Psalm 11 (10):3Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

Another interpretation suggests it is due to the violations of the laws. A third perspective, which remains unidentified, proposes that it is because the teachings will be undermined. However, there exists another explanation that nullifies the strength of their challenge. What could it be? ‘What,’ he states, ‘You have done, they have undone.’ The essence of his declaration is that they wage war against You, transgressing Your laws and decrees. Indeed, they seek to obliterate Your commandments, which are perfect and just. This interpretation indicates that either the prophet refers to their transgressions of the law or highlights their rebellion. It serves as a significant indicator of their frailty that they engage in battle while disregarding Your commandments.

Let the faithful spirit declare, 'In the Lord I place my confidence; how can you urge my soul, “Flee to the mountains like a sparrow?”’ Consider that sinners have readied their bows and prepared their arrows in their quivers to target the righteous in the darkness of the night. From this, let her turn her voice to the Lord and express, ‘For they have ruined what You have perfected’ (Psalm 10:3). And let her making this assertion not just against them, but against all dissenters. They have collectively, to the best of their abilities, diminished the glory God has established from the mouths of children, troubling these young ones with emptiness and distractions, denying them the nourishing milk of faith.

Because of what You have accomplished, they bring destruction—meaning, the adversary has led into decay humanity, which was intended for immortality. Alternatively, the foes are hastening to vandalize Your creations. Those whom You have established as sovereigns, they seek to render insignificant, arming themselves against Your decree. They achieve this by uprooting the inherently just ideas that You have instilled in them. Yet, what is to be done by the upright? Although adversaries have perpetrated this, the Lord, whose dwelling is in the heavens, tests both the righteous and the unrighteous, distributing blessings to some while consigning others to everlasting punishment.

The phrase “that which is above” can refer either to the righteous individual or to the Lord: “Therefore it is essential for You to ascend to heaven, for the adversaries have greatly armed themselves for combat, and they seek to dismantle what You have ordained. They relentlessly undermine Your commandments and the Law inscribed in the hearts of believers through various deceptions.” “But what has the righteous done?” This can be interpreted in multiple ways. If considered in relation to a righteous person, it suggests that when others aim to eradicate God's law, the righteous individual has committed no act deserving of destruction and suffers their plots in vain.

What then is to be the fate of the upright? The Lord resides in His sacred temple. The Lord sits on His throne in heaven, observing the plight of the underprivileged whom you scorn, as He examines all humanity. "The Lord will evaluate the just and the unjust." They commit wrongs against me, yet You, the just Judge, who reigns on high and reveals Your presence in the earthly sanctuary, behold the entirety of creation. Indeed, even the mere gaze of Your mouth is enough to discern the actions of humankind. You accurately perceive the works of both the wicked and the righteous, balancing their rewards in accordance with their actions. It is essential to understand that the Prophet speaks of eyes, thrones, and similar concepts in a sensual manner, using what humanity knows to convey divine truths and attributing to God's divinity the nomenclature of human bodily parts.

Due to their actions, they face destruction. This highlights the prophet's confidence in God. I, too, remain steadfast in my faith in the Almighty, believing that those who supported Saul have cast down the one whom You, O Lord, appointed as king. The term “accomplished” is used here in place of “set up” or “erected,” while “destroyed” substitutes for “overthrew.” The latter term is metaphorical, originating from passions that have been vanquished. Should they dare to act in such a way, they will encounter in You, O God, a mighty judge of their actions, a judge against whom they cannot contend. Alternatively, the wicked dismantle the laws that You, O God, have established; You have commanded that no one be treated unjustly and that no one be innocently harmed.

Divine principles that You established have been tarnished. These principles were the foundational seeds of truth, aligned with the natural order, which God instilled in the hearts of humanity during creation. The expressions of these truths are known as natural concepts.

The discourse of David’s apprehensive companions outlines their justifications for seeking refuge and abandoning all they hold dear: numerous foes are both visible and concealed, and the threat looms large. They have drawn their bows, placed their arrows upon them, and are poised to strike at you, whether overtly or covertly, and they target our innocent ones alongside you. Another pressing reason compels us to flee at once. What could that be? It is because they have utterly dismantled everything you have accomplished; your renowned achievements and honorable acts, which you undertook with great peril to your own life for the salvation of the homeland and the preservation of Saul’s reign, along with the most noble intentions you have enacted, have all been destroyed. In such dire straits, what can a just, blameless, and noble-hearted individual do, except to remain unarmed and vulnerable?

David and Jonathan diligently sought to eliminate the suspicions that King Saul held against David. Despite their efforts, malicious adversaries continued to slander him before Saul, leading David's companions to feel his life was in jeopardy at court, prompting them to advise him to escape to the mountains. Like a bird caught by hunters in an open field, which seeks refuge in the treetops, David finds himself in a perilous situation. Verse 2 presents the imagery of the hunter. With unwavering faith in God, the psalmist reassures his advisors, declaring, "I will trust in the Lord," among other affirmations. In verses 2 and 3, the psalmist reveals the rationale behind his friends' counsel: the wicked, represented by Saul and his court, conspire to take David's life.

The Creator of humanity, as seen in the first Adam, intended for goodness, but he was led astray by malevolent forces that tempted him towards sin. Yet Christ our Lord has honored His promise through His sacrificial blood for the redemption of humanity, ensuring that not a single stroke or dot shall disappear from the Law (Matt. 5:18); this is what heretics have sought to undermine. Through His crucifixion, Christ the Lord secured salvation for all people; however, the unrighteous ones among the Jews have jeopardized their own salvation by casting doubt on the Resurrection of Christ.