Thoughts on Psalm 52 and Doeg

Psalm 52:1-3  “Why do you boast about your crimes, great warrior?  Don’t you realize God’s justice continues forever?   All day long you plot destruction.  Your tongue cuts like a sharp razor;  you’re an expert at telling lies.  You love evil more than good and lies more than truth.”

Do you know the story of the evil Doeg, who was Saul’s chief herdsman (1 Samuel 21:7)?  “Doeg was an Edomite, not a Hebrew.  Israel had been at war with Edom, so Doeg may have entered Saul’s service as either a captive or a traitor to his people.” (1 Samuel 14:47)1  Neither of these are good options, are they?  And talk about a person like this being at the right place (the temple at Nob) at the wrong time (David was there, fleeing Saul)—this was Doeg!

Doeg had been detained at Nob (we aren’t certain why), and while there, he overheard David speaking to Ahimelech, the chief priest.  In an attempt to save his own and his warriors' lives, David lied to Ahimelech, saying that he, David, had been sent by King Saul on a private matter; that he needed food for himself and his men whom he would meet later at an appointed spot; and that he needed a weapon, as he had left on his mission so hurriedly, he’d not had the time to arm himself.  Ahimelech, who had no regular bread, instead gave David holy bread which was meant solely for God’s priests.  His reasoning?  Ahimelech knew David’s reputation—that he was faithful to Saul, captain of Saul’s bodyguard, and an honored member of Saul’s household.  He knew that love and compassion always should supersede Mosaic law, and in his heart, Abimelech knew that David’s life was worth saving!  Ahimelech, then, in addition to food, provided David with Goliath’s sword. 

Saul was paranoid; he believed David, his own son, Jonathan, and the priests were conspiring to kill him.  As Saul interrogated his officers about this, Doeg, who unfortunately was present, told Saul what had transpired between Ahimelech and David at Nob, purposely leaving out David’s story about being on a secret mission for Saul.  This sin of omission effectively affirmed in Saul's mind his conspiracy theory.  He became outraged and called for Ahimelech and all his family to come before him.  Not listening to Ahimelech’s explanation for aiding David, Saul demanded his bodyguards kill Ahimelech and his entire family.  The guards refused to do so, but not the evil Doeg. He killed all eighty-five of the priests, then went to Nob and wiped out the town—men, women, children, babies, cattle, donkeys, sheep, and goats.  (1 Sam. 22:18-19)  About all of this, Doeg boasted!
 
David, in Psalm 52, points out how misled Doeg was to gloat:  “But God will strike you down once and for all. He will pull you from your home and uproot you from the land of the living.  The righteous will see it and be amazed.  They will laugh and say, ‘Look what happens to mighty warriors who do not trust in God.  They trust their wealth instead and grow more and more bold in their wickedness.’”  Psalm 52:5-7

What does all this mean for me and you today?  What can we learn?

• Neither you nor I should ever forget the profound effect of telling lies, even those we consider to be harmless.  David could not foresee the effects of his harmless lie to Abimelech, but that lie led to the death of eighty-five priests and all the people of Nob.  When David recognized this, he attempted to make up for the wrong he had done by placing Abiathar, the only surviving son of Abimelech, into his care, promising to protect Abiathar with his own life.  Let us learn to examine our own hearts, and if there’s been any wrongdoing, let us confess our sin to God and attempt to make the wrongdoing right, as David did.
• If you are a leader, dig deep into God’s Word and develop a heartfelt relationship with the LORD!  Always remember that leaders, without Jesus and without the guidance of the Holy Spirit and His fruit, easily succumb to the desires of the flesh and evil.  Sorrowfully, we not only watch some of our own government officials falling sway to personal gain and corruption, but we are appalled as we watch another Doeg in action.  Daily we witness the horrific effects of an evil man executing war against a country that desired to coexist in peace.  In the end, hundreds, if not thousands of innocents have been or will be killed, and a country will be devastated,
  
• Worry or anxiousness about the evil you see should turn you to God’s Word!  Remember that at some point what the prophets foretold must take place and that God’s final plan of redemption is at work; remember that in Christ, we have the hope and joy of knowing one day we will live eternally in peace, joy, and love for one another.
  
• Always remember that when you accepted Jesus as your Savior, you were adopted into God’s family and will have victory over evil people.  Greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world, and once belonging to God, you can never be snatched away from His hand.
  
• You are assured of God's protection.  Before Jesus’ ascended into heaven, He gave us this promise: “And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”  Matthew 28:20b  Always!  Your Good Shepherd is with you every moment of your life!  TRUST HIM!
• GOD IS IN CONTROL!  In His perfect timing, whether in this world or after death, God will judge, and those who sow evil will be repaid in full and evil abolished.  Wicked leaders may boast of victory if they conquer those they consider frail or enemies, but David sums up Biblical truth when he addresses Doeg:  “Why do you boast about your crimes, great warrior?  Don’t you realize God’s justice continues forever? “ Psalm 52:1  Justice will be served!

1.  https://www.gotquestions.org/Doeg-the-Edomite.html

VERSES:

Psalm 37:28  “For the LORD loves the just and will not forsake his faithful ones. Wrongdoers will be completely destroyed ; the offspring of the wicked will perish.”

Psalm 37:8-9  “Stop being angry!  Turn from your rage!  Do not lose your temper— it only leads to harm.  For the wicked will be destroyed, but those who trust in the Lord will possess the land.”

1 John 4:4  “…you belong to God, my dear children. You have already won a victory over those (evil) people, because the Spirit who lives in you is greater than the spirit who lives in the world.”  

Philippians 4:6-7  “Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. 7 Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.”

John 10:28  “I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one can snatch them away from me…”

Luke 6:1-4  “One Sabbath day as Jesus was walking through some grainfields, His disciples broke off heads of grain, rubbed off the husks in their hands, and ate the grain.  But some Pharisees said, ‘Why are you breaking the law by harvesting grain on the Sabbath?’  Jesus replied, ‘Haven’t you read in the Scriptures what David did when he and his companions were hungry?  He went into the house of God and broke the law by eating the sacred loaves of bread that only the priests can eat. He also gave some to his companions.’  And Jesus added, ‘The Son of Man is Lord, even over the Sabbath.’”

PRAYER:  Heavenly Father, as I see evil in our world and my soul cries out with grief, I ask You to daily remind me that You are my rock and that You promised to be with me always…leading, guiding, and protecting.  I now choose, as David wrote, to fully and completely trust in You—Your will for me and Your plan for end times, whether they be soon or late.  You are GOOD, You are HOLY…You are ALMIGHTY GOD!  I place myself in Your arms of unfailing love, and I praise Your name forever!   

DISCLAIMER:   I am just an ordinary woman who loves Jesus, accepting Him as Savior at the age of thirty-two and digging into the Bible ever since.  How could I possibly hope to develop a heart relationship with God and trust Him with my life if I didn't know who He is?!  These devotionals are written to help you journey with Christ and grow in your heart relationship with Him.  However, it is essential that you examine my words, and those of all other "teachers," with God's Holy Word.  Therein lies the source of all truth!