Aug. 25 – Psalm 52
Aug. 25 – Psalm 52
To the leader. A Maskil of David, when Doeg the Edomite came to Saul and said to him, “David has come to the house of Ahimelech.”
1 Why do you boast, O mighty one, of mischief done against the godly? All day long 2 you are plotting destruction.
Your tongue is like a sharp razor, you worker of treachery.
3 You love evil more than good, and lying more than speaking the truth. Selah
4 You love all words that devour, O deceitful tongue.
5 But God will break you down forever; he will snatch and tear you from your tent;
he will uproot you from the land of the living. Selah
6 The righteous will see, and fear, and will laugh at the evildoer, saying,
7 “See the one who would not take refuge in God,
but trusted in abundant riches, and sought refuge in wealth!”
8 But I am like a green olive tree in the house of God. I trust in the steadfast love of God forever and ever.
9 I will thank you forever, because of what you have done.
In the presence of the faithful I will wait for your name, for it is good.
The back-story matters here. David was on the run from Saul, who wanted David dead. David ended up seeking refuge at the tabernacle where Ahimelech was high priest. It so happened that Doeg, a servant of Saul’s, was also at the tabernacle. Doeg told Saul where David had been, and Saul wreaked horrific vengeance against Ahimelech and his family because they helped David. This then is a psalm written out of David’s anger and frustration against Doeg denouncing Doeg’s treachery (vs. 2). Also, David feels some guilt for putting Ahimelech and family in harm’s way.
The psalm is a reminder of a theme we have met a number of times in our journey through the psalms – words are important, they can deeply harm, hurt, cut. (vs. 2 – tongue is a “sharp razor”; vs. 4 - words devour.)
The psalm also reminds us of the temptation that money is, Doeg was enticed to reveal David’s location by the offer of money/reward. Money impacts the way we act and think. But money, David argues in this psalm, does not provide safety and security. Money is not the refuge that God is.
The psalm ends with a challenge, even though it appears on the surface that Doeg was protected, even though he did the wrong thing, and Ahimelech and family were harmed, even though they did the right thing, David can affirm that God is to be trusted and God’s way followed. What appears on the surface to be the situation often is not what is really happening. The price we pay in this life for following God is more than made up for by the promise of God’s steadfast love forever and ever. I realize how easy those words are to say, and how empty they sound, but they are true.
PRAYER:
Lord God, we often wonder why the wicked seem to be blessed and the faithful struggle so hard in life. We wonder why wrong-doing is not called out, and good deeds are not rewarded. Teach us in all the changes and challenges of our world to rest in your faithfulness and to trust in your never-ending love. Amen.