To the choirmaster. A Maskil of David when Doeg the Edomite came and told Saul “David has come to the house of Ahimelech.”

1 Why do you boast of evil, O mighty man? The steadfast love of God endures all the day. 2-5 Your tongue plots destruction, like a sharp razor, you worker of deceit. You love evil more than good, and lying more than speaking what is right. Selah. You love all words that devour, O deceitful tongue. But God will break you down for ever; he will snatch and tear you from your tent; he will uproot you from the land of the living. Selah.

6-9 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!” But I am like a green olive tree in the house of God. I trust in the steadfast love of God for ever and ever. I will thank you for ever, because you have done it. I will wait for your name, for it is good, in the presence of the godly. Psalm 52 English Standard Version.

The background to this Psalm is a terrible incident. King Saul had become madly jealous of David's growing popularity and was trying to kill him. David was living like a fugitive and, on one occasion, even resorted to tricking Ahimelech the priest into giving him and his men some food. But Doeg, the chief of Saul's herdsmen, happened to be there and saw what happened, and he told King Saul. Saul accused Ahimelech and his fellow priests of conspiring with David and ordered his soldiers to kill them. But the soldiers were afraid to strike the Lord's priests so Saul ordered Doeg to do the deed. That day Doeg killed 85 of the priests and plundered the city of Nob where the priests had lived. This explains the strong words David writes in vs 2-5.

He may not have only had Doeg (and Saul) in mind, but all people who use their words to harm others, especially to harm God's servants. What is the truth that kept David strong in the midst of attacks from proud and powerful opponents? (vs 1)

God's steadfast love is with those who love Him all through the day, no matter how dark things may look. The bitter sorrows of Jesus when He was crucified started very early that day, and continued till near sunset. So dark was that experience that He expressed a cry of feeling forsaken. But the Father's steadfast love hadn't left Him. The day of sorrow would soon be followed by His glorious resurrection. Deep trials do not mean God has stopped loving us. So what was David's response when strong evil people were gathered against him? (vs 6-9)

He knew the day of their defeat would come and that their plans to overthrow the righteous were futile, even laughable. He was content to wait for the Lord to act and knew he would ultimately have good reason to thank God, and to praise Him with God-fearing people.

It's unlikely that those of us living in most western countries today will have experienced the sort of situation David went through. We probably aren't aware of anyone as evil as Doeg seeking to destroy us, so this Psalm might seem far removed from our circumstances. But we need to keep in mind that the enemy of our souls is still very active in the world. Christians in many countries do face terrible, life threatening hostility. We must keep them in our prayers that they will not lose sight of God's steadfast love.

We must also keep in mind that our peace and safety in this world isn't guaranteed forever. There's been a strong move in western countries to fight against all that God's word teaches and to oppose those who speak out against sin. We're entering times when leaders and society shapers are like people described in Psalm 2 which says: “The kings of the earth prepare for battle; the rulers plot together against the Lord and against his anointed one. 'Let us break their chains,' they cry, 'and free ourselves from slavery to God.'” In the midst of this gathering antagonism towards Christianity let us cling tightly to God's steadfast love shown to us in Christ. During the dark days of Jerusalem's destruction a servant of God wrote: “This I call to mind, and therefore I have hope - the steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; His mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.” Lamentations 3:21-23