Text: “Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing (professing to be Christians), but inwardly are ravening wolves. Ye shall know them by their fruits...”
Matthew 7:15-16.
Good morning, active Christian! When your eyes open each morning, you pray
and thank the Lord God for another day.
When your feet hit the ground, you seek to worship the Lord God and
listen to His Voice in the pages of His Holy Word. When you leave your home, you are constantly
seeking ways to please the Lord Jesus, and reveal Him living within you unto
others. You are in fact, an ‘active
Christian’ servant of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Praise God if this describes you and me. All redeemed souls should be ‘active
Christians’!
“Let your light so shine before men, that
they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in Heaven.” (Matthew 5:16)
However, all such active Christians need
to be aware that the Devil and his servants are never far from us, when we seek
to actively serve the risen Lord Jesus.
Sometimes those whom we think are our friends in Christ, can be the very
people who, perhaps because of personal envy or ambition, can hurt and hinder
us and our work for Christ the most.
Such was "Doeg the Edomite, which was set over the servants of Saul..." (1 Samuel 22:9)
“Even the malice of a Doeg may furnish
instruction to a David. ‘A Psalm of David’.
He was the prime object of Doeg’s doggish hatred, and therefore the most
fitting person to draw from the incident the lesson concealed within it.” (C.H. Spurgeon, Treasury of David, page
243)
The nature of Doeg was to lurk in close
association with king Saul and to seek to curry favour with the King and his
immediate courtiers – to play the sycophant – and to flatter and insinuate his
way up the ladder of political influence in king Saul’s powerful kingdom.
Dictionary
Definition: Sycophant –
(Noun) a servile flatterer; a common informer; obsequious flattery; servility;
mean tale-bearer, etc... (The Chambers
Dictionary, page 1674)
A Doeg will therefore do the lowest deeds
that other men will not deem to do, and all for self-gain and personal
power. When king Saul made the monstrous
decision to kill Ahimelech and all the priests of the Lord who resided at Nob,
‘...the servants of the king would not put forth their hand to fall upon the
priests of the Lord’ (1 Samuel 22:17)
Doeg’s
Dirty Deeds: “And the king said to Doeg, Turn thou, and
fall upon the priests. And Doeg the
Edomite turned, and he fell upon the priests, and slew on that day fourscore
and five persons (85 people) that did wear a linen ephod.” (1 Samuel 22:18)
Evil
Begets Evil: One sin leads to two sins, leads to multiple
sins in the eyes of the Living Lord God.
Doeg then went on to the city of the priests at Nob. “And 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, with the edge of the sword.” (1 Samuel 22:19)
Doeg’s infamy resounds within the pages of
Scripture, and down through the ages of history. All active Christians must beware, and watch
out that we never endure the presence of a Doeg in our close company or
fellowships.
Verse 1. “Why boasteth thou thyself in
mischief, O mighty man? Doeg had small matter of boasting in having
procured the slaughter of a band of defenceless priests. A mighty man indeed to kill men who never
touched a sword! He ought to have been
ashamed of his cowardice. He had no room
for exultation! Honourable titles are
but irony where the wearer is mean and cruel.” (C.H. Spurgeon, Treasury of David, page 243)
“But the tongue can no man tame; it is an
unruly evil, full of deadly poison.” (James 3:8)
The Doeg’s of this world today are
characteristically flattering tale-bearers, they have much to say about the
active Christian’s faults, failings, and weaknesses – but very little to say
about our talents, faithfulness, and Christian love.
“A tale-bearer revealeth secrets: but he
that is of a faithful spirit concealeth the matter.” (Proverbs 11:13)
Verse 2. “Thy tongue deviseth mischiefs. Sycophantic flatterers are basically ‘Yes men’, who agree with
everything that is suggested by the church-group leader, or leadership. In
his/her eyes ANYTHING GOES, as long as the ‘anything’ promotes Doeg
personally. They can, therefore, be in the
inner circle of influence, and slip a poisoning word into the ear of those with
power and church authority. They think
they can push themselves up, by putting another brother/sister down with their
jaundiced lies. Active Christian –
BEWARE!
Verse 2.
“Like a sharp razor. The smooth, adroit manner of executing a wicked device neither
hides nor abates its wickedness. Murder
with a sharp razor is as wicked as murder with a meat-axe or bludgeon. A lie very ingeniously framed and rehearsed
in an oily manner is as great a sin and in the end will be seen to be as great
a folly as the most bungling attempt at deception.” (William S. Plumer 1802-1880)
Verse 3. “Thou lovest evil more than good;
and lying rather than to speak righteousness. This principle underpins every fibre of a
Doeg’s nature, and reveals the indisputable fact, that the Doegs of this world
are as reprobate (rejected by God) as can be, and have never been elect of God.
“For unto us (the elect) was the Gospel
preached, as well as unto them (the reprobate, rejected by God, passed over by
God for Salvation): but the Word preached did not profit them, not being mixed
by faith in them that heard it.”
(Hebrews 4:2)
Verse 4. “Thou lovest all devouring
words. There are words that, like boa-constrictors,
swallow men whole, or like lions, rend men to pieces; these words evil minds
are fond of.” (C.H. Spurgeon, Treasury
of David, page 243)
Thought: Barking Doegs are far more dangerous than
barking dogs! Take care, active Christian! The Lord knows your earnestness and your
faithful zeal is from Him.