Embrace the Word for Wednesday, January 21, 2026
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Psalm 11 opens with a strong confession: "In the LORD I take refuge” (11:1a). This Psalm of David (see the superscription) is a settled declaration that is rooted in the Lord’s promises (see Psalm 2:12), and previously expressed before the Lord (see Psalm 5:11; 7:1). While David’s confession is before the Lord, the question this Psalm considers is to whom David is speaking. David’s declaration is joined to a question: “how can you say to my soul” (11:1b). David’s opening confession is a counter to what someone else has been saying to David. Someone has been offering counsel to David that he believes is contrary to taking refuge in the Lord. David then quotes what he has been hearing: “Flee like a bird to your mountain, for behold, the wicked bend the bow; they have fitted their arrow to the string to shoot in the dark at the upright in heart; if the foundations are destroyed, what can the righteous do?” (11:1c-3).
As we tackle the matter of who is David quoting, we should acknowledge that the placement of the quotation marks is an interpretive decision. The language that David wrote in (Hebrew) does not supply quotation marks. As translators seek to faithfully move from one language to another, they must make decisions based on how they grasp the flow of the text. Not all translation teams reach the same conclusions: some translations insert quotation marks just around verse 1c, while others extend it to verse 2, and still others extend it to verse 3 (as the ESV does). Based upon the third person plural in reference to the wicked, it seems probable that David is quoting, through the end of verse 3, what has been said to him.
But who is David quoting? There are at least three possibilities. First, David could be quoting what the wicked have said to him. The voice could be that of his enemies. Certainly, the wicked have taunted him as previously noted (see Psalm 4:3-4; 6:8). Second, David could be quoting what he has said to himself. David’s heart or soul could be vacillating between doubt and belief (see Psalm 9:9, vs. 10:1). Certainly, conflicting thoughts arise within the heart. But, third, which I suggest is the best approach, is that David is quoting what his companions and allies have been saying to him. Wherever the “voices” are coming from, they are speaking to David’s soul, that is, the inmost core of his being, and the utmost source for his thinking, feeling, and choosing (see Proverbs 4:23). So, whether the “voices” are taunts from his enemies, doubts from within, or well-intentioned counsel from his friends, David is troubled and inquires, “how can you say that to me?”
Assuming that the “voices” are the words of companions and allies, the counsel that David had received is reasonable in some sense, but weighted with fear. Perhaps well-meaning, his friends have said something like, “David, your done. The wicked are going to bring you down. Everything is falling apart. You better get out while you can.” This advice that David has received is coming from someone who cared about him; but it was bad advice. Sometimes bad counsel comes from friendly sources. I point this out not to cause us to be skeptical of a friend’s advice, but to remind us that even the counsel of a friend must be weighed by God’s Word. Thank the Lord for counsel from good friends, don’t be resistant to even the faithful wounds of a friend (see Proverbs 27:6); however, we always need discernment from the Lord (see Philippians 1:9-11), for counsel can seem prudent, but unbelieving. Often times the counsel we receive is fraught with assumptions that safety is always all-important. We can idolize safety as much as we can idolize a countless option of other values. We do not advocate for a reckless life; but neither is our counsel always to be in accordance with a risk-free life.
David responds to the “voices” (whichever they may be) with a sharp contrast to them, and a congruence with his opening confession: “The LORD is in his holy temple; the LORD’s throne is in heaven; his eyes see, his eyelids test the children of man” (11:4). Whether its a rebuke to the taunts of the wicked, a rejection to his own doubts, or a reluctance to friendly counsel, David turns to the Lord. David refuges in the Lord because the Lord, who is enthroned in the heavens, not only sees everything that the wicked are up to, but He will also track them down and bring them to justice. While the “voices” say, “for behold,” that is they show David the circumstantial reality that surrounds him, David, by faith, grasps the heavenly reality. David is not naive to his situation, but he is walking by faith and not by sight (See 2 Corinthians 5:7). Faith in the Lord is a different kind of seeing. Faith doesn’t deny what the eyes can see, but faith does offers an interpretative filter-a set of colored glasses-that provides a different way to evaluate things. David sees the wicked conspiring rebels through God’s perspective: “Why do the nations rage and the peoples plot in vain? The kings of the earth set themselves…against his Anointed, saying, “Let us burst their bonds apart and cast away their cords from us.” He who sits in the heavens laughs; the Lord holds them in derision” (See Psalm 2:1-4).
David knows that if the righteous are to be delivered than the wicked must be judged: “The LORD tests the righteous, but his soul hates the wicked and the one who loves violence. Let him rain coals on the wicked; fire and sulfur and a scorching wind shall be the portion of their cup” (11:5-6). The Lord hates those who spurn Him, reject His Word, and harm His people. The Lord can use the wicked to have a purifying effect on His people; nevertheless, He will hold them accountable for what they do. He hates what He sees. And the Lord is not passive in regard to what He sees; He will do something about it. The Lord will judge His enemies using the same description of how He destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah with fire and sulfur (see Genesis 19:24). The Lord’s scorching wind will blow them away like chaff (see Psalm 1:4). Judgment will be the cup they drink from as God’s wrath is likened to a cup (see Isaiah 51:17).
In contradistinction to the Lord’s hatred toward the wicked, David acknowledges what the Lord loves: “For the LORD is righteous; he loves righteous deeds; the upright shall behold his face” (11:7). Whereas the wicked can expect to deeply drink in God’s judgment, the righteous can expect to see the Lord.
As we reflect on Psalm 11, we can ponder the promise of seeing the Lord. The Apostle John speaks of our destiny in Christ: “No longer will there be anything accursed, but the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and his servants will worship him. They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads” (See Revelation 22:3-4). In fact, what the righteous will one day see with their eyes, they now see-and love what they see-by faith: “Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory” (See 1 Peter 1:8). Is, in fact, Christ the focus of our hearts? At present the Christian life consists of loving the One we cannot see in anticipation to seeing the One whom we love. Therefore, whether its a time of peace or a time of trouble, like the context of Psalm 11, may we focus on, “Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith” (See Hebrews 12:2). May we not only desire protection from the Lord, but communion with the Lord.
That’s all for Embrace the Word for Wednesday, January 21, 2026. I look forward to being back with you for the Friday, January 23, 2026 episode of Embrace the Word as we take a look at Psalms 12-14.