Darkness or Light?



Psalm 52
To the choirmaster. A Maskil of David, when Doeg, the Edomite, came and told Saul, “David has come to the house of Ahimelech.”
1Why do you boast of evil, O mighty man? The steadfast love of God endures all the day.
2Your tongue plots destruction, like a sharp razor, you worker of deceit.
3You love evil more than good, and lying more than speaking what is right. Selah
4You love all words that devour, O deceitful tongue.
5But 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
6The righteous shall see and fear, and shall laugh at him, saying,
7“See the man who would not make God his refuge, but trusted in the abundance of his riches and sought refuge in his own destruction!”
8But I am like a green olive tree in the house of God. I trust in the steadfast love of God forever and ever.
9I will thank you forever, because you have done it. I will wait for your name, for it is good, in the presence of the godly.

In order to feel the full impact of this psalm we need to explore the incident (recorded for us in 1 Samuel 21 & 22) listed at the top. “…when Doeg, the Edomite, came and told Saul, ‘David has come to the house of Ahimelech.’” These events take place during the 10 years that David is on the run from King Saul, who seeks to take his life. Saul’s desire to kill David is born from the knowledge that Saul’s own sons will not inherit the throne but that they crown has been passed onto David by God. As he is running, David comes to Nob (Kiriath Jearim) where Ahimelech is acting as priest. David is seeking food and weapons and weaves a bit of a tale for Ahimelech about being on a secret mission for King Saul. As a result, Ahimelech gives David the bread from the altar to eat as well as the sword of Goliath, as it is being stored there. In the background of this conversation is Deog, a servant of Saul. He goes back to Saul and reports this entire situation. Saul calls Ahimelech into his court, accuses him and has him killed, along with 85 other priest and the entire village of Nob. David is heartbroken that his lie has ended in the killing of so many of his countrymen. From that pathos this psalm is born.

There are several times throughout David’s story where his actions have unintended consequences. It was certainly never in his heart to see all these people killed. But he is dealing with a ruthless and violent man who doesn’t really care about the needs of his subjects. Saul is only interested in what serves him best. This is a frightening man whose character flaws are deadly. In his great sorrow, David turns to prayer, recognizing Saul’s lack of godly counsel. And once again, David turns his heart toward God with trust and thanksgiving, for he has no other place to look for strength, protection, and provision.

Not only is Saul wicked, so too is Doeg who would make a bad report about David and Ahimelech in order to gain favor with Saul.

This psalm is a prayer against those who treacherously disregard the Eighth Commandment in order to advance themselves at the expense of others. Those who report Christians to oppressive governments, those who spread false rumors about their rivals in business, and those who cut down their neighbors with gossip are among the many examples of those who use their tongues like a razor today.
Brug, J. F. (1989). Psalms 1–72 (2nd ed., p. 219). Milwaukee, WI: Northwestern Pub. House.

Perhaps we make light of the sin of gossip. It’s not like I killed someone, right? But here we have a real life example of the opposite being true. People actually died because of a lie, both on the part of David and Doeg. David flees back to the Lord but Doeg moves forward as the willing executioner in service to a wicked king. Two men lied but one returned to the Lord and the other moved further into the darkness. The path of sin is dark and ugly but it can be abandoned. God is always ready to take us back.

8But I am like a green olive tree in the house of God. I trust in the steadfast love of God forever and ever.
9I will thank you forever, because you have done it. I will wait for your name, for it is good, in the presence of the godly.

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