486_The destructive power of half-truths

Psalm 52 Why do you boast of evil, O mighty man?
The steadfast love of God endures all the day.
2 Your tongue plots destruction,
like a sharp razor, you worker of deceit.
3 You love evil more than good,
and lying more than speaking what is right. Selah
4 You love all words that devour,
O deceitful tongue.

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. Selah
6 The righteous shall see and fear,
and shall laugh at him, saying,
7 “See the man who would not make
God his refuge,
but trusted in the abundance of his riches
and sought refuge in his own destruction!”

8 But I am like a green olive tree
in the house of God.
I trust in the steadfast love of God
forever and ever.
9 I will thank you forever,
because you have done it.
I will wait for your name, for it is good,
in the presence of the godly.

Many years ago, during a tense court trial, a witness was called to the stand to testify in a high-profile case. The prosecutor asked a simple question: “Did you see the defendant at the scene?” The witness replied, “Yes, I did.” On the surface, it seemed like a solid, damning statement. But he omitted the most important thing—that the defendant had been at the scene hours before anything unlawful happened. Just a few omissions were enough to nearly ruin an innocent man. Eventually, the truth came out, but not before rumors spread and reputations were shattered. The witness didn’t tell a direct lie. He merely shaded the truth—what we often call a “half-truth.” But Scripture and life both emphasize that a half-truth can be just as destructive as a blatant lie when used in the service of deceit.

Psalm 52 is David’s response to a moment in his life where a half-truth led to horrific consequences. The heading of this psalm provides the context, recorded in 1 Samuel 21 and 22: “When Doeg, the Edomite, came and told Saul, ‘David has come to the house of Ahimelech.’”

Doeg was an Edomite and the chief herdsman of King Saul. On one occasion, he was “detained before the Lord,” possibly as part of some punishment or cleansing ritual. During that time, he witnessed David’s hasty visit to the tabernacle. David on this occasion lied to the old priest Ahimelech, pretending to be on the king’s business. In his innocence, the priest supplied David with the old shewbread and with the sword of Goliath kept there. But David immediately realized Doeg was a great danger, and fled from Israel to Gath, knowing Doeg would inform Saul about his visit to Ahimelech. Sure enough, when Saul demanded of his servants why they were all conspiring against him instead of informing him where to find David, Doeg spoke up. Saul was already ranting that no one cared about him, that his own son Jonathan had made a secret pact with David, and that everyone around him was hiding things from him. Knowing that Saul was obsessed with the idea that David was on the lookout to kill his master and usurp the throne, Doeg pandered to Saul’s delusion instead of withstanding it with the truth. He told Saul that he had seen David come to Ahimelech, who gave him bread and a sword.

Now, that seems like a factual report—but it was laced with intentional misrepresentation. He told a half-truth that was calculated to inflame Saul’s fear and feed his jealous anger. He confirmed Saul’s twisted suspicions and gave him a pretext to act in fury. The result? The slaughter of an entire family of priests without any cause. Saul’s own men refused to kill them, but Doeg, without hesitation or conscience, carried out the massacre with his own hands.

In Psalm 52, David is not just addressing Doeg as a man—he’s confronting the spirit behind the deed. “Why do you boast of evil, O mighty man?” David asks in verse 1. It is a cutting sarcasm, for Doeg’s might consists only of manipulating the truth to destroy others.

David goes further: “You love evil more than good, and lying more than speaking what is right. You love all words that devour, O deceitful tongue.” This is the essence of a lie. It uses words to destroy, whether true or false words. It distorts the narrative to devour the innocent. It does not love the truth, but only its own self-serving ambitions.

Doeg, like David, was in the house of the Lord – but with what different hearts! Doeg used that position, not to bless, but to betray. In contrast, David speaks of himself in verse 8: “But I am like a green olive tree in the house of God.” Unlike Doeg, David did not destroy others, by word or by deed, even when he had the chance to do so. He refused to raise his hand against the Lord’s anointed. He feared God and left judgment in His hands.

Hearing of the slaughter of the priests, David has ample opportunity to reflect on his own failures. By not telling the truth to the priest, he involved the whole clan in destruction. All that can be done by way of restitution is to tell Abiathar, the sole priestly survivor, “Stay with me. Do not be afraid, for he who seeks my life seeks your life. With me you shall be in safekeeping.” In the midst of betrayal and violence, David becomes a refuge.

In verse 5, David declares: “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.” God does not need a court of appeals. He sees through words, for he knows the heart. And those who manipulate truth for wicked ends will not go unpunished.

Verse 7 uncovers the root of lying: “See the man who would not make God his refuge, but trusted in the abundance of his riches and sought refuge in his own wickedness!” Doeg did not fear God. He trusted in power, position, and political advantage. He rushed upon earthly things in his passion to have them by any means.

But David ends with hope. “I will thank you forever,” he says, “because you have done it.” Even when evil seems to triumph, God is not idle. God has done it—he has judged the wicked, preserved the righteous, and remained good. “I will wait for your name, for it is good, in the presence of the godly.”

As we read this psalm, let us resolve to treat truth with reverence. In an age when information and gossip are rampant, it’s easy to repeat something that is technically true—but meant to harm. Let us abhor the Doeg in our hearts, who shapes his words to support a lie. Half-truths told with malicious intent are lies in God’s eyes. Words that devour are an abomination to Him.

Instead, let us learn, like David, to trust God with justice. He will judge people who twist truth, who manipulate narratives for personal gain, who slander and destroy with their tongues. He will uproot them from their substantial dwellings where they sought refuge, instead of seeking refuge in God. But the righteous will be like the green olive tree. Planted in the house of the Lord, they will bear fruit in due season, trusting in the goodness of His name.

And let us always be people who own responsibility and offer refuge to the broken. When Abiathar escaped the massacre, David didn’t say, “That wasn’t my fault.” He said, “I have occasioned the death of all your family. Stay with me. You’ll be safe.” In a world ravaged by destructive lies, let us be people who offer healing and shelter.

Let us be of the company who do not just speak the truth, but love it. Let us rest in the truth that God’s name is still good—and one day we will laugh for joy as his justice is made manifest. It is very good for us to wait on the name of the Lord. There is nothing better to quieten our disturbed spirits. Nothing is better to keep us firm in loyalty and dutiful obedience, when tempted to do wrong, than to hope and quietly wait for his salvation.

Let the gospel of our Lord shape our thoughts and words, that we may speak life to those who love God and long to hear his word. God bless.