Having lived through 6 hurricanes in my lifetime, I’ve seen my share of uprooted trees. In fact, 18 years ago, it was the sight of 2 HUGE oak trees toppled over almost hitting my building that convinced me that it was time to leave Florida and move to Arizona. At that time, I wasn’t as rooted in my faith as I am now. I’m not just rooted, I’m thriving because I am planted firmly in Jesus Christ. Let’s dig in…
Psalm 52
For the choir director: A psalm (maskil) of David, regarding the time Doeg the Edomite said to Saul, “David has gone to see Ahimelech.”
1 Why do you boast about your crimes, great warrior?
Don’t you realize God’s justice continues forever?
2 All day long you plot destruction.
Your tongue cuts like a sharp razor;
you’re an expert at telling lies.
3 You love evil more than good
and lies more than truth. Interlude4 You love to destroy others with your words,
you liar!
5 But God will strike you down once and for all.
He will pull you from your home
and uproot you from the land of the living. Interlude (Selah – pause & ponder)6 The righteous will see it and be amazed.
They will laugh and say,
7 “Look what happens to mighty warriors
who do not trust in God.
They trust their wealth instead
and grow more and more bold in their wickedness.”8 But I am like an olive tree, thriving in the house of God.
Psalm 52 NLT
I will always trust in God’s unfailing love.
9 I will praise you forever, O God,
for what you have done.
I will trust in your good name
in the presence of your faithful people.
Setting the Scene
Who is Doeg? He is one of King Saul’s spies in 1 Samuel 22 who sees David at the Tabernacle of Nob and reports it to King Saul. Ahimelech was the priest who helped David. Consequently, when Saul heard what Ahimelech did, he had him and all his priestly family killed — 85 in total. Doeg slaughtered them all himself.
When David heard of the slaughter, he wrote this psalm.
Where’s the Gospel?
This psalm shows what happens to two different types of people:
- Those who go the way of destruction
- Those who are thriving and flourishing
Doeg was the perfect example of the first type — proud and used his words against David and his sword to slaughter an entire family of innocent people. Kind of like a terrorist today. All he cared about was looking good to King Saul in hopes of a promotion. He loved evil more than good — sounds like today, right?
Nevertheless, David writes in verse 5 that God will strike him down once and for all. That’s exactly what He’ll do to Satan, the Antichrist and the False Prophet in the end — as well as ALL non-believers. “He will pull you from your home and uproot you from the land of the living.” If your name is not in the the Lamb’s Book of Life, that’s where you’re going!
See, in the end, it doesn’t matter how much wealth, power, status, or money you have. What will matter is that you’re right with God.
Thriving in the House of God
Furthermore, David says he’s like an “olive tree thriving in the house of God”. He always trusts and praises Him. Back then, David didn’t have the greatest best-seller of all time — the Bible. David also didn’t have the Holy Spirit in his heart as an advocate, counselor, source of wisdom and peace. As a born-again believer, YOU can!
Obviously, in this world we are bombarded daily with temptations, evil and Satan’s lies. The only way that we can deflect those lies is by being rooted in the Word of God and our relationship with Jesus.
When we absorb the truth of the Bible, we then become aware of what is from Satan and what is from God — that’s discernment. Unmistakably, the more we are rooted, the more we are thriving. The more we are rooted, the better we can withstand the winds of change and the fiery darts that the devil throws at us.
God’s Love is Unfailing!
His promises are trustworthy — Satan’s are not. God’s love is unfailing — Satan’s is not. Moreover, our “house” is in Heaven — Satan’s is not. Don’t trust in the world, trust in Jesus!
Insight from Spoken Gospel
Jesus is the sword that divides the whole world between those who are destroyed and those who rest and flourish in him. He is the True Word or verdict of God (John 1:1, 14:6). On trial, his words pierced through the deceptive motives of his accusers (Matthew 22:15-21). Even now, his message divides the world between those who trust in destruction and those who trust in God. Jesus even predicts families will divide over him (Matthew 10:34). Just as his disciples did.
Like Doeg, Judas trusted in betrayal and destruction rather than the one he followed. He betrayed Jesus in order to promote himself but he was uprooted like a weed instead (Matthew 27:3-5).But Jesus is forever like a tree. He trusted God to deliver him even in death, and now he is alive and flourishing in the house of God (Acts 2:24; 1 Peter 3:22). And if we trust Jesus we will see him destroy the destroyer (Revelation 19:21, 20:6). We will laugh in victory when Jesus’ truth triumphs over the deceiver’s lies. We will be planted with Jesus forever in the house of God. Where we will flourish and thank him forever for the good he has done (Revelation 22:3-5). So choose the way of the righteous and trust Jesus.
Spoken Gospel
How to Pray Psalm 52
Praying the psalms back to God is a great way to become rooted in the Word. Simply, take a journal or notepad and put it in your own words. It may be something like this…
Why do the wicked boast of their triumphs and crimes? I know that Your justice continues forever. They are experts in telling lies and love evil more than good, lies more than truth. They love to hurt and destroy others with their words. (Sounds like social media!)
Lord, I know that in the end at Your final judgment, You will strike them down once and for all!
Lord, help me lead a righteous life and be like an olive tree, rooted in your Word, strong in my faith. Help me trust in Your unfailing love and praise You forever for what you have done. I do trust in your Good Name — the Name above all names. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.
Paraphrase of Psalm 52 by Giselle Aguiar
Are YOU Rooted and Thriving?
Here’s what you need to do…
- Get yourself a good study bible and read it daily. Better yet, twice daily — when you wake up and when you go to bed. Nothing like starting and ending your day with Jesus!
- If you can’t afford one, download the free YouVersion Bible app and Through the Word.
- Play a praise song at least once a day. I’ve embedded a couple at the bottom. Listen to Christian radio only!
- Get plugged into a Bible-believing church. Join a small group Bible Study.
- Stop watching the news and following celebrities on social media. Here are some Christian podcasters and Bible Prophecy teachers to follow.
Above all, to be fully rooted in good soil, you need the assurance of salvation only gotten through Jesus Christ.
If you’re not sure if you’re saved or not, if you truly want to be born again and have the assurance of salvation, receive the Holy Spirit, feel His Shalom — a peace that surpasses all understanding, and get a 1-way, non-stop ticket to Heaven after you die, or that you won’t be left behind at the Rapture, which can happen at any moment, this is what you have to do…