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.

The NASB heading of this Psalm says it was written “when Doeg the Edomite came and told Saul and said to him, ‘David has come to the house of Ahimelech.'” This incident is recorded in I Samuel 21-22. King Saul had grown increasingly unstable and had tried to kill David. David fled from Saul and stopped in to ask the priest for provisions and a weapon. He did not tell the priest he was fleeing for his life; he told him he was on the king’s business. Doeg the Edomite saw him there, and later when King Saul asked for information about David, Doeg told him all he knew. Saul confronted the priest and, though the priest confessed he knew nothing about the trouble between David and Saul, Saul commanded his servants to kill the priests, but they refused. Then Saul commanded Doeg to kill them, and he did — 85 of them plus “Nob, the city of the priests, smote he with the edge of the sword, both men and women, children and sucklings, and oxen, and asses, and sheep” (I Samuel 22:19). One son of the priest escaped and came to David, who was deeply grieved at the loss of life his situation had caused and took the man into his protection.

Knowing the background lends weight to David’s comparing the tongue to a sharp razor, working deceitfully and devising mischief and speaking devouring words. This man, and others like him, ” lovest evil more than good” and “made not God his strength; but trusted in the abundance of his riches, and strengthened himself in his wickedness.”

Yet David had faith that “the goodness of God endureth continually” and that this man had no reason to boast because “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.”

Verses 6-7 say, “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.” I honestly have a little trouble with the idea of laughing at the fate of the wicked, but I don’t think this is talking about laughing at his fate. I don’t know if this is exactly the right perspective, but I think of it similarly to when I hear ferocious barking, turn to see where it is coming from, and see it is some little tiny yapping dog, and I smile and think, “Who do you think you are?!” Sure, a little dog can still cause harm, but he’s not nearly as big and mighty as he seems to think he is. And the wicked are the same. Yes, they can cause harm. But their power is limited, and their reward is coming.

We are instructed in the New Testament to “Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you” (Matthew 5:44). I have heard testimony of some who have come to the Lord as a result of being loved and prayed for in the face of hatred and perecution. God “is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance (II Peter 3:9). But if a person will not repent, they will have to face God’s judgment.

So God will take care of the wicked one way or another. This reminds me of Psalm 37:7: “Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for him: fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way, because of the man who bringeth wicked devices to pass.”

By contrast to the characteristics and fate of the wicked, David says he is “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.” He will not be cut down: he will be growing and fruitful in the house of God, trusting in His mercy forever, praising Him forever.

We can wait on God’s good name as well, trusting and resting in Him.

For more meditations on this Psalm or to join in with your own, see Butterfly Kisses.