David wrote Psalm 52 several years before he became king of Israel. It was during this time that David was fleeing from Saul, who was determined to kill him to keep his throne. At this point, God had already disqualified Saul as the king of Israel, but Saul continued to rebel against God. David fled from the city of Jerusalem to a place called Nob, which is an ancient priestly town on the outskirts of the city. David went to Ahimelek, the priest, and lied to him that he was on a mission from King Saul, and asked for food and a weapon. David did not tell Ahimelek that he was fleeing from Saul, so the priest believed in him and gave him food and the sword of Goliath, whom he killed with the sling. While all this was going on, Doeg the Edomite, Saul's chief shepherd, saw David at Nob and told Saul. Saul then went to Nob to get David, but David was gone. Although Ahimelek didn't realize that David lied to him, Saul ordered Doeg the Edomite to kill Ahimelek and the other priests in the area. Only one of the Ahimelek sons survived and told David of what happened (1 Samuel 21-22). When David heard of it, he wrote Psalm 52 to express his grief. Ahimelek, although he was innocent, Doeg the Edomite killed him for his political gain. However, God dealt with Doeg the Edomite for his wickedness, according to Jewish legends.
David expressed the evilness of Doeg the Edomite and described him as the lover of evil rather than good, falsehood rather than speaking the truth. David continued on to say that someday, God will bring judgment to Doeg the Edomite. David wrote, "Surely God will bring you down to everlasting ruin: He will snatch you up and pluck you from your tent; he will uproot you from the land of the living. The righteous will see and fear; they will laugh at you, saying, 'Here now is the man who did not make God his stronghold but trusted in his great wealth and grew strong by destroying others! (Psalm 52:5-7)'" A lesson we can learn from this Psalm is that God will judge all wickedness someday, and He will make things right. In the meantime, we need to stay faithful in doing what is good and not give in or participate in wickedness. If we have been wrongfully accused or lied to, God will make those right and vindicate us from all the lies.
God is always with us, and He knows our innocence when we are wrongfully accused. God sees our pain, frustration, and suffering, but God will avenge us, so let us keep on trusting God, relying on His strength, and praying for those who persecute us. In due time, God will deal with our accusers.
Questions for application: (Think through these questions carefully, meditate on them while answering them, and let the Spirit of God speak to you.) What should I do when I am wrongfully accused? What is God going to do to the wicked in His timing? Who can save me from the lies of my accusers?
Write down all the worries you face today and lift them up to God.
Prayer:
Father in Heaven, thank you that I can trust you when I am wronged or falsely accused. Thank you that you are making things right in your timing. Please help me to fix my eyes on you, and I pray for my accusers that you will change their hearts and save their souls from sin so that their hearts change. In your name, Jesus, I pray. Amen.