Salutation
... in the name of the Father, and
of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.
Amen. Through the prayers of our
holy Fathers, Lord Jesus Christ our God, have mercy on us and save us. Amen. Glory
to You, our God, Glory to You.
O Heavenly King: Prayer to the Holy
Ghost
O
Heavenly King, the Comforter, the Spirit of truth, You are everywhere and fill
all things, Treasury of blessings, and Giver of life: come and abide in us, and
cleanse us from every impurity, and save our souls, O Good One.
To the chief Musician, Maschil, [A Psalm] of David, when Doeg the Edomite came and told Saul, and
said to him, “David is come to the house of Ahimelech.”
Why do you boast yourself in mischief, O
mighty man? The goodness of God [is] eternal.
The tongue devises mischief,
like a sharp razor, working deceitfully.
You love evil more than good, [and] lying rather than to speak righteousness. Consider.
You love all devouring words, O deceitful tongue. God shall likewise destroy you forever,
He shall take you away, pluck you from [your]
dwelling place, and root you out of the land of the living. Consider.
The righteous also shall see,
and fear, and shall laugh at him. Behold, the man [who] 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 forever and ever. I will praise You forever,
because You have done [it]. I will wait on Your name: for [it is] good before Your saints.
________
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or helped by any of these meditations in Psalms, please repost or share all of
them.
[1]
The full story of Doeg’s cruel and gory wickedness is detailed in 1 Samuel 21
and 22. Why Saul was in league with an
Edomite is impossible to know. As Saul’s
chief herdsman, Doeg employed many shepherds, and had eyes in many places. Because shepherds were the most common employment
in a shepherding culture, they were everywhere, and it was impossible to know,
who was watching whom. All Doeg needed
to do was publish a BOLO for David, and David could be easily hunted and
tracked.
Doeg is acting as more than Saul’s servant, he has a personal
agenda: he is up to “mischief”. We
suspect that Doeg’s personal goal is to undermine Yahweh worship by murdering
off the chief priests and many of the other key priests. Eliminating the priesthood, might weaken
Yahweh worship, lessen Israel’s combat capabilities which are totally dependent
on Yahweh’s power, and allow the Edomites to overthrow Israel. After all, David has already defeated the
Philistines once, even though the Ark of the Covenant and the Visible Glory are
still on vacation among the Philistines; so, David is a rising force with which
to contend, and his enemy contrives to strike David at his strongest and
weakest point: his worship of Yahweh.
Strongest and weakest? David’s
strength lies exclusively in Yahweh, as does ours. Yahweh is already displeased with Israel, and
on vacation because it. The shrewd
strategy is to further separate David from his God. That is Satan’s strategy in our lives too.
To accomplish his wicked goal, Doeg employs a crafty
combination of deception, and lying. God
commonly punishes sinners with their own sins.
Because Doeg was absorbed with destroying, plucking up, and rooting out
worship, David, and Israel; God determines to destroy, pluck up, and root out
Doeg and David prays accordingly. The
demonically motivated Doeg understands that Saul cannot withstand Edom if David
falls. The points made in this paragraph
are so profound that the Psalmist twice demands that we stop and consider what
they imply.
This stimulates a response in the righteous, who see and
understand what Doeg is doing, who realize and fear Doeg’s power, and who are
filled with laughter when Doeg’s evil devices are frustrated. An analysis of Doeg’s lifestyle and worldview
follows: God is not his strength, he trusts in wealth, he is strengthened in
wickedness.
David, representing Israel (the green olive
tree in the house of God), draws his/its strength from God alone. This is the sole Source from which we must
draw strength as well. Together, we trust
His mercy, praise His works, and wait as His good Name develops. His Name was hallowed in David, in Jesus, and
in us. Hallelujah!
________
If you have been blessed or helped by any of these meditations in Psalms, please repost or share all of them.
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