Notes on the Book of Psalms, Psalm 52
The lii. PSALM.
David in this Psalm, in the person of Do…g shews the si…full vanity, of trusting in any thing but God, specially in wicked and unlawfull practises against the godly, seem they never so promising, assuring all such that it will be their utter undoing at last, and the righteous against whom they plot shall out-live them and their designs, to their corroborating in faith, and contempt of such vain men and their vain confidences. He fore-shews that thus it shall be betwixt himself and Doeg, he by his faith shall be established in a happy condition to the praise of God, when Doeg shall be ejected out of Israel.
Psalm li. To the chief musician Maschil, A Psalm of David, when Doeg the Edomite came and told Saul, and said unto him, David is come to the house of Abimelech.To the President of the Quire is this Psalm committed, instructing unto confidence in God for his Church and peoples felicity, and their enemies ruine, notwithstanding any seeming contrariety at present; made by David upon Doeg, that counterfeit convert, his informing Saul of Abimelechs entertaining David at Nob when he fled from him, and thereby occasioning the destruction of him, and the rest of the Preists there.
1 O Thou wretched foolish Doeg,1WHy boastest thou thy self in mischief, O mighty man? the goodness of God endureth continually. that hypocritically professest the true worship of the God of Israel, and as by nature, so in heart art still an Edomite and persecutor of his Church and people, why art thou so glad of an opportunity to advance thy self in the Kings favour by indirect and sinfull ways in betraying the innocent? and abuse thine interest and power at court to the endeavouring my ruine, which yet thou shalt never be able to compass, though thou hast been a means to cut off my speciall freinds and Gods faithfull servants, by thy base and treacherous flattery, yet shalt thou never be able to do the like by me, nor the Church of God concerned in me, or to prevent what God hath promised and designed in that behalf, but both Saul and thou shalt be disappointed in all your attempts and devices by the goodness, power, and wisdom of God, which shall all work for me, and preserve me maugre all you can do to the contrary.
2 How mischievous hast thou been in thy treacherous discoveries of my being with Abimelech and his relieving me,2Thy tongue deviseth mischiefs: like a sharp rasour, working deceitfully. to the exposing him to the rage of Saul, who by that thine information hath wholly cut off both him and the rest of the Preists, as if they and I had conspired against him, whereas they were utterly ignorant so much as of my very flight from him at that time, and meant no hurt at all to Saul in that they did for me, but as I, so they were faithfull and loyall to him, doing that they did in reference to his service, which indeed I then pretended to be imploid in.
3Thou lovest evil more than good: and lying rather than to speak righteousness. Selah.3 This act of thine shews thee what thou art in thy heart, an hypocriticall professor, that carest not what mischief thou doest, nor by what indirect means, to the innocent and faithfull servants of God, betraying them to the malice and rage of Saul (from whom thou shouldest rather have endeavoured to preserve them) and that at such a time, as thou couldst not have chosen a worse to tell this in, even then (when it made anger against me, he was railing upon, and condemning all men for my sake as conspirators with me) didst thou chuse to make this known, thereby falsly to insinuate Abimelech and those Preists to be of the combination, which was utterly false.
4Thou lovest all devouring words; O thou deceitful tongue.4 Thou mightest well think what would come of such an information at such a time, but it seems thou didst it purposely with a desire to endear thy self by doing mischief, and being the instrument of Sauls crueltie. O thou treacherous parasite.
5God shal 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.5 But as thou hast been the death of the Preists of Nob, even fourscore and five innocent persons, and hast extirpated the family of Abimelech, so shall God do by thee and thine, he shall utterly destroy both thee and all that belongs unto thee, null thy hopes of preferment, and ruine thy substance, and cast thee out of the land of Israel, where there shall not so much as one remain of thy family, where indeed thou wast never rightly planted, hypocritically counterfeiting thy self a proselyte, for the place and preferment sake thou hadst in Sauls Court. And so bet it.
6 The righteous people of God whom thou so much hatest,6The righteous also shall see and fear, and shall laugh at him. and hast been the destruction of not a few of them, for all that, their survivors shall live to see as much by thee, according to my prediction, and shall give glorie to God in reverence of his righteous justice upon such enemies, and faithfulness to his Church and people, and in heart shall laugh at the folly of unbelievers and hypocrites for thy sake, and personally at thee.
7 Whom God shall especially make remarkable,7Lo, this is the man that made not God his strength: but trusted in the abundance of his riches, and strengthened himself in his wickedness. in the execution of his just judgements upon thee, whereby the Godly shall be confirmed in their faith and dependance upon God, when they see what thy courses come to, in trusting and relying upon thy power at Court, the wealth thou hast gotten, and thine own wicked devises, to amplifie and establish these, and not upon God.
8 Thou shalt wither,8But I am like a green olive-tree in the house of God: I trust in the merciemercy of God for ever and ever. when I (and such as trust in God) shall for all thine and Sauls malice to me, and the present calamities that lie upon me, being driven from the tabernacle and service of God, be returned thither again in a flourishing condition of honour and felicitie; and this I believe as confidently as if I were there already; for as I know thy present prosperitie shall have a certain end, so shall this mine unhappiness, which shall not dismay me for expecting better, through the merciemercy of God wherein I trust, which in his own good time shall implant me in a perpetuated good condition, like as his justice shall weed thee up by the roots never to grow again.
9I will praise thee for ever, because thou hast done it: and I will wait on thy name.9 Though I am now far from such a State, yet will I give even present, aswell as future thanks and praise unto thee for it, (O God, of my hope) as if I were possessed of it already, because it is as sure to me as the destruction of Doeg is to him, both which shall certainly come to pass to thine everlasting praise, and for which I will live in humble expectancie, depending upon thy grace and faithfulness, till they be accomplished, which are precious things with thy people, the very solace and support of their souls, how ever neglected by hypocrites and unbelievers, who trust in riches and honour, whilst that thy saints believe in thee, because of them.