THE BARNABAS LINK
1 - Psalm 52
I TRUST IN THE MERCY OF GOD FOREVER
A request for prayer had come from a Christian who lives in constant fear of physical danger. Christians living in the West can have, at very best, only an intellectual understanding of what it is like to live in such circumstances, and we can so easily make a superficial response. But our only response must surely be to turn to the Word of God in prayer and allow the Holy Spirit to minister to those who live in such dangerous circumstances.

As is well known, the Psalms are set out in five distinct Books, each one corresponding to the central message revealed in the Five Books of Moses (the Pentatuch or Torah). Psalm 52 is set within the Second Book of Psalms and, as such, therefore speaks of an Exodus, a Deliverance for God's people who trust in Him for their salvation. Again we need to remind ourselves that in the original Hebrew manuscripts there were no Psalm numbers separating the contents of each Book - the Teachers (Rabbis) understood that a change in the words had occurred through the superscriptions or subscriptions that were in the original texts. Such super or subscriptions, although printed in most of our contemporary Bibles, are more often than not ignored in the desire to read the words contained in the particular Psalm and so an important message contained within such insertions is missed.

In Psalm 52 the insertion of a title tells us that it is a Maskil of David. The Hebrew word `Maskil' springs from the root word `Sakal' with a meaning of `to scrutinise, to look well into'. This tells us that what follows is an instruction in order to bring understanding - that it is a Maskil of David but pointing forward to David's Greater Son, Jesus, our `David', who is seeking to instruct His people in similar circumstances to those in which David found himself when he was fearful for his life. The superscription goes on to say: "When Doeg the Edomite had gone to Saul and told him, `David has gone to the house of Ahimelech'". The story this superscription refers to is well-known and is found in the First Book of Samuel chapters 21 and 22. David was in fear of his life through Saul's jealousy on hearing the peoples' cries of joy after David's victory over Saul's enemies:

" Saul has slain his thousands
but David his ten thousands. "
and he fled in despair, hungry and tired, to the house of Ahimelech the priest. There he was fed the consecrated bread, and upon asking for weapons was offered the `sword of Goliath' (the champion of the Philistines whom David had killed) as no other weapon was available. However, the story continues, `Now one of Saul's servants was there that day, detained before the LORD; he was Doeg the Edomite, Saul's head shepherd' (v7). He later told Saul what he had seen, causing Saul to call to his guards to kill Ahimelech and his priests. When Saul's guards refused to kill the priests of the LORD Saul turned to Doeg who readily carried out his master's orders. Abiathar, son of Ahimelech, who hid, was unharmed and fled to report to David all that happened.

Now we can begin to look at the words of the Psalm, which need to be kept within the context of the story revealed in the superscription of the Psalm - the story of treachery, selfish ambition and terror - leading to standing upon the knowledge of God's protection over His chosen people because of His Covenant with them. This turns the words of the Psalm from emotional knowledge into spiritual truth for all to stand upon who are now God's chosen people through belief in and acceptance of David's Greater Son, Jesus! David's words to Abiathar gives us that certain assurance - and here we use the King James Version as we feel it gives greater strength to the meaning of the words: (1 Samuel 22:23)

" Abide thou with me; fear not, for he that seeks your life seeks my life; but with me you shall be safeguarded. "
The Psalm therefore, when read with this background, becomes the `Sword of Truth' greater than the sword of Goliath, the Philistines' champion: (Psalm 52: 1)

" Why do you boast of evil, you mighty man?
Why do you boast all day long,
you who are a disgrace in the eyes of God? "
The death, the raising to new life, the ascendance of Jesus to the right Hand of God has overcome all the enemies of God and the words of David speak out with certainty:

" Abide thou with me . . . . . with me you will be safeguarded"
This is a continuous action, leaving His people safeguarded through their abiding in Him. We are told at the end of verse 3 to stop . . to `Selah' . . in the midst of fear and anxiety to be instructed by the Holy Spirit - your abiding in Him ensures your safety.

The Apostle Paul tells us the same message: Stop . . Selah . . and `take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ'. In that same message in his Second Epistle to the Corinthians Paul reminds us that we do not fight with the weapons of the world - we need no `sword of Goliath': (2 Corinthians 10: 4-5)

" The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God . . . " The `Doegs' of this world fall before the spiritual reality of the Word of Truth of Him Who has Covenanted by His David to safeguard all who abide in Him!

The Psalmist continues: (v6-7)

"The righteous will see and fear;
they will laugh at him, saying
`Here now is the man
who did not make God his stronghold
but trusted in his great wealth
and grew strong by destroying others!' "
Those who abide in the spiritual truth of His finished work on the Cross need not fear what lies ahead, whether it be physical, emotional or mental anguish for we are like olive trees:

"Flourishing in the house of God;
I trust in God's unfailing love for ever and ever. "
Again, remembering that in the original Hebrew manuscripts there were no Psalm numberings, what follows is an insertion, a subscription, part of which belongs to what has gone before, the remainder being a superscription to what follows. The place of the break is understood by the reference to Doeg's treachery as seen in the First Book of Samuel. The words of what is known to us as Psalm 52 are now entrusted to `the Chief Musician' - one who was in charge of the Temple music - to be brought out and shared with the people when similar circumstances arose, with the final words `according to mahalath'. This has a meaning of `Great Dancing' and here it is relating to what is recorded in the First Book of Samuel: (KJV 18:6)

" And it came to pass as they came, when David was returned from the slaughter of the Philistines, that the women came out of all the cities of Israel, singing and dancing to meet King Saul, with tambourines, with joy and with instruments of music. As they danced, they sang;

"Saul has slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands. "
Psalm 52 is a Psalm of Deliverance for all Israel, and pointing forward it becomes a Psalm of deliverance for all who are abiding in the finished work of David's Greater Son, Jesus, Who has not only killed His `ten thousands' but, as John says in his First Letter: (3:8b)

"The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil's work. "
Our deliverance from all kinds of evil lies in the finished work of Jesus, and the words of the Psalmist echo the words of David to Abiathar:

"Abide thou with me; fear not; for he that seeks your life seeks my life;
but with me thou shall be safeguarded. "
Those words, entrusted by the Holy Spirit to the Chief Musician, will indeed, when brought out to instruct us, turn our fears into `Great Dancing'!

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