Psalm 52

For the choir director: A psalm of David, regarding the time Doeg the Edomite said to Saul, "David has gone to see Ahimelech."

Why do you boast about your crimes, great warrior? Don't you realize God's justice continues forever? All day long you plot destruction. Your tongue cuts like a sharp razor; you're an expert at telling lies. You love evil more than good and lies more than truth.

Interlude

You love to destroy others with your words, you liar! But God will strike you down once and for all. He will pull you from your home and uproot you from the land of the living.

Interlude

The righteous will see it and be amazed. They will laugh and say, "Look what happens to mighty warriors who do not trust in God. They trust their wealth instead and grow more and more bold in their wickedness." But I am like an olive tree, thriving in the house of God. I will always trust in God's unfailing love. I will praise You forever, O God, for what You have done. I will trust in Your good name in the presence of Your faithful people.

(Psa 52:1-9)

I’m not sure what translation most of you read, so I put the whole psalm here in the New Living Translation. If you skipped over it, go back and read it.

If you remember the story correctly, Doeg the Edomite told Saul about the priests helping David... but he told Saul in a deceptive and deceitful manner… as a result ALL of the priests at Nob were murdered! It was a true atrocity, a horrible example of the evil that man is capable of. It was a blood-bath without reason, a mass-murder that was the manifestation of King Saul’s rage.

Doeg didn’t see it this way… he saw it as an opportunity to promote himself. This psalm is David’s response to Doeg.

Look how David describes Doeg: Razor sharp tongue, king of deception, lover of lies and evil; David summarizes Doeg at the end by saying He trusted in his own riches and devices rather than God. The end for Doeg was clear; he would be struck down, pulled from his home, and eventually uprooted from the land of the living. He was like a weed, and his days were numbered.

David on the other hand describes himself as an “olive tree”; pointing out that while Doeg was being uprooted, he would be thriving in God’s house. The main difference between the two men is clear. While Doeg was busy promoting himself and jockeying for position before King Saul, David trusted the Lord with his future.

Friends, learn from David. Don’t go out and try and make things happen… over time you may end up like Doeg, sacrificing others to get what you want. Instead, trust in the UNFAILING LOVE of God. He knows and wants what is best for you… leave the details in HIS HANDS!