RETREAT AMONG GOD’S PEOPLE

Psalm 52
RETREAT AMONG GOD’S PEOPLE
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. (v.9)

David begins the Psalm by denouncing the evil deeds of Doeg the Edomite, and ends it by praising God in the presence of the saints. What a contrast between the danger in the face of wickedness and the rest in the sanctuary with God's people.

The psalm title gives us the background of a betrayal: "When Doeg the Edomite had gone to Saul and told him: 'David has gone to the house of Ahimelech." The full story is recorded for us in I Samuel 22:6-19. King Saul was after David's life, and Doeg informed the king of David's refuge at Nob. In so doing, he helped reinforce Saul's false suspicion and evil intent. Subsequently, Doeg cold-bloodedly massacred the priests at Nob, together with their wives and children, and cattle, for sheltering David.

Such is the evil against which David prays. He calls upon God to snatch up, tear and uproot the evil-doer: strong words to match the flagrancy of the crimes. Indeed, no one can absorb the wickedness of the world without recourse to the justice of God. The injustices we witness in the world, and the tragedies we see in the lives of people, hit us harder than we can take. They make our blood boil.

And yet, righteous anger against wrong cannot stop short. If our life is marked only by hot blood, we will not live long. We need a safety valve, a sanctuary to escape to amidst the hard knocks of life.

So David falls back upon the unfailing love of God, and describes himself as an olive tree flourishing in the house of God. While the evil-doer is uprooted, he stands firm and stays evergreen. How does he manage this? He does it by retreating to the sanctuary where the saints gather. There he finds cause to sing praise to God with like-minded people. We too need such a haven when we find the world cruel and hostile.

Let evil drive us to God and his people.