Psalm 52
Today’s Passage: Psalm 52
Sometimes we are privy to the exact circumstances that surround a Psalm and Psalm 52 is one of those times. Before the Psalm begins the writer gives us context to what is going on - “For the choir director: A psalm of David, regarding the time Doeg the Edomite said to Saul, “David has gone to see Ahimelech.”
This story is found in 1 Samuel 21-22. David is on the run from King Saul who is seeking his life and he finds himself coming to Nob where Ahimelech is the priest. And he helped David. He gave him the Holy Bread of the Temple (a story Jesus later refers to in Matthew 12). He also gave David the sword with which he struck down Goliath. But little did they know, they were being watched by Doeg the Edomite who (1) was a part of Saul’s “staff” and (2) desperately wanted to get back in good graces with King Saul. Saul came to the place and Doeg told the king that Ahimelech helped David and so as a result Ahimelech and 85 other priests died. David is furious, begging God to show His justice which is where Psalm 52 comes in.
In Psalm 52...
1) David calls out Saul (and Doeg?) out for being full of evil (v.1-4)
2) David looks to God for justice instead of seeking revenge (v.5-7)
3) David declares his trust in his relationship with God in the midst of uncertainty (v.8-9)
Eventually Saul got what was coming to him... God executed judgment and Saul & his three sons were killed on the same day in battle. David did the right thing here. It is so easy to want to take things into our hands. We want to be the ones who get vengeance. But God says vengeance is his. He is faithful. He is just. He can & will take care of it. We need to pursue holiness. We need to look to Him. We need to declare trust in Him.
Take a second and ponder... When you are wronged, how do you respond? How do you feel tempted to execute justice yourself? What does it look like to trust God in those scenarios?
Written by: Nick Parsons
Sometimes we are privy to the exact circumstances that surround a Psalm and Psalm 52 is one of those times. Before the Psalm begins the writer gives us context to what is going on - “For the choir director: A psalm of David, regarding the time Doeg the Edomite said to Saul, “David has gone to see Ahimelech.”
This story is found in 1 Samuel 21-22. David is on the run from King Saul who is seeking his life and he finds himself coming to Nob where Ahimelech is the priest. And he helped David. He gave him the Holy Bread of the Temple (a story Jesus later refers to in Matthew 12). He also gave David the sword with which he struck down Goliath. But little did they know, they were being watched by Doeg the Edomite who (1) was a part of Saul’s “staff” and (2) desperately wanted to get back in good graces with King Saul. Saul came to the place and Doeg told the king that Ahimelech helped David and so as a result Ahimelech and 85 other priests died. David is furious, begging God to show His justice which is where Psalm 52 comes in.
In Psalm 52...
1) David calls out Saul (and Doeg?) out for being full of evil (v.1-4)
2) David looks to God for justice instead of seeking revenge (v.5-7)
3) David declares his trust in his relationship with God in the midst of uncertainty (v.8-9)
Eventually Saul got what was coming to him... God executed judgment and Saul & his three sons were killed on the same day in battle. David did the right thing here. It is so easy to want to take things into our hands. We want to be the ones who get vengeance. But God says vengeance is his. He is faithful. He is just. He can & will take care of it. We need to pursue holiness. We need to look to Him. We need to declare trust in Him.
Take a second and ponder... When you are wronged, how do you respond? How do you feel tempted to execute justice yourself? What does it look like to trust God in those scenarios?
Written by: Nick Parsons
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