1 I trust in the Lord for protection.
So why do you say to me,
“Fly like a bird to the mountains for safety!
2 The wicked are stringing their bows
and fitting their arrows on the bowstrings.
They shoot from the shadows
at those whose hearts are right.
3 The foundations of law and order have collapsed.
What can the righteous do?”
4 But the Lord is in his holy Temple;
the Lord still rules from heaven.
He watches everyone closely,
examining every person on earth.
5 The Lord examines both the righteous and the wicked.
He hates those who love violence.
6 He will rain down blazing coals and burning sulfur on the wicked,
punishing them with scorching winds.
7 For the righteous Lord loves justice.
The virtuous will see his face.
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David asks “What can the righteous do!” The answer is in the first verse, even before the question. I must trust in the Lord, and I must not run to the mountains. The mountains around Jerusalem were where the false religions had their altars and shrines built to worship their false gods.
What are our false gods today? Where am I tempted to run when oppressed? Politics or political parties; money; materialism–these are some of my false gods today.
I’m impressed by David’s trust in God in those circumstances. But he knows that God knows everything that is going on, and God loves justice. So the problems are basically God’s problems to solve. My part is to pay close attention to my relationship with God.