Good By God's Standards

To the choirmaster. A Maskil of David, when Doeg, the Edomite, came and told Saul, “David has come to the house of Ahimelech.”

1 Why do you boast of evil, O mighty man?
    The steadfast love of God endures all the day.
2 Your tongue plots destruction,
    like a sharp razor, you worker of deceit.
3 You love evil more than good,
    and lying more than speaking what is right. Selah
4 You love all words that devour,
    O deceitful tongue.

5 But God will break you down forever;
    he will snatch and tear you from your tent;
    he will uproot you from the land of the living. Selah
6 The righteous shall see and fear,
    and shall laugh at him, saying,
7 “See the man who would not make
    God his refuge,
but trusted in the abundance of his riches
    and sought refuge in his own destruction!”

8 But I am like a green olive tree
    in the house of God.
I trust in the steadfast love of God
    forever and ever.
9 I will thank you forever,
    because you have done it.
I will wait for your name, for it is good,
    in the presence of the godly. – Psalm 52:1-9 ESV

Doeg the Edomite had done a good thing, or at least he thought so. He had done exactly what the king of Israel had commanded him to do, and he knew it was going to win him favor in the king’s eyes. The fact that he had personally killed 85 priests of God, along with all their family members, didn’t seem to bother him. He seemed unconcerned that King Saul’s personal bodyguards had each refused to kill the Lord’s priests. When the king turned to Doeg and presented him with the opportunity to prove his loyalty, he stepped up to the challenge.

This story began when David was serving in King Saul’s royal administration. He had been hired by Saul after his unexpected victory over Goliath, the Philistine warrior who had repeatedly taunted and mocked the Israelites for their unwillingness to face him in hand-to-hand combat. David, a young shepherd boy, took on the Philistine's challenge and, with God’s help, scored a decisive victory over his much larger and battle-hardened foe. David’s success over the Philistine made David famous and Saul jealous. It wasn’t long before the insecure king viewed David as a threat to his reign.

Possessed by an evil spirit and driven by jealousy, Saul attempted to take David’s life, forcing the young man to flee for his life. Desperate to escape from the demon-possessed king, David sought refuge in the town of Nob, where Ahimelech the priest provided him with food and the sword of Goliath, which had been kept there ever since David had killed the Philistine champion in battle. Little did David know that Doeg the Edomite, one of King Saul’s chief herdsmen, was there in Nob and saw the whole exchange between David and Ahimelech. He returned to Saul and reported that the priest had aided and abetted David, a fugitive from justice.

As a result of Doeg’s news, King Saul commanded the slaughter of all 85 of the priests of God living in Nob, along with their families. When Saul’s bodyguard refused to do his bidding, Doeg the herdsmen was given a chance to improve his station in life by proving his loyalty and displaying his bravery to the king. And evidently, according to David, Doeg the Edomite even bragged about his brave “exploits” against the unarmed priests of God, trying to present himself as a mighty warrior.

Why do you boast about your crimes, great warrior?
    Don’t you realize God’s justice continues forever?
All day long you plot destruction.
    Your tongue cuts like a sharp razor;
    you’re an expert at telling lies.
You love evil more than good
    and lies more than truth. – Psalm 52:1-3 NLT

Doeg had a knack for blowing the whole affair out of proportion, expanding the story with fanciful lies designed to justify his actions and boost his fame. David accused him of being “an expert at telling lies” (Psalm 52:3). He saw Doeg for what he was: a man who loved evil more than righteousness. He distorted reality by making evil appear as if it were good. At the end of the day, Doeg the Edomite cared more about himself than he did about God. His willingness to slaughter God’s priests reveals that he had no fear of the Almighty and no desire to do the right thing. He was obsessed with his own well-being and self-gratification. No doubt Saul rewarded him well for his “brave” handling of the whole affair.

While David was a man after God’s own heart (1 Samuel 13:14), Doeg was a man after Saul’s own heart. Like Saul, he wasn’t interested in doing what God wanted done; he was a selfish, self-centered man who longed to make a name for himself. His murder of God’s priests was probably well rewarded by Saul. More than likely, he was raised from chief herdsman to warrior status. His X-rated exploits got him a promotion, a raise, and the king's praise. But David warned Doeg about the reality of his situation.

You love to destroy others with your words,
    you liar!
But God will strike you down once and for all.
    He will pull you from your home
    and uproot you from the land of the living.  – Psalm 52:4-5 NLT

God was going to repay Doeg in full for what he had done. David says, “Look what happens to mighty warriors who do not trust in God. They trust their wealth instead and grow more and more bold in their wickedness” (Psalm 52:7 NLT). David sarcastically refers to Doeg as a “mighty warrior” and accuses him of trusting his newfound wealth instead of God. He was addicted to his fame and fortune and became increasingly wicked, looking for additional opportunities to pad his resume and expand his wealth.

But Doeg’s “good deed” was in direct opposition to God’s will. He had slaughtered innocent people just to pad his resume and improve his lot in life. He was rewarded richly for his efforts, but God would hold him accountable.

David knew that those who oppose God’s will may receive rewards and recognition in this life, but, in the end, they will always get what they deserve. David preferred to trust in God. Rather than take matters into his own hands and do what appears to be good and expeditious by the world’s standards, David preferred to obey God. He would do only what God would have him do. On two different occasions, David had the opportunity to murder King Saul, and had he done so, he could have ended his fugitive lifestyle. Even David’s companions encouraged him to kill Saul, seeing it as a God-ordained opportunity to take revenge on his enemy. But David refused, knowing that God had not given him permission to kill the king. He believed that God would take care of King Saul in His own time and according to His own terms. In the meantime, David would trust God.

Despite the anger of Saul and the efforts of men like Doeg, God came through for David. Eventually, God eliminated Saul and elevated David to the throne. David trusted, and God provided. This is what led David to say, “I am like an olive tree, thriving in the house of God. I will always trust in God’s unfailing love. I will praise you forever, O God, for what you have done. I will trust in your good name in the presence of your faithful people” (Psalm 52:8-9 NLT).

Doeg trusted in himself. David trusted in God. Doeg was out for himself. David was out for God. Doeg looked successful, but would eventually fail. At one time, David appeared abandoned by God and was an apparent failure in the world’s eyes. But he trusted God and was rewarded for his faithfulness. David did what was right, according to God’s standards, and enjoyed true success. Doeg did what was right in his own eyes and according to the world’s standards, but failed in the end. We aren’t told what happened to Doeg the Edomite, but we can rest assured that God repaid him in full for what he had done – either in this life or the next.

David knew that God would deal with Doeg justly. “But God will strike you down once and for all. He will pull you from your home and uproot you from the land of the living” (Psalm 52:5 NLT). David trusted God.

Father, this world is constantly tempting us to live according to its standards. It wants us to do good on its terms, but You call us to trust You and live according to Your standards. Keep reminding us that Your way is the not only the best way, it is the only way. Your will trumps our will every time. Doing what is right in our own eyes or according to the world’s standards is never a profitable path to take. Trusting in You isn’t always easy, but it is always profitable. Amen

English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

The Danger of Disobedience.

After these things King Ahasuerus promoted Haman the Agagite, the son of Hammedatha, and advanced him and set his throne above all the officials who were with him. And all the king's servants who were at the king's gate bowed down and paid homage to Haman, for the king had so commanded concerning him. But Mordecai did not bow down or pay homage. Then the king's servants who were at the king's gate said to Mordecai, “Why do you transgress the king's command?” And when they spoke to him day after day and he would not listen to them, they told Haman, in order to see whether Mordecai's words would stand, for he had told them that he was a Jew. And when Haman saw that Mordecai did not bow down or pay homage to him, Haman was filled with fury. But he disdained to lay hands on Mordecai alone. So, as they had made known to him the people of Mordecai, Haman sought to destroy all the Jews, the people of Mordecai, throughout the whole kingdom of Ahasuerus. – Esther 3:1-6 ESV

Mordecai has just foiled an assassination plot and helped save the life of the king. And while Mordecai’s efforts earned him a place in the official chronicles of the king, that was all the recognition he received. And yet, another individual, new to our story, was about to receive a huge promotion that would create a major conflict for Mordecai and Esther. The man’s name is Haman and the important, but often neglected part of the story is his heritage. He is an Agagite. Like Esther and Mordecai, he is not a native Persian. He is an outsider who has made his way to the Persian empire, most likely as the result of their conquest of his land. What is significant is that Haman is an Agagite, a descendant of Agag, the Amalakite. The Amalakites carried out an unprovoked attack on the Israelites during their days in the wilderness. Joshua and the people of Israel defeated them in battle and God pronounced a curse on the Amalakies. “Write this as a memorial in a book and recite it in the ears of Joshua, that I will utterly blot out the memory of Amalek from under heaven” (Exodus 17:14 ESV).

Years later, long after Israel had settled in the land of Canaan and Saul had become their king, God sent word to King Saul through Samuel, the prophet. “Thus says the Lord of hosts, ‘I have noted what Amalek did to Israel in opposing them on the way when they came up out of Egypt. Now go and strike Amalek and devote to destruction all that they have. Do not spare them, but kill both man and woman, child and infant, ox and sheep, camel and donkey’” (1 Samuel 15:2-3 ESV). Saul did as the Lord had commanded him, but he did not obey fully.

And Saul defeated the Amalekites from Havilah as far as Shur, which is east of Egypt. And he took Agag the king of the Amalekites alive and devoted to destruction all the people with the edge of the sword. But Saul and the people spared Agag and the best of the sheep and of the oxen and of the fattened calves and the lambs, and all that was good, and would not utterly destroy them. All that was despised and worthless they devoted to destruction. – 1 Samuel 15:7-9 ESV

Saul had spared King Agag and kept the best of the spoil, disobeying the direct orders of God. And he would be removed as the king of Israel for his disobedience. What makes all of this so important to the story of Esther is that she and Mordecai are both descendants of Saul and Haman, the newly promoted, second-highest official in the land, is a direct descendant of Agag. This long-standing conflict was about to be relived, all because one man refused to do what God had called him to do. His one act of disobedience and compromise was going to have long-term implications.

And the story makes it clear that Mordecai was well aware of Haman’s heritage, because it tells us “all the king's servants who were at the king's gate bowed down and paid homage to Haman, for the king had so commanded concerning him. But Mordecai did not bow down or pay homage” (Esther 3:2 ESV). Mordecai could not bring himself to pay homage to an enemy of his people. And when the king’s servants asked him why he was taking such a huge risk by not bowing down to Haman as the king had commanded, he simply informed them that he was a Jew. This news is reported to the king. It is interesting to note that when two officials of the king had plotted to assassinate him, it was Mordecai who made the news known to the king. Now, two officials are reporting Mordecai’s insubordination to Haman, unknowingly placing him in a very dangerous situation.

When Haman finds out about Mordecai’s refusal to bow down before him, his reaction is swift and over-the-top. Rather than take out his anger on Mordecai, he determines to destroy each and every Jew in the kingdom of the Persians. The long-standing hatred between the Amalakites and the Hebrews rises to the surface once more. And King Saul’s refusal to obey the command of God would come back to haunt the Jewish people. Haman would use his newfound power to not only settle a personal score between himself and Mordecai, but to wipe out all memory of the Jews from the land of the Persians. What is hiding just under the surface of this story is the role that disobedience plays in our lives. The whole reason Mordecai and Esther are even living in Persia is because of the disobedience of the people of Judah. They had refused to listen to the prophets of God who had been sent by God to call them to repentance for their unfaithfulness and disobedience, and to warn them about their coming destruction. But they had refused to listen to God’ warnings and were ultimately defeated by the Babylonians and taken captive. Likewise, the whole reason Haman even existed was because King Saul had refused to obey the word of God and completely destroy the Amalakites from the face of the earth. Haman was nothing more than the residual effect of Saul’s disobedience. Failure to do the will of God always has ramifications. Disobedience to God always has dire consequences. And Mordecai and Esther were going to learn a first-hand lesson in just how how dangerous disobedience could be.

No Permission To Stop Praying.

Moreover, as for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the Lord by ceasing to pray for you, and I will instruct you in the good and the right way. – 1 Samuel 12:23 ESV

Samuel was near the end of his prophetic ministry. He had faithfully executed his duties as a prophet of God and had actually served as the last judge over the nation of Israel. So when the people came to him clamoring for and demanding that God give them a king just like all the other nations, Samuel was less than happy. He felt rejected by the people. Of course, on the surface, he blasted them for rejecting God as their King. But God saw through his anger and said, “Obey the voice of the people in all that they say to you, for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected me from being king over them” (1 Samuel 8:7 ESV). Over the years, Samuel had had plenty of opportunities to witness the stubbornness and rebellion of the people of Israel first hand. Their arrogant demand for a king was just one more example of their unwillingness to recognize God as their sovereign ruler and Lord.

Chapter 12 starts off with a very defensive-laden monologue by Samuel. “Behold, I have obeyed your voice in all that you have said to me and have made a king over you. And now, behold, the king walks before you, and I am old and gray; and behold, my sons are with you. I have walked before you from my youth until this day” (1 Samuel 12:1-2 ESV). He is still upset. He demands that the people voice their complaints or accusations against him. He wants to know why they have rejected him. Did he steal something? If he did, he would make restitution. Had he defrauded anyone? Was his leadership oppressive? Had he ruled unfaithfully by taking bribes? The people swore before God that Samuel had done none of those things and was undeserving of their treatment of him. You can tell from the passage that Samuel was still upset about their demand for a king. He had taken it personally.

Then he recounted all the ways in which the people of Israel had sinned against God over the years. Time and time again, the people had cried out to God and He had delivered them. All the way back to their captivity in Egypt, God had heard their cries and provided them with victory over their enemies. “But they forgot the Lord their God…” (1 Samuel 12:9 ESV). And now they were doing it again. “And when you saw that Nahash the king of the Ammonites came against you, you said to me, ‘No, but a king shall reign over us,’ when the Lord your God was your king. And now behold the king whom you have chosen, for whom you have asked; behold, the Lord has set a king over you” (1 Samuel 12:12-13 ESV). The people may have been rebellious, but they weren't stupid. They got Samuel's point and confessed their sin and begged Samuel to pray for them. They feared the rejection of God. So Samuel assured them, “Do not be afraid; you have done all this evil. Yet do not turn aside from following the Lord, but serve the Lord with all your heart. And do not turn aside after empty things that cannot profit or deliver, for they are empty. For the Lord will not forsake his people, for his great name's sake, because it has pleased the Lord to make you a people for himself” (1 Samuel 12:20-22 ESV).

Then Samuel said something to them that was probably difficult for him to say. “Moreover, as for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the Lord by ceasing to pray for you, and I will instruct you in the good and the right way” (1 Samuel 12:23 ESV). As much as Samuel may have desired to see divine judgment meted out on the people for their rejection of him and their sin against God, he knew he wasn’t free from his responsibility to pray for and instruct them. God had not released him from his duties as a prophet. To fail to pray for them and teach them would have been a sin for Samuel. In spite of their stubbornness and rebellion, Samuel was obligated by God to minister to and pray for them. The rejection of our leadership by others is a difficult thing to stomach. Our pride suffers. Our feelings get hurt. And we find it easy to justify a decision to abandon our God-given responsibility to pray for them. Parents face this situation every day. Our children refuse to listen to us, rejecting our authority over their lives and demanding to make their own decisions. At those times it could be easy to give up and stop lifting them up in prayer. But their rejection of our authority doesn't release us from our God-given responsibility to care for them. Samuel may have been rejected by the people, but he was still obligated by his commitment to God. There will be those in our lives who refuse to listen to us. There will be times when others will reject our input and fail to recognize our legitimate care for their lives. But rather than abandon them in anger and resentment, we must pray for them. Like Samuel, we must learn to say, “far be it from me that I should sin against the Lord by ceasing to pray for you, and I will instruct you in the good and the right way.” We must keep on loving by continuing to pray for them. We must keep on trusting God by continuing to teach them, leaving the results up to Him. It's easy to pray for those who listen to and honor us. But prayers for the rebellious and sinful come hard. When we lose our influence over others, rather than give up, we must lift them up to God. We must love them enough to trust them into His care.