.

 

Trying and persecuting our faith. The wicked oppose the righteous, and the Lord tries the righteous. (verse 2, 5.)  The faith of all the faithful has been tried.  Abraham’s faith grew due to God trying his faith.  James wrote, “Count it all joy when you fall into divers temptations, knowing that the trying of your faith works patience. Let patience have her perfect work, that you may be perfect and entire wanting nothing.”  (James 1:2-3.) The Lord tries our faith, but the wicked persecutes the faithful.  Paul wrote, “We rejoice in the hope of the glory of God, but not only so, but we glory in tribulations also, knowing that tribulations work patience, and patience experience, and experience hope.  And hope makes us not ashamed, because the love of God is shed abroad into our hearts by the Holy Spirit which he has given us.”  (Rom. 5:3-5.)  This is our response to those who trouble us, as Saul troubled young David.

 

The assurance.  “The Lord is in his holy temple.” (verse 4.)  This statement occurs here and in Habakkuk 2:20—“The Lord is in his holy temple; let all the earth keep silence before him.” God rules over kings of the earth. Note also Revelation 4. This is what the righteous can do when the foundations crumble. They can trust in God who hates the wicked and those who love violence. We cannot solve all the problems that wicked people cause, but God will judge them in time.

God will bring severe punishment upon the wicked in heart.  The psalmist describes this under four figures. Snares (like being caught outside in a storm), fire and brimstone (Sodom and Gomorrah were so destroyed), burning wind (scorching wind blowing over an arid desert) and cup of wrath (drink this bitter cup of judgment).

 

Three Things to Remember about God. (11:7.) The psalm ends with wonderful declarations about God and righteousness. 1) The Lord is righteous. Others may not be, but He is. 2) He loves righteousness. This spiritual quality of righteousness is a passion with Him. God hates violence.  3) Therefore the upright in heart will behold his face.

 

Violence in Scripture

 

The wicked often commit acts of violence against others. The gunman in PA recently killed innocent, young Amish school children. Terrorists in their wickedness slaughter civilians and even fellow Arabs. The President of North Korea has 4 billion dollars squirreled away that he stole from his nation, while they starve to death and fall dead in the streets. Violent crimes are committed every moment; it is a trait of the wicked. They have destroyed their conscience.

 

Dr. Jack Vancil, professor at Harding Graduate School, once said that the Bible can be studied from many different viewpoints. The whole story can be traced from the standpoint of sacrifices for the sins of mankind; you can trace the promises of God to Abraham and their fulfillment in Jesus Christ; of love and compassion from God for man; the story of being in the presence of God, separated from Him, and finally being brought back into his presence again.  But then he said something that I did not expect. He said in addition to all of those themes, you can also trace the biblical story from the viewpoint of violence. Violence??  Verse 5 refers to the one who loves violence.

 

1)     The story of violence begins with Cain slaying his brother Abel. (Gen. 4:8.)

2)     Lamech killed a young man for striking him and bragged about it. He said if Cain’s revenge was sevenfold, then Lamech’s would be seventy-seven fold. (Gen. 4:23-24.)

3)     Before the Flood, the Bible says “the earth was filled with violence.” (Gen. 6:11.) The wickedness of man became so great that God destroyed the world with a flood.  That was a violent act of God against the violence and sinfulness of man. (Gen. 6-9.) 

4)     God destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah with fire and brimstone from heaven. (Gen.19.)  It was a violent destruction of base and sinful men. 

5)     Joseph’ brothers treated him unkindly throwing him in a pit and then sold him into slavery. (Gen. 37)

6)     The Egyptians treated the children of Jacob with violence, putting them into bondage. (Exodus 1)  God sent10 plagues against Pharaoh, including the death of the firstborn children and cattle.

7)     There were many invasions, wars, communities destroyed, and people taken captive all through the history of Israel.

8)     John the Baptist told soldiers, “Do violence to no man.” (Luke 3:14.) But they were soldiers!

9)     Yet, the most violent story in the Bible is the crucifixion of Jesus Christ.  Wicked men were permitted to put Jesus to death in the most inhumane way ever devised.

 

Then, Dr. Jack Vancil said that the cross was God’s way of saying, Enough, enough violence!!  Let this be the end of it forever.  By this sacrifice you can be reconcile to me; my wrath will not be poured out against your sins if you accept this peace offering.  There were peace offerings made under the Law.  Jesus is our Peace Offering. Men will become peacemakers only by being at peace with God through Jesus Christ. See Matthew 20:28 and Hebrews 13:6.

 

The story of the Bible is a story of violence.  Man commits it; God judges the wicked with violence. (Psalm 11:6.)  It ends with heaven for the peaceful and hell for the violent.