Did you ever see the old WWII movie, Force 10 from Navarone? In it the audience follows a group of British and US commandos dropped in deep behind German lines to carry out a top-secret mission. Led by Harrison Ford and Robert Shaw, Force 10 is tasked with blowing up a bridge in Yugoslavia that is vital to the Nazi war campaign.
When the heroes scout out the bridge, they realize they don’t have enough explosives to do the job. Mission over? Not hardly. The men improvise their plan by hiking upstream where there’s a huge dam. If they can demolish the dam, then it will unleash a torrent of water that will knock out the bridge.
Harrison Ford and Robert Shaw dress up as Nazis, sneak into the bottom of the dam, find the right spot, place the explosives, set the timer and wait. The dynamite goes off, creating tons of smoke, a tremor or two and loud boom, but nothing happens to the dam.
The camera catches up with the rest of the Force 10 team outside the dam and when it doesn’t instantly collapse, the demolitions expert confidently lights a pipe and says, “Patience. You’ve got to have patience. Let nature take its course.” After a few tense moments, cracks start forming in the foundation of the dam. Then water begins to spurt through the cracks.
Ford and Shaw start running for their lives as a small fracture explodes into a gaping hole. Our heroes barely make it out before the dam collapses and an avalanche of water hurdles downstream. When the torrent hits the mighty bridge, the columns sway and finally the bridge collapses at the very moment the Nazis are crossing with their tanks and jeeps.
There’s a powerful lesson in that movie sequence—big damage can start with just a small crack in the foundation. That reminds me of what David wrote in Psalm 11:3, “If the foundations are destroyed, what can the righteous do?” David wrote this Psalm at time in his life when he felt like the ground beneath his feet was moving. Saul and his cronies were attacking him. If the Lord did not intervene, it would only be a matter of time before his world would crumble.
In the wake of the 2020 election there are many who feel like the foundations of this nation are being undermined. The structures which made our country strong and stable are showing cracks—COVID-19, mobs in the streets, appalling violence, deception by the media, voter fraud, the redefinition of marriage / sexuality and apostasy in the church have been like sticks of dynamite to our national foundation. Millions of Americans believe that if the Democratic party gains power then their radical plan will only accelerate the erosion of the American bedrock.
Writing over 30 years ago, Bible scholar John Phillips commented on Psalm 11, “The foundation of society is law and order, justice and truth. If these are undermined in a society what can the righteous do? Yet, these are the very foundations being destroyed in Western society today. Humanist and libertarian views prevail in our schools, our courts, our governments, and our media. A determined attack is being mounted against everything decent, moral, and Christian in our society. The foundations are being destroyed to make room for the coming reign of the man of sin.”[1] If that was true then, then how much more does it apply today?
David spends the first verses of this short song lamenting over his plight. But by the end, he goes from the valley to the mountaintop as he focuses his faith over his fears. As he does in so many of his Psalms, David’s doubts become shouts as he rehearses in his mind what he knows to be true about God. He states four facts about God that bolsters his confidence even though circumstances were bad.
· Where God sits: “The Lord is in his holy temple; the Lord's throne is in heaven” (11:4). God had not abrogated His sovereign rule over the universe. Man may rule, but God overrules. Satan is mighty, but God is Almighty! It doesn’t matter who sits in the Oval Office of the White House because God has no term limits and cannot be impeached.
· What God sees: “His eyes see, his eyelids test the children of man” (11:4). God is omniscient and he sees our every need before we do. He sees His people struggling to hang on to their faith, just as He sees the wicked and crooked doing their dirty deeds in the dark. He even sees ahead with 20/20 clarity into the future. Aren’t you glad that God doesn’t have to watch CNN or Fox News to “the rest of the story?”
· What God sends: “5 The Lord tests the righteous, but his soul hates the wicked and the one who loves violence. 6 Let him rain coals on the wicked; fire and sulfur and a scorching wind shall be the portion of their cup.” The Lord sends trials to perfect His saints, honing their character to make them more like Christ. We will get through this difficult time and be made better by it. However, to the wicked God will send His wrath to punish them. Think of all the villains in the Bible who were judged swiftly—Ahab, Nebuchadnezzar, Hamann, Pharaoh and Judas. There is a pay day someday.
· What God stands for: “For the Lord is righteous” (11:7). God’s righteousness will prevail. There’s a divine thumb pressing down on the scales of justice and it tilts toward the good and the right. As Abraham said, “Shall not the Judge of all the earth do what is just?” (Gen. 18:25).
Friend, if the foundations be destroyed, we will not fear, fret or flee. Be reminded of these precious truths. Let the boxcars in your train of thought be in this order: faith, facts, feelings, fears. -DM
How firm a foundation, ye saints of the Lord,
Is laid for your faith in His excellent word!
What more can He say than to you He hath said,
To you who for refuge to Jesus have fled?
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