Read
(A special psalm by David for the music leader. He wrote this when Doeg from Edom went to Saul and said, “David has gone to Ahimelech's house.”)
God Is in Control
1 You people may be strong
and brag about your sins,
but God can be trusted
day after day.
2You plan brutal crimes,
and your lying words cut
like a sharp razor.
3You would rather do evil
than good, and tell lies
than speak the truth.
4You love to say cruel things,
and your words are a trap.
5God will destroy you forever!
He will grab you and drag you
from your homes.
You will be uprooted
and left to die.
6When good people see
this fearsome sight,
they will laugh and say,
7“Just look at them now!
Instead of trusting God,
they trusted their wealth
and their cruelty.”
8But I am like an olive tree
growing in God's house,
and I can count on his love
forever and ever.
9I will always thank God
for what he has done;
I will praise his good name
when his people meet.
Reflect
The superscription to this Psalm tells us the context in which ancient Israel believed the song was composed. David “wrote this when Doeg from Edom went to Saul and said, ‘David has gone to Ahimelech’s house.’”
We can read that terrible story in 1 Samuel 21-22. David, on the run from Saul, sought food and help from a priest named Ahimelech. Doeg, a servant of Saul, witnessed the exchange and reported it back to his master, who interpreted the priest’s actions as treachery, and ordered the slaughter of Ahimelech and his family.
The song opens by acknowledging the strength of the psalmist’s enemies, but affirms his trust in God. The psalmist goes on to detail his opponents’ sins, pronounces judgment for those sins, but ends with hope.
We may never have to worry about an enemy reporting our actions to a king, but it is part of the human condition to know betrayal. If we have ever put our trust in other people, we have no doubt experienced times when those people let us down. The disappointment, bitterness and pain accompanying such a betrayal can feel overwhelming.
Evil exists in our world. And when we suffer at the hands of evil, we can even feel betrayed by God. But if the psalms teach us anything, it is that God—who ordained that these human words and emotions should be preserved as Scripture—is big enough to listen to our outbursts, doubts and questions. He wants us to take our complaints to him.
In spite of appearances to the contrary, God is in control. Evil may win certain battles, but God will win the war. In the meantime, there is comfort in joining our voice with the psalmist’s in affirming God can be trusted, and in praising “his good name.”
Respond
Righteous God. You alone are holy. Help me to remember that when evil seems to be winning—in my life or in the world—that you are in control; these trials are only temporary. Then I will trust in you and sing praises to your name. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
Patricia Paddey
Patricia Paddey has worked with Canada’s mainstream media in positions at the CBC, CTV and The CNW Group. Since 1998, she has managed a thriving freelance business, creating print, broadcast and online content for Christian media and non-profit organizations. An award-winning writer, she has been published in a wide array of Canadian publications. With an undergraduate degree in Radio and Television Arts, she is pursuing an Master of Theological Studies part-time, and works as Director of Communications for Wycliffe College at the University of Toronto.