Continuing a chronological Bible study:
(Psalm 52:1) ( To the Chief Musician, Maschil, of David, when Doeg the Edomite came and told Saul, and said to him, "David is come to the house of Ahimelech") Why boast you yourself in mischief, O mighty man? The goodness of God is continual.
One son of Ahimelech, Abiathar, had escaped the slaughter of the priests in Nob and came to David and told him all about it. David remembered seeing Doeg in Nob at the same time he was there and knew he must have told Saul he saw David there. He composed this psalm at that time. He directed his comments to Doeg, asking him why he boasted of himself as a mighty man to do evil. While he was continually evil, God on the other hand, was continually good.
(2) Your tongue devises mischiefs, like a sharp razor, working deceitfully. (3) You love evil more than good, lying rather than to speak righteousness. Selah.
David accused Doeg of having a tongue that was always devising mischief in one way or another, for Doeg loved evil more than he did righteousness. His slanders and lies were like a sharp razor working deceitfully and mischievously. He wasn't lying when he told Saul he had seen David, but he embellished the story (1 Samuel 22:10), and it was because of the deceit of Saul that he did what he did. Knowing that Saul was lying about David, he could have kept silent if he loved righteousness more than evil, but he was happy to do the evil that Saul commanded. Selah meant to pause and reflect.
(4) You love all devouring words, deceitful tongue. (5) God shall likewise destroy you forever; He shall take you away, and pluck you out of your dwelling place, and root you out of the land of the living. Selah.
David accused Doeg of having a tongue that loved to destroy. However, in the end, God would destroy him. He would take him away, not only his body from the land of the living, but also his soul from eternal life.
(6) The righteous shall also see, and fear, and shall laugh at him; (7) Lo, the man who did not make God his strength, but trusted in the abundance of his riches, and strengthened himself in his wickedness.
The righteous would see the just punishment of God upon the wicked, specifically Doeg in this case, and they would reverence the Lord in fear of so holy and powerful a God. I believe the laughter here is not derision and ridicule but rather rejoicing in the fact that wickedness does not triumph. Doeg was a man who did not trust in the Lord to be his strength, but rather trusted in the abundance of his strong and powerful physical qualities, and he made himself more powerful through his wicked actions.
(8) But I am like a green olive tree in the house of God; I trust in the mercy of God forever and ever.
David had confidence he would flourish in the house of God as a green olive tree would in the olive yard. He trusted in his merciful God and would forever trust Him.
(9) I will praise you forever because of what You have done, and I will wait on Your name for it is good before Your saints.
David would forever praise the Lord for all the good He had done. He would wait on the Lord with the expectation of only good as the Lord was always good to His saints who always looked to Him.
Albert Barnes, in his Notes on the Bible, pointed out that this psalm was quite different than most others and that it would probably never be the subject of any sermons as there may be questions as to the morality of it. However, as the Bible is revelation from God, and always truthful and sometimes raw, we may look upon this, too, as a lesson for us. The psalm refers to the character and conduct of an informer. Quoting Mr. Barnes, "...in a world where such people would be found in all lands and times, it was proper that the character of such should be at least once held up in its true light, that men may see what it really is. Any bad man may make himself more odious by becoming an informer; any good man may suffer, as David did, from the acts of such a one; and hence, the case in the psalm may suggest useful lessons in every age of the world." I would just add to that that the priests at Nob suffered even more from the actions of such an informer.
No comments:
Post a Comment