Psalm 11 In the LORD I take my refuge

Listen on Spotify, Amazon or Apple Music

featuring Ann O'Hare

In the LORD I take my refuge,
How then can you say to me.
In the LORD I take my refuge
How then can you say to me:
"Flee like a bird,
Flee to the mountains.
Look see how the wicked bend their bows;
The wicked bend their bows,
Set their arrows against their strings.
O look, the wicked bend their bows;
To shoot sharp arrows at us;
To shoot from the shadows,
At the upright in heart.”

When the foundations
Are being destroyed,
What then can the righteous do?"
The LORD is in his holy temple;
The LORD he is on his heavenly throne:
Observes the people of earth
And his eyes examine them;
The LORD watches over all righteous men,
But wicked men he hates;
All those who love violence,
And on the wicked he will rain
Fiery coals and burning sulphur;
A scorching wind will be their lot.

For the LORD is righteous,

And he loves justice;

Upright men will see him face to face,

For the LORD is righteous,

And the LORD loves justice;

The LORD he is righteous and good;

The LORD loves justice and truth.

And upright men will see him face to face.

In the LORD, in the LORD,

In the LORD, I‘ll take my refuge.

Comment

David was fleeing from his enemies, and if the action is set in 1 Samuel, the enemy is most likely King Saul. He is advised to ‘flee to the mountains’ as he has done previously. David’s retort is that this is the very time NOT to ee, but to stay put and to demonstrate by his faith that God’s ‘ground rules’ are still in place, despite Saul’s wholesale aunting of them. It doesn’t matter where David is located; caves or palaces, the hills or the city, what matters is that he knows that God is with him - ‘In the Lord I take refuge’.

The psalm is not a prayer but a great statement of theology, describing God’s character. From the heavenly places the Lord sees everything that is going on: he doesn’t miss a trick. When the foundations of our hopes and dreams are under threat, we can be comforted in the certainty that the Lord is righteous and loves justice and will right all wrongs. The psalm ends with a great promise - his people will see him face to face.

Ann O'Hare: vocals

Jeff Lowe: piano, keys, bass, guitar