Psalm 52:1-9
June 1, 2022
The Steadfast Love of God Endures
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. 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.
Why was Saul foolish to listen to Doeg the Edomite? The Edomites were the descendants of Esau, the firstborn son of Isaac and the twin brother of Jacob. In the womb, Esau and Jacob struggled together, and God told their mother, Rebekah, that they would become two nations, with the older one serving the younger (Genesis 25:23). As an adult, Esau rashly sold his inheritance to Jacob for a bowl of red soup (Genesis 25:30-34), and he hated his brother afterward. Esau became the father of the Edomites and Jacob became the father of the Israelites, and the two nations continued to struggle through most of their history. In the Bible, “Seir” (Joshua 24:4), “Bozrah” (Isaiah 63:1), and “Sela” (2 Kings 14:7) are references to Edom’s land and capital. Sela is better known today as Petra. (Taken from “Got Question”). In that they were relatives Israel was told by God not to hate them, you will find this recorded in Deuteronomy 22:7; “You shall not abhor an Edomite, for he is your brother. You shall not abhor an Egyptian, because you were a sojourner in his land.” Note: we do not use the word “abhor” but it means hate, or despise. What do we know about we are given the account in 1
Samuel chapters 21 a 22. He was King Saul's chief herdsman and saw David talking to the priest, he reported it to Saul. When Saul order the killing of the Priest, no one would do so, but Doeg did so.
Two things that we should guard our hearts from or Fear and Hate, they have no place in the life of a child of God. With two exceptions, Proverbs 9:10, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.” And when it comes to Hate, Romans 12:9, “Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good.”
In the darkness of our Culture, we see much evil, it confronts us every day. What is a follower of Christ to do? It’s simple to love what is good and cling to good is a very strong wording. So is hate which is evil, and if you hate something, not the person but the act, is it, not your duty to stand against it? Why do you not hear our Children being warned against the evil our culture is telling them is good? Many Pastors are not addressing the culture's lies to our children, if the parents are ignorant or ignoring the evil and not training the child in what God has commanded, and the Church is silent, what is the outcome? When we love someone, we share the pothole in the roadway of life, when we do not have we not broken Romans 12:9?
From the Back Porch,
Bob Rice
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