A manual of the book of Psalms · Martin Luther
PSALM LII.
_David, condemning the spitefulness of Doeg, prophesieth his destruction.—The righteous shall rejoice at it.—David, upon his confidence in God’s mercy, giveth thanks._ 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 Ahimelech. Why boastest thou thyself in mischief, O mighty man? the goodness of God _endureth_ continually. Thy tongue deviseth mischiefs, like a sharp razor, working deceitfully. Thou lovest evil more than good, _and_ lying rather than to speak righteousness. Selah. Thou lovest all devouring words, O _thou_ deceitful tongue. God shall 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. The righteous also shall see, and fear and shall laugh at him: Lo, _this is_ the man _that_ made not God his strength; but trusted in the abundance of his riches, _and_ strengthened himself in his wickedness. But I _am_ like a green olive-tree in the house of God: I trust in the mercy of God for ever and ever. I will praise thee for ever, because thou hast done _it_: and I will wait on thy name; for _it is_ good before thy saints. This is a Psalm of consolation; and the title of it shows plainly what are its contents. David is here complaining of Doeg who betrayed him, and who was the cause of much hurt and bloodshed. 1 Sam. xxii.
This Doeg furnishes a type of all those betrayers and blood-shedding hypocrites who are in the halls of kings and princes; and who lyingly, and with hatred, traduce the word of God and the doctrine of truth: of which stamp there are now numbers rising up on every side, who irritate and urge on kings and princes to slay the sincere ministers of the word: such as those in our time, who kill many good men on account of the sacraments and marriage, and make no end of shedding the blood of God’s Abels. Against the furious cruelty of these men, therefore, this Psalm comforts the godly; and promises them, that such shall not go unpunished, but shall fall under those awful curses mentioned in Deut. xxviii:—that they shall be rooted out of the earth; that their houses shall be destroyed; and that they shall lose both their bodies and their estates; but, that those who fear God shall be preserved; that they shall remain in the house of the Lord; and that they shall persevere in teaching and hearing the word of God, in defiance of the devil and all the wicked.
Text from Project Gutenberg, public domain in the United States.