“Here now is the man who did not make God his stronghold but trusted in his great wealth and grew strong by destroying others!” – Psalm 52:7

Today’s Scripture Reading (February 1, 2016): Psalm 52

Abe Vigoda passed away last week at the age of 94. (I should insert here that he really passed away. I am not sure if there is a record kept for most times declared dead by the media and gossip columnists while you are still alive, but if there is such a record it should belong to Abe – he has been rumored to have died since the early 1980’s). Vigoda’s fame really came from playing Detective Fish on “Barney Miller,” a comedy about a police station which ran from 1975-1982. And as Detective Fish, Vigoda shone. He played the part of the perpetually retiring detective with every ounce of his being.

After leaving the show, it seems that others have made a lot of money simply by declaring that he had died. And each time Vigoda would have to stand up and say “no, not me. I am still alive!” But the reality is that we have a vast industry that seems to do nothing more than make money off of the sad news of life – especially when that sad news pertains to celebrities. They tell us who has died, and who has gotten divorced, or who is cheating on who. We know who is in rehab and who is not in rehab but should be. And we, the consumer, are willing to shell out the dollars for the information – even if the information isn’t true. We don’t live forever, so at some point the gossip columnists had to get the news of Abe Vigoda’s death right. Apparently they have reached that point, and Vigoda will be greatly missed by all of his fans.   

David writes this Psalm about Doeg the Edomite. Doeg served King Saul, and apparently was willing to do whatever it was that Saul wanted him to do. He was even willing to kill the priests of Nob for Saul when no one else would lift a hand against the anointed of God. And, of course, he got very rich doing it. Doeg had hitched his future to the power of Saul and the great wealth that he could acquire while serving the king. But in doing so, David points out that he has had to let go of God. As a result, Doeg’s success will be short lived, because Saul is not eternal – that distinction belongs only to God.

David realizes that he is a personality that Doeg has committed to destroy. But unlike Doeg, David makes it clear that he is dependent on God, and that his life has been placed firmly into the hands of God. His life or destruction will only come as God allows it, and David is very comfortable with that.

It should be noted that the Books of Samuel and the Psalms that were written during this period provide a record or a reason for the change in regime that Israel was experiencing at this time in their history. Doeg’s worldview of power and wealth as the motivating factor, which was essentially the world view of King Saul, was put up against David’s belief in God and his willingness to trust in him. Because of this David, and not Saul, reflected the future of Israel – a nation built around the idea of depending on God.

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Psalm 34