HOW FIRM A FOUNDATION

 

How Firm a Foundation, Part One by Charles R. Swindoll Psalm 11:3 An important question is asked in Psalm 11. Go with me for just a glance. David wrote Psalm 11, probably while he was being hunted and haunted by King Saul. With borderline insane paranoia, Saul began seeking the life of David, believing the young man was out to get him and take his position as king. David is on the run. As he writes in the first part of this psalm, he has flown as a bird to the mountain. And in that hiding place, momentarily removed from danger, he asks this question: "If the foundations are destroyed, what can the righteous do?" (v. 3). Great question! Webster tells us that a "foundation" is "the basis upon which something stands or is supported." Every house has a foundation. Every significant structure, every building has a foundation. The taller the building, the deeper and more important the foundation. Destroy the building's foundation, and you've toppled the building. Funny, isn't it, how words repeat themselves on other lips? I was watching a national prayer service in which Dr. Billy Graham, our nation's esteemed evangelist and spokesman for Christ, referred to the structures the terrorists destroyed on September 11, 2001. He stated that the twin towers may have been destroyed, but their foundations, amazingly, were still in place. He then spoke with great relief for our nation, saying, "It's the same with us. If our foundations are in place, then nothing else really matters." That is precisely David's point. David is not referring to structures. No house or building is in his mind, and there is no reference to such in this psalm. This psalm is about life. The righteous stand on a firm foundation. Now, should the foundation of a life be destroyed, that life crumbles. But if the foundation remains secure, no amount of stress---in David's case, no ugly attack on his life by Saul or any of his troops---would cause his life to fracture or crumble. You see, David is viewing the treacherous, threatening words of Saul as arrows coming from warriors. He uses a vivid word picture in the second verse: "Behold, the wicked bend the bow, they make ready their arrow upon the string. . . ." In those days the warrior was known for his keen ability with bow and arrow. One of the most effective weapons in David's day was a sharp, slender arrow as it slipped from the bow guided by the marksman's eye to the target. David's point is that the wicked are bending bows, and they are making ready their deadly arrows on the string. I don't think David had a literal bow and arrow in mind. He was thinking in terms of words shot at him or statements made against him, as part of the plot planned to bring him down. But that won't happen to him if the foundations of his life are strong and secure. However, if those foundations are destroyed, his life collapses, drops like a sack of salt. How do we know that his foundations were solid and secure? Hint: Look at the first verse. We'll talk about it tomorrow.  Excerpted from Why, God? Calming Words for Chaotic Times, Copyright © 2001 by Charles R. Swindoll, Inc. All rights reserved worldwide.     How Firm a Foundation, Part Two by Charles R. Swindoll Psalm 46:1 We've been talking about David's significant question in Psalm 11: "If the foundations are destroyed, what can the righteous do?" (v. 3). So, how can I say that David's foundations were solid and secure? Look at the first verse. Look at his opening statement. Occasionally, in the biblical psalms, as in newspaper columns, the gist of the whole message is in the first sentence, and everything that follows is an amplification of the initial sentence. This psalm is like that. David's main message is in the first verse of this psalm: "In the LORD I take refuge; how can you say to my soul, 'Flee as a bird to your mountain.'" My soul is not on the run. My spirit has not capsized, because in the Lord I take refuge. A refuge is a place of hiding. It is a place of protection. The term is chasah, in the ancient Hebrew. A chasah is a protective place that provides safety from that which would otherwise hit and hurt. It's a protection from danger and from distress. David makes it clear that Yahweh is his chasah. Since that is true, David says, "My foundations are sure." The old country preacher was right when he said, "I may tremble on the rock, but the rock doesn't tremble under me." It is my solid foundation. It stands firm no matter what may occur. That word "refuge" reminded me of yet another psalm---the forty-sixth. Who wouldn't find comfort in the solidarity of this ancient promise? This is the very psalm in which Martin Luther found refuge and relief over five hundred years ago. He hid in its truths and found strength. Psalm 46 gave him fresh courage to go on, even though misunderstood, maligned, and mistreated. How comforting were those words, "God is our refuge" (chasah, same word) . . . "God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble" (v. 1). It was from the opening lines of this forty-sixth psalm that Luther later was inspired to write, "Ein' Feste Burg Ist Unser Gott"---"A high tower is the Lord our God." We sing those words today: "A mighty fortress is our God, a bulwark never failing." And why is such a foundation sure? Because it is God, Himself! Our foundation is the God of creation. The God who made us is the God who shelters us. He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. [El Shaddai] I will say of the Lord, "He is my refuge [my chasah] and my fortress; My God, in Him I will trust." ---Psalm 91:1-2, NKJV On that solid foundation, we are secure, no matter how insecure and chaotic our times may be!  Excerpted from Why, God? Calming Words for Chaotic Times, Copyright © 2001 by Charles R. Swindoll, Inc. All rights reserved worldwide.