June 13 – Psalm 52

June 13 – Psalm 52

Dear Father, we come before You in praise and with thanksgiving for You give us our, ‘But God’ moments. You orchestrate our lives for Your glory. May we in our quiet time recognize You for who You are: our Lord God, the God of Israel.

First, do your own quiet time and 4R journaling.  When you are completed, come back here for the lesson.

Request God’s help

Read  Psalm 52

Record a verse that stands out to you

Respond to God

Behold the power of God’s steadfast love! David declares that because God’s love is steadfast, evil WILL be rooted out and destroyed.  ‘But God’ moments are not always for His followers as we have already seen here in this study.  Often times they are for judgement which is what is happening here in Psalm 52.  Those who do not follow Him, those who plot destruction, love evil, lie… they will be judged and destroyed.  David used such strong words: tear, snatch, break down and uproot.  Wow!  Such stark contrast to God’s character David describes as:  love steadfast and His name is good (verse 9).

This term “uproot”  in verse 5 is a great picture.  When one thinks of God as the Master Gardener, this phrase has expanded meaning.  Take a walk with me through a garden for a minute.  If a plant is rooted out, it is utterly destroyed.  Every part, every bit so that it doesn’t regenerate and regrow.  Once plucked, the ground is covered and the hole filled in as if it were never there.  Its existence in the past and present is extinguished and erased.

Compare that to a Jesus follower who has a home (verse 8) of adoption.  When we die we are not rooted out, we are carefully extracted and transplanted.  And then our hole is filled up with another young Jesus follower, growing where we once were.  The soil fertile and ready for regrowth.  Because we have left a legacy of faith, we have watered another’s faith seed and our testimony lives on where we are replanted in the house of God.

When God gives judgement on those who deny Him it will be just and right, it will be damning and separating.  But for those who do not deny Him, they will have: unity, a home, His steadfast love and His goodness.  This is His promise and covenant with us. That we will be renewed through Christ, rebirthed in Him, and we will be reunited with Him once again. Gone are the days of separation and doom. Gone are the days destined for destruction.  Ahead of us is the promise fulfilled.  Joy be the day when we are on the other side of heaven and reunited with our good, good God!

“The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases;
his mercies never come to an end;

they are new every morning;
great is your faithfulness.”

Lamentations 3:22-23

(Further Reading: 1 Samuel 21-22; Hebrews 9:27)

O Lord God, You are steadfastly eternal, Your love endures forever and with You we find rest.

What’s next?

As the Spirit leads, in the comment section below, share what He has laid on your heart.

Then join us again tomorrow for the next commentary.

My Verse: Psalm 52: 5, “But God will break you down forever; He will snatch and tear you from your tent; He will uproot you from the land of the living.”