Heart of a Psalmist - Worshipping Christ Through The Psalms

are the children of your father the Devil, and you love to do the evil things he does. He was a murderer from the beginning and has always hated the truth. There is no truth in him. When he lies, it is consis- tent with his character; for he is a liar and the father of lies.”(John 8:44)

II THE ‘LAUGHTER’ OF THE RIGHTEOUS - 5-7

Although evil people have their day of power and the wicked do sometimes flourish they will ulti- mately be brought down by the rightness of God. Three judgments are mentioned here in verse 5: 1. Struck down- “But God will strike you down once and for all.” This refers to the breaking down of a house into rubble. 2. Plucked up- “He will pull you (pluck you up) from your home…” This is like pulling out a tree that is planted in the middle of your house. 3. Dragged away- “…and drag you from the land of the living. Interlude” The image is that of one resisting as they are being dragged from their house to be executed. This was the ultimate fate of Saul and Doeg. The parallels and contrasts between the Old Testament King ‘Saul’ and the New Testament ‘Saul’ of Tarsus (Paul the Apostle) are important. • Like King Saul and Doeg, Saul of Tarsus allowed others to carry out his own murderous hatred of the Christians rather than kill them directly. He was consenting to the death of Stephen when they ‘dragged him away to death’: “They dragged him (Stephen) out of the city and began to stone him. The official witnesses took off their coats and laid them at the feet of a young man named Saul …Saul was one of the official witnesses at the killing of Stephen.” (Acts 7:58, 8:1) • As King Saul persecuted David and his men, Saul of Tarsus seemed to be the main source of the wave of persecution towards the Christians: “A great wave of persecution began that day, sweep- ing over the church in Jerusalem…Saul was going everywhere to devastate the church. He went from house to house, dragging out both men and women to throw them into jail.” (Acts 8:1,3) • Like King Saul and Doeg, Saul of Tarsus believed the lies concerning the Christians and went on an obsessed rampage against them: “Meanwhile, Saul was uttering threats with every breath. He was eager to destroy the Lord’s followers, so he went to high priest. He requested letters addressed to the synagogues in Damascus, asking their cooperation in the arrest of any followers of the Way he found there. He went to bring them (Greek=drag them)–both men and women–back to Jerusalem in chains.” (Acts 9:1,2) Unlike King Saul, Saul of Tarsus responded to the mercy of God and was transformed from a ‘mur- derer’ to a ‘minister’ by the good news of Christ! “I hunted down his people, harming them in every way I could. But God had mercy on me because I did it in unbelief. Oh, how kind and gracious the Lord was! He filled me completely with faith and the love of Christ Jesus.” (1 Tim. 1:13,14) The love of Christ turns ‘Sauls’ into ‘Pauls.’ “The righteous will see it and be amazed. They will laugh and say, ‘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.’” (6,7) Saul and Doeg were powerful and wealthy when they persecuted David but after the death of Saul, David is exalted to the throne and Doeg is never heard of again. This dramatic change caused the pop- ulation to laugh and be amazed. Imagine the amazement and laughter of the Christians in the 1st cen- tury as they hear the news that their main persecutor, Saul of Tarsus, has now become a preacher! “All who heard him (Saul of Tarsus) were amazed. ‘Isn’t this the same man who persecuted Jesus’ follow- ers with such devastation in Jerusalem?’”(Acts 9:21)

III THE LOVE OF GOD - 8,9

“But I am like an olive tree, thriving in the house of God.” (8)

In contrast to Saul and Doeg who were plucked out of their dwellings, David is planted and estab- lished securely in God’s house like an olive tree. Olive trees are one of the most lasting of all trees. Paul compares the family of faith to an olive tree in his Roman letter: “So now you also receive the blessing

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