Psalm 52: The Treachery of Doeg! 1. The Nature of a Doeg Psalm 52:1-7

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.