What Can the Righteous Do? Day 1

Psalm 11 contains faith's response to fear's counsel. The psalmist is in danger, and either his friends or enemies are advising him to take refuge in flight. "Flee to the mountains," they say. But he refutes their advice, asserting that his true refuge is in God.
Practical Atheism, Scene 5
In yesterday’s devotional we pointed out the first two responses David had toward those who took advantage of the poor.  Today we begin by looking at the last response.   
 
Finally, David thinks of an eventual judgment of the wicked. "The Lord is King for ever and ever; the nations will perish from his land" (v. 16).  In David's mind this was probably an earthly judgment. We have already seen how judgment in this life, rather than judgment in the life to come, is the major concern of the psalmists.
Practical Atheism, Scene 4

The problems the wicked create for their victims are obvious. Because they are weak, the victims of these people are "caught in the schemes" they devise and are "crushed." But David was not one of these weak persons. He was a strong military commander and later king of Israel. Nevertheless, the success of these practical atheists created a problem for David also. What is it? It is God's apparent toleration of the wicked, the suspicion that their boasts about God's not seeing or not caring might be true.
Practical Atheism, Scene 3
Yesterday we looked at the first two characteristics of practical atheism.  Today we consider the other three.
 
3. Security (v. 6). The third characteristic of the practical atheist is his apparent security, which his prosperity seems to guarantee. David quotes him as saying, "Nothing will shake me; I'll always be happy and never have trouble."
Practical Atheism, Scene 2
What are the chief characteristics of those who practice this "practical atheism"? There are five of them, according to David's treatment.
1. Arrogance (vv. 2-4). The characteristics of the practical atheist are overlapped in David's description, but if we take them in the order they first appear, the first notable mark is arrogance.