IF THE FOUNDATIONS ARE DESTROYED (Article)

IF THE FOUNDATIONS ARE DESTROYED (Article in the Local Newspaper) by Abidan Paul Shah

“If the foundations are destroyed,
what can the righteous do?”  – Psalm 11:3

We are living in a time when old values and beliefs are under attack. We are being told that there is a new world coming, whether we like it or not. We are being advised to abandon all hope of ever returning to the old. In fact, they are warning us that the new order has no place for us and it would be safer for us to seek refuge in some remote hideaway. This is a time very similar to when David wrote the opening words of Psalm 11.

1 In the Lord I put my trust;
How can you say to my soul,
“Flee as a bird to your mountain? 2 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. 3 If the foundations are destroyed,
What can the righteous do?”

We do not know the exact setting of this psalm. Maybe David wrote it in his earlier life when he was dodging King Saul. Maybe he wrote it when he was battling against the Philistines. Or maybe he wrote it as he was fleeing from his rebellious son Absalom. No matter what prompted David to write this psalm, one thing is for sure – they are words full of hopelessness and fear. They are a call to retreat; they are a signal to fall back and withdraw; they remind us of the words we are hearing today.

Keep in mind that these are not David’s words. He is quoting the counsel of his so-called friends. How did David respond to them? He rejected their advice and, instead, chose to look up. What did he see? 4 The Lord is in His holy temple,
The Lord’s throne is in heaven;
His eyes behold,
His eyelids test the sons of men. 5 The Lord tests the righteous,
But the wicked and the one who loves violence His soul hates. 6 Upon the wicked He will rain coals;
Fire and brimstone and a burning wind shall be the portion of their cup. 7 For the Lord is righteous,
He loves righteousness;
His countenance beholds the upright.

WOW! What a change in scenery! While down on earth everything was in despair, up in heaven everything was in control! God was not for a moment disheveled by the happenings on earth. As the famous preacher Robert G. Lee would say, “God is not a bewildered bellhop running up and down the corridors of the hotel He created trying to find His key!” In fact, His purposes were moving just fine—for the righteous, it was a time for testing; for the wicked, it was a time for judgment. David did not have run but simply rest in the promise that God loved Him and had His eyes upon him.

In America, we are seeing an attack against many of our foundations – Bible, prayer, Judeo-Christian values, family, liberty, etc. Psalm 11 calls us to look up and see that God still has His hand upon our nation. We are to examine our hearts and see if there is any wickedness in us. We are to step out of our hiding place and be the salt and light in our community. We are to rebuild our families and marriages according to biblical standards. We are to labor until every boy, girl, man, and woman finds peace and forgiveness in Jesus Christ.

“From victory unto victory His army shall He lead,
till every foe is vanquished, and Christ is Lord indeed.”