Psalm 11:1a

In the LORD put I my trust:

*Just as a brief note: If you would prefer to hear this rather than read it, Psalm 11 will be the focus of my first new podcast this week. This will not be my regular routine (writing and recording the same material), but Psalm 11 is just too good not to preach.

David’s Declaration

David, the writer of this Psalm (under inspiration of course), was in a difficult time in his life. It is in these difficult times that some of the most troubling temptations arise. They are not necessarily the temptations of something “grossly immoral,” but rather a more diabolical temptation–faithlessness. While it seems to pale when compared to murder, adultery, and the like, yet in God’s eyes, you could do nothing quicker to put yourself in a position not to please God (Heb. 11:6) and to be unable to effectively serve Him. (Mark 9:19,23)

The difficult situation that you find yourself in could be one of a dozen different types. Money, friends, jobs, relationships, wives, children, neighbors, and health problems can all put pressure on us to give up hope and faith. I know it my life that it is normally two or three at the same time that “press [me] out of measure.” It is in these times we must declare just what David did:

In the LORD put I my trust.

I am not trusting, or finding refuge, in a pastor, church, work, or tradition. My refuge is not those things which I have done or not done. My hiding place, the object of my faith is the LORD. Our English Bible has Lord in all caps is to signify that this is the Hebrew Jehovah. While I am no Hebrew scholar, and I will make no attempt at becoming one in this post, I can’t help but to point out two of the many implications of Jehovah.

  1. Scofield summarizes Jehovah as “the self-existent One who reveals Himself.” Where else should my faith be but in the One who needs nothing and no one? I may fail you for many reasons, and sometimes it wouldn’t even be my fault. I have to rely on others. I depend on 100 different things and people to make it through my day, yet the God in whom I trust is not bothered by a dead car battery. He can’t be stopped by a court decision. The economy cannot prevent His will. He is the “I AM THAT I AM.” GLORY! Greater than Him being the self-sufficient One is that He reveals Himself as such. He is not hidden, but rather He is declared implicitly by nature (Ps. 19:1) and explicitly in the Written Word. (II Pet. 1:19)
  2. Jehovah is also used many times in the Old Testament to testify of God’s supply to our need. Psalm 23 is a great example of this. “All we like sheep have astray,” (Is. 52:6) and thus we needed a shepherd: “The LORD [Jehovah] is my shepherd.” Genesis 22:14 illustrates another with the compound name Jehovah-jireh–the Lord will see, or provide. Abraham needed a sacrifice, and the LORD saw to it.

It is clear that regardless of our circumstance or trouble (and we have yet to get to David’s trouble) we need to have our faith or trust placed in God. As Bible believers, we understand that trusting in what Christ did on the cross for us is the only way to be spared Hell and given eternal life. Unfortunately, we forget as Christians living our lives from one day to the next that we need to be living lives of faith–not in Oprah, Dr. Phil, Bill O’Reilly, our church, pastor, works, standards, or convictions, but in Christ and Him alone.

We need faith…in Christ.

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