Our Daily Scripture – 1/18/24 (Thu)

SCRIPTURE:  PSALM 52

MEMORY VERSE:

“I will praise you forever for what you have done; in your name I will hope, for your name is good.  I will praise you in the presence of your saints.” (Psalm 52:9)

Doeg was a descendant of Esau (Edomite) who was a chief of the herdsmen of Saul.  He reported to Saul that David had gone to the house of Ahimelech.  So David wrote this Psalm.

DAVID’S DESCRIPTION OF DOEG:

  1.  You boast of evil and are a disgrace in the eyes of God. (v. 1)
  2.  Your tongue plots destruction; it is like a sharpened razor, you who practice deceit. (v. 2)
  3.  You love evil rather than good, falsehood rather than speaking the truth. (v. 3)
  4.  You love every harmful word, O you deceitful tongue! (v. 4)
  5.  You trusted in your great wealth and grew strong by destroying others. (v. 7)

DESTINY OF DOEG:

  1.  God will bring him down to everlasting ruin. (v. 5a)
  2.  God will snatch him up and tear him from his tent. (v.5b)
  3.  God will uproot him from the land of the living. (v. 5c)
  4.  The righteous will laugh at him. (v. 6)

DAVID’S CONFIDENCE IN GOD:

  1.  I am like an olive tree flourishing in the house of God. (v. 8a)
  2.  I trust in God’s unfailing love forever and ever. (v. 8b)
  3.  I will praise you in the presence of your saints. (v. 9a)
  4.  I will hope in your good name. (v. 9b)
  5.  I will praise you in the presence of your saints. (v. 9c)

THOUGHTS:

Doeg was an evil man who sought favor with King Saul by spying on David.  He betrayed Ahimelech and David and killed God’s priests.  When David knew what he was doing, he turned to God for help.  He focused on God’s goodness not on men’s wickedness.  He believed God will deal with his enemy and His justice will prevail.

David compared himself to an olive tree flourishing in the house of God because he trusted in God’s unfailing love.  When you encounter problems, hardships and trials, can you fully trust in Him?

David was contrasting God’s eternal protection of his faithful servants with the sudden destruction of the wicked. (vs. 5-7).  At the end, he praised God for what He had done.  David hoped in His name and exalted him in the presence of His saints.