Woe to the Wicked
The world we live in is full of slanderous, deceitful, destructive people who love and boast in evil. Believers are often the target of their animosity. Be comforted brethren because in this psalm the wicked are confronted and told of their impeding doom at God’s hand.
The wicked are arrogant and boast in their evil, and have little shame in all their “mighty” acts (52:1). Their tongues are slanderous, like sharp razor cuts that are small but cause great hurt (52:2). What they love is seen in what they enjoy, evil and falsehood more than good (52:3). They are lovers of gossip, slander and deceit (52:4). How many godly men and women have been hurt by lies and slander of the wicked? Their actions reveal their arrogant and selfish hearts.
The psalmist tells the wicked that God’s judgement is coming upon them soon (52:5). God is going to break them down, snatch them up, tear them away, and uproot them from the land of the living (52:5). Their destruction will be total and their judgment sure. There will be no escape for the wicked (Rev 20:11-15). There is no hope for any sinner apart from the grace of God in Christ.
But there is hope for those that remain faithful to Christ. God has promised to rescue the godly from the great Day of Wrath (1 Thess 1:10; 2 Peter 2:9). The righteous will see God’s judgment and worship God. They will erupt in joyous laughter at the long awaited justice of God Almighty (52:6).
Brethren, wait patiently for the Lord and trust in His love for you (52:8-9). He will bring justice to a world that is wicked and evil. God is good, and He will prevail over those that sin against Him and His saints (52:9).