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A Green Olive Tree in God’s House

September 4, 2022 Speaker: Brian Wilbur Series: The Psalms

Topic: Trusting God Passage: Psalm 52:1–9

A GREEN OLIVE TREE IN GOD’S HOUSE

An Exposition of Psalm 52

By Pastor Brian Wilbur

Date: September 4, 2022

Series: The Psalms

Note: Scripture quotations are from The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard   Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

 

THE SCRIPTURAL TEXT

 

Holy Scripture says:

To the choirmaster. A Maskil of David, 

when Doeg, the Edomite, came and told Saul, 

"David has come to the house of Ahimelech."

1 Why do you boast of evil, O mighty man?
    The steadfast love of God endures all the day.
Your tongue plots destruction,
    like a sharp razor, you worker of deceit.
You love evil more than good,
    and lying more than speaking what is right. Selah
You love all words that devour,
    O deceitful tongue.

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
The righteous shall see and fear,
    and shall laugh at him, saying,
“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!”

But I am like a green olive tree
    in the house of God.
I trust in the steadfast love of God
    forever and ever.
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. (Psalm 52)

INTRODUCTION

The 150 psalms of the Old Testament are a unique, Holy-Spirit-inspired resource that is designed to instruct and recalibrate our hearts. Many of the psalms were composed in the midst of difficulty and distress. While most of the psalms don’t identify the exact historical circumstances in which they were written, there are a handful of psalms that do. Psalm 52 is one such psalm.

Psalm 52 begins with a superscription: a brief introduction that is written above the rest of the text. The superscription is part of the Scriptural text. The superscription at the beginning of Psalm 52 says,

“To the choirmaster. A Maskil of David, when Doeg, the Edomite, came and told Saul, “David has come to the house of Ahimelech.”

We don’t know for sure what a maskil is – the ESV footnote says, “Probably a musical or liturgical term”. We might think of a maskil as a particular type of psalm or song. That this maskil was submitted “To the choirmaster” indicates that it was meant to be included in Israel’s songbook and, we presume, that the choirmaster would see to it that David’s poem was set to music. Then and now, it is good and right to sing the psalms.

The initial information in the superscription is rather routine. But then the superscription gives us key information that identifies the circumstances in which David wrote this psalm. They were not pleasant circumstances, and they relate to events that are narrated in 1 Samuel 21-22.

The book of 1 Samuel is about the rise and fall of Israel’s first king (King Saul), and the exaltation of a better king (King David) in Saul’s place. Saul decided to do things his own way instead of God’s way, and that brought about his downfall. God withdrew His favor from Saul and chose David, a man after God’s own heart to replace him. Thus Saul was doomed to destruction, whereas David was destined for the throne. But there was this overlapping period where Saul was still on the throne even though he was under God’s judgment, and David was not on the throne even though he had been anointed the next king and enjoyed God’s favor and empowering presence. During this overlapping period there was great conflict between Saul and David. God’s blessing gave David much success, and David’s success drove Saul to resentment, jealousy, and madness. Therefore, Saul sought David’s demise in 1 Samuel 18-19. In 1 Samuel 20 it became evident to David that he had to leave his service in Saul’s house and in Saul’s army, and he had to go on the run in order to preserve his life. As far as Israel’s official state policy under King Saul, David was an outlaw, a fugitive, an enemy. And fugitives need help from the locals.

In 1 Samuel 21, when David went on the run, the first place he went was Nob. The priest Ahimelech treated David kindly: Ahimelech gave David the holy bread for him and his men, and Ahimelech armed David with a sword. In context, what Ahimelech did was to give material support to an enemy of King Saul. As it happens, a certain man by the name of Doeg was there in Nob at that time, and Doeg observed Ahimelech’s kindness toward David. Doeg, however, was loyal to King Saul.

In the next chapter, Doeg assumed the role of informant. Doeg told Saul, “I saw the son of Jesse coming to Nob, to Ahimelech the son of Ahitub, and he inquired of the LORD for him and gave him provisions and gave him the sword of Goliath the Philistine.” (1 Samuel 22:9-10) Thereafter Saul charged Ahimelech with conspiracy against him. At Saul’s direction, Doeg killed Ahimelech and eighty-four other priests. In fact, the entire city of Nob and all its people were obliterated. After this state-sponsored mass murder authorized by King Saul and carried out by Doeg the Edomite, 1 Samuel 22 concludes with these very interesting words:

“But one of the sons of Ahimelech the son of Ahitub, named Abiathar, escaped and fled after David. And Abiathar told David that Saul had killed the priests of the LORD. And David said to Abiathar, “I knew on that day, when Doeg the Edomite was there, that he would surely tell Saul. I have occasioned the death of all the persons of your father’s house. Stay with me; do not be afraid, for he who seeks my life seeks your life. With me you shall be in safekeeping.” (1 Samuel 22:20-23)

How is it that David was able to invite Abiathar, whose father had just been murdered, into this anxiety-free safekeeping? Answer: Because David himself had found a resting place for his own soul, as revealed in Psalm 52 (as well as in many other psalms).

What do you do when an evildoer is intent on being an informant against you? What do you do when a powerful person plans to use his tongue in order to bring you down? What do you do when a wicked man plots and carries out destruction against you and against the godly? The answer: bank on the faithfulness of God.

Let’s walk through the psalm in six steps.

THE WICKED MAN IS OUT OF STEP WITH REALITY (v. 1)

First, the wicked man is out of step with reality (v. 1). The first verse involves a profound contrast. It is as if David is speaking directly to Doeg, not in-person but through the poem: “Why do you boast of evil, O mighty man?” Then David immediately puts forth a contrasting thought: “The steadfast love of God endures all the day.”

The rock-solid reality – the fundamental truth – is that God is there and His steadfast love continues at all times. God’s steadfast love refers to His faithfulness – His covenant faithfulness. God makes promises and keeps them. He promises to uphold those who trust Him, but equally He promises to punish those who forsake Him. God promises to vindicate His faithful ones and, at the same time, to bring retribution upon the evildoer.

What would it mean to live in step with this reality? It would mean to bank on God’s steadfast love, and to be so transformed by God’s steadfast love that you learn to live likewise – to live faithfully, righteously, and graciously as a member of God’s covenant family. Such a person has a rightful claim on the promise of Psalm 103: “But the steadfast love of the LORD is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear him” (Psalm 103:17).  

The “mighty man” of verse 1, however, does just the opposite. This man Doeg might be influential and powerful in the eyes of the world, but he is totally out of sync with God’s steadfast love. Instead of living in accordance with the righteous dictates of God’s covenant, this “mighty man” “[boasts] of evil”. Thus Doeg has set himself up in opposition to God’s steadfast love. God is pursuing one agenda, but Doeg is pursuing a rival agenda. God’s steadfast love is good news for David in the midst of his hardship, but Doeg had turned away from the grace that might have been his. “Many are the sorrows of the wicked, but steadfast love surrounds the one who trusts in the LORD.” (Psalm 32:10)  

THE WICKED MAN INVERTS REALITY (v. 2-4)

Second, the wicked man inverts reality (v. 2-4). To invert reality means to turn it upside down. The reality is that truth matters, but the wicked man brokers in deceit: “you worker of deceit” (v. 2), “O deceitful tongue” (v. 4). The reality is that goodness is lovely and evil is horrifying, but the wicked man “[loves] evil more than good” (v. 3). The reality is that a man ought to speak what is right, but the wicked man “[loves] lying more than speaking what is right” (v. 3). Instead of being a faithful man who makes an honest effort to build things that accord with truth, goodness, and righteousness, the wicked man is given to “destruction” (v. 2) and “words that devour” (v. 4). The words of human beings ought to bring encouragement and help to others, but the wicked man’s tongue is “like a sharp razor” (v. 2) that is wielded in order to injure and cut down.

If only men like Doeg were outliers on the world stage. If only they were few and far between. But as we have seen in our study of Genesis, there are times when evildoers dominate the world stage: this is what led to the flood judgment and the judgment upon the Tower of Babel. The prophet Isaiah described wayward Israel in these terms:

“Justice is turned back, and righteousness stands far away;

for truth has stumbled in the public squares, and uprightness cannot enter.

Truth is lacking, and he who departs from evil makes himself a prey.” (Isaiah 59:14-15)

How tragic when injustice, unrighteousness, and deceit are normalized in a society! How tragic when departing from evil puts you in grave danger!

But notice what David is doing in verses 2-4: he is keeping his grip on reality. In can be difficult to keep your grip on reality when mighty men like Saul and Doeg are plotting and scheming against all that is good and right. But David kept his eyes fixed on the immovable foundations and unchanging standards: on God’s steadfast love (v. 1), and on that which is good and right (v. 3).

THE WICKED MAN WILL BE BANISHED FOREVER (v. 5)

Third, the wicked man will be banished forever (v. 5). In the wise providence of God, God typically does not punish the wicked man the first time he acts wickedly. Instead, God typically lets the wicked man’s wickedness run its course, with warnings and exhortations to repentance along the way. But the eventual judgment of the wicked is certain:  

“The face of the LORD is against those who do evil, to cut off the memory of them from the earth.” (Psalm 34:16)

“Mark the blameless and behold the upright, for there is a future for the man of peace. But transgressors shall be altogether destroyed; the future of the wicked shall be cut off.” (Psalm 37:37-38)

Such thoughts enter into David’s mind as he contemplates Doeg. So, after exposing the character of the wicked man in verses 1-4, now in verse 5 David tells the wicked man that he is racing toward destruction:

“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.”

The progression of thought is sobering. In the first line, God strikes the wicked man and therefore the wicked man is personally broken down. In the second line, God tears the wicked man from his tent and therefore the wicked man is rendered homeless – no house, no family.[1] In the third line, God uproots the wicked man from the land and therefore the wicked man is rendered landless and nationless – his earthly citizenship is revoked, and he has forfeited any right to live in God’s good world. Just as it says at the end of Proverbs 2:

“For the upright will inhabit the land, and those with integrity will remain in it, but the wicked will be cut off from the land, and the treacherous will be rooted out of it.” (Proverbs 2:21-22)

The wicked man is exiled to the realm of darkness and death, and there he shall suffer – without a country, without a home, without true life – forever: “God will break you down forever”. Such is the bleak and miserable future of every human being who opposes God and God’s people. Those who plot destruction shall be destroyed. Those who cut others down with their razor-like tongue shall be cut down. Those who “love all words that devour” shall be devoured. Your destiny will correspond to your deeds.

Application to the Righteous Man

This is a sobering word to the wicked man. But even though David is speaking to the wicked man through this psalm, David also intends all Israel to hear what he is saying – we know this because David submitted the psalm to the choirmaster. Thus Psalm 52 became part of Israel’s songbook. So, the righteous within Israel are part of David’s intended audience for the psalm.

The righteous ones need to hear this sobering word to the wicked man because they – the righteous ones – ought to have confidence that they will ultimately be vindicated. Although the wicked persecute the righteous, in the end God will judge in favor of His righteous ones. God will uphold the cause of those who practice righteousness. As Asaph recounted in Psalm 73, it is beneficial for the righteous man to contemplate the destiny of the wicked man because it helps the righteous man understand that his pursuit of righteousness is not in vain. “[Seek] first the kingdom of God and his righteousness” (Matthew 6:33). “Pursue righteousness” (1 Timothy 6:11). “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.” (Matthew 5:6) “The righteous shall inherit the land and dwell upon it forever.” (Psalm 37:29) Those whom the Lord leads “in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake” (Psalm 23:3) may have confidence that they “shall dwell in the house of the LORD forever.” (Psalm 23:6) So, those who are righteous need to hear Psalm 52’s sobering word to the wicked man, that they might be encouraged to press forward on the path of righteousness.

Application to the Wicked Man

But those who are wicked also need to hear this sobering word. And why? Because they might perhaps be awakened to the peril that lies ahead, so much so that they turn away from their wickedness and take refuge in the Lord. The wonderful truth of the Bible is that God, in His great mercy, has made a way for wicked people to be saved. This is very good news for all of us, because the Bible makes it clear that on account of our sinfulness, all of us are wicked. But didn’t I just say that there are righteous people? Yes, I did, because there are righteous people: biblically speaking, righteous people are formerly wicked people who have been forgiven and transformed, whereas wicked people are still in the grip of their evil and unbelieving heart. God’s grace enlightens the face of the righteous, whereas God’s wrath abides upon those who continue to live disobedient lives. But the point at hand is that any wicked person hearing this message needs to understand that God offers you mercy, if only you will look unto Him and entrust yourself to Him. As it is written in Isaiah:

“Seek the LORD while he may be found; call upon him while he is near; let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the LORD, that he may have compassion on him, and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.” (Isaiah 55:6-7)

“Come now, let us reason together, says the LORD: though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool. If you are willing and obedient, you shall eat the good of the land; but if you refuse and rebel, you shall be eaten by the sword; for the mouth of the LORD has spoken.” (Isaiah 1:18-20)

In other words, your track record of wickedness, unrighteousness, rebellion, and sin in the past does not have to dictate your future. Of course, if you continue on the path of refusing the Lord’s invitation and rebelling against His Word, then you most certainly will perish. But if the Holy Spirit moves upon your heart and you discover the wonderful grace of turning to the Lord and trusting His promise, then you will be saved. Then you will understand what Scripture means when it says:

“But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.” (Titus 3:4-7)

O wicked man, if you are weary of your wickedness and would like to put it away in the hope of finding a better life, then do not despair of your wickedness but understand that the blood of Jesus is greater than your wickedness. As the hymn puts it:

“Dark is the stain that we cannot hide;

What can avail to wash it away?

Look! There is flowing a crimson tide;

Whiter than snow you may be today.”[2]

“Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved” (Acts 16:31).

THE RIGHTEOUS ONES WILL BEHOLD THE WICKED MAN’S UTTER FOLLY (v. 6-7)

Now let’s return to the flow of thought in Psalm 52. Here is the fourth point: the righteous ones will eventually behold the wicked man’s utter folly and ruin (v. 6-7). The wicked man who continues in his wickedness and who refuses to repent will indeed be broken down, torn from his tent, and uprooted from the land – as verse 5 says. And when God’s judgment falls on the wicked man,

“The righteous shall see and fear,

and shall laugh at him, saying,

“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.”” (Psalm 52:6-7)

God’s judgment upon the wicked is a matter of public record. God intends for His judgments to be public and visible. God will not merely do what is just, but He will also display His justice. God will make it clear to the world that He has performed justice. The righteous will see God’s judgment upon the wicked. And when the righteous ones see God’s judgment upon the wicked man, they will experience a mingling of fear and laughter.

The fear arises from the fact that it is sobering for an image-bearer of God to be brought to ruin. It is a sobering to know that God has poured out His righteous wrath on rebellious creatures. It is sobering to “stand in awe of God’s mighty judging acts.”[3] We might tremble with the thought: ‘Except for the grace of God, we would have met the same wrath and been brought to the same ruin.’

But this fear is accompanied by laughter – don’t think cheap glee or smug self-satisfaction, but rather evaluating the situation clearly from God’s point of view. And when you see the situation clearly, it rightly elicits godly laughter.

In last week’s sermon we learned that the question is not if you will judge, but how you will judge. Today, as we look at verses 6-7, we can add: the question is not if you will laugh, but how and when you will laugh. Think about it: you know as well as I do that in this present life, the wicked laugh at the righteous; the proud rich people laugh at the poor lowly people; the persecutors laugh at the persecuted; the bullies laugh at the weak. Sinners laugh at the humble person who keeps his integrity and remains chaste and resists temptation. Evildoers poke fun at the people they consider to be goody-two-shoes. The wicked think it is ridiculous to concern one’s self with God and the Bible and salvation. The giant Goliath thought it was ridiculous for the youthful David to take the field of battle against him: “Am I a dog, that you come to me with sticks?” (1 Samuel 17:43) The truth, however, is the polar opposite of Goliath’s viewpoint. In fact, what is truly ridiculous is for a mere man to defy God: “You come to me with a sword and with a spear and with a javelin, but I come to you in the name of the LORD of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied.” (1 Samuel 17:45)

It is the ridiculous and the absurd that elicits laughter. Mark these words: the key question is whether you will let the world’s standard or God’s standard shape your understanding of absurdity. It’s not whether you will laugh at absurdity, but which version of absurdity you will laugh at – God’s or the world’s.  So, don’t walk away from Psalm 52 with a kind of over-pious uptightness whereby you assume that laughing at the absurd is inconsistent with righteousness. It isn’t. So, humble yourself and get aligned with reality. God laughs at the wicked and their futile plots (Psalm 2:1-4). Wisdom laughs at the calamity of the wicked who spurned wise counsel (Proverbs 1:24-27). And the reality of Psalm 52 is that the righteous walk in God’s wisdom and thus come to share God’s perspective, and – with all due humility and fear – they laugh as they see the inevitable outcome of the wicked man’s absurd approach to life. It is absurd for a human being to “not make God his refuge”; it is absurd for a human being to “[trust] in the abundance of his riches”; it is absurd for a human being to “[seek] refuge in his own destruction!” Of course, the wicked man doesn’t consciously think that he is seeking refuge in his own destruction – but objectively speaking that is exactly what the wicked man was doing. The wicked man was taking refuge in lies, in fool’s gold, in facades, in sinking sand. The wicked man was taking refuge in the very things that would bring about his destruction. Every breath, every heartbeat, every relationship, every good thing, is a gift from the Lord – but the wicked man denies reality and builds a house of cards – and yet the wicked man was impressed with his house of cards. To think that he regarded that house of cards as an unconquerable fortress, and now to see that all his lies have gone up in smoke and all his plots and schemes have come crashing down – in all this, the wicked man has shown himself to be a great fool. Do we take pleasure in the death of the wicked man? No (see Ezekiel 18:32, which reveals that the Lord doesn’t take pleasure in the death of the wicked). But we must not fail to see the utter absurdity of trusting in something other than God. It is the height of folly to think that you can fail to take God into account and yet have things work out well. The fool’s destiny will correspond to his folly. The Holy One laughs at a mortal man who throws a fist at heaven but only succeeds at knocking himself out as a result. Perfect Wisdom laughs. The righteous will laugh when they see that God has brought the wicked man’s foolishness down upon his own head.

THE RIGHTEOUS MAN IS ALIVE AND WELL IN GOD’S HOUSE (v. 8)

Although the wicked man is always teetering on the edge of destruction, the case is altogether different with the righteous man. And this brings us to a fifth point of consideration: the righteous man is alive and well in God’s house. After telling the wicked man, “God will break you down” (v. 5), now David tells the wicked man what it is like to be properly aligned with reality: “But I am like a green olive tree in the house of God.” (v. 8) I am a planting of the Lord; I am the object of God’s attentive care; I am tended by faithful hands; I am pruned by my all-wise Father; I am well-watered and well-nourished unto fruitfulness; and the light is always shining. The best and safest place in all the universe is God’s house, for God’s house enjoys God’s presence, God’s protection, and God’s provision. David could invite Abiathar into safekeeping, because David himself had discovered safekeeping in God’s fatherly care.

David Trusts in God’s Steadfast Love

Notice, however, that David is not boasting in himself, as if had accomplished some great feat. Those who are righteous stand, not on the basis of what their own hands have done, but on the basis of what God has graciously given. Therefore David says in the second half of verse 8: “I trust in the steadfast love of God”. Remember, David had mentioned God’s steadfast love all the way back in verse 1. The point in verse 1 is that the mighty man who boasts in evil is totally out of step with reality. A man ought to be anchored in and transformed by God’s faithful covenant-keeping love, but the wicked man has sailed far and wide in the opposite direction. By way of contrast, David is wonderfully in step with reality: “I trust in the steadfast love of God”. I trust in God’s faithfulness. I trust God’s promises. I believe that God will come through for me.

There is another contrast to observe between Doeg and David. What does Doeg boast in? Doeg boasts of evil (v. 1). But it’s not just that Doeg boast of evil in an abstract sense. Doeg boasts in his own evildoing. He “plots destruction” (v. 2). He is a “worker of deceit” (v. 2). He loves “lying” (v. 3) and he loves devouring words  (v. 4). Then in verse 7 we learn that the wicked man “trusted in the abundance of his riches and sought refuge in his own destruction!” Do you get the overall picture? Doeg trusted in himself and his own resources; Doeg trusted in his own evil doing and evil speaking, in his own evil plotting and evil scheming; in all this, Doeg boasted of evil.

David was worlds apart from Doeg, but don’t miss the difference. It’s not as if whereas Doeg trusted in his own evil plotting, David trusted in his own righteous plotting. No, that’s not it. The difference is that whereas Doeg trusted in himself, David trusted in the Lord. In Psalm 52, David doesn’t boast of anything that he himself has accomplished. David owes everything to the steadfast love of God. Doeg plots and schemes and thinks about all the money he has stashed away. David does one thing: he leans on the everlasting arms, he banks on divine resources, he believes God’s promises.

How long does God’s steadfast love endure? “The steadfast love of God endures all the day.” (v. 1) How long will David trust God’s steadfast love? “I trust in the steadfast love of God forever and ever.” (v. 8) Once God’s steadfast love has found you, you learn that you will never be separated from it. And, what is more, you will never be able to get ahead of it. For as long as you have the ability to stand, which as a believer is forever – for as long as you have the ability to stand, God’s steadfast love will be there to stand upon. When every plot and scheme of man has failed, and when one wicked man after another has fallen, God’s covenant love will continue to be what it has always been: an immovable rock, a mighty fortress, an inexhaustible fountain, a spring of everlasting joy. In this faithful love of God, we trust forever and ever.

THE RIGHTEOUS MAN’S RESOLVE (v. 9)

The thought of verse 8 leads naturally into the thought of verse 9, although there is an important shift to observe. In verse 8, it is as if David is still speaking to Doeg. But now, in verse 9 ­– the final verse – David looks upward and speaks directly to God. In these words we encounter the sixth point to observe from Psalm 52: the righteous man will continue in gratitude for what God has already done and, at the same time, will continue in expectation of what God will do in the future.

First the gratitude: “I will thank you forever, because you have done it.” Here again, David is not impressed with what David has done. It is also important to realize that David is not paralyzed by what Doeg has done or by what Doeg is scheming to do. Instead, David is impressed with what God has done. The saving mercies that God has already promised and performed for David’s sake are enough to generate everlasting thanksgiving from David’s lips.

But David isn’t only looking back to what God has already done. David is also looking forward to what God will do in the future. Remember, when David wrote this psalm, he was still on the run from King Saul; David had more suffering to patiently endure on his path to the throne. So, looking forward David’s outlook was: “I will wait for your name, for it is good, in the presence of the godly.” Get yourself in the company of the righteous, and in that blessed company call upon the name of the Lord, and wait patiently for Him to come through for you.

Verse 9 reveals to us an indispensable pattern for our own walk with God. While the world has its eyes on what human beings do, the church of the Lord Jesus Christ must have its eyes on what the Lord does. Let’s be mindful of what the Lord has already done for us in saving us, adopting us into His family, planting us in His house, transforming our lives, leading us through many twists and turns in order to bring us to this place we now occupy – remember and give thanks. At the same time, let’s be mindful that much of the journey still lies ahead – and the key factor in the remainder of the journey is that the Lord will continue to show up, manifest His beauty and grace in our midst, work in us and through us to accomplish His will, and ultimately bring us safely into His everlasting kingdom.

WALK IN RIGHTEOUSNESS

Finally, by contrasting the wicked man and the righteous man in Psalm 52, let me encourage you to continue to walk closely with the Lord.

At the most fundamental level, the wicked man trusts in his own resources (v. 7), but the righteous man trusts in the steadfast love of God (v. 8). The wicked man seeks refuge in the very things that bring about his destruction (v. 7), but the righteous man makes God his refuge (v. 7-8). The wicked man is a “worker of deceit” (v. 2), but the righteous man is preoccupied with the work that God has done (v. 9). The wicked man loves evil more than good (v. 3), but the righteous man cherishes the highest good, which is God’s name, and waits for it (v. 9). The wicked man uses his tongue to tell lies (v. 3-4), but the righteous man uses his tongue to “thank [God] forever” (v. 9). The wicked man uses his tongue to plot destruction, and to cut down and devour other people (v. 2, 4), but the righteous man lives happily “in the presence of the godly” and calls upon God’s name (v. 9). In due course, the wicked man will be uprooted “from the land of the living” (v. 5), but the righteous man will remain firmly rooted “like a green olive tree” (v. 8). The wicked man will be torn from his own tent (v. 5), but the righteous man will remain safe and sound in God’s house (v. 8). The wicked man will be broken down “forever” (v. 5), but the righteous man will trust in God and give thanks to God for just as long, that is, for “forever and ever” (v. 8) and “forever” (v. 9). The wicked man will sometimes think that he is having a blast as he blazes down his ruinous path (v. 1-4), but the righteous man will have the last laugh (v. 6). The bottom line is that the wicked man is alienated from God’s steadfast love (v. 1), but the righteous man is wonderfully reconciled to and strengthened by God’s steadfast love (v. 8).

Will you trust in the Lord and follow the example of David?

 

ENDNOTES

[1] James Montgomery Boice writes, “The New International Version reads “tear you from your rent,” but other scholars believe the idea is actually “so you may no longer be a tent”–that is, a family in Israel. As Doeg had destroyed the families of the priests, so he and his family would be expunged from Israel.” Psalms: Volume 2: Psalm2 42–106 (An Expositional Commentary). Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 1996: p. 442.

[2] From the hymn “Grace Greater Than Our Sin” by Julia H. Johnston.

[3] Words in quotation marks from James Montgomery Boice, Psalms: Volume 2: Psalm2 42–106 (An Expositional Commentary). Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 1996: p. 442.

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