If you have your Bibles with you, please open them up to Psalm chapter 52.
Psalm chapter 52.
It was about 3.30 last Tuesday when Jen and I were traveling home.
We were driving with the kids on the highway, Highway 9.
And when all of a sudden we saw, not too far ahead of us, some dark, black smoke billowing up into the air.
And as we got a little bit closer, we could see that it was coming from right on the highway.
There had been multiple vehicles that were in an accident, and some of them were on fire.
We had just passed through the hamlet of Chinook.
And as we got even closer, it was right in the middle of the road, and so we had to pull off onto one of the range roads.
And from there, we saw a little more of what was going on.
Semi-truck with some tanker trailers of some kind of flammable substance had caught fire.
There were people just in the ditch nearby that had fled their vehicles as the fire was beginning to spread.
One of the tankers, I noticed, had not yet caught fire or exploded.
And all of a sudden, the realization that this is dangerous for these people who are nearby kind of hit.
And I kind of went out into the field a little bit to see if I could help kind of get these people to come back
and to put some distance between them and what was happening there on the road.
And even in that moment, I felt unsure of what to do as some of these people didn't want to leave.
At least one of them knew that there was someone, a man, still in one of the vehicles, trapped, unable to get free.
I saw a woman lying lifeless on the ground and her family dragging her away from the fire as it spread.
And we watched in horror as one by one, the vehicles all around caught fire, exploding into flames.
And it was a horrific thing to witness.
Three people died that day.
Several were critically injured and others with less severe injuries.
But it hit home to me.
Just that these three people were gone.
Just snuffed right out in that moment.
And their families permanently altered.
That day and since that day, I've kind of gone through the full range of emotions
from just sadness and grief to frustration and anger at the driver who was responsible for this.
I've questioned in my own heart,
God, why did you allow this to happen?
Where are you in the midst of this?
I imagine it's not all that different from how David was feeling in the situation that he's in
as he writes this psalm, which we're going to read this morning.
If you look at the superscription,
it says,
On the surface level, there doesn't seem to be much to those words.
But these are the words which point back to a great tragedy that happened in the life of David.
As the story goes,
David was the young shepherd that God had anointed to be the next king of Israel.
Everything was going well for him.
He defeated Goliath.
He came into the service of the king in his palace.
He came to serve in the army of Israel.
He rose up in the ranks of the army
until he was in leadership.
He was best friends with the king's son.
The people loved David because of the success that God gave him in battle.
He even married into the royal family.
He was the king's son-in-law.
Everything was going well for David
until things began to fall apart.
God had told King Saul
that he was going to take the kingdom away from Saul
and give it to someone better than him
because he had disobeyed God
to his neighbor.
And so Saul was watching over his throne,
his rule,
with a jealous and suspicious eye.
And he came to see that David was the one
that God was moving in to replace him.
His suspicion and his jealousy
became pointed at David.
And it got to the place
where Saul,
in his obsession to maintain his power
and his kingdom,
attempted to take David's life
several times.
In the midst of all this,
David was trying to figure out what to do
and it got to the place
where he realized,
I just have to run.
I have to leave.
I can't stay here anymore.
It's not safe.
And so he fled for his life.
He left everything behind.
He left his wife.
He left his family.
He left his possessions
with nothing but the shirt on his back.
He hit the road and he ran.
The first stop was to Samuel,
the Lord's prophet in Ramah.
But it wasn't long before Saul realized
that he was there
and started to come after him there.
So after a meetup with Jonathan,
he then fled to the town of Nob.
Nob was a small town
where the tabernacle was set up,
where the priests served
in the ministry of the tabernacle.
And David went there to,
and he met up with a man named Ahimelech.
Ahimelech was a priest
who served at the tabernacle.
Out of desperation,
David lied to Ahimelech.
Ahimelech.
He told him that he was on a secret mission
from the king.
And he asked Ahimelech
to give him some provisions,
some bread.
He also asked him for a sword.
Of course, David knew
that the sword of Goliath was there.
That's where it was being kept.
And so Ahimelech helped David out that day.
He gave him some provisions.
He gave him the sword of Goliath.
But there was one problem.
There was a man there that day
named Doeg the Edomite.
He was a servant of Saul,
Saul's chief shepherd.
And he witnessed this exchange
between Ahimelech and David.
And so now,
as David has continued on the run,
he's gone into Philistine country,
he was captured there,
he escaped,
he's back in Israel.
And Saul's obsession
with taking him out
begins to rise again
when he gets word
that David is out
by the cave of Adullam.
On one day,
Saul has
what I'm going to call
a bit of a temper tantrum.
And he starts accusing
all of his servants
of conspiring against him,
of supporting David.
David.
And it's at that moment
that Doeg
sees an opportunity
and makes his move.
Actually,
your majesty,
King Saul,
not everyone
has conspired
against you.
I have been loyal to you.
In fact,
I have some information
that might be helpful to you.
I saw David
go to the house
of Ahimelech.
And Ahimelech
gave him provisions
and the sword of Goliath.
When Saul heard this report
from Doeg,
he summoned Ahimelech
and his family
from Nob.
He interrogated them.
Even though Ahimelech
pleaded innocent
and ignorant
to this situation
that was going on
between Saul
and David,
Saul decided
to order
to have Ahimelech
and his whole family
executed.
Saul's officials
were unwilling
to lay their hands
on the priests
of the Lord.
So Saul turns
to Doeg
and says,
you,
strike them down.
And that day,
Doeg did that.
He struck down
Ahimelech
and his whole family.
The record
in the scriptures
tells us
that 85 men
who served
at the tabernacle
were struck down
that day.
And then Doeg
went one step further.
He went to the town
of Nob
and he put
the entire town
to the sword.
Not just the men
but the women
and even the children
as well.
Only one person
escaped.
His name
was Abiathar.
He was the son
of Ahimelech
and he managed
to get away
and fled
to where David was.
He told David
what Saul
and Doeg
had done.
and David
said this to him.
That day
when Doeg
the Edomite
was there
I knew
he would be sure
to tell Saul.
I am responsible
for the death
of your whole family.
Stay with me.
Don't be afraid.
The man
who wants
to kill you
is trying
to kill me too.
You will be safe
with me.
It's at
or about
this time
that David
pens
the words
of Psalm 52.
Let me read it
for you.
Why do you
boast of evil
you mighty hero?
Why do you
boast all day long
you who are
a disgrace
in the eyes
of God?
You who
practice deceit.
Your tongue
plots destruction.
It's like
a sharpened
razor.
You love
evil
rather than
good.
Falsehood
rather than
speaking the truth.
you love
every harmful
word
you deceitful
tongue.
Surely
God will
bring you
down
to everlasting
ruin.
He will
snatch you
up
and pluck
you from
your tent.
He will
uproot you
from the
land of
the living.
The righteous
will see
and fear.
They will
laugh at you
saying
here now
is the man
who did
not make
God his
stronghold
but trusted
in his
great wealth
and grew
strong by
destroying
others.
But I
am like
an olive
tree
flourishing
in the
house of
God.
I trust
in God's
unfailing
love
forever
and ever.
For what
you have
done
I will
always
praise you
in the
presence
of your
faithful
people
and I
will
hope
in your
name
for your
name
is
good.
Now
these are
probably
not all
of the
things that
David had
to say
about
Doeg
and that
whole
situation.
It probably
doesn't represent
everything that
David has
felt about
this tragedy
that has
taken place.
if we
just go
back to
for a
moment to
his own
admission
where he
said I
am responsible
for the
death of
your whole
family.
We can
draw from
that that
David has
already been
through the
full range
of emotions
here.
He has
felt
sadness
and grief
at the
tragedy that
has occurred.
He has
felt guilt.
He has
blamed himself
for what
has happened.
He has
probably
felt anger
and frustration
towards
Doeg,
towards
Saul,
and yet
powerlessness
to do
anything about
this.
While here
he is out
in the edge
of the
desert hill
country in
a cave with
a few
guys,
he's
probably
felt fear.
if that's
what Saul
will do
to a
Himalek
for the
one day
I stopped
by and
asked for
some help,
what will
he do
to me
and to
others I
care about
if he
gets a
hold of
us,
if he
finds
us?
At some
point in
David's
wrestling
through all
of this,
he comes
to the
place where
he pens
Psalm 52.
this
psalm is
unlike
many of
David's
other
psalms.
His
other
psalms
often
begin
with him
addressing
God
or
addressing
the
person
that
he's
writing
to.
But
here
he begins
with a
question
addressed
to
his
enemy.
He
says,
why do
you boast
of evil,
you mighty
hero?
we're
kind of
left to
wonder
just who
he's
referring
to.
Is he
talking
about
Doeg?
Is he
talking
about
Saul?
Does
he leave
it
purposely
ambiguous
to include
both and
maybe any
others who
have banded
together
against him
or
participated
in this
slaughter?
Interesting
way to
begin a
song
with a
question
to your
enemy.
Why do
you boast
of evil,
you mighty
hero?
It's not a
question that
David's enemy
can answer.
Or is
David looking
for an
answer?
Perhaps
David is
making a
statement,
more of a
rhetorical
question.
Why do
you boast
of evil,
you mighty
hero?
In other
words,
you think
yourself a
hero,
you think
yourself a
mighty man
because of
your accomplishments,
because of the
things that you
have done,
which are
evil,
but you
shouldn't.
You're a
fool to
congratulate
yourself,
to be proud
of what you
have done,
because what
you have
done is
evil.
verse 2,
he goes on
to describe
the kinds
of things
that his
enemy has
done.
He says,
practicing
deceit,
plotting
destruction.
He says,
your values,
they're
completely
backwards to
what they
should be.
You love
evil rather
than good.
You love
falsehood rather
than speaking
the truth.
You love
every harmful
word,
words that
are hurtful
to others,
literally,
words that
devour
others.
You deceitful
tongue.
Again,
we probably
see that the
description here
fits both
Doeg and
Saul and
perhaps others.
Saul has
been the
source,
of the
lies that
have been
spread about
David,
of the
plans and
the plots
for David's
destruction.
But Doeg
also falls
under these
words as
well.
If anybody
has loved
evil,
it's him.
Not only
is he
willing to
earn favor
with the
king by
tattling on
David,
knowing that
it will
probably get
Ahimelech and
his family
into trouble,
but then he
goes so far
as to
execute the
king's
orders and
slaughter all
of these
innocent people.
You love
evil rather
than good.
You boast
of what your
hands have
done for you.
You think
yourself a
hero,
a champion,
God's
going to
pluck you
from your
tent.
He will
uproot you
from the
land of
the living.
You boast right now.
You think you've gotten away with this.
Nobody can touch you
because you're on the side of power.
But you're wrong.
God will see that justice is done.
God himself will make things right.
God himself will come and bring you down.
And when he does, it will be permanent.
It will be forever, everlasting,
something you will not rise up from.
David says he will snatch you up
and pluck you from your tent.
The picture there is of God's hand reaching in
and grabbing Doeg right out of his house,
his tent, the place that he lives.
He says he will uproot you
from the land of the living.
You may think that you're well-rooted now,
that you're secure in this position
that you have earned for yourself
through deceit and through evil.
But God will rip you out, roots and all,
right out of the land of the living.
And it'll be the end for you.
God will see that justice is done.
And he will make things right,
says David.
And when he does, verse 6,
the righteous will see and fear.
They will take notice of how God has dealt with Doeg
and how God has dealt with Saul.
And they will think to themselves twice
when they are considering doing what is wrong,
what is evil.
It will strike a reverence into their hearts.
Not only that,
they will move from fear, it says, to laughter.
The righteous will see in fear.
They will laugh at you, saying,
here now is the man who did not make God his stronghold,
but trusted in his great wealth
and grew strong by destroying others.
Now, if we look at other scriptures,
this is, I'm not sure exactly how to take this myself,
but probably not an endorsement
of how we should gloat over other people
when they face justice.
I don't think it means that kind of laughing.
But God's people will, in the end,
they will say to those who have lived
as Doeg and Saul did,
here now is the man
who did not make God his stronghold,
but trusted in his great wealth
and mighty strength.
The utter foolishness of what they have done
will be so apparent,
it will be so obvious,
it will be laughable.
You put all of your eggs in that basket,
and yet that's completely powerless
to save you from the good and right justice of God
when it comes.
From David's perspective,
he now kind of turns and shifts
from talking to his enemy
to now talking a little bit about himself.
From David's perspective,
in his situation,
Saul and Doeg are still in power.
these men who have mercilessly massacred
all these innocent people.
And yet David says this,
he says,
but I am like an olive tree
flourishing in the house of God.
When I first read that,
I thought,
I don't really get that.
Olive tree is not really the most
relatable thing for me.
But the more I meditated on this,
the more I began to see
just how beautiful these words are.
Here David is,
on the outskirts of the desert hill country,
a fugitive,
hiding in caves,
fearing for his life.
Meanwhile,
these tyrants are running the show.
And he says,
but I am like an olive tree
flourishing in the house of God.
I'm like a house plant,
like a tree that's
inside God's own house.
And I'm flourishing.
I'm green.
Because God himself
is watching over me,
is tending to me,
is caring for me.
David says,
I trust in God's unfailing love.
Forever and ever.
You want to know
what's carrying me
through the storms
of this situation?
Through the tragedy
that I've witnessed
and even been a part of?
God's unfailing love.
I'm trusting in that.
I'm leaning on that.
I'm depending on that.
And not just today,
but always.
Forever I will.
Because that's the kind of love
that he has for his people.
It's faithful love.
It's unfailing love.
Covenant love.
The love that makes promises
and keeps them.
One hundred percent.
He goes on in verse nine.
He says,
for what you have done,
I will always praise you
in the presence
of your faithful people.
He pledges not just
the worship of today,
but even the worship
of his tomorrow
to the Lord.
For what you have done,
I will always praise you.
The things that you have done,
Lord,
in the past,
the things you will yet do
in this situation,
I will look back on them
and I will praise you for them
because they are good.
They are right.
They always have been
and they always will be.
And so you have my worship,
Lord.
At the end of verse nine,
he says,
I will hope in your name
for your name is good.
The word hope there
literally means wait upon.
I will wait upon your name.
David's situation hasn't changed.
He's still skulking about
in the desert,
afraid for his life.
Doeg and Saul are still in power
at the helm of the ship in Israel.
What's David going to do about it?
I will wait upon your name.
I'm waiting for you, Lord,
to come and make things right,
to come and deal with these guys.
For your name is good
and you will,
you will do good
in this situation.
you will bring good from it.
Now this situation in David's life
might feel a little hard
for us to relate to.
None of us have been
in a situation like this.
But what does the Lord
have to say to us
through these words?
our situation may not be the same,
but some of us,
if we're honest,
are in a situation.
A situation that's not going
the way that we want it to.
A situation in which we maybe
have already gone through
the full range of emotions
or are going through them
right now.
A situation perhaps
in which we feel like
we're powerless
to do anything about it.
David encourages us
in the midst of these kinds
of situations
to turn our eyes to heaven,
to the Lord,
to Jesus,
to put our trust
in him,
in his unfailing love,
in his tender, loving care.
For those of us
who are in Christ,
we can say,
with David,
but I am like an olive tree
flourishing in the house of God.
Even while we walk
through the desert,
even while we sleep
in the darkness
of the cave,
because God takes care
of his people.
And even though things
might not look good
in the situation
that we're in,
God will make things right.
He always does
for his people.
He always will.
If there's one thing
that we learn from David
in this psalm,
it's that we should look ahead.
Many times in this
short little psalm,
David uses the word will.
He will.
God will.
I will.
He encourages us
to look ahead
to the future.
The bigger picture.
as we look around,
see the world around us,
look at our government,
we look at all kinds
of things,
we look at what people
are doing,
we may see all kinds
of things that we
would say are evil,
are wrong.
We may see those people,
some people using
their position,
their power,
to bring about things
at the expense
of others.
But take heart,
God will make things right.
We may look at
the political landscape
and see how things
are changing there
and how some are
pushing for their agenda
and trying to bring
about things
that are really
going to be damaging
for some
or for others,
for many.
but take heart,
God will make
things right.
I want to end
this message
with the ultimate
restatement
of this
psalm
which comes
through the
Apostle Paul
in his letter
to the church
at Rome.
this is the confidence
that we can have,
those of us
who are in Christ
as we look ahead,
nothing
can separate us
from the unfailing
love of God.
Let me read it
for you
from Romans
chapter 8.
And we know
that in all things
God works for the good
of those who love him
who have been called
according to his purpose.
For those God
foreknew,
he also
predestined
to be conformed
to the image
of his son
that he might be
the firstborn
among many
brothers and sisters.
and those
he predestined
he also
called.
Those he called
he also
justified.
Those he justified
he also
glorified.
What then
shall we say
in response
to these things?
If God
is for
us,
who can be
against us?
He who did not
spare his own
son but gave
him up
for us all,
how will he not
also along
with him
graciously give
us all things?
Who will bring
any charge
against those
whom God
has chosen?
It is God
who justifies.
Who then
is the one
who condemns?
No one,
Christ Jesus
who died,
more than that,
who was raised
to life,
is at the
right hand
of God
and is also
interceding
for us.
And so
who shall
separate us
from the
love of Christ?
Shall
trouble
or
hardship
or
persecution
or
famine
or
nakedness
or
danger
or
sword
for
Ahimelech
and his
family?
No.
In all
these things
we are
more
than
conquerors
through
him who
loved us.
For I am
convinced that
neither
death
nor life,
neither
angels
nor
demons,
neither
the present
nor the future,
nor any
powers,
nor anything
else in all
creation
will be able
to separate
us from
the love
of God
that is in
Christ Jesus
our Lord.
And so
with whatever
situation
you find
yourself in
today,
this week,
let us
trust in
the unfailing
love of
the Lord.
Lord,
he will
make
things
right
as we
wait on
him.
Let's
pray.
Father,
you know
the darkness
and the
difficulty of
some of the
things that
we're going
through.
And while
we don't
see clearly
or understand
your purpose
why you
allow some
of these
things to
happen,
we choose
today to
trust in
your unfailing
love.
We choose
today to
say with
David,
I am like
an olive
tree,
flourishing in
your house.
You take
such good
care of
us.
And we
love you.
in Christ's
name we
pray.
Amen.
Will you
join with
me in
our final
hymn?
How
great is
our God?
Please
stand if
you're
able.