As preached by Timothy O'Day.
"Everyone holds beliefs that direct how we think and act."
As you experience evil...
1) See evil for what it is -- an assault on truth (1-4).
2) Preach the truth of God's faithful justice (5-7).
3) Rely contentedly on the Lord with God's people (8-9).
Controlled By Truth in the Face of Evil
Psalm 52
November 17, 2024
In AD 203, the Roman emperor Septimus Severus had issued an edict forbidding conversion to Christianity. He wanted to stomp out the faith, but as you clearly see his efforts did not bring about his desired result. The gospel continued to spread and people came to faith despite the edict. Perpetua, a noble woman, and her servant, Felicity, were two such converts.
Once it was discovered that they would not worship the emperor and the Roman gods, they were identified as Christians and imprisoned. While in prison, her father repeatedly visited her and called on her to renounce her faith. She had, after all, an infant son. She wrote in her diary how she replied to his pleas, “‘Father, do you see this vase here? Could it be called by any other name than what it is?' He said, ‘No.” And I replied, ‘So too I cannot be called anything other than what I am, a Christian.”
After this, she was taken to an arena with other Christians, abused by wild animals, and ultimately put to the sword by a gladiator. The accounts of her death show that she did not panic. She faced death with a calm that made her executioner hesitate because it did not fit the demeanor he expected.
Every single person in this world has beliefs that direct how we think, feel, and act throughout the various situations of our lives. When the sun goes down at night, I don’t panic because I have an overwhelming confidence that it will rise tomorrow morning. Some of these beliefs are simple, like the idea that the sun will rise tomorrow morning. But some of these controlling beliefs are deeper and more essential.
These deeper, more fundamental, controlling beliefs are what can really set you apart in pivotal moments. Perpetua’s faith that God would raise her up on the last day controlled how she responded to threats from the government, pleas from her father, physical abuse, and ultimately death.
When you enter into hardships or joys, you have a controlling truth that interprets your circumstances and directs your thinking, feeling, and acting in that situation.
The Context of Psalm 52
In Psalm 52, we get to witness a similar dynamic play out. As you see in the superscription to Psalm 52, which are the words listed right before verse 1 of the psalm, this is a song that David wrote in response to the actions of Doeg the Edomite. Specifically, Doeg went to Saul and told Saul that David had come to the house of Ahimelech, who was a priest.
Here is why that is a big deal: Saul had been appointed as king of Israel through the anointing of God’s prophet, Samuel. It is important to remember that to be king of Israel at this time did not simply mean one was a king like other kings of the earth. To be the king of Israel was to be the king of God’s chosen people. The king of Israel would either lead God’s people into holiness and in God’s ways or away from God and his commands. Saul did the latter, disobeying the Lord and leading Israel to disregard the command of God. As a result, God removed the kingdom from Saul and his line, giving it to David. As a result, Saul remained king of Israel while he lived, but David would take the throne after his death.
This infuriated Saul. Instead of submitting to what the Lord had decreed, he doubled down in his rebellion and tried to kill David. As a result, David went on the run.
This is what leads us to Psalm 52. As is recorded in 1 Samuel 21, when David fled he sought aid from Ahimelech, who aided David without knowing that Saul wanted him dead. Doeg happened to see this take place and, wanting to ingratiate himself with the king, told Saul that Ahimelech had aided David in his escape from Saul. Enraged, Saul ordered that Ahimelech and his family be killed. No one desired to kill a family of priests to the one true God, so no one lifted a finger to obey this order from Saul—except Doeg. He slaughtered Ahimelech along with 84 other priests. After that, he sacked their city, killing their wives and children as well.
Doeg not only murdered, he stood against the decree of God, aligning himself with the one whom the Lord had rejected.
How does David, God’s anointed one, respond to this? Psalm 52 shows us that his response is directed by his controlling belief that God will keep his promise to vindicate his people and judge those who rebel against him.
Specifically, by seeing, remembering, and relying on the truth of God's promise of redemption, he is able to endure the works of evil in this world.
In the same way, when we see, remember, and rely on the truth of God’s promise of redemption in Jesus Christ, we are able to endure the works of evil in this world.
Let’s walk through how Psalm 52 calls us to see, remember, and rely on God’s promise of redemption.
As you experience evil…
First, see evil for what it is—an assault on truth (1-4)
Verse 1 reveals the controlling belief that anchors David in the midst of being chased by Saul and the grief of seeing priests murdered because they aided him. The question of verse 1 is based on the reality that controls David’s thinking and emotions: God’s covenant love.
“Why do you boast of evil, O mighty man? The steadfast love of God endures all the day.”
This is a rhetorical question that David poses specifically to Doeg but also generally to anyone who sets himself against God. Doeg had just sacked the city of Nod and King Saul is in his corner, so he feels and appears to be like a mighty man. But this appearance and the circumstances do not control David’s thinking about Doeg. Rather, the steadfast love of God does. This steadfast love is not something that has run out or will run out. It endures all the day long and for every day because God is eternal and he will keep his promise.
So it is God’s promise to David that controls his thinking, not the words of Doeg and the threats of Saul.
Even though the words of Doeg and his actions are truly dangerous. Look at verses 2-4 to see how this is the case. He plots destruction and his words are like a sharp razor—cutting and destroying.
But notice that David’s words do not merely say that Doeg is dangerous in his evil. He actually argues that Doeg is deceitful and loves lying. This is specifically stated in verses 2-3. Look there with me,
“You love evil more than good, and lying more than speaking what is right. You love all words that devour, O deceitful tongue.”
But if you read the account of this incident in 1 Samuel 21-22, you will not find Doeg speaking deceit in the sense that you would at first expect. In fact, he tells the truth to Saul for he did see David with Ahimelech and Ahimelech did aid David.
So how is it that Doeg lies and loves deceit?
It’s because of God. God has taken the kingdom away from Saul and given to David. All appearances make it look like Saul is the one in control and the one who has power. Doeg believes these appearances are more than God’s word and speaks in accord with the appearance instead of speaking in accord with God’s word. Therefore, he speaks deceit and loves it. He thinks he is actually gaining by standing against David.
Seeing Evil for What It Is
How do you see evil? Here, David calls evil all that is against God and his word. Evil is not something that we merely find unpleasant or something that goes against our preferences. It goes against what God calls good and right.
As you evaluate the things of this world, do not evaluate them based on your preferences. Evaluate everything based on what God calls good. Evil is all that stands against and contradicts what God calls good and right and all that God is working toward.
Here is something for all of us to do: study your words and your actions to see what desires of your heart are revealed. Doeg’s words and actions were a reflection of his desire, loving evil more than good. Instead of moving his life to conform with what God had promised, he moved his life in the direction of what he thought would be rewarding to him in the here and now.
How do your words and actions reveal your desires? What are you working toward? What are you trying to build with your words? Your words are moving you toward something. Are your words moving you toward walking in the light by speaking truth and relying on what God has said? Or are your words and actions building your life on what God says is not true?
This is something we should all take stock to consider.
But you do not merely need to see evil for what it is, you need to speak about it as well, which leads us to what Psalm 52 tells us in verses 5-7.
Second, preach the truth of God’s faithful justice (5-7)
David confronts the evil that has burst on the scene through Saul’s and Doeg’s actions by preaching what is true.
Remember, evil is deceit because it is calling into question what God has said. The way we need to meet evil, then, is with truth. That’s what is happening in verse 5. Look there with me,
“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.”
Doeg has sided with Saul because he thinks that’s where safety and power reside. David sees this lie that has sprouted into acts of evil against the Lord and he confronts it with reality: Doeg is not secure even if he feels that way. For one day, God will judge him for the evil he has committed.
This preaching of God’s faithfulness to judge those who stand against him and, in doing so, vindicate those who trust in him, does two things.
Preaching God’s Justice Comforts
First, it comforts those who trust the Lord. Look at verses 6-7,
“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.’”
These verses paint a picture of God’s people rejoicing at the judgment of those who have embraced evil. I am aware that the idea of rejoicing at the judgment of others doesn’t sit well with everyone. But if you will bear with me, I think I know why. A person that is bothered by the idea of rejoicing at the judgment of evildoers is a person who has not been deeply touched by evil.
Most of us cannot imagine 85 innocent men being slaughtered, their wives and children being slaughtered, and then the man who was responsible for it all boasting, as verse 1 says Doeg did.
Knowing that God will assuredly judge such a man is something to rejoice in.
All throughout the world, God’s people are imprisoned, robbed, and murdered while they are simultaneously mocked. Judgment is not just assurance that justice will be done, it is the means of vindicating God’s people who entrusted themselves to him, not taking vengeance in their own hands, but instead saying, “The judge of all the earth will do what is right.”
The judge of all the earth will indeed restore peace in his creation that sin destroys. As God punishes sin, he is simultaneously restoring his creation, removing evil, and establishing perfect justice. That’s what he will do. He has promised and you can trust it.
And when he does this, it will be right to rejoice. In fact, it will be impossible for God’s people to not rejoice.
As you experience evil and other brothers and sisters around you experience evil, you need to meet that lie with the truth that God will right every wrong, removing evil and establishing justice. The evil we experience is the anomaly in the grand scheme of God’s designs.
Preaching God’s Judgment Warns
Second, it warns those who feel secure in the evil of their sin. Okay, this is not explicit in these verses, but I think this is a natural result of what is written in verses 5-7. The judgment spoken of in verse 5 and the resulting response of the righteous in verses 6-7 are not present realities. David is preaching the reality that God will break down the wicked forever. And, when God does this, God’s people will be able to rejoice that evil is vanquished and they are freed to live in a world of peace.
He is speaking of future realities and calling on others to believe those future realities. As those who stand against the Lord hear this, they have the opportunity to repent, align themselves with the Lord and his people. In Short, they can do exactly what verse 7 is saying they are presently not doing: make God his refuge.
This is what I want all people to do: make the Lord your refuge. Do not believe the lie of sin that says to you, “if you obey the Lord, then you will miss out on real satisfaction and joy.” If you take refuge in the pleasure of sin, rejecting God and diving into what he calls evil, then you will be taking refuge in the very thing that will destroy you. Diving into sin is like a thirsty man drinking salt water. He feels like it should satisfy and, maybe at first, at least it wets your tongue. But your body cannot process the salt, so it only makes you more dehydrated and closer to death.
To trust in anything other than what the Lord says is to trust in the vehicle of your own destruction, just like trusting in salt water to ease your thirst.
God will keep his promise to deliver fully those who trust in him, even if they die before he returns. He will keep his promise to judge those who embrace evil and call him a liar. For the good of his saints and for the good of those who embrace evil, we need to proclaim this truth embedded in the New Covenant when we experience evil.
And as we preach covenant truth in the face of evil, we will have the result of verses 8-9, which is the third and final point of Psalm 52.
Third, rely contentedly on the Lord with God’s people (8-9)
After rehearsing the truth of the matter, David’s heart is settled in the face of evil. In contrast to those who will be judged for evil and thus torn out of the land, David is like a green olive tree firmly planted. He trusts God’s steadfast love, meaning he trusts his promise to keep him and use him as his anointed one.
As he trusts God’s steadfast love, he becomes defined by God’s steadfast love. This can be true for you as well. You can be defined by God’s steadfast love in the face of evil instead of being defined by the evil that touches you.
David is content to rely on the Lord even as evil takes place around him. He trusts that God will make all things right, judging evil and delivering his saints, just as he recited in verses 5-7. This confidence has two main effects.
Faith Leads to Praise
First, David praises God now for the work he will do later. Look at verse 9,
“I will thank you forever, because you have done it.”
David will praise God starting now and will continue to praise him because God has done it, the “it” referring to the fact that God has judged evil and delivered those who take refuge in him. In short, God’s promise is so sure that David counts it as done even though it has yet to occur.
Future joy bleeds into the present moment. This happens to a lesser extent to us all the time. When Haley tells me that she is going to make a dish I like in the coming days, it would not be unusual for me to reply, “Oh, thank you.” I feel sure that she is going to make it, so the pleasure of what will be bleeds into the present moment as gratitude.
How much more should this be the case when the all-powerful God promises to keep his people secure? Consider what Jesus says,
“I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of my Father’s hand” (John 10:28-29).
Or consider what the apostle Paul says on this topic,
“For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:38-39).
Christian, you must soak in the promise of God and hold it as so sure that the joy of what will be rushes into your life now. Yes, there will be hardship; yes, evil will hurt you; but it will all be under the control of the sovereign hand of God who promises to be your refuge and who will right all wrongs.
When evil men work for your death, the promise of God will lead you to
“Oh, sing hallelujah
Our hope springs eternal
Oh, sing hallelujah
Now and ever we confess
Christ, our hope in life and death.”
Faith Shows Itself Through Waiting
Second, confidence in God’s promise leads to waiting with God’s people for the promise. Look at the second half of verse 9,
“I will wait for your name, for it is good, in the presence of the godly.”
David says that he will wait for God to act because he is confident that God will do what he has promised. For David, this means giving him the throne and delivering him from Saul’s hand. His waiting displays his trust in what God has said. Even though he has ample opportunity later on to kill Saul, he does not raise his hand against him. He trusts that God, in his own timing and in his own way, will give him the throne that he has promised.
Brothers and sisters, God has promised to judge evil and deliver us, but he has not given the church the sword in order to accomplish his judgment. Governing authorities are to restrain evil. As we experience it, we are not to take matters into our own hands. In fact, the Holy Spirit led Paul to write in Romans 12:19,
“Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, ‘Vengeance is mine, I will repay says the Lord.”
What then should you do? Exactly what Psalm 52 has laid out for us: call out evil for what it is; preach God’s judgment so that you can assure the saints who are weary and warn those who pursue wickedness; and long for heaven by praising God now.”
And we do all of these things as verse 9 ends, “in the presence of the godly ones.”
In God’s kindness, he has given us a great instrument of encouragement as we experience evil in this world: the church. As we gather together each week, we come together to be reminded of what evil really is, how God has addressed it in his gospel, and we get to join together in rejoicing in the great work that God will surely do but still has yet to do.
Turning to the Lord’s Table
This is one reason we end each Sunday by coming to the Lord’s table. As we take communion, we are reminded of what Christ has done and why he had to do it. When we take the bread and the cup, we are taking up the broken body and the spilt blood of Jesus. While this is just bread and juice, it points to something greater that we get to remember and feed on each week: Jesus’ body was broken and his blood was shed in the place of sinners. Our sins deserve judgment and God will judge evil. Evil is not something that exists outside of us as if it were a substance. Rather, evil is in each of our hearts and God will root it out in one of two ways. He will root it out by casting all those who cling to evil and sin into a lake of fire on the day of judgment. Or, if you take refuge in Christ, God will count your evil as paid by the death of Jesus on the cross and he will give you a new heart. Then, on the day of judgment, he will completely eliminate evil from us by making us perfectly like Jesus by giving us glorified bodies.
The way you make God your refuge is by turning to Jesus Christ in faith and turning away from your sin or anything else you trust for salvation. When you come to Jesus, you not only repent of your sin but also of any good work that you think makes you worthy of God saving you.
If you have not trusted in Christ like this before, I plead with you now: trust in him today. Escape the judgment that will surely come and enter into the joy of eternal worship now.
Let’s pray and then we will turn to the table.
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