Where is security — the Lord is in His temple
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¶ <<To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David.>> In the LORD put
I my trust: how say ye to my soul, Flee as a bird to your mountain?
2 For, lo, the wicked bend their bow, they make ready their arrow upon the string, that they may privily shoot at the upright in heart. |
See the
literary structure at the bottom of this page.
Fleeing as a bird from the Lord places us in danger of being shot by the wicked who are in hiding. |
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If the foundations be destroyed, what can the righteous do?
.4 ¶ The LORD is in his holy temple, the LORD'S throne is in heaven: his eyes behold, his eyelids try, the children of men. |
Where is security if the foundations of truth are unreliable? But they are certain. The Lord is in His temple. He records human behavior for judgment according to the foundations He has established (his law). The word try here is bachan. The Lord looks at the record and judges. Compare hb0220. |
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The LORD trieth the righteous: but the wicked and him that loveth violence
his soul hateth.
6 Upon the wicked he shall rain snares, fire and brimstone, and an horrible tempest: this shall be the portion of their cup. |
The Lord tests the righteous. His pure heart hates violence and those who choose it will suffer His wrath as He stands to protect the righteous. The wicked are trapped by their own deception. |
| .7 For the righteous LORD loveth righteousness; his countenance doth behold the upright. | By contrast, the Lord loves righteousness and looks with favor on the righteous. The "foundations" and "temple" ideas here bring to view the covenant law which God gave as His standard of righteousness. |
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Chiastic literary
structure of the psalm
Notice the contrast
between matching pairs (like 1 and 7, 2 and 6)
| 1 - Doubt - Why flee from the Lord? Trust is needed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
| 2 - Deception thrust upon righteous - Wicked shoot at righteous who flee . . . . . . . . . . . . |
| 3 - Foundations attacked - Spread of doubt . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
| 4 - Security - The Lord is in His temple . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
| 5 - Righteous are tested - Do they trust the foundation? . . . . . . . . . |
| 6 - Punishment poured down on wicked - Caught in their own traps of deception |
| 7 - Assurance - The Lord looks with favor on the righteous |
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