Out of the Overflow of the Heart: What Do Your Words Really Say? (Psalm 52)(ARBC Worship 6.9.24)

Ministry: www.arbc.net
Preacher: Matthew R. Perry, Pastor
As a Civil War enthusiast, one of my favorite movies is the 1989 classic, Glory, centered around the first black regiment, the 54th Massachusetts. Though they were a part of the Union army who, eventually, sought to defeat the South and set the slaves free, found themselves facing discrimination from Washington and the military on their side. One of the problems they faced was the lack of proper footwear. One of the soldiers was whipped for being a deserter when he was off trying to find some shoes.
Finally, Colonel Shaw went to the quartermaster and demanded 600 pairs of shoes and 1200 pairs of socks. When the supply sergeant denied him, he said, “You really think you can keep 700 Union soldiers without proper shoes because you think it’s funny. Now where would that power come from?”
That last line, that last question, is an interesting one. He could have used a lot of different words: “Where would that hate come from?” “Where would that apathy come from?” But he used the word “power.” It takes a great deal of character and integrity to be in a position of power and not leverage it for your glory and purposes.
We see from 1 Samuel 21-22 that David is running from King Saul. By this time, God’s favor had left Saul and was now on David to become King. Saul’s jealousy was ruling him, leaving David in danger, so he left. Some priests in Nob helped David, leading to their eventual slaughter by Doeg the Edomite. None of Saul’s other men would do so, but Doeg the Edomite (a people who had long been enemies of Israel), did so willingly-an egregious use of power.
As part of the songbook of God’s people, God chose to include this psalm in His word to remind us of the power of not only His word but of our words--not in a word-faith theology that some prosperity gospel where we can speak something into existence--but of how we use our words to leverage our own causes rather than Christ’s.