Psalms 52-54
Dear RTB’ers,
Three psalms today, but they could easily be read as one. Try it. Move Psalm 52:8-9 and Psalm 53:6 to the end of Psalm 54 and the remaining verses are consistent as a prayer by David for deliverance from his foes and his recognition of their foolishness in not trusting/believing in God. The setting, as the titles indicate is during the time that David was on the run from Saul. He had taken the sacred bread (I Samuel 21:1-6) from Ahimelech the priest for himself and his men. Doeg the Edomite had seen that event and reported it to Saul (I Samuel 21:7, 22:9-10). In the following verses Saul then kills those priests (I Samuel 21:11-19).
So, reading all three psalms as one, the header to Psalm 52 clearly makes the connection to the Doeg-event, with David ridiculing Doeg and Saul’s men: 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…” (vv. 6-7a). Skipping the next two verses, the “fool” mentioned in Psalm 53:1 could clearly be Doeg or Saul’s men. They are fools because they do not believe in or trust in God: Have those who work evil no knowledge, who eat up my people as they eat bread, and do not call upon God? (v. 53:4) Then, skipping verse 6, Psalm 54 returns to David on the run: For strangers have risen against me; ruthless men seek my life; they do not set God before themselves. (v. 54:3). So together the three psalms read as one.
We cannot leave these three psalms without highlighting verse 53:3b, …there is none who does good, not even one, quoted by Paul in Romans 3:10-12, verses often cited by evangelicals in pointing out the prevalence of sin in everyone who has ever lived – Jesus excepted!
Blessings!
See also: