The "mighty man" "gibb“r" is the villain described in this psalm, a most wicked man. He is identified as Doeg, the Edomite, "the chiefest of the herdmen that belonged to Saul" (1 Samuel 21:7 ), set over the servants of Saul (1 Samuel 22:9 ) that is given in the preface of the psalm. The setting is described as the time when Doeg told Saul that David is come to the house of Ahimelech that lived in the city of Nob is a town North-East of Jerusalem as given in the map below.
It is appropriate to now provide the background for this psalm. David was fleeing from King Saul who sought his life after parting with Jonathan. He sought refuge in Nob, city of the priests. Doeg, the Edomite saw David in Nob with Ahimelech the priest. This is the account from 1 Samuel 21:1-10 "Then came David to Nob to Ahimelech the priest: and Ahimelech was afraid at the meeting of David, and said unto him, Why art thou alone, and no man with thee? And David said unto Ahimelech the priest, The king hath commanded me a business, and hath said unto me, Let no man know any thing of the business whereabout I send thee, and what I have commanded thee: and I have appointed my servants to such and such a place. Now therefore what is under thine hand? give me five loaves of bread in mine hand, or what there is present. And the priest answered David, and said, There is no common bread under mine hand, but there is hallowed bread; if the young men have kept themselves at least from women. And David answered the priest, and said unto him, Of a truth women have been kept from us about these three days, since I came out, and the vessels of the young men are holy, and the bread is in a manner common, yea, though it were sanctified this day in the vessel. So the priest gave him hallowed bread: for there was no bread there but the shewbread, that was taken from before the LORD, to put hot bread in the day when it was taken away. Now a certain man of the servants of Saul was there that day, detained before the LORD; and his name was Doeg, an Edomite, the chiefest of the herdmen that belonged to Saul. And David said unto Ahimelech, And is there not here under thine hand spear or sword? for I have neither brought my sword nor my weapons with me, because the king's business required haste. And the priest said, The sword of Goliath the Philistine, whom thou slewest in the valley of Elah, behold, it is here wrapped in a cloth behind the ephod: if thou wilt take that, take it: for there is no other save that here. And David said, There is none like that; give it me. And David arose, and fled that day for fear of Saul, and went to Achish the king of Gath."
Doeg was an eye-witness to David lodging in Nob. Nob was a "city of priests" (1 Samuel 22:19 ), near Saul's capital of Gibeah to which the Tabernacle came to be transferred after the destruction of Shiloh (1 Samuel 14:2 , 3 ; cf. Jeremiah 7:14 ; Mark 2:26 ). At the time of David's flight from Saul, in 1015 B.C., the high priest Ahimelech provided him at Nob with showbread and the sword of Goliath (1 Sam 21:1-10 ).
Observe how Doeg used the information of David's whereabout to enrich himself causing untold harm to the priests and their familes in Nob, so that Saul subsequently slew eighty-five of the priests by the hand of Doeg and "smote the city with the edge of the sword" again by the hand of Doeg, the Edomite (1 Samuel 22:11-19 ). Here is the entire account of this incident with key verses in bold.
1 Samuel 22:1-23 "David therefore departed thence, and escaped to the cave Adullam: and when his brethren and all his father's house heard it, they went down thither to him. And every one that was in distress, and every one that was in debt, and every one that was discontented, gathered themselves unto him; and he became a captain over them: and there were with him about four hundred men. And David went thence to Mizpeh of Moab: and he said unto the king of Moab, Let my father and my mother, I pray thee, come forth, and be with you, till I know what God will do for me. And he brought them before the king of Moab: and they dwelt with him all the while that David was in the hold. And the prophet Gad said unto David, Abide not in the hold; depart, and get thee into the land of Judah. Then David departed, and came into the forest of Hareth. When Saul heard that David was discovered, and the men that were with him, (now Saul abode in Gibeah under a tree in Ramah, having his spear in his hand, and all his servants were standing about him;) Then Saul said unto his servants that stood about him, Hear now, ye Benjamites; will the son of Jesse give every one of you fields and vineyards, and make you all captains of thousands, and captains of hundreds; That all of you have conspired against me, and there is none that sheweth me that my son hath made a league with the son of Jesse, and there is none of you that is sorry for me, or sheweth unto me that my son hath stirred up my servant against me, to lie in wait, as at this day? Then answered Doeg the Edomite, which was set over the servants of Saul, and said, I saw the son of Jesse coming to Nob, to Ahimelech the son of Ahitub. And he inquired of the LORD for him, and gave him victuals, and gave him the sword of Goliath the Philistine. Then the king sent to call Ahimelech the priest, the son of Ahitub, and all his father's house, the priests that were in Nob: and they came all of them to the king. And Saul said, Hear now, thou son of Ahitub. And he answered, Here I am, my lord. And Saul said unto him, Why have ye conspired against me, thou and the son of Jesse, in that thou hast given him bread, and a sword, and hast inquired of God for him, that he should rise against me, to lie in wait, as at this day? Then Ahimelech answered the king, and said, And who is so faithful among all thy servants as David, which is the king's son in law, and goeth at thy bidding, and is honourable in thine house? Did I then begin to inquire of God for him? be it far from me: let not the king impute any thing unto his servant, nor to all the house of my father: for thy servant knew nothing of all this, less or more. And the king said, Thou shalt surely die, Ahimelech, thou, and all thy father's house. And the king said unto the footmen that stood about him, Turn, and slay the priests of the LORD; because their hand also is with David, and because they knew when he fled, and did not shew it to me. But the servants of the king would not put forth their hand to fall upon the priests of the LORD. 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 that did wear a linen ephod. 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. And one of the sons of Ahimelech the son of Ahitub, named Abiathar, escaped, and fled after David. And Abiathar shewed David that Saul had slain the LORD'S priests. And David said unto Abiathar, I knew it that day, when Doeg the Edomite was there, that he would surely tell Saul: I have occasioned the death of all the persons of thy father's house. Abide thou with me, fear not: for he that seeketh my life seeketh thy life: but with me thou shalt be in safeguard."
Saul subsequently slew eighty-five of the priests by the hand of Doeg and "smote the city with the edge of the sword", both men and women, children and sucklings, and oxen, and asses, and sheep, again by the hand of Doeg, the Edomite (1 Samuel 22:11-19 ).
Dear brethren, God judges wickedness whilst the righteous is delivered. The psalmist David describes the sad ending of the wicked, exhorting us to live a righteous life. This is the outline.
"Why boastest thou thyself in mischief, O mighty man?...Thy tongue deviseth mischiefs; like a sharp razor, working deceitfully. Thou lovest evil more than good; and lying rather than to speak righteousness. Selah. Thou lovest all devouring words, O thou deceitful tongue.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."
Why boastest thou thyself in mischief (v 1a ) - Boasting in anything other than God shows a heart of arrogant self-sufficiency. Such boasting symbolizes a fallen humanity, a heart that is bent on causing harm and injury to others. Scripture depicts the rich and powerful who assume they are more clever and powerful than God and who boast in their affliction of the righteous and poor (v 1 cf. 7). Proverbs 6:16-19 provide an apt description of the misdeeds of the wicked, "These six things doth the LORD hate: yea, seven are an abomination unto him. A proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, An heart that deviseth wicked imaginations, feet that be swift in running to mischief, A false witness that speaketh lies, and he that soweth discord among brethren."
The proud look is singled out as the first in the line of abominations that God hates.
Thy tongue deviseth mischiefs; like a sharp razor, working deceitfully (v 2 ) - Because the tongue betrays one's thoughts and attitudes, it also represents a lifestyle. The great power of the tongue finds expression in its characterization as a weapon of harm like a sharp razor. The deceitful tongue speaks falsehood. "It is no new policy of wicked men to seek to be great in court and in the favour of princes, by maligning the godly and fostering the displeasure against them; for Doeg of old climbed into court this way." (Dickson)
Thou lovest evil more than good and lying rather than to speak righteousness. Selah. (v 3 ) - The wicked loves to do evil more than good, lying than to speak righteousness. Pause here and think. Notice the use of the personal pronoun "thou", "thy", "thyself". The psalmist is indicting the sins of Doeg and by the use of the pronoun "you", "yourself", he is indicting us who may have been wicked in our thoughts, tongue and actions. May we examine our heart that the heinous sins of Doeg be not named among God's children.
King Ahab wanted to buy Naboth's vineyard. But Naboth had to decline the sale because his family has own it for many years and it would not be right to sell it to someone outside the family. King Ahab fumed and exclaimed in his heart, you may also find it is not right to displease your king. Like a spoilt child who cannot have his own way, Ahab returns to the palace. What is the matter? Are you ill? asked Jezebel his wicked wife. Naboth complained, "No-I want Naboth's vineyard, but he won't see it to me." Queen Jezebel signed King Ahab's name to letters she sent to elders and nobles of the city, accusing Naboth of cursing God and the King.and to have him stoned to death. The nobles knew in their heart, Naboth is a good man. Naboth is invited to a public meeting. And there - before all the people - two hired witnesses bring false witnesses against him. 1 Kings 21:13 "And there came in two men, children of Belial, and sat before him: and the men of Belial witnessed against him, even against Naboth, in the presence of the people, saying, Naboth did blaspheme God and the king. Then they carried him forth out of the city, and stoned him with stones, that he died." So the verdict is givenm Naboth is guilty, he was taken outside the city and stoned to death. This is the real world, where the depraved hearts of unconverted man literally skin their victims by their lies. (The Picture Bible, 403-406)
Thou lovest all devouring words, O thou deceitful tongue (v 4 ) - the unruly power of the tongue is well described by James in James 3:6-8 , "And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity: so is the tongue among our members, that it defileth the whole body, and setteth on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire of hell. For every kind of beasts, and of birds, and of serpents, and of things in the sea, is tamed, and hath been tamed of mankind: But the tongue can no man tame; it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison."
How we need to guard examine our words. "By examining the tongue of the patient, physicians find out the diseases of the body, and philosophers the diseases of the mind. - Justin Martyr (100 - 165 A.D.)
May our tongue be a good ambassador of a good heart. To speak kindly does not hurt the tongue.
Will the wicked go unpunished?
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 (v 7 ). The Christian goes to God in prayer for it unleashes God's power. The wicked uses his wealth and his own wisdom to strengthen himself at the expense of others. He will be strong in fulfilling his evil desires. Notice that the psalmist uses "gever" to describe this man. Such a man is usually with overtones of spiritual strength or masculinity. But here it is used to describe the wicked man? I believe the psalmist is trying to create a contrast here that this should not be the behaviour of the born again Christian, the spirit-filled man. What happened?
The Apostle Paul likewise warned Timothy against the dangers of setting his heart on riches in 1 Timothy 6:6-10 "But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. And having food and raiment let us be therewith content. But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition. For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows."
"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." (v 5 )
No, the wicked will not go unpunished. The wicked will perish forever, very strong words of eternal condemnation. Notice the psalmist uses the word "thee" three times to personalize the admonition to the reader. Could it be you?
God's judgment upon King Ahab and Jezebel came through Elijah the prophet, 1 Kings 21:16-29 "And it came to pass, when Ahab heard that Naboth was dead, that Ahab rose up to go down to the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite, to take possession of it. And the word of the LORD came to Elijah the Tishbite, saying, Arise, go down to meet Ahab king of Israel, which is in Samaria: behold, he is in the vineyard of Naboth, whither he is gone down to possess it. And thou shalt speak unto him, saying, Thus saith the LORD, Hast thou killed, and also taken possession? And thou shalt speak unto him, saying, Thus saith the LORD, In the place where dogs licked the blood of Naboth shall dogs lick thy blood, even thine. And Ahab said to Elijah, Hast thou found me, O mine enemy? And he answered, I have found thee: because thou hast sold thyself to work evil in the sight of the LORD. Behold, I will bring evil upon thee, and will take away thy posterity, and will cut off from Ahab him that pisseth against the wall, and him that is shut up and left in Israel, And will make thine house like the house of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, and like the house of Baasha the son of Ahijah, for the provocation wherewith thou hast provoked me to anger, and made Israel to sin. And of Jezebel also spake the LORD, saying, The dogs shall eat Jezebel by the wall of Jezreel. Him that dieth of Ahab in the city the dogs shall eat; and him that dieth in the field shall the fowls of the air eat. But there was none like unto Ahab, which did sell himself to work wickedness in the sight of the LORD, whom Jezebel his wife stirred up. And he did very abominably in following idols, according to all things as did the Amorites, whom the LORD cast out before the children of Israel. And it came to pass, when Ahab heard those words, that he rent his clothes, and put sackcloth upon his flesh, and fasted, and lay in sackcloth, and went softly. And the word of the LORD came to Elijah the Tishbite, saying, Seest thou how Ahab humbleth himself before me? because he humbleth himself before me, I will not bring the evil in his days: but in his son's days will I bring the evil upon his house."
The goodness of God endureth continually (v 1b ) - God's goodness or kindness does not fail toward His children. He is an everlasting fountain of life supplying good to His children who trust Him. The literal translation of "endureth continually" is "all the day".
The righteous also shall see, and fear, and shall laugh at him (v 6 ) - the plight of the wicked is an admonition to the righteous to daily follow His God according to His ways.
But I am like a green olive tree in the house of God: I trust in the mercy of God for ever and ever. (v 8 ) - Greenness is strongly linked in our minds with nature's life and food, here the psalmist turned it into a symbol of prosperity, the picture of the righteous as being "like a green olive tree." The prophet Jeremiah likewise pictures Judah in its prosperity as "A green olive tree, fair, and of goodly fruit". Olive trees take a long time to mature and become profitable. It needs to be patiently cultivated, but they become very precious and profitable crop for hundreds of years, longer than any other fruit producing tree or plant. This is a description of the enduring nature of the life of the godly or righteous man who bears good fruit of righteousness - the prosperity of the soul. The secret is "trust in the mercy of God." This explains now what the psalmist was arriving at when he said "the goodness of God endureth continually" in v 1a . "Trust" or "xj;B' ba_t?ah?" means to take God at His word. His mercy "ds,x¤,h?esed_ " means kindness, lovingkindness, mercy, goodness, faithfulness, love, acts of kindness. This aspect of God is one of several important features of His character: truth; faithfulness; mercy; steadfastness; justice; righteousness; goodness.
I will praise thee for ever, because thou hast done it (v 9a ) - All glory and praise is ascribed to God for prospering our soul. Truly, the regenerated soul prospers forever not because it can be so by itself but God has done it for him/her.
and I will wait on thy name; for it is good before thy saints. (v 9b ) - Paul interprets for us this verse well summarizing the blessed Christian life of the when he wrote in Ephesians 3:14-21 closing us with a benediction "For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, Of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man; That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God. Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen."
Day by day, and with each passing moment,
Strength I find to meet my trials here;
Trusting in my Father's wise bestowment,
I've no cause for worry or for fear.
He, whose heart is kind beyond all measure,
Gives unto each day what He deems best,
Lovingly its part of pain and pleasure,
Mingling toil with peace and rest.
Every day the Lord Himself is near me,
With a special mercy for each hour;
All my cares He fain would bear and cheer me,
He whose name is Counsellor and Pow'r.
The protection of His child and treasure
Is a charge that on Himself He laid;
"As thy days, thy strength shall be in measure,"
This the pledge to me He made.
Help me then, in every tribulation,
So to trust Thy promises, O Lord,
That I lose not faith's sweet consolation,
Offered me within Thy holy Word.
Help me, Lord, when toil and trouble meeting,
E'er to take, as from a father's hand,
One by one, the days, the moments fleeting,
Till with Christ the Lord I stand.