_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.