If the Foundations Be Destroyed What Can the Righteous Do?

“If the foundations be destroyed, what can the righteous do?” Psalms 11:3

As a people, we had very good beginnings. Our cultural foundation was solid because we built our house upon the Word of Almighty God, and that is a sure foundation. (See Matthew 7:24-27)

“The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul: the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple. The statutes of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart: the commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes. The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring for ever: the judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether. More to be desired are they than gold, yea, than much fine gold: sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb. Moreover by them is thy servant warned: and in keeping of them there is great reward.” Psalms 19:7-11

God’s Law is the foundational cornerstone of civilized society, and we depart from it to our own peril but that is exactly what we have done. Somehow, we got it into our heads that we know better than God, and we have gone our own way. We have abandoned the true and the reliable for the fake and the unreliable. We have chosen immorality over morality, insanity over sanity, darkness over light . . . and it is killing us! “There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.” Proverbs 14:12

We have reasoned within ourselves that God’s Law is somehow unfair and outdated, and so we have replaced the pure standard of Divine Law with social justice and popular opinion. Our sins, both personal and national, reach higher than our heads, and our foundations have been destroyed. If that were not sad enough, it becomes even more so when we understand that the foundation of this magnificent edifice has been destroyed not by the wicked, but by the righteous — God’s people and God’s ministers.

The Geneva Bible translates our text “For the foundations are cast downe [all hope of succor is taken away], what hath the righteous done?,” and the Septuagint says “For they have pulled down what thou didst frame, what has the righteous done?”

Indeed! What have we done?! Just look at the mess we have made! How desperate our situation is!

What can the righteous now do? The answer is found in 2 Chronicles 7:14, “If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.”

This is the answer to our dilemma. It is our only hope. We must humble ourselves and own the fact that we have taken what God has given us and have botched it up. It wasn’t the heathen, it was us. Understanding this, we must commit to pray without ceasing for our people, asking forgiveness and guidance from on high.

We must seek His presence and His Kingdom above all else. And we must forsake our personal and national wickedness, and turn once again to our gracious and forgiving God in true repentance.

God help us so to do — before we destroy ourselves.