Psalm 52:1
“Why do you boast in evil, O mighty man? The goodness of God endures continually.”
We live in a world of contrast. On the one hand, we see the fingerprint of God all around us, demonstrating His goodness. Earlier in the Psalms, David wrote, “The heavens declare the glory of God; And the firmament shows His handiwork” (Psalm19:1). When we see the beauty of creation, the birth of a child, or the love of betrothal, we are struck by the goodness of God.
On the other hand, there is another force clearly at work in our world. David calls it “evil,” and he witnessed its effects all around him. This Psalm was written after Doeg had murdered dozens of men, out of his selfish ambition and lust for gain.
We, too, see evil all around us with the ability to access information from all of the world. We have all been stunned by thousands killed in floods, earthquakes and hurricanes. As horrible as these things are, they pale in comparison to the evil that men inflict upon other men. Wars, fought for nothing more than a selfish drive for power, have been responsible for the brutal death of millions, upon millions, of lives. We have all heard of the atrocities under Hitler and Stalin. Tragically, these are not just distant memories of the dark days of man. The events, in places like El Salvador, Liberia, and Rwanda, in recent decades, have been nothing short of evil. Nor has evil stopped. We hear today of threats of terrorism, and even global war. Sadly, we do not need to look far to find evil. We have all been dumbfounded by reports of shootings at schools or job sites, where an expressionless gunman shoots innocent victims; leaving the victim’s families to grieve in shock and horror. We all know, and perhaps even are the victims of abuse. I have sat in my office with people who were molested by the very ones who should have loved them, and seen the far reaching and devastating effects of that evil. As a result, we are all left to wonder how these two truths can be reconciled. We ask the age old question, “Why do bad things happen to good people?”
Allow me to have Psychiatrist M. Scott Peck answer this question for us: “It is a strange thing. Dozens of times I have been asked by patients or acquaintances: ‘Dr. Peck, why is there evil in the world?’ Yet no one has ever asked me in all these years: ‘Why is there good in the world?’ It is as if we automatically assume this is a naturally good world that has somehow been contaminated by evil. In terms of what we know of science, however, it is actually easier to explain evil. That things decay is quite explainable in accord with the natural law of physics. That life should evolve into more and more complex forms is not so easily understandable. That children generally lie and steal and cheat is routinely observable. The fact that sometimes they grow up to become truly honest adults is what seems the more remarkable. Laziness is more the rule than diligence. If we seriously think about it, it probably makes more sense to assume this is a naturally evil world that has somehow been mysteriously “contaminated” by goodness, rather than the other way around.”
The mystery of goodness is even greater than the mystery of evil. “An evil world contaminated with goodness.” The Bible explains this clearly. When Adam sinned, sin entered the world, and has affected everything. However, God, through Christ, has infused His goodness into this world. James went on to explain, that every good and perfect gift comes from God. The evil in this world goes against the nature of God, and is caused by sin. The good in this world is left by the fingerprint of God, who loves us, and desires to work in us, even to be a fortress when evil is on the rise. Will you cling to Him today?
“At the tree in the garden we passed from good to evil
At the tree on the hill we passed from evil to good.”
Pastor Jim
Psalm 52
- Read chapter 21 and 22 of 2Samuel, for background on the writing of this Psalm.
- What is the confidence and strength of the wicked man? Where does he place his trust and what does he love?
- Yet what is the end of the wicked man?
- In contrast what is the strength, confidence, and trust of the righteous before God?
As the sun begins to set on David’s life, he begins to recall how faithful the Lord has been. As king of a nation surrounded by hostile adversaries, he was faced with constant battles. With the poetic expression he became known for, he attributes his success to the Lord. It was never his strength that led to victory, but the enabling work of God.
In middle school, I could always be found hanging around with my friend Sean. We spent so much time together, we soon walked and talked the same. Truly, we had a walk; it was more like a strut. If you can imagine two 12 year old kids, 4’10″ tall, weighing in at 80lbs, strutting their way from class to class on the middle school campus, then you have a good idea of what that looked like. My point is, hanging together, we soon became like one another. This principle was true of those who hung around David, and is true of us today.
One of the strangest phenomenon that I have experienced, over the years, is to hear the unbeliever quote the Bible. It fascinates me how those who have read so little of it seem, at times, to consider themselves the authority on what it says. Those who are living a lifestyle which the Bible does not condone, and quite frankly, they know to be wrong, are so quick to pull words from the Bible to justify their behavior.
I recently watched a news segment which focused on two teenagers who decided to rob a local business. One of the boys was reluctant to get involved, while the other boasted confidently that “no one would get hurt.” Sadly, as the story unfolded, one man lay dead and two young men were sent to prison for life. Sin is just like that. It promises to bring us happiness, and ensuring us that no one will get hurt. Regrettably, David found this out the hard way. One night, while allowing his passion to be distracted from the Lord, David made the choice to pursue his lust and begin a relationship with another woman. What he thought would bring him pleasure, continued to cost him over and over again. This chapter reveals some of those costs.
When I was younger, we used a wide variety of slang terms to describe a proud person. We considered them to be smug, snooty, puffed up, or stuck up. But the term that I remember most, when referring to pride, is “big headed.” We would say “that guy has such a big head.”
We learn two very important things about following Jesus from this one verse.
It is remarkable how many Biblical phrases have become part of our everyday lives. When a person is diagnosed with a disease that advanced medicine has no hope of curing, it is common for this passage to be quoted. They are told to “put their house in order.” Sadly, Ahithophel made preparations to die, without giving the proper consideration to what he would face after death. Too many still approach life that way. It might be, you have purchased life insurance, set aside a nice little nest egg for your family, and even reconciled with all who were at odds with you; while neglecting to give the proper consideration to what is ahead. We cannot wait until death to prepare for eternal life.
Perhaps you have heard someone speak of having their whole life pass before their eyes. In a moment’s time, while facing imminent danger, all they had done, whether good or bad, seems to flash into their mind. David is having a similar experience. His son Absalom has stolen the hearts of the people, mounted a large army to overthrow the king, and steal the kingdom. Instead of remaining in Jerusalem and turning the holy city into a battle ground, David chooses to flee to the wilderness and trust his life and future into the hands of God. As he departs, we are introduced to people from his past. It is like a journey through the memory of David, as he encounters those who stand with him or come against him. Let’s take a brief look at just a few of these encounters.
Jim Gallagher 