Psalm
52
Some
of the Psalms have headings that tell us a little bit about their composition,
and Psalm 52 is one of them. That reads:
“To the leader. A Maskil of David, when Doeg
the Edomite came to Saul and said to him, ‘David has come to the house of
Ahimelech.’”
“To
the leader” probably
indicates that the information was given to help a musician with its
performance. “A Maskil” probably has to do with the type of music or instrumentation
or composition, but we don’t know what exactly it means, just like we don’t
know for sure what “Selah” means
where it appears in this and other Psalms.
That could mean anything from “Repeat” to “Solo” to “Long pause” to “Second
verse, same as the first, a little bit louder and a little bit worse”.
Psalm 52 gives information that identifies the
occasion of its composition: “when Doeg
the Edomite came to Saul and said to him, ‘David has come to the house of
Ahimelech.’” refers to a time when David was on the run from Saul
and was spotted by one of Saul’s shepherds.
“Why do you boast,
O mighty one,
of mischief done against the godly?” [Psalm 52:1]
of mischief done against the godly?” [Psalm 52:1]
he asks. It is an accusation against a snitch.
It’s more than that,
though. It’s an indictment of someone
who uses the power of speech to harm rather than to help and, by extension, of
everybody who gets caught up in the use of language as a weapon.
“All
day long you are plotting destruction.
Your tongue is like a sharp razor,
you worker of treachery.
You love evil more than good,
and lying more than speaking the truth.
Selah
You love all words that devour,
O deceitful tongue.” [Psalm 52:1b-4]
Your tongue is like a sharp razor,
you worker of treachery.
You love evil more than good,
and lying more than speaking the truth.
Selah
You love all words that devour,
O deceitful tongue.” [Psalm 52:1b-4]
In an age where
torture is identified as “enhanced interrogation methods” and civilian deaths
in war are “collateral damage”, where we waver between the terms “undocumented
immigrant” and “illegal alien”, the use or misuse of words and speech is an
issue that confronts us all the time.
Psalm 52 is the response of someone
on the receiving end of slander. Saul
had become jealous of David when David was his most successful general and the
jealousy ate away at him until it became a pervasive suspicion that David was
out to undermine him. When Saul’s son
Jonathan, who never surrendered his friendship for David, warned him to run
while he could, there were those who whispered against him. The Psalm envisioned the tables being turned,
with people pointing at the slanderer.
“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
The righteous will see, and fear,
and will laugh at the evildoer, saying,
‘See the one who would not take
refuge in God,
but trusted in abundant riches,
and sought refuge in wealth!’” [Psalm 52:5-7]
he will snatch and tear you from your tent;
he will uproot you from the land of the living.
Selah
The righteous will see, and fear,
and will laugh at the evildoer, saying,
‘See the one who would not take
refuge in God,
but trusted in abundant riches,
and sought refuge in wealth!’” [Psalm 52:5-7]
What a mess, with
everyone gloating over everyone else!
That’s the sort of thing that happens
when people descend into innuendo and accusation and name-calling. The title on the Psalm talks about one person
being badmouthed by another but before long wider groups are being drawn
in. That’s a problem we face, too. Frederick Schmidt, who teaches Spiritual Formation
at Garrett-Evangelical Seminary, recently commented on how people have been
talking to and about one another publicly of late.
“It is difficult to know whether the language
of derision is more common in absolute terms, or whether modern media has
simply provided it with a larger and more accessible platform. But it is fair to say that it has become a
common feature of public discourse.
Name-calling has its obvious attractions:
·
It is memorable and it can
be used to label and stigmatize certain views.
·
It creates a sense of
partisan belonging among those who use it.
·
It fuels a sense of
moral and intellectual superiority.
·
And it makes it
unnecessary to craft a sustained argument in defense of the views held by the
people who use them.
What is overlooked are its corrosive effects:
·
The language of derision
creates and deepens divides.
·
It short-circuits
meaningful exchange on issues, impoverishing public discourse.
·
It leads to
balkanization. Rendering future exchange, cooperation, and compromise
impossible between groups.
·
And it feeds
self-satisfaction with one’s own beliefs that forecloses on learning and
self-criticism.”[1]
There is an antidote, though.
It sounds simplistic, maybe, but if you can find something good to say,
say it. That may mean swallowing that
perfect comeback, which for some of us (here I’m preaching to myself) can be
really hard to resist on those rare occasions when it comes to mind right then
and there instead of a half an hour later.
It may mean forgetting that comeback no matter when it comes to mind.
Moreover, when there may be nothing good to say about someone, try
saying something good about God instead.
Where people run each other down, the Lord lifts them up. In all David’s problems, God saw him
through. Doeg the Edomite, who helped
poison the atmosphere between David and Saul, is someone whose efforts looked
effective for awhile but came to nothing in the end. As for David, he survived the slander and he
survived being outlawed when his reputation was falsely trashed, and he came
back to become King David because no matter what anyone said about him, God
knew the truth and he could say,
“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 of what you have done.
In the presence of the faithful
I will proclaim your name, for it is good.” [Psalm 52:8-9]
in the house of God.
I trust in the steadfast love of God
for ever and ever.
I will thank you for ever,
because of what you have done.
In the presence of the faithful
I will proclaim your name, for it is good.” [Psalm 52:8-9]
God
is good, all the time; all the time, God is good. That is something that it never hurts to say
and does a lot of good to hear.
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