We stand on Gods word

Ps 36 1 You have rejected us, O God, and burst forth upon us; you have been angry--now restore us!

2 You have shaken the land and torn it open; mend its fractures, for it is quaking.

3 You have shown your people desperate times; you have given us wine that makes us stagger.

4 But for those who fear you, you have raised a banner to be unfurled against the bow. "Selah"

5 Save us and help us with your right hand, that those you love may be delivered.

6 God has spoken from his sanctuary: "In triumph I will parcel out Shechem and measure off the Valley of Succoth.

7 Gilead is mine, and Manasseh is mine; Ephraim is my helmet, Judah my scepter.

8 Moab is my washbasin, upon Edom I toss my sandal; over Philistia I shout in triumph."

9 Who will bring me to the fortified city? Who will lead me to Edom?

10 Is it not you, O God, you who have rejected us and no longer go out with our armies?

11 Give us aid against the enemy, for the help of man is worthless.

12 With God we will gain the victory, and he will trample down our enemies.

The Psalmist is describing the conditions of Israel in their apostasy. He is describing the terrible consequences of this apostasy in the metaphorical language of an earth quake....burst forth, shaken the land, , quaking , and torn the land open. God has established the perfect language in His creation and recreation. His language is gifted to Israel in decrees, laws, covenants and statutes. Gods perfect acts in the success of the creation of Israel and the upholding of His creation is spoken in His person or aligning and realigning every thing by this gifted language. This is the healthy necessary environment for the successful advancement of Israel. When Gods word is upheld and spoken, every person experiences redemption or the absence of threatening language. 55 11 "Destructive forces are at work in the city; threats and lies never leave its streets." The spirit of the city is this repetition of godless language that is engrained in the culture so that the destruction of the poor and the helpless are used to gain more power. 

The Palmist is describing conditions that are so destructive the righteous retreat from public discourse. When a society becomes godless then those things that are private are paraded around in the streets of the city. Its compared to throwing the helpless child out of the house to be exposed by the evil. Prov.5 16" Should your springs overflow in the streets, your streams of water in the public squares?" In other words the water is the marriage relationship that flourishes in private. But when the communication becomes corrupted then the person begins to search for acceptance in the public domain. I do not believe that Solomon is just focused on the sexual relationship.  "15 Drink water from your own cistern, running water from your own well." The communication of eternal life in the marriage relationship.

This "earth quake" is really a metaphor for mans hatred for Gods word. From the beginning of time man has made his plans. Each time a man makes his plans he spreads his world view. 36 4 "Even on his bed he plots evil; he commits himself to a sinful course and does not reject what is wrong." This plotting is not necessarily planning to do something immoral. But its the natural state of mans heart that comes out in his planning. You got to understand that we believe that God has already unified all things and established His law, decrees etc as the basis of unifying society. You need to understand that the elect are always under the power of the vision of this completed unity. In this sense the consequences of the earth quake are destructive to the wicked but not to us because God has established the full effect of the curse as the basis for His justice and not our activity. "Torn open" would be the unhindered effect of the curse that meets the highest evil plans of the wicked. As the anger rises to its highest expression so is the curse established as Gods overruling power to protect His helpless ones. 

 1 "You have rejected us, O God, and burst forth upon us; you have been angry--now restore us! " Complexity is swallowed up by simplicity. Gods anger rises to the level of perfect restoration...or Gods allowing restoration to His people and forbidding success for the wicked. This national prayer "your people or your citizens" as a clear distinction from "but to those who fear you" is the natural cry of Gods people to bring stability until the final judgement.