The Fort Knox of Joy Text: Psalm 5:11-12
Introduction: The Great Divide
We live in an age that is desperate for joy and terrified of judgment. Our entire culture is a frantic, pell-mell flight from the wrath of God, and a desperate, clawing scramble for a happiness that is not there. The world seeks joy in the horizontal, in the creaturely, in the self. It seeks refuge in entertainment, in politics, in sensuality, in the bottle, in the approval of the mob. But all these things are broken cisterns that can hold no water. They are cardboard fortresses in the face of a hurricane. The world offers a cheap, tinny happiness that is entirely dependent on circumstances. When the stock market is up, when the diagnosis is good, when the likes are rolling in, there is a fleeting sense of well-being. But when the circumstances turn, as they always do, that happiness evaporates like morning mist.
The Word of God, in stark contrast, presents us with a great and glorious divide. It is a division as sharp as a surgeon's scalpel, separating all of humanity into two, and only two, categories. You see this from Genesis to Revelation. There are two seeds, two ways, two masters, two destinations. In this Psalm, David has been praying about the wicked, the men of blood and deceit, whose throats are open graves. But then he pivots. He turns from the fleeting arrogance of the wicked to the bedrock reality of the righteous. And in doing so, he shows us the source of a joy that is not circumstantial, a gladness that is not fragile, and a protection that is not flimsy.
These two verses are a glorious summation of the Christian position in the world. They are a declaration of what it means to be in Christ. They describe a reality that is true for every believer, regardless of how they might feel on a given Tuesday morning. This is not a description of an emotional state we must work up; it is a declaration of our legal and spiritual status before the living God. And understanding this status is the key to everything. It is the key to a joy that sings in the storm and a security that stands in the battle.
The Text
But let all who take refuge in You be glad,
Let them ever sing for joy;
And may You shelter them,
That those who love Your name may exult in You.
For it is You who blesses the righteous one, O Yahweh,
You surround him with favor as with a large shield.
(Psalm 5:11-12 LSB)
The Logic of Gladness (v. 11)
We begin with the great pivot in verse 11:
"But let all who take refuge in You be glad, Let them ever sing for joy; And may You shelter them, That those who love Your name may exult in You." (Psalm 5:11)
The first word is "But." This sets up a direct contrast with the fate of the wicked described in the preceding verses. Their way is destruction. But for those who are in Christ, the story is entirely different. And who are these people? They are described in three ways here: they are those who "take refuge in You," they are those who "love Your name," and they are those over whom God spreads His shelter.
To "take refuge" is a military and architectural term. It means to run into a fortress, to get behind the stone walls when the enemy is attacking. It is an admission of personal weakness and an affirmation of the strength of another. The Christian life begins with this act of running for refuge. We do not stand on our own two feet and negotiate with God. We are spiritual refugees, fleeing the just wrath of God against our sin, and we run to the only place of safety there is: the cross of Jesus Christ. We abandon all trust in our own righteousness, our own efforts, our own goodness, and we hide ourselves in Him.
And what is the result of taking refuge in God? Gladness. Perpetual song. Exultation. Notice the logic. It is not "let them be glad so that they can take refuge." It is "let them take refuge, and therefore be glad." The joy is a consequence of the refuge, not a prerequisite for it. This demolishes the therapeutic gospel of our day, which tells you to find your happiness first. No, the Bible tells you to find your hiding place first. Your joy is not the foundation of your security; your security is the foundation of your joy.
They "ever sing for joy." This is not the forced, plastic smile of a man trying to convince himself things are okay. This is the robust, deep-chested song of a man who knows that the central issue of his existence has been settled. The verdict is in. The case is closed. He is hidden in Christ. Therefore, he can sing. He can sing when he is persecuted. He can sing when he is slandered. He can sing when he is facing death, because the fortress he is in cannot be breached.
David also prays, "may You shelter them." The word is for covering them, spreading a canopy over them. This is the intimate, personal protection of God. And the result is that "those who love Your name may exult in You." To love God's name is to love His character, His reputation, His revealed nature. It is to love Him for who He is. And when you love who God is, and you know you are safe in Him, the result is exultation. This is not just happiness; it is a triumphant, celebratory joy. It is the joy of a rescued man, a pardoned man, a secure man.
The Foundation of Blessing (v. 12)
Verse 12 gives us the bedrock reason for this joy and security. It is not based on our feelings or our performance, but on God's character and His actions.
"For it is You who blesses the righteous one, O Yahweh, You surround him with favor as with a large shield." (Psalm 5:12 LSB)
The verse begins with "For," giving the reason for the gladness of verse 11. Why can those who take refuge in God be glad? Because Yahweh blesses the righteous. Now, we must be very careful here. Who is this "righteous one?" If we think this refers to those who are righteous in and of themselves, then we are all undone. If this blessing is for those who have perfectly kept the law, then it is for no man, for all have sinned and fall short. This is where the world's religions and the true gospel part ways.
The world's religions say, "Be righteous, and God will bless you." The gospel says, "God blesses you, and therefore you are righteous." The righteousness spoken of here is a gift. It is an imputed righteousness. It is the perfect righteousness of Jesus Christ credited to the account of the sinner who takes refuge in Him. God looks at the believer, and He sees not our sin, but the perfect obedience of His Son. This is the great exchange. Christ took our sin, and we receive His righteousness (2 Corinthians 5:21). This is why God can bless us without compromising His justice. He blesses the righteous one, and in Christ, we are that righteous one.
And what is the nature of this blessing? "You surround him with favor as with a large shield." The word for shield here is not a small buckler for deflecting a stray arrow. It is the large, body-covering shield, the kind that a Roman soldier would use to advance in formation, creating a wall of shields. This is total, all-encompassing protection. God's favor is not a little pat on the back. It is a fortress. It surrounds us. There are no gaps. The enemy cannot get a shot in from the side. He cannot sneak an arrow over the top. We are completely enveloped in the gracious, unmerited, covenantal favor of God.
This favor is His settled, benevolent disposition toward us. Because of Christ, God is for us. And if God is for us, who can be against us? This is not a promise that we will never face trouble. David faced constant trouble. But it is a promise that no trouble can ultimately harm us. No enemy can pluck us from His hand. No accusation can stand against us in His court. No circumstance can separate us from His love. His favor is the shield. And it is a shield forged in eternity, tested at Calvary, and it will never, ever fail.
Conclusion: Joy as a Weapon
So what does this mean for us? It means our joy is not a fragile, emotional luxury. It is a military duty. It is a weapon. When we, as Christians, are joyful in the midst of trial, when we sing in the face of opposition, we are not simply engaging in positive thinking. We are making a profound theological statement. We are declaring that our refuge is secure. We are testifying that our King is on the throne. We are demonstrating that the favor of God is a better shield than anything the world can offer.
The world cannot understand this. A joy that is not dependent on circumstances is an alien concept to them. It is supernatural. And it is deeply attractive. Our gladness is an apologetic. Our songs are a witness. Our exultation is a declaration of war against the gray, grim, joyless despair of a world that has rejected its Creator.
Therefore, take refuge in Him. Flee to Christ. Hide yourself in His wounds, in His righteousness. And once you are there, behind that impenetrable shield of His favor, then be glad. Let the joy of your salvation be the song you sing in this dark world. Let it be the flag you fly over the fortress. For the joy of the Lord is not just your strength; it is the impenetrable shield that surrounds you on every side.