Psalm Chapter 52

To the chief Musician, Maschil, A Psalm of David, when Doeg the Edomite came and told Saul, and said unto him, David is come to the house of Ahimelech.

Psalm 52:1 Why boastest thou thyself in mischief, O mighty man? the goodness of God endureth continually.
2 Thy tongue deviseth mischiefs; like a sharp razor, working deceitfully.

It must have grieved David to have suffered evil from those he loved and only sought to do good for; but the old evil sin of jealousy entered into the heart of Saul and the man that Saul once loved and respected was now considered an enemy.

David and Saul once were friends. He helped Saul defeat the Philistines and the giant that taunted and bullied the armies of Saul. The people's adoration of David after those great accomplishments by David caused envy to be birthed in the heart of Saul. When God warned Saul that he was going to be removed from being king because of disobedience, that made things worse. God was going to replace Saul with David.

Jealousy is a dangerous trait which was the cause of the very first murder when Cain killed his brother, Abel. We should try to be glad and rejoice when our co-workers or friends are placed in a higher position or given a raise instead of letting envy enter our hearts. We can even deceive ourselves into thinking that we are justified in our envy.

We can listen to others who are envious when they speak and allow it to stir up envy within us. "We have been here longer and have worked harder and deserve a raise more than they." It is so easy to murmur and complain and feel like we are justified in doing so. This can be avoided by prayer and trusting in the everlasting spiritual peace that comes from God. Looking to God as our source, brings peace. Seeking to please God and not man results in eternal rewards that can't ever be taken away from us. He rewards us with His presence and the power of His Holy Spirit now, but there is an everlasting reward later.

Seeking treasure in Heaven and not on earth and trusting God to supply what you need, will avoid the human traits of envy, murmuring and complaining.

Being glad when something good happens to your neighbor will help to avoid the evil temptation to envy them. Being thankful for what you already have brings contentment and peace to the soul. Do we really think God will reward us with better things if we are not thankful for what we already have?

What grieves me also is election campaigns. If we believe in God and are living for God, we must not allow ourselves to be part of the hate and discord in party politics. Yes, we must stand out against sin and wrong but not allow the hate and mud slinging to enter our hearts as believers in Jesus Christ.

If we find ourselves desiring to hear something bad about the candidate that we are not supporting, then that is a bad sign. If we find ourselves laughing at jokes that belittle any candidate, we need to examine ourselves. Let us not be part of the mudslinging that goes with presidential campaigns. If we find ourselves quick to believe the worst of the one we are against and our willingness to overlook a dangerous trait in the one we are for, then we need to examine ourselves and make sure we do not become part of the political scene which is out to discredit and destroy someone's reputation just to win an election. It's not worth it. Elections are here today and gone tomorrow. Why lose our reward just to win an election.

Envy causes much of this. One party wants power and envies anyone who gets credit for doing something good so they seek to discredit the person they envy. This is evil and wrong. It is also wrong especially because the reports we hear in the news media are usually politically biased and may not be the truth. The reports can be exaggerated, the facts distorted and can even be lies to further their agenda. So we may find ourselves hating someone because of an evil report that may not even be true. It's best to vote for the person that stands for the issues we agree with and not what their opponents says about them. Also to listen to what the candidate actually says rather than the interpretation the media may place on what they said.

David was hunted down by Saul and fled for his life. This was not because of any evil that David had done but because Saul was insane with jealousy of David. David at that time was a man who feared and depended on God. David was loyal to King Saul and would have never lifted up his hand to undermine Saul's authority and his rule.

God was the one that replaced Saul with David. David himself would not lift up his hand against Saul. Yet David was hated and hunted down like a criminal. Saul probably slandered and made people think that David was evil. The news media will do this today if we let them. Let us refuse to be stirred up against someone just by a rumor.

Psalm 52:3 Thou lovest evil more than good; and lying rather than to speak righteousness. Selah.

We need to pray for our country also because we are getting to the place where we love evil more than good. The bible today is torn apart, questioned and taken lightly. When I was a child, even the drunks and rebellious people respected the bible and the church. Today people who believe in the bible are called evil and people who ignore the bible and do what is right in their own eyes are called good.

Psalm 52:4 Thou lovest all devouring words, O thou deceitful tongue.

Do we love to hear words that are devouring the reputation and credibility of someone? Do we love to hear the words of deceit and flattery to ourselves but love to hear words the demean someone else?

Psalm 52:5 God shall likewise destroy thee for ever, he shall take thee away, and pluck thee out of thy dwelling place, and root thee out of the land of the living. Selah.

Saul was removed from being king for his rebellion against God and his treachery against David. We must pray that we ourselves do not become part of the evil of tearing down and destroying someone with false accusations and complaining. Pray for the leaders of your country. If you happen to have an evil leader then pray that God will remove him and replace him with a leader that fears the word of God. I would rather see God change the heart of a bad leader than to remove him but if they refuse correction, God can cause him to be removed. God changed the heart of Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon at one time.

Psalm 52:6 The righteous also shall see, and fear, and shall laugh at him:
7 Lo, this is the man that made not God his strength; but trusted in the abundance of his riches, and strengthened himself in his wickedness.

We cannot trust in anything accept God. All other things pass away and become as nothing. Riches cannot deliver the soul from spiritual death. The soul that sins, shall die. We need to look to God for the salvation of our souls and not look to the strength of man that passes away. Strive to please God, not man. God is our refuge. Trust in man will fail every time.

Psalm 52:8 But I am like a green olive tree in the house of God: I trust in the mercy of God for ever and ever.
9 I will praise thee for ever, because thou hast done it: and I will wait on thy name; for it is good before thy saints.

God will never fail anyone who trusts in Him and acknowledges Him as Lord. DC

Psalm 20:7 Some trust in chariots, and some in horses: but we will remember the name of the LORD our God.
Psalm 37:3 Trust in the LORD, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed.
Psalm 118:8 It is better to trust in the LORD than to put confidence in man.
Proverbs 3:5 Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.
Nahum 1:7 The LORD is good, a strong hold in the day of trouble; and he knoweth them that trust in him.

Psalm 53

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