WE ARE PERFECTLY LOVED IN THE MIDST OF EVIL

WE MUST TRUST THE SOVEREIGNTY OF GOD

PSALM 52

The Steadfast Love of God Endures

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 Your tongue plots destruction,

like a sharp razor, you worker of deceit.

3 You love evil more than good,

and lying more than speaking what is right. Selah

4 You love all words that devour,

O deceitful tongue.

We can read the story of Doeg in 1 Samuel 21, 22. This man not only came against David, but also killed the priests who had helped David and his men. This man had perpetrated evil against David. Those who knew David were very aware that he had been faithful to Saul, and did not deserve his hatred.

Psalm 52:5-7

5 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. Selah

6 The righteous shall see and fear,

and shall laugh at him, saying,

7 “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!”

David had full trust in the love of God, so he knew that God would do what is right in due time. God is not indifferent or unaware of those who plan and do evil. Their rebelliousness will lead them to destruction.

Psalm 52:8-9

8 But I am like a green olive tree

in the house of God.

I trust in the steadfast love of God

forever and ever.

9 I will thank you forever,

because you have done it.

I will wait for your name, for it is good,

in the presence of the godly.

David trusted in God’s eternal love. He was grateful for God’s sovereign control. He knew there was peace in the presence and protection of God.

God’s people do suffer by the hands of evil ones. As we watch men have a temporary upper hand, we should never lose sight that God is in total control. He has eternal purposes that we cannot know or even understand. When evil happens, we must trust the character and purposes of our eternal and loving God. God did not spare His Son for our salvation, so we know His great love will continue to be steadfast.

This past week Leonard Hopkins, a faithful missionary who was serving God in Mexico, was brutally killed. He knew well that he ministered in a dangerous place, in the midst of evil men. We grieve for his widow, his children, and those who loved him, but we cannot overlook the fact that God was totally in control of those men. And as He ushered Leonard into heaven, He had eternal purposes in mind.

Dear friend, you might be suffering at this time because of the evil of some enemies of God, and you might be tempted to just look at yourself as a victim. By allowing feelings of revenge to grip your heart, you may even be rebelling against God. This psalm was written to bring you back to the right perspective.

God is in total control; He has eternal purposes in mind. He loves you perfectly and eternally. His justice will prevail. You can find peace and comfort in God’s care. Our faith and gratitude should rest in the character and wisdom of God.

No one can touch us apart from God’s perfect will.

John 10:27-30

My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. 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 the Father's hand. I and the Father are one.”

Romans 8:38-39

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.

We have these promises; we can have peace in the midst of evil people. We are perfectly and meticulously loved.