Psalm LII
To the chief Musician. RFascliil. A Psalm of David, when Doeg the Edomite came and told Savil, and said unto him, David is come to the house of Ahiraelech.
1 Why boastest thou thyself in mischief, O mighty man? The goodness of God endureth continually.
2 Thy tongue deviseth mischief; like a sharp razor, working deceitfully.
3 Thou lovest evil more than good, and lying rather than to speak righteousness. Selah.
4 Thou lovest all devouring words, O thou deceitful tongue.
5 God shall likewise destroy thee for ever.
He shall take thee away, and pluck thee out of thy dwelling place, And root thee out of the land of the living, Selah.
6 The righteous also shall see, and fear, and shall laugh at him —
7 Lo, this is the man that made not God his strength!
But trusted in the abundance of his riches, and strengthened himself in his wickedness.
8 But I am like a green olive tree in the house of God: I trust in the mercy of God for ever and ever.
9 I will praise thee for ever, because thou hast done it:
And I will wait on thy name; for it is good before thy saints.
This Psalm was originally written when Doeg informed Saul ‘’”^ position, against David. In arranging the Psalms it was natural to place it after the last, inasmuch as the assaults which it describes would no doubt be repeated in some shape on the occasion of David’s fall, and even after his restoration to the full sunshine of divine fellowship. The enemy of the Woman’s Seed has never in any age been at a loss for matter of calumny and reproach, nor will he cease till the Lord come and he be finally cast out.
In verse 1, “the ‘mighty man” is I’ilD^ even as Nimrod is The contents.
164 PSALM LII.^ — THE RIGHTEOUS ONE’S HOPE.
called in Gen. x. 9, the very antithesis in character to “■^^y“b?,” “the mighty God,” (Isaiah ix. 6,) who is to destroy him.
In verse 5, closed by the significant Selah, the true rendering of the middle clause is, “He will pluck thee out of The Tabernacle;” not only referring us back to such cases as Korah, or any rebels whom the Lord thrust out of the holy camp of Israel, but pointing us onward to the time when “the Tabernacle of Ood shall be tvifh men.” On that day thou shalt have no place among the blessed ones; they shall see thee uprooted with ease, and shall enjoy the “laugh” of Him who sitteth in the heavens (Psalm ii. 4), and of Wisdom whom thou didst despise (Prov. i. 26), but who then mocks at thy calamity. Men will not then say of the Son of God (as they could say in the day of his bumiUation), but shall say of his ruined foes, — “Behold tJie man /” (Yer. 7.)
All along their history true Israelites could adopt and appropriate the words of verse 8, but they shall sing it better still on the day of Antichrist’s final ruin, when they become “The Olive tree” again. (Rom. xi. 17.) At the same time it is David’s Son, Christ himself, who best of all could sing this Psalm, and best of all could appropriate these words: — “I am a green olive tree in the house of God.” (Ver. 8.)
He being indeed the true Israelite who “continued in God’s goodness” (Rom. xi. 17, 22), the tender love of his God ever being as dew on his branches. He will, on the Day of his Appearing, give the key-note of praise over foes overthrown for ever, raising the “Hallelujah” of Rev. xix. 2, — “Because thou hast done it.” Nothing less than this result is what we look for and expect; and Christ along with us is looking for that display of the Divine character, “ivaitmg for thy name,” (a,s in Psalm lxxv. 1) when it shall be discovered in judgment acts. Thus viewed, this Psalm may be entitled,
The hope of the Righteous One when everywhere spoJcen against.
PSALM LIII. — EARTH, AND THE VICTORY OF GOD’s PEOPLE. 1G5