Chapter 11

This psalm pictures the Lord in judgment upon men.  It talks about God testing men, and hating those who are not found righteous.  The psalm prays - or predicts? - that the wicked have coals rained down on them.  It is a plea for justice - for good to the righteous, and for desolation to the wicked.  This is not a live and let live psalm.  It is ok to pray "harm" to the wicked because it is just, and it is in parallel with God's justice.  He punishes the wicked.  In His own time to be sure, but the wicked are to be punished, so it is ok to pray that towards them.

But how does this fit with Samuel saying he will pray for Israel even though their desire for a king is "wicked". 

This is always a difficult thing.  Is it about OT vs NT?  Ok to request destruction for our enemies in the OT, but in the NT we are to pray for them?

I note also that David often prays for God to destroy his enemies.   Hmm...maybe the key to all this lies in specifying who the enemy is?

2022 - I wonder if these first few Psalms are here to calm everyone back down after reading Job?  Job pretty much says that sometimes, the righteous also suffer, and that sometimes the wicked go a whole lifetime without punishment.  Then we get to these Psalms, and they all say that God looks after the righteous, and His wrath goes out against the wicked.

2025 - This verse:

2 for behold, the wicked bend the bow; they have fitted their arrow to the string to shoot in the dark at the upright in heart; [Psa 11:2 ESV].  This points out a basic characteristic of the evil man.  He shoots arrows in the dark at good people.  Evil men don't take time to evaluate whether they are hurting a good man or a bad man when they rob or beat him.  They evaluate only the risk and the size of the pay off.  I think we can say that it is the righteous who usually become targets because they don't think like prey.  The righteous look for the good, assume the good, bask in the good of mankind.  And even as he does, the evil are evaluating their strike.  I think it is true that the evil hit the good more often than they hit the bad, because the good don't hide, don't scan...all that situational awareness stuff.  We need to train ourselves to be like that NT verse...16 "Behold, I am sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves, so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves. [Mat 10:16 ESV].  It is not a sin for the righteous to consider what the wolves might be plotting!