How Shall We Then Live? - David Scott Huffman
In the early 1990’s I was introduced to Francis Schaeffer’s book and film series How Shall We Then Live. In the book,Schaeffer chronicles the cultural and intellectual history of western society from the fall of Rome up until 1976 when his book was first published. He was seeking to show what had shaped the present culture and brought about the ultimate decline of the Christian worldview and itsinfluence on society. In 1976, Schaeffer had hoped that his generation might “turn from the greatest of wickednesses, the placing of any created thing in the place of the Creator, and that [it] may get its feet out of the paths of death and may live.” He had hoped that an uncompromising faithful biblical witness of the Christian faith might turn back the trajectory toward destruction. Sadly, Schaeffer’s hope has not been realized. In fact, things have become far worsethroughout the western world. The celebration of evil and the censorship of good, as God’s Word defines it, has become the norm. Moreover, attempts are regularly made at the highest levels of government to silence the voice of biblical Christianity and its influence on society.
To employ Schaeffer’s original question, in such a world as this, how shall we then live as faithful followers of Jesus Christ? In view of the ever-increasing challenges we face, some might want to rephrase the question as, “How shall we be able to live?” That seems to have been the intent behind the question of Psalm 11:3: “If the foundations are destroyed, what can the righteous do?” The implied answer was that there is nothing the righteous can do!“Run and hide” is the counsel of some when the foundations of civil society, law and order, and righteous justice no longer prevail. When those who trust in God suffer at the hands of the wicked, should “throw in the towel,” admit defeat, and walk away. This is far from the conclusion that David draws in Psalm 11. Here are fouranswers to the question of how we should respond in times such as we find ourselves now.
First, we must remember our covenant keeping God.
When David’s “friends” (assuming that they were his closest confidants) advised him to “flee like a bird to your mountain” as the wicked were plotting against him, he reminded them of the God of the covenant. David uses the personal name of God, Yahweh (“LORD” in all capital letters in our English Bibles), throughout the Psalm. This signals to the fearful that their God abounds in steadfast love and faithfulness to his people. The name of Godcarries with it rich promises. As Israel was about to enter the land God promised to them, he said to them, “Be strong and courageous. Do not fear or be in dread of them, for it is the Lord your God who goes with you. He will not leave you or forsake you.” (Deut. 31:6). This is promise that is repeated in several OT passages (ex. Josh. 1:6-7; 1 Chron. 22:13; et al.). We must remember that this covenant name of God is tied to his redeemingIsrael out of slavery in Egypt (Ex. 15:13; Deut. 7:7-9; et.al). God has bound himself to his people and will not break his covenant promise.
This same language is used in the NT as well. We may readily recall Hebrews 13:5 which echoes Deuteronomy 31:6, that the Lord will never leave us nor forsake us. The context of this verse applies this to the provision of all our needs (“Keep your life free from love of money, andbe content with what you have”), but this only serves to underscore the promise. If the Lord is with me, I am well cared for and protected. Indeed, verse six cites Psalm 118:6,
“The Lord is my helper;
I will not fear;
what can man do to me?”
Or, recall Romans 8, “If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?” (vs. 31b-32). Our Lord Jesus Christ is the One who by his death has redeemed us from the curse of the law and our slavery to sin (Gal. 3:13; Col. 1:13-14; Titus 2:13-14). In his blood a new covenant was inaugurated. It is the fulfillment of all the OT shadows and types.
Second, we must remember that our God is both holy and sovereign.
In Psalm 11:4, David says,
The LORD is in his holy temple;
the LORD’s throne is in heaven;
his eyes see, his eyelids test the children of man.
There is similarity in saying that the LORD is in his holy temple and that his throne is in heaven. The temple of which David speaks here is the heavenly dwelling place of God. And this is a holy place because it is where God who is holy resides. Heaven is a place set apart from everything that is earthly or profane. It is a place of holy perfection, holy righteousness, and holy justice. Nothing contrary to the holy character of the Lord is found there.As Habakkuk says, “The Lord is in his holy temple; let the whole earth be silent in his presence” (2:20).
Likewise, as the LORD is in his holy temple, so also his throne is there. The throne of God points us to his sovereign rule and reign. Psalm 47:7-8 says, “For God is the King of all the earth . . . God reigns over the nations;God sits on his holy throne” (cf. Ps. 99:1). This implies that everything is under his control. It can seem at times, when evil is most prevalent, that God is not in control. We tend to think that he has forgotten or abandoned us when we are undergoing suffering, trials, and persecutions for obedience to him. But this statement in Psalm 11:4 assures us that this is not the case. He sees everything.Proverbs 15:3 says, “The eyes of the Lord are in every place, keeping watch on the evil and the good.” God is aware of both the actions of the righteous and those of the wicked (Ps. 11:5). He “tests” his people, both for the genuineness and the perfecting of their faith (Ps. 11:5; cf. Rom. 5:3-5; James 1:2-4, 12). Our tribulations at the hand of the wicked end up being a means of maturing us in our faith and making us more fruitful in our service to the Lord.
Third, we must remember that God will eventually exercise justice.
Because the Lord is righteousness (vs. 7a), he will judge. He will, as verse 6 says, “rain coals on the wicked; fire and sulfur and a scorching wind shall be the portion of their cup.” This conjures up memories of Sodom and Gomorrah in Genesis 19, where God destroyed two cities and all their inhabitants for their great wickedness. To be sure, this verse is an imprecatory prayer. It is the desire of the psalmist that the Lord will punish the unrepentant wickedwho relentlessly seek to destroy the righteous. But this is the desire of every believer, is it not? True justice can only be realized when the name of our heavenly Father is“hallowed” (that is, regarded as holy) and his will is done on earth “as it is in heaven” (Matt. 6). This necessarily includes judgement on those who never turn to Christ. But we must notice that the psalmist asks the Lord to do this. He does not take matters into his own hands. “Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord” (Rom. 12:9; cf. Deut. 32:35-36). The Lord will “vindicate his people and have compassion on his servants.”
Finally, we must remember that God will reward his people.
For those who take refuge in him, they get the desire of their hearts in the end: they will get to see his face (Ps. 11:7c; cf. Matt. 5:6). This is what is often called the “beatific vision.” To see the face of God and live is the longing of every true believer, even among the saints of the old covenant, like David. It is the promised reality for those who take refuge in the Son in the new covenant era.If you are united to the Lord Jesus Christ, you will surely one day see him. 1 John 3:2 tells us, “What we will be hasnot yet appeared; but we know that when he appears [the Lord Jesus at his second coming] we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is.”
Of course, the emphasis here is placed on the one who takes refuge in the Lord. That is what David declared Psalm 11:1, “In the LORD I take refuge.” This is what ultimately distinguishes the righteous from the wicked in Scripture. It isn’t that the righteous are sinless but rather that they flee to and cling to the One who redeems their life from the pit. They take refuge in God from his righteous judgement against them for their sin. David’s companions counseled him to take refuge in the hills. That is, they advised him to abandon hope in the One who promises never to leave or forsake his people. The righteous, however, do not abandon their trust in the faithful promises of their holy, sovereign, and righteous King. Instead, they hold fast to him and persevere in faith, hope, and love.
So, how shall we then live? If the foundations of our nation are destroyed, and the righteous are persecuted by the wicked, what shall we do? By his grace and power, we can keep on trusting in the Lord. We commit ourselves inloving obedience to God and loving our neighbors, even those who hate us (Matt. 5:44; Lk. 6:27; cf. Rom. 12:19-21). We can be strong and courageous because we know that our God never leaves us nor forsakes us.