Deep Dive into The Treasury of David by Charles Spurgeon - Psalm 11

Psalm 11, titled by Spurgeon as "The Song of the Steadfast," depicts a spiritual crisis where faith must battle the logic of fear. Historically situated during Saul’s persecution of David, the text addresses a time when the "foundations" of law and justice were destroyed by unrighteous government. Amidst this societal collapse, David's well-meaning but timid friends urge him to abandon his post and "flee as a bird" to the mountains. They argue that resistance is futile because the enemy’s bow is already bent and the legal order has crumbled, leaving the righteous helpless.

David, however, rejects this "pusillanimous expedient" as a temptation to distrust Jehovah. Instead of focusing on the ruined foundations of earth, he looks to the "great central orb of deity." His courage is sustained by the theological reality that God is still in His holy temple and His throne remains in the heavens. From this vantage point, God acts as the "eternal Watcher." The text describes God’s "eyelids" as trying the children of men—a metaphor for intense, narrowing scrutiny that inspects the very motives of the soul.

This divine inspection serves two distinct purposes. For the righteous, it is a refining fire that purifies them like gold; God tries them not to destroy, but to sanctify. For the wicked, however, this scrutiny serves as a judicial gathering of evidence. Their worldly prosperity is revealed to be a "rain of snares" designed to fatten them for slaughter, eventually leading to their entailed estate: a cup of fire, brimstone, and a horrible tempest. Ultimately, the Psalm teaches that while the wicked face eternal storm, the upright are secured by the gaze of the righteous Lord, who beholds them with delight. David stands firm not because the earthly danger has vanished, but because his anchor is cast in heaven.

Reformed Theologian GPT: https://chat.openai.com/g/g-XXwzX1gnv-reformed-theologian

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