"Why do you boast of evil, you mighty hero? Why do you boast all day long, you who are a disgrace in the eyes of God? Surely God will bring you down to everlasting ruin: He will snatch you up and pluck you from your tent; he will uproot you from the land of the living. But I am like an olive tree flourishing in the house of God; I trust in God's unfailing love for ever and ever (Psalm 52:1,5,8). Once, when David was hiding from King Saul and his murderous paranoia, he was given refuge by the priest Ahimelech. Unfortunately, Saul's chief shepherd, Doeg, was also with the priest that day. After telling Saul what he had seen, Doeg volunteered to get vengeance for the king. Successfully murdering Ahimelech and 83 of his clan, Doeg felt quite macho: a warrior to be reckoned with. This prompts David's sarcastic line, "Why do you boast of evil, you mighty hero?" (Psalm 52:1). Doeg epitomizes the "Big Lie" which the Bible traces from the Garden of Eden in Genesis to the Lake of Fire in Revelation. The "Big Lie" can be understood in various ways. It is the lie that we create ourselves (at least, our own success); that we are gods; that we command our own destiny; that we are self sufficient and autonomous; that the meaning of life is pleasure, self fulfilment, or independence. When we live out the "Big Lie" we deceive and manipulate people for our own ends. We make ourselves the centre of our universe. The underlying question of our lives is: "What's in it for me?" Few of us do this blatantly. Many of us live this way subconsciously. As much as we live by 'the big lie', we are cut off from God's goodness, we become evil in our intentions, feeding on our own selfishness. God comes to shatter the "Big Lie" that started in the Garden. When Adam and Eve fell, they did not become like gods, as Satan promised. Instead, they found themselves naked and ashamed, jumping into the bushes to hide from each other and God. There, God confronted them, showed them their sin, rendered His judgment, banishing them from the Garden to wander across the earth. However, while doing this, he also offered them hope, a way home. This hope weaves itself through the Old Testament, often hiding in plain site. It is fully revealed in Christ Jesus who came to dwell among us with truth and grace, 'the radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of his being…providing purification for our sins' (cf. Hebrews 1:3). We are still tempted, however, to live without God, but He doesn't leave us alone. He comes with warning, then judgment to show us our choices. We have only two: live with Him in the truth or live without Him in the "Big Lie." This Psalm addresses these choices. The psalm exposes the stupidity of the "mighty person" who trusts in herself or in his money, choosing evil rather than God's goodness. Such a person loves lying and has a "deceitful tongue" to cover up their evil. God will bring such people to ruin. The righteous will be in awe and laugh at such stupidity. The psalmist will be among them in God's house, worshipping and waiting on the Lord. Rather than finding life's meaning in himself, he finds it in the mercy of God and the goodness of His name. Doesn't a little of Doeg live in all of us? Jesus has the cure for doegishness: "Abide in me as I abide in you. Just as the branch cannot bear fruit by itself unless it abides in the vine, neither can you unless you abide in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who abide in me and I in them bear much fruit, because apart from me you can do nothing" (John 15:4-5). As you journey on, go with the blessing of God: May the peace of the Lord Christ go with you, wherever he may send you. May he guide you through the wilderness, protect you through the storm. May your day end with rejoicing at the wonders he has shown you. May you rest in his provision as he brings night, and then new dawn.

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