Psalm 52
1 Why boastest thou thyself in mischief, O mighty man? the goodness of God endureth continually.
2 The tongue deviseth mischiefs; like a sharp razor, working deceitfully.
3 Thou lovest evil more than good; and lying rather than to speak righteousness. Selah.
4 Thou lovest all devouring words, O thou deceitful tongue.
5 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.
6 The righteous also shall see, and fear, and shall laugh at him:
7 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.
8 But I am like a green olive tree in the house of God: I trust in the mercy of God for ever and ever.
9 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.

Key Verse:
1 Why boastest thou thyself in mischief, O mighty man? the goodness of God endureth continually.

Key Observation:
David says of this psalm period: (1 Sam. 22:22), “I have occasioned the death of all the persons of thy father’s house,”

Memory Verse:
8 But I am like a green olive tree in the house of God: I trust in the mercy of God for ever and ever.

Devotion:
According to McGee, this psalm is one of four in a row that refer prophetically to the “man of sin”. In the context of David, he must have been dreadfully upset by Doeg’s betrayal. God has used this incident to review some of the characteristics that will mark the beast.

In the last psalm we read about the sin of David which was something he was so upset about that his sin was ever before him. In other words David felt horribly guilty over his sin. How about Doeg? Does he feel guilty? Quite the contrary: Doeg boasts in his sin, “Why boastest thou thyself in mischief?” To sin and repent is one thing; in the last psalm I did point out that David had to suffer consequences all his life for his sin, even though he was freely forgiven. But Doeg takes pride in his sin. He has caused the death of a whole family, and all he can think to do is boast about it. Contrast David’s humility at his sin with Doeg’s pride and boasting.

In verse one the antichrist is referred to as “Mighty Man”. In verse four he is referred to as “Deceitful Tongue”. These are going to be two of the chief characteristics of the man of sin. He will be empowered to do things that no man has been able to do. Sometimes I see Bible scholars reflecting that he will use trickery and not really do any of the mighty feats. Perhaps. I do not know, and neither does anyone else, no matter how persuasively they might talk. But I do think this. God allows this being to have power over men, power that is real and damaging to the soul. I see no reason why this could not include the powers to work many wonders.

Real repentance is a mark of the Christian, not of the “Doegs”. We agree with God that what we did was horrible, beyond anything that we should have countenanced. When we find ourselves in sin, we should fall on our faces to God, letting our tears of shame trickle down our cheeks because we look at our pitiful souls through the eyes of a righteous and loving God. Can you remember a time when you have fallen on your face before God in repentance over your misdeeds? If you truly want to be used of God in other areas, humility should be a hallmark of your life.

“What peace we often forfeit,
What needless pain we bear,
All because we do not carry
Everything to God in prayer.”