Psalm 52 | Summer of Psalms

Summer of Psalms, and there's not a really good

bridge to this because this is not a fun psalm

to dive into. I could have probably picked a

better one, but we're going to go through this

the way that it is written. Again, the Summer

of Psalms. The psalms are kind of written in

five books to mimic the Torah. Genesis, Exodus,

Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. And we are

now back into book two. We started with Psalm

50 two weeks ago. Pastor Brian brought Psalm

51. And Psalm 52... is really about hurt and

pain. This is a psalm of David, and this is kind

of a cry out after David has been wounded, after

David has been hurt, kind of emotionally. And

we're going to kind of work through all of that,

but kind of the reflection I want us, the mindset

I want us to get into this morning as we dive

into this psalm. I wrote this, and... This was

a really weird week to write a sermon. I did

my best to start thinking about it while I'm

in God's beautiful creation, where we were in

Utah and in Arizona and Nevada. But it was really

hard because I knew that this psalm wasn't really

a fun psalm. And so trying to kind of work through

all of that, be present with family, thinking

about all the deaths that we've had in the last

week and a half. The reflection that I kind of

landed on, I'll just read it. The world is full

of injustice, and it often seems that the wicked

prosper while the righteous struggle. In our

personal lives, we may face betrayal or encounter

people who use their power and influence for

selfish gain. And in this psalm, David reflects

on such a betrayal. The psalm is really directed

at the hurt that Doag the Edmonite, who sought

to kind of harm David for his own gain. So this

was someone David knew. There was a relationship

kind of there. And so there's a hurt and a pain

there. The psalm offers a profound kind of a

way that we can meditate on the justice, not

only in the world that's bad, but a justice of

God that is good. And the understanding that

God is good, we can say it all the time, right?

If someone, you know, maybe you grew up in a

church that would say it all the time, if they

say, God is good. All the time. Four of you.

Good job. All the time. But what happens when

you're not feeling it? What happens when you

understand it, maybe kind of in your mind, but

in your heart, you kind of have the conversation

of, if God is good, then why does blank happen?

And as a pastor, I get asked this all the time.

Why would a good God let bad things happen and

all of those things? So as we dive into Psalm

52 this morning, we're reminded not only of God's

justice but also of his steadfast love. That

in those times when you have been betrayed, you've

been hurt, you're trying to build up trust or

whatever that looks like. Or maybe trust has

just been completely wiped out. That God's love

is steadfast. And that's important to understand.

That's an important thing to kind of allow yourself

to be. Kind of born anew in that understanding

that steadfast love is one of the greatest things

we can receive in life. Because a steadfast love

loves regardless of circumstance. Regardless

of if there's a love back. That's that covenant

love that we've talked about. That covenant we

talked about with the sacrament of baptism. So

as we explore this psalm, we will see God's justice

kind of contrasted with the deceitful schemes.

of a wicked world. And again, like I said, I'd

love to just do a fun psalm, you know, about

fathers or golf or whatever, but those don't

necessarily exist. And we're in this. But how

can we, as a community of faith, be called to

live in response to a steadfast love of the Father

when the challenge is our love? We tend to have

our love be conditional, if we're being honest.

And it's really hard to give unconditional love.

But let's talk first about the deceit of the

wicked that David is feeling. So we're going

to be in the first four verses of Psalm 52. Again,

we use the ESV, but feel free to, on your Bible

app or the Bible you brought, whatever version

you have is fine. But starting with verse 1.

Why do you boast of evil, O mighty man? The steadfast

love of God endures all day. Your tongue plots

destruction like a sharp razor. You worker of

deceit. You love evil more than good and lying

more than speaking what is right, Selah. You

love all words that devour, O deceitful tongue.

Again, it's not all that cheery, right? That's

not a fun psalm. the beginning of a psalm to

read. But what David is doing is David is introducing

us to Doeg, a wicked man who boasts of evil deeds

and his ability to harm others through his power

and authority. David, speaking more in kind of

lament, more kind of the poetry that is in these

psalms, beautiful way of writing, is that deceit

is the wicked's primary tool. And I think we'd

be honest that when we think about Satan, we

think about, you know, that fallen angel, Lucifer,

the power of evil, that deceit is huge. We saw

it. We go all the way back to the garden. Surely

you won't die taking God's words, right, the

two most perfect commands in the Bible, pre -sin,

for a cup of coffee and a conversation with Pastor

Jim. What are those two perfect commands that

we see pre -apple bite? Anybody? Jesse, you know

one of them. You guys do it every day. Work the

soil. Yes, you got it. I got it, right? He's

a farmer. That's why you should know that. Work

the soil, right? Go out and do it. Subdue the

earth. But before that, fill the world, right?

Be fruitful and multiply. Two most perfect commands

we get in a world without sin. But then it's

also you can eat of all of the fruits of the

garden except that one. Because if you eat it,

surely you will die. So what does Satan do with

deceit? Surely you won't die. So deceit enters

doubt. That the primary tools of evil people

is deceit and doubt. The wicked person, according

to the psalm, is one who exalts himself through

harmful actions. There's no true wisdom in this.

Instead, the psalmist paints a picture of someone

who is completely oblivious to the consequences

of their sin. They are just sin run amok. There's

no conviction. There's no confession. There's

no forgiveness. There's nothing. Their power

is based on deceit and malice. Doag the Ammonite

has betrayed his own people and sought to destroy

David. This figure represents the more significant

pattern in Scripture, the ways in which human

beings, in their pride and sin, use others to

further their own agendas. The wicked person

only has their agenda in mind. David, in contrast,

finds his hope and security in God, not worldly

power. And he was the king. He could have been

like Saul. and made it about him. That's why

he lost the anointing. David, one of the things

that we see in David's life is that there's a

revenant awe of God. He understands that God

is big and he is small, even when he messes up.

And that's another rhyme for another time. In

Lord's Day 24 of the Heidelberg Catechism, one

of the confessions that we read as a Christian

-informed church, we're reminded of what true

righteousness and where it comes from. It does

not come from human effort. but from faith in

Christ. The wicked in their arrogance and deceit

place their trust in their own abilities and

manipulations. But Christians are called to live

differently. We are not to rely on ourselves,

but on God's grace. So really, the challenge

as we start to break this down is to first examine

our own lives and consider whether we are subtly

or not so subtly relying on deceit or manipulation

to get our way. Do we speak with honesty or do

we twist the truth to take advantage? Friends,

we have that tension in us. We are totally depraved.

A simple definition of depravity is that we will

always be bent against God. That is inside of

us. But if you are in Christ, you are a new creation.

The old is gone, the new has come, and you can

fight that fight. And the church, as a community,

must stand as a place where truth is spoken and

love, where trust is built, and where there is

no room for manipulation. For the sake of our

unity, we must be intentional about creating

a culture of integrity, where every member can

thrive without fear of deceit or betrayal. Basically,

what that means is we should be able to trust

each other in church. It's one of the biggest

conflicts we have is when that trust is broken.

In one way or the other. Something said or a

rumor was started or something was done and trust

is broken. Yet we feel we can come on a Sunday

morning, praise God for who he is, but not forgive

the person across the aisle. Those are incompatible

with each other. 1 John tells us you can't have

a foot in the light and a foot in the dark because

if you do, the light doesn't know you. So how

are we doing in that? This means holding each

other accountable, practicing transparency, and

being faithful stewards of our relationships.

How are you doing in the relationships that God

has given you? Are some of your relationships

based on wicked things? Or are some of your relationships

founded in the truth? I hope it's the truth.

Because there's a justice to God in this. He's

going to hold us accountable for the relationships

that we have. And so in verse 5, in the justice

of God, we read, but God will break down you

forever. He will snatch and tear you from your

tent. He will uproot you from the land of the

living, Selah. The righteous shall see and fear

and shall laugh at him, saying, See the man who

would not make God his refuge, but trusted in

the abundance of his riches and sought refuge

in his own destruction. That's a hard truth.

What David is doing here is declaring that God

will surely bring down the wicked. Pride cometh

before the... That's a guarantee, friends. And

we see that here. David is doubling down. Regardless

of how secure we feel in our wickedness, everything

in the dark will be brought to the light if there

is no forgiveness. If there is no confession

and forgiveness. God is the ultimate judge. And

the psalmist David in these verses contrasts

the transient power of the wicked to the eternal

power of God. Power in the world is based on

what? Contracts. Whether verbal or signatures

or whatever. Contrasts with interest and all

of these things. That's how the worldly feel

they have the authority when they have power

over people. Whether it's a contract, a position,

what have you. The world of the believer, that

should not be the case. And what David is saying

is those that are thirsty and addicted to that

authority and that power, that will be exposed.

That's where contrition comes in. It's one of

the key elements of David's life that we see.

That he is willing to bow the knee when he messes

up to a God that he cries out for forgiveness.

The message is clear, friends. No matter how

strong or influential someone appears to be,

God's judgment will ultimately prevail. So what

is, how am I going to say this? What's the cost?

What's the cost to live a contrite life? What's

the cost to live a life bowed knee to Jesus?

Well, the cost is you're going to define your

success differently. You're going to define power

and wealth differently. Again, wealth isn't a

bad thing. Just don't be a miser with it. Right?

If God has blessed you with riches, give back.

If God didn't, then serve. There are ways that

we can show our Christian faith in how we hold

our authority. I've said this a couple weeks

ago, and I forgot. I think it was in a sermon.

That if as elders or deacons, counselor or pastor,

I have to make a decision by saying, thus saith

the council. That's not a good card to play.

That means there's probably an issue in the relationship.

Council to church, church to council. Or pastor

to elder, elder to pastor, all of those things.

Or church member to church member. If we start

throwing this like a hand grenade, then we've

missed it and we are abusing our authority. We're

abusing the power we have in Christ. No matter

how strong or influential someone appears to

be, God's judgment will ultimately prevail. But

the text starts to speak of the hope that we

should have in our hearts. Even when we see injustice

in the world or feel overwhelmed that we think

evil is always winning, we can take comfort in

the fact that God sees all and will make all

things right. But here's the rub. It might not

be the right that you want to see. It might not

be the right that makes sure all of your wishes

come true. Why? Because as I've said before,

I'll say it again, God is not a genie in a bottle.

He's not just some riches ATM. He's not just

some blessing bank that he just gives, gives,

gives. When he says, when the scripture tells

us that he will make all things new, that is

in the eyes of the creator, not the creation.

And we have to remember that. We are not the

creators. We have a creator, and his way is the

best way. Again, from Lord's Day 24, speaks to

the fact that God has promised to judge the world

in righteousness. Christ's death on the cross

is the fulfillment of that, where we see sin

was punished and destroyed by Christ on the cross.

We look forward to the day when God's justice

will be fully realized and evil will be eradicated.

I picked that word specifically because we went

through the book of Revelation last year and

we saw how it worked. As believers, we are called

to live in the light of truth, trusting that

God will be the ultimate judge, not us. And some

of you don't like that because you love putting

on that robe. You love to have that gavel in

your hand, whether metaphorically or physically.

If you do that physically, then let's talk because

that's weird. But understand, we love to be the

judge. And if I had to guess, we judge in probably

the same way across the board. We do it because

we ultimately think we're better than that person.

Man, look at what their life is like. I'm so

glad that I'm better than that. And for the majority

of you, God bless you, you don't speak it. Some

of you do, and we've got to work on that. But

you think it. And in the Bible, that's the same.

Because God knows your heart. God knows your

thoughts. While we may not be able to bring about

justice on our own all the time, Psalm 52 reminds

us that God will bring justice in time. And it's

not a slanted justice. It is not a justice that's

going to follow this political party or this

political party or, again, what creation wants

it to be. No, no, no, no. God's justice is just

that, God's. And we should lean into that as

the best way. This truth should give us peace

as we face the injustices in the world. Whether

they're personal betrayals or systemic evils

in society, God's way will come to pass. How

do we do this as a church? What does that mean?

What is our response? It should be how we treat

others, right? This means not only addressing

sin in our own hearts, but also standing against

the injustice of the world around us. Justice

within the church is foundational, and we must

consistently seek to uphold fairness and honor,

accountability in our relationships one to another.

That's the role of the church. But how do we

respond? Verses 8 and 9. But I am like a green

olive tree in the house of God. I trust in the

steadfast love of God forever and ever. I will

thank you forever because you have done it. I

will wait for your name for it is good in the

presence of the godly. A beautiful contrast to

how he started with the wicked. David declares

that he is like a green olive tree. Some of you

are like, what? Like, what does that mean? That

a green olive tree back in the day showed a fruitfulness.

That it was going the way the creator intended

it to go. So as people look at our lives, do

they see a ripe tree doing a job? Or do they

see a wicked tree that's decaying? That offers

bad grapes, bad olives, bad fruit. David can

declare this because he trusts in God's steadfast

love. Unlike the wicked who only rely on deceit,

the righteous person places their trust in God's

love because it's enduring and it's faithful.

It is unconditional where ours sets conditions

whether we like it or know it or not. The righteous

are not those who trust in their own power or

abilities but who trust in God's love. David

vows to praise God forever. Why? Why can David

say this? Why is David calling us? For this.

Why is he wanting us to understand this today?

He vows to praise God forever for his justice

and his love. This is a declaration of dependence

and trust. So let's kind of do the reverse psychology

then of that. That if someone is starting to

live a wicked life, it is because there is no

trust and there is no recognition of the godly.

I find that interesting because David sins. We

see it very publicly. We'll get to that when

we do the story of David later. But he knows

that his heavenly father is there, much like

our human fathers should be there for us today.

There's the Father's Day message. Fathers in

the room, spiritual fathers, mentors in the room,

are you loving those in your care in a steadfast

way? Someone's calling right now to answer the

question. Don't answer it. Like, that's the question.

As a father, do my sons know that I love them?

Period. Or do we put a comma there? Or a semicolon,

or whatever grammatical thing you do to continue

the sentence. Do we put conditions on that? Man,

I will love my boys if they don't drive me crazy.

How do you think that would go over? Not well.

Yep, good. Thank you, Joe. Do my boys know that

I love them? Period. Because if my love for my

boys is to mimic God's love, friend, that's God's

love for you. God loves you. Not if you do all

these things. Not if you come to church every

Sunday, you give all the money, you do all the

ministries, you become a cadet counselor, though

that's a good thing and you can love your boys

that way. Shameful plug. You're welcome, Colin.

But how does the world see the love of God coming

out of you? Do your friends know that you love

them? That's the church. I'm going to put it

on the church. Do people know the church loves

them? Or do we go, well, you gotta look like

us, you gotta smell like us, you gotta act like

us, you gotta, I don't see that. David doesn't

see that. The righteous person responds to God's

goodness with gratitude and worship, recognizing

that all they have comes from God. So what is

Psalm 52 really? It's an examination of our own

hearts. That we are to examine our hearts and

live in the light of God's justice and love.

Are the wicked going to prosper in this life?

Absolutely. But friends, we're not living for

this life. We're living for the next one in glory.

And for Munster Church, this means we must build

a community where honesty and trust is foundational.

We'll get to the challenge in a second. But we

are called to reflect God's justice and love

in every aspect of our lives. Not, oh, you've

got to believe what I believe and I'm going to

love you. You've got to act how I act and I'm

going to love you. If that's how you're going

to promote Munster Church, I'm going to ask that

you don't then. Because that's not how it's supposed

to be. The only kind of tenets we have of coming

here is you just have to wear clothes. And you

are welcome. We follow Burger King, right? No

shoes, no shirt, no service. So what does the

summer challenge look like? This week, make an

intentional effort to build a relationship with

someone in our church family. Oh, Jim, you said

this two weeks ago. Yeah, I did. How many of

you did it? I'll keep saying it, all right? Make

an intentional effort to build a relationship

with someone in our church family. Seek to understand

their needs. Share a meal. Cultivate a relationship

that can be based on trust. Let's be the kind

of community where integrity and love flourish.

Reflecting. That would have been terrible. Reflecting.

Let me say that again. Let's be the kind of community

where integrity and love flourish. Reflecting

the justice. and love of our good, good Father.

Amen. Let's pray. Father, for the fathers in

the room, we give you thanks.