52 Pickup 

Psalm 52

1 To the choirmaster. A Maskil of David, when Doeg, the Edomite, came and told Saul, “David has come to the house of Ahimelech.” Why do you boast of evil, O mighty man? The steadfast love of God endures all the day.

2 Your tongue plots destruction, like a sharp razor, you worker of deceit.

3 You love evil more than good, and lying more than speaking what is right. 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

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!”

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 you have done it. I will wait for your name, for it is good, in the presence of the godly.

Thoughts:

This psalm was written with Doeg, the Edomite in it's crosshairs. Look at how the Psalmist describes Doeg:

- he boasts of evil

- his tongue plots destruction

- he works deceit

- he loves evil more than good

- he loves lying more than the truth

- he loves words that devour

What biblical character does Doeg remind you of?

If we do alitte background diggig for Doeg:

- he was detained before the LORD. See

 1 Samuel 21:7 

- he had a position of authority, he was Saul's (the kings) chief herdsman.

- he had eavesdropped on David and the priest. (He had secret knowledge)

- he immediately came and told the king everything David had done. 

- he was a murderer, he killed 85 priests. See 1 Samuel 22:18

- Killing 85 priests may seem a bit extreme, but look at what Doeg did next 1 Samuel 22:19 — And Nob, the city of the priests, he put to the sword; both man and woman, child and infant, ox, donkey and sheep, he put to the sword. I don't believe Doeg was the devil, but he's definitely his child. I think GOD also uses (not causes) examples of evil to make the sons of GOD (angels) think about what some of them they might be doing. In this example Doeg seems be acting alot like Satan.

Saul told him to do the deed, but Saul was obviously not following GOD, Samuel had rejected him. His own son did not follow his orders. Saul constantly made poor command decisions. Saul never inquired of GOD for directions on this matter. GOD's priests ultimately belonged to GOD not Saul.

Selah, pause, reflect on these descriptions.

Verse 5

Compare this with Psalm 82:1-2- A Psalm of Asaph. God has taken his place in the divine council; in the midst of the gods he holds judgment: “How long will you judge unjustly

and show partiality to the wicked? Selah

and verses 6 and 7 — I said, “You are gods,

sons of the Most High, all of you; nevertheless, like men you shall die,

and fall like any prince

Verses 6-7

compare Isaiah 14:15-17 - But you are brought down to Sheol, to the far reaches of the pit. Those who see you will stare at you and ponder over you: ‘Is this the man who made the earth tremble, who shook kingdoms, who made the world like a desert and overthrew its cities, who did not let his prisoners go home?’

Verses 8 and 9

Like an olive tree, a tree of life, the true vine.

Colossians 1:17 — And he (Jesus) is before all things, and in him all things hold together.

John 15:1 (Jesus speaking) — “I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser.

John 15:6 — If anyone does not abide in me (Jesus) he is thrown away like a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned.

Revelation 12:9

Hey Mr. Devil are you feeling alitte withered? It's almost time to be gathered and thrown into the fire.

Conclusion the psalms were written for our benefit, but others (even the spirits) desire to delve into it's meaning too. The apostle Peter confirms this in 1 Peter 1:12 — It was revealed to them that they were serving not themselves but you, in the things that have now been announced to you through those who preached the good news to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven, things into which angels long to look.

Prayer - Dear Heavenly Father I pray that as we look into these things that we would ask you to change us into the likeness of Christ, to love you and love our neighbors as ourselves. To be ambassadors of life and not death, in Jesus name amen.