Psalm 11:7 - Printer Friendly

ESV: For the Lord is righteous; he loves righteous deeds; the upright shall behold his face.

NIV: For the Lord is righteous, he loves justice; the upright will see his face.

NASB: For the Lord is righteous, He loves righteousness; The upright will see His face.

CSB: For the Lord is righteous; he loves righteous deeds. The upright will see his face.

NLT: For the righteous Lord loves justice. The virtuous will see his face.

KJV: For the righteous Lord loveth righteousness; his countenance doth behold the upright.

NKJV: For the Lord is righteous, He loves righteousness; His countenance beholds the upright.

While God clearly must judge sin and evil, He is also loving. Those attributes are not opposed to each other, and they cannot be separated. Because the Lord is righteous, He cannot allow the wicked to go unpunished. Nor will He allow those who are evil and sinful to be with Him in eternity.

At Mount Sinai, when God delivered the Ten Commandments to Moses, He commanded the people to stand off, as the message was one of judgment and wrath (Hebrews 12:18–21). When Christ came, the message given at Mount Calvary was "draw near" (Hebrews 12:22–24). All who trust in Jesus as Savior are reconciled to God (John 3:16), and they receive the righteousness of God in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:21). Having been made righteous, believers naturally desire to lead righteous lives, and the Lord loves their righteous deeds.

The wicked will be separated from the Lord throughout eternity (John 3:36), but those who honor God will be with Him forever. The apostle John affirmed this wonderful prospect. In 1 John 3:2 he writes, "Beloved, we are God's children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is."

Psalm 11:4–7 explains David's reason for rejecting the temptation to flee to the mountains. Faced with danger, the natural urge is to run and hide. Instead, David's choice is to trust in God. He sees the Lord as sovereign, fully in control of the situation David faced. He believes the Lord tests the righteous but despises the wicked and will judge them. Someday the righteous will see the Lord's face.

David is tempted to run in terror from his enemies, like a frightened bird. Whether this is advice from counselors or simple fear, David refuses to given in. He declares that the Lord is his refuge. The wicked are well-armed and prepared to fight, but David trusts God to keep him safe. In part, David stands firm because he recognizes the consequences if godly authority is removed. The psalm celebrates God's sovereign rule and omniscience, ending with encouragement. The Lord is righteous and loves righteous deeds; someday those who honor Him will see His face.

This psalm is another depiction of David in trouble. It may have been written when he fled from Saul's court and was hiding in the wilderness (Psalm 18). Or David may have written it when his son Absalom was pursuing him (Psalm 3). Whatever the occasion, this psalm expresses David's trust in the Lord as all-knowing and righteous.

The book of Psalms is composed of individual songs, hymns, or poems, each of which is a ''Psalm'' in and of itself. These works contain a wide variety of themes. Some Psalms focus on praising and worshipping God. Others cry out in anguish over the pain of life. Still other Psalms look forward to the coming of the Messiah. While some Psalms are related, each has its own historical and biblical context.