Psalm 11
ARTIST STATEMENT:
Psalm 11 opens up to David who has just been threatened with death by King Saul’s forces,
wrestling with what I imagine to be his own amygdala telling him to “flee like a bird to your
mountain”. God designed our bodies to shift quickly to fight, flight or freeze when faced with
an immediate, physical threat as a protective measure. We can think of many previous
examples of David running to the caves for shelter, and doing so saved his life! But today,
David sees no reason to run. Why not this time? As a youth, David spent a lot of time in
isolation tending to sheep. I imagine he cultivated a practice of taking refuge in his only
Companion. So now, perhaps David was able to stop the automatic, fear-based response and
think. He realized that to flee might mean to forsake his calling as the next king. He then
engaged in the kind of nonviolent resistance that Jesus Himself would model later for us.
I see a powerful example of this kind of faithful resistance among Christians in Gaza right now
amid severe threats to their existence. They have coexisted with Muslims and Jews on the
land for centuries. When they were encouraged to flee, they saw Israel’s indiscriminate
bombing, and also knew that to leave might forfeit their chance of return*, so most decided
to take shelter together in the two remaining churches in the Gaza Strip. They have been
slowly succumbing to starvation, sickness, and snipers**. They are terrified, but they are
refusing to leave just because someone is holding up a Bible claiming it says someone else
deserves the keys to their house.
I chose to style my artwork after street protest art because it is art for the people. It shows up
anytime an injustice is being confronted and people are organizing for change. I was inspired
by a trip we took last summer to Belfast and toured the murals that documented the
Troubles, as well as many artists on Instagram who are addressing the struggle for Palestinian
liberation. I will speak to a few of the key elements of my piece and hope it invites you into
further exploration, both of the art as well as the people of Palestine.
Red poppies grow wild all over Palestine. In fact, it is widely believed that this is the flower
that Jesus referred to when he invited us to “consider the lilies”. I’ve chosen to represent the
people of this land as the lilies and try to convey their steadfast resilience amidst much
hardship.
Bulldozers: throughout the history of Israeli occupation, they have been used to destroy entire
villages and displace thousands of Palestinians. I encourage you to read the story of Rachel
Corrie.
The dove represents the beautiful nonviolent resistance that was first modeled and taught by
Jesus, about turning the other cheek. Jesus was not advocating for passivity, but was
teaching us about the art of protest here. Instead of fleeing in fear, the dove is throwing open
her feathered arms, as if to say, “You can kill me, but you must first see me.” This cry for the
oppressor to recognize the imago dei in the oppressed is ultimately an act of love for the
oppressor, too.
*https://www.hrw.org/news/2023/05/15/75-years-later-israel-blocking-palestinian-refugees-return
**https://www.cnn.com/2023/12/16/middleeast/idf-sniper-gaza-church-deaths-intl-hnk/index.html