Psalm - Psalm 11

Psalm 11:7For the Lord is righteous, He loves righteousness; His countenance beholds the upright.

The Lord ·does what is right [is righteous], and he loves ·justice [righteousness], so ·honest people [the upright/virtuous] will see his face. Psalm 11:7 (EXB) 

The Eternal is right in all His ways; He cherishes all that is upright. Those who do what is right in His eyes will see His face. Psalm 11:7 (VOICE) 

For righteous [is] Jehovah, Righteousness He hath loved, The upright doth His countenance see!' Psalm 11:7 (YLT)

For the righteous Lord loveth righteousness - This would be more correctly rendered, "For Jehovah is righteous; he loves righteousness." The idea is, that God is himself righteous, and, consequently, he loves those who are righteous. He may be confided in, therefore, by the righteous as their friend, and being under his protection they have nothing to fear. Barnes' Notes on the Bible

If you look at my social media accounts, you can see some of my interests. I have followers and follow racing fans; Military and First Responders and Organizations and companies helping our Heroes; and Christian organizations, bloggers, among others. Those are people/organizations that are “like-minded”. 

As I read Psalm 11:7 this morning, I had to stop and consider the concept that God is Himself righteous and He loves those who are righteous. Now, on my own, I cannot nor could I ever reach God’s righteousness. But because of His grace and mercy, I am made righteous.

Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I could gain Christ and become one with him. I no longer count on my own righteousness through obeying the law; rather, I become righteous through faith in Christ. For God’s way of making us right with himself depends on faith. I want to know Christ and experience the mighty power that raised him from the dead. I want to suffer with him, sharing in his death. Philippians 3:8-10 (NLT)

I can’t reach righteousness on my own, but I can choose righteousness. If I love God, I want to be like-minded and love what He loves, I need to make sure that each and every day, I’m making the choice to obey God. If God had a social media account, would He want to “follow” me? Because He is righteous, He loves those who are righteous. 

Psalm 11 - A Righteous God loves Righteousness

Always Accessible

This year, I'm sharing my "Treasures" of my study of my "Ponder the Morsels" book. I've picked 31 Psalms to study throughout 2013. Today I studied Psalm 11. Here is what I learned.

The Lord is in His holy temple; the Lord’s throne is in heaven. His eyes behold; His eyelids test and prove the children of men. Psalm 11:4 (AMP)

But the Eternal has not moved; He remains in His holy temple. He sits squarely on His heavenly throne. He observes the sons of Adam and daughters of Eve, examining us within and without, exploring every fiber of our beings. Psalm 11:4 (VOICE)

But the Lord is still in his holy temple; he still rules from heaven. He closely watches everything that happens here on earth. Psalm 11:4 (TLB)

The Lord is in his holy temple - Hebrew, "Jehovah is in the temple of his holiness." That is, he is in heaven, regarded as his temple or dwelling-place. This is the answer of the psalmist to the suggestions of his advisers that he should flee from danger. The answer is, in substance, that he had nothing to fear; that he had a protector in heaven; and that he might appeal to Him for defense. The idea is, that God, the protector of the righteous, is always in the heavens; that his throne is always accessible; and that to it the persecuted may come, and may always be safe.

The Lord's throne is in heaven - God is a king, ruling the universe. As such, the seat of his power or dominion is represented as in heaven, where he administers his government. That throne is fixed, and the affairs of his universe will be administered with justice. The righteous, therefore, may hope in his protection, and need not flee when the wicked assail them. The idea here is that of unwavering confidence in God as sitting upon the throne of the universe, and administering its affairs with justice and truth. Barnes' Notes on the Bible 

“The idea is, that God, the protector of the righteous, is always in the heavens; that his throne is always accessible; and that to it the persecuted may come, and may always be safe.” 

That sentence is an awesome ponder morsel for today! WOW!

To create a positive day, it’s all about remembering that God is always in the heavens, He’s always accessible and no matter what happens, I’ll be safe! 

Not Succumb to the Lower Standards

This year, I'm sharing my "Treasures" of my study of my "Ponder the Morsels" book. I've picked 31 Psalms to study throughout 2013. Today I studied Psalm 11. Here is what I learned.

When the foundations are being destroyed, what can the righteous do?” Psalm 11:3 (NIV)

When the foundations [a stable society] collapse, what can ·good [righteous] people do?” Psalm 11:3 (EXB)

If the foundations be destroyed - These are still to be regarded as the words of the psalmist's advisers; or as an argument why he should make his escape. The word "foundations," here, refers to those things on which society rests, or by which social order is sustained - the great principles of truth and righteousness that uphold society, as the foundations on which an edifice rests uphold the building. The reference is to a destruction of those things in a community, when truth is no longer respected; when justice is no longer practiced; when fraud and violence have taken the place of honesty and honor; when error prevails; when a character for integrity and virtue affords no longer any security. This is supposed to be the case in the circumstances referred to in the psalm, when there was no respect paid to truth and justice, and when the righteous, therefore, could find no security. It is under these circumstances the advice is given Psalm 11:1, that the righteous should seek safety in flight. Barnes' Notes on the Bible

The other day I was watching football on TV. I enjoy watching the games, however, I do not enjoy the commercials for the TV shows and movies. Why don’t I like seeing the ads for new shows? Because each new show and movie is simply violence, lying, cheating, stealing, etc. Hollywood seems to think that the further from morals, such as truth, integrity, respect, the shows become the more we like them. There is some truth in that, for those lack morals, do enjoy watching those shows. 

The more we watch shows missing the principles of truth, honesty, respect the more we become desensitized to the violence, gore and lack of morals. The more death we watch on TV or in movies, it desensitized us to what death really is. 

As society as a whole moves farther away from God and His standards, the more the righteous need to get closer to God. Just because “everyone” is doing it (ignoring God and His standards) does not make it right or acceptable. 

To create a positive day, I need to focus my attention on God’s standards and not succumb to the lower standards the World tries to promote as good. 

A Lingering Stench

This year, I'm sharing my "Treasures" of my study of my "Ponder the Morsels" book. I've picked 31 Psalms to study throughout 2013. Today I studied Psalm 11. Here is what I learned.

For the Lord is [rigidly] righteous, He loves righteous deeds; the upright shall behold His face, or He beholds the upright. Psalm 11:7 (AMP)

God’s business is putting things right; he loves getting the lines straight, Setting us straight. Once we’re standing tall, we can look him straight in the eye. Psalm 11:7 (MSG)

That God may give grace without glory is intelligible; but to admit a man to communion with him in glory without grace, is not intelligible. It is not agreeable to God's holiness to make any inhabitant of heaven, and converse freely with him in a way of intimate love, without such a qualification of grace: "The righteous Lord loveth righteousness; his countenance doth behold the upright; he looks upon him with a smiling eye, and therefore he cannot favourably look upon an unrighteous person; so that this necessity is not founded only in the command of God that we should be renewed, but in the very nature of the thing, because God, in regard of his holiness, cannot converse with an impure creature. God must change his nature, or the sinner's nature must be changed. There can be no friendly communion between two of different natures without the change of one of them into the likeness of the other. Wolves and sheep, darkness and light, can never agree. God cannot love a sinner as a sinner, because he hates impurity by a necessity of nature as well as a choice of will. It is as impossible for him to love it as to cease to be holy. Stephen Charnock

I was watching the skunks play outside last night. They are cute little things. Scampering around playing tag with each other. They made me laugh. However a short time later, my apartment was filled with the stench of skunk! Something had scared the little guys and they sprayed.. it was so strong it stung my eyes. At that point and time, I did not think the skunks were so cute. 

As God watches me go about my day do I please Him? Does enjoy watching what I’m doing? Or does His smile turn to disgust as I choose sin? Every action, every thought, every word, every attitude is a choice. I have the choice to choose righteousness or I have the choice to choose sin. 

Thankfully, God is gracious and merciful and a forgiving God. The stench of sin can only be removed by accepting His forgiveness. 

To create a positive day, I need to choose God’s righteousness so that I can look Him straight in the eye-for the only other option is choosing sin—which simply produces a lingering stench.

Rest Contented

This year, I'm sharing my "Treasures" of my study of my "Ponder the Morsels" book. I've picked 11 Psalms to study throughout 2013. Today I studied Psalm 8. Here is what I learned.

I am already in the soft embrace of the Eternal, so why do you beckon me to leave, saying, “Fly like a bird to the mountains. Psalm 11:1 (VOICE)

I’ve already run for dear life straight to the arms of God. So why would I run away now? Psalm 11:1 (MSG)

I ·trust in the Lord for protection [find refuge in the Lord]. So why do you say to me, “·Fly [Flee] like a bird to your mountain. Psalm 11:1 (EXB)

Safety. Embrace. Happy. 

Yesterday, Max, my parakeet, accompanied me to my Doctor’s appointment. Throughout the office visit, Max sat on my shoulder talking and chatting. The Staff and Doctor went in and out of the door, and Max stayed contented on my shoulder. Why would he fly away, knowing that he was safe and secure on my shoulder? 

Throughout the office visit, Max talked and chatted. His favorite word was “happy”. My Doctored enjoyed Max’s visit, which was evident by her laughter. 

Max was so content and felt at ease on my shoulder, so much so, that he settled down and cleaned his feathers, walked around on my shoulder and chatted happily. Max’s actions displayed his contentment and security. 

I can think of no better place to be than in the arms of God. But there is a difference of being in the arms of God and fighting to be released, to resting and being content in the arms of God. 

Resting contented in the arms of God. I have to say that the past few months, I’ve been doing some fighting to get out of God’s soft embrace. Oh, I didn’t want to leave His embrace, but I was not content on where He “had placed me”. More pain, having to take more medications, struggling with the ‘whys’ of it all.... but thankfully, God didn’t let me break free of His embrace. Resting contented in the arms of God, knowing full well that He knows what He is doing and He has a well designed plan. I’m to simply rest and accept God’s hug. 

To create a positive day, I need to stop struggling and rest contented in the safe and secure arms of God. 

The Unknown is the Very Best

This year, I'm sharing my "Treasures" of my study of my "Ponder the Morsels" book. I've picked 31 Psalms to study throughout 2013. Today I studied Psalm 11. Here is what I learned.

I have taken refuge in the Lord. How can you say to me: “Flee to your mountain like a bird? Psalm 11:1 (GW)

I am already in the soft embrace of the Eternal, so why do you beckon me to leave, saying, “Fly like a bird to the mountains. Psalm 11:1 (VOICE)

I ·trust in the Lord for protection [find refuge in the Lord]. So why do you say to me, “·Fly [Flee] like a bird to your mountain. Psalm 11:1 (EXB)

Refuge: have hope, make refuge, put trust; a primitive root; to flee for protection.

God is a refuge providing security and protection. How often do I say I trust God, that I am taking refuge in Him, only to fly away on my own? The distance from the head to the heart, is often a difference of only 10 to 12 inches... on the outside. 

The longest distance in the world is from head to the heart. Taking what we know and turning it into a demonstrable action, something that will elicit change in our lives and the lives of those around us, is true wisdom. The ability to transform knowledge into action is oftentimes quite the hurdle. M. J. Formica

Why do I leave security to fly out on my own.. you’d think that would create more fear. But as I’ve said before, too often I have the “I can do it myself” mentality. I want to take control. 

The thing about God’s refuge and security, it’s with me all the time, as long as I stay in His will. But so often, I get fearful of where God is leading—the unknown—that I fly away and try to find my own safe way. However, being away from God’s refuge is never a safe place. 

To let God's faithfulness free me from the fear of the unknown, I only have to stay in the refuge that God provides as He leads me. God will make the unknown known in His perfect time. 

To create a positive day, I need to remain in the security of God’s will and trust God that the unknown is the very best for me to accomplish His plan for me. 

Like-Minded

This year, I'm sharing my "Treasures" of my study of my "Ponder the Morsels" book. I've picked 31 Psalms to study throughout 2013. Today I studied Psalm 11. Here is what I learned.

The Lord ·does what is right [is righteous], and he loves ·justice [righteousness], so ·honest people [the upright/virtuous] will see his face. Psalm 11:7 (EXB)

The Eternal is right in all His ways; He cherishes all that is upright. Those who do what is right in His eyes will see His face. Psalm 11:7 (VOICE)

For righteous [is] Jehovah, Righteousness He hath loved, The upright doth His countenance see!' Psalm 11:7 (YLT)

For the righteous Lord loveth righteousness - This would be more correctly rendered, "For Jehovah is righteous; he loves righteousness." The idea is, that God is himself righteous, and, consequently, he loves those who are righteous. He may be confided in, therefore, by the righteous as their friend, and being under his protection they have nothing to fear. Barnes' Notes on the Bible

If you look at my twitter account, you can see some of my interests. I have followers and follow racing fans; Military and First Responders and Organizations and companies helping our Heroes;  football teams and players, and fans of football; and Christian organizations, bloggers. Those are people/organizations that are “like-minded”. 

As I read Psalm 11:7 this morning, I had to stop and consider the concept that God is Himself righteous and He loves those who are righteous. Now, on my own, I can nor could I ever reach God’s righteousness. But because of His grace and mercy, I am made righteous.

Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I could gain Christ 9 and become one with him. I no longer count on my own righteousness through obeying the law; rather, I become righteous through faith in Christ.[a] For God’s way of making us right with himself depends on faith. 10 I want to know Christ and experience the mighty power that raised him from the dead. I want to suffer with him, sharing in his death. Philippians 3:8-10 (NLT)

I can’t reach righteousness on my own, but I can choose righteousness. If I love God, I want to be like-minded and love what He loves, I need to make sure that each and every day, I’m making the choice to obey God. If God had a twitter account, would He want to “follow” me? Because He is righteous, He loves those who are righteous. 

To create a positive day, I need to be “like-minded” with God, and choose righteousness.

Fear, Panic, and Chaos

This year, I'm sharing my "Treasures" of my study of my "Ponder the Morsels" book. I've picked 31 Psalms to study throughout 2013. Today I studied Psalm 11. Here is what I learned.

1. In the Lord I take refuge [and put my trust]; how can you say to me, Flee like a bird to your mountain?

2. For see, the wicked are bending the bow; they make ready their arrow upon the string, that they [furtively] in darkness may shoot at the upright in heart.

3. If the foundations are destroyed, what can the [unyieldingly] righteous do, or what has He [the Righteous One] wrought or accomplished?

4. The Lord is in His holy temple; the Lord’s throne is in heaven. His eyes behold; His eyelids test and prove the children of men.

5. The Lord tests and proves the [unyieldingly] righteous, but His soul abhors the wicked and him who loves violence.

6. Upon the wicked He will rain quick burning coals or snares; fire, brimstone, and a [dreadful] scorching wind shall be the portion of their cup.

7. For the Lord is [rigidly] righteous, He loves righteous deeds; the upright shall behold His face, or He beholds the upright.

Psalm 11 (AMP)

In this psalm we have David's struggle with and triumph over a strong temptation to distrust God and betake himself to indirect means for his own safety in a time of danger.

In singing this psalm we must encourage and engage ourselves to trust in God at all times, must depend upon him to protect our innocence and make us happy, must dread his frowns as worse than death and desire his favour as better than life. Matthew Henry's Commentary on the Whole Bible

Yesterday, at the end of the Boston Marathon, several bombs exploded. Fear. Panic. Chaos. Some ask, where was God then? Why didn’t He stop it? If He is so powerful, why does He allow bad things to happen. 

The first thing that I have to remember, is that God doesn’t owe us any explanation, nor does He owe us any “good thing”. We are sinners. He is a holy God. 

The second thing to remember is that actions of sinners have consequences. Yes, I’m a sinner, saved by God’s grace, and each action I do, has consequences. Some consequences impact more than just a single individual. 

Thirdly, God gave each of us a free will. We choose if we will obey and follow God, or ignore Him and go our own way. God did not create “robots” who will simply do as “programed”. Rather, God wants us to follow and obey Him because of who He is and because we love Him. 

Lastly, bad things do happen to good people, simply because we live in a world of sin. That does not mean that God doesn’t love us. His love is far greater than we can ever imagine. So, even in the midst of chaos, fear, and pain, God continues to love us. Assurance in Him calms our fears and we know that no matter what happens on this earth, because of God’s gift of salvation, we will spend eternity with Him.

To create a positive day, I need to place my trust in God, for He alone can change the fear, panic, and chaos, into courage, peace, and calm. 

A Star Player

This year, I'm sharing my "Treasures" of my study of my "Ponder the Morsels" book. I've picked 31 Psalms to study throughout 2013. Today I studied Psalm 11. Here is what I learned.

The Lord ·tests [examines] ·those who do right and those who do wrong [the righteous and the wicked], but he hates those who love ·to hurt others [violence]. Psalm 11:5 (EXB)

The Lord tests and proves those who are right and good and those who are sinful. And His soul hates the one who loves to hurt others. Psalm 11:4 (NLV)

The Lord trieth the righteous,.... As gold is tried in the fire, by afflictive providences; hereby he tries their graces, their faith, and patience, their hope, and love, and fear; and, by so doing, expresses his love to them, since this is all for their good... Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible

The Lord trieth the righteous - He does not abandon them; he tries them to show their faithfulness, and he afflicts them for their good. Clarke's Commentary on the Bible

Q: Why is training necessary? A: Training is necessary because if you don't train, you won't be able to figure out the flaws of what you doing. For example, say a professional basketball player wasn't very good at dribbling. If he doesn't train, he might not perform well in his game, but if he does, chances are he wouldn't do as bad as he would have if he didn't. Keep in mind that just because you train one day doesn't mean that you are going to get better by a significant amount. You have to train excessively. 

http://wiki.answers.com/Q/Why_training_is_necessary

We train in all aspects of our lives. And with training comes testing. When we were children, the training and testing was a constant at school, and in sports. Then as we grew older our jobs have “performance evaluations”.  Our employers want to know if we were being effective in our jobs.

However, when God trains and tests us, we get bothered, upset, and at times angry. “Why me?”, is often the first sound we make when being trained and tested. 

   

But as God tests us, He is highlighting the areas that are successful and identifying those which need revision in our lives. The only way to really understand something is to put it into practice. If a football  player only studies the play book, and never suits up for practice or plays a game, how does he know if he can really play football. Head knowledge is only PART of life. Experience provides an opportunity to see if we really have learned! We have the opportunity to practice what we know. 

Training and testing is part of all aspects of our lives. And when God trains and tests us, it’s not punishment, rather He is allowing us the opportunity to be a “star player” and learn our strengthens and weaknesses. The only way to learn and master anything is to study, train, and be tested. 

Having the opportunity to train, and be tested on God’s team is challenging, but so very rewarding and is the only way to create not only a positive day.... but a positive God-designed life, and maybe become a “star-player”. 

The master answered, ‘You did well. You are a good and ·loyal [faithful] servant. Matthew 25:23 a (EXB)

He’s watching. He’s listening.

This year, I'm sharing my "Treasures" of my study of my "Ponder the Morsels" book. I've picked 31 Psalms to study throughout 2013. Today I studied Psalm 11. Here is what I learned.

The Lord is in his holy Temple; the Lord sits on his throne in heaven. He sees what people do [His eyes watch]; ·he keeps his eye on them [his gaze examines/tests people]. Psalm 11:4 (EXB)

The Lord is sitting in his sacred temple on his throne in heaven. He knows everything we do because he sees us all. Psalm 11:4 (CEV)

His eyes watch. He keeps His eye on them. He sees us all. 

Understanding the knowledge that God sees me at all times, can be both comforting and well, scary—depending on my relationship with Him, and the activity I’m involved in at any given moment. 

It’s like when we were kids. If we knew our parents were watching us, we’d behave and do as we were told. But as soon as we thought they weren’t looking..... well look out! We’d try to get away with everything from stealing the cookies out of the cookie jar to fighting with our brothers/sisters.

The knowledge that someone was watching had a direct effect on our behavior. Knowing that God is watching should be comforting in that He knows exactly what is happening in my life. However, if I’m involved in something that is sinful, than I should be fearful just in knowing that the Holy God is watching me. But this verse goes beyond just my actions. God knows my thoughts, and my motives. What am I thinking? Why am I doing what I’m doing? 

"His eyes behold," etc. Consider that God not only sees into all you do, but he sees it to that very end that he may examine and search into it. He doth not only behold you with a common and indifferent look, but with a searching, watchful, and inquisitive eye: he pries into the reasons, the motives, the ends of all your actions. Ezekiel Hopkins, D.D.

God sees all. God knows all. God in His infinite greatness sees each of us. He’s watching... what is He seeing? He’s listening to our thoughts... what is He hearing? 

God loves me with a love beyond comprehension. He gave His son to die on the cross to take the punishment for my sin. Yet, I fall short in loving God and obeying Him. Knowing that God is watching me, should have a great impact on my thoughts and actions. My desire should be to please Him and honor Him. And when I do fall short and sin, I need to confess it before God and make the necessary changes in my life so that when faced with a temptation to sin, I can resist it. 

God is watching. What am I doing? Am I living a life so that my thoughts, actions, and motives make Him smile? Or am I causing God disappointment and sadness because I’ve chosen sin?

To create a positive day is not about doing what “feels good” or doing what I want. Rather, the only way to truly create a positive day is by obeying the almighty God and making Him smile.

He’s watching. He’s listening.

I can do it MYSELF!

Throughout this year, each day of the month, I'm "Treasure Hunting" in a Psalm. I've created a "Ponder Every Morsel of Truth" Book to record the truths as I learn them. The Sixteenth of each Month, I'm studying Psalm 11. Here's what Treasure I found today.

“I can do it MYSELF!” Sadly this isn’t just what a child would say. It seems that I find myself saying this phrase and acting as if I can do it “all by myself”. 

In Psalm 11, David has this same struggle... “I can do it myself!” But David has a “talk with himself” and realizes that “No, I can’t do this alone. I need God!”

Psalm 11:1-3, describes David's situation of danger. Where can he go? He's afraid, in danger, and he wants to find a safe place to be. 

Fear is a powerful emotion. I wrote on my blog June 22, 2010,

“Fear is a powerful thing. It can paralyze a person from doing something great. It ignores all other facts and creates its own reality.”  

The more I think about and focus on what I fear, the greater my fear becomes. 

David realizes that in Psalm 11:1-3. David wants to run and hide. But as we all know, running and hiding doesn’t help, because we take the ‘fear’ with us.  Rather, David had a better solution to his fear. He had a “talk with himself” and realizes that “No, I can’t do this by myself. I need God!” 

David's fixed resolution to make God his confidence: In the Lord put I my trust, v. 1. Matthew Henry's Whole Bible Commentary   

I like how Matthew Henry said that... “Fixed resolution to make God his confidence.” David set it in stone, so to speak. David knew for a fact, that he could not “do it himself”, he needed God, so He would trust God—period.

As I thought about this Psalm, I realized a few things.

1. “I can do it myself” is not a new  concept. For some reason, “doing it myself” is the stubborn, obstinate way allowing fear to take hold.

2. In order for me to  be able to “tell myself” something, I need the knowledge. That means I need to study to learn more about God and what He does and can do.

3. I need to listen to myself, when I’m speaking truth.

4. And the most important aspect... is to know whom I’m to trust the most—God.

To create a positive day, I need to “get out of the way”, give up the “I can do it myself” mentality and trust God to do what He says He will do, and is very capable of doing!