Refuge in God, or Destruction?

David took refuge in God at the toughest moments in his life.

When King Saul’s men were closing in on him, David took refuge in God.

When he committed adultery with Bathsheba and had her husband, Uriah, murdered, David took his sin to God.

Notice that both situations were terrible. But one of them wasn’t David’s fault, and the other was.

Terrible situations arise in life. And sometimes they’re no one’s fault—other times, it’s the fruit of our actions.

Today’s devotional Bible verse reflects further on this:

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!

Psalm 52:7 ESV

David wrote Psalm 52 just after a man named Doeg helped King Saul track him down (1 Samuel 22).

But there’s something even more awful this man Doeg did. There were some priests in a city called Nob who fed David and helped him on his journey. King Saul was furious that they did so, and ordered them killed.

However, his guards wouldn’t risk killing God’s priests…

…but Doeg would:

Then the king said to Doeg, “You turn and strike the priests.” And Doeg the Edomite turned and struck down the priests, and he killed on that day eighty-five persons who wore the linen ephod. And Nob, the city of the priests, he put to the sword; both man and woman, child and infant, ox, donkey and sheep, he put to the sword.

1 Samuel 22:18–19 ESV

Doeg saw a chance to win favor with King Saul. He jumped at the opportunity to get rich and powerful by doing favors for an evil king.

And these two men, Doeg and Saul, are who David was reflecting on when writing Psalm 52.

Saul was driven by jealousy, insecurity, and an unquenchable thirst for power. And Doeg by the chance to win the good graces of a king. Neither man sought refuge in God.

Instead, they put hope in their idols. They “trusted in the abundance” of riches. And God reveals something powerful through today’s verse.

David shows us that whether we’re in a bad situation that’s not our fault, or if we’ve sinned greatly, we must go to God.

So where do you go for refuge?

• Do you take refuge in God in difficult situations—especially when they’re beyond your control?
• Do you go to God and confess, rather than run and hide, even when you’ve sinned?
• What people or things have you taken refuge in outside of God?

Devotion by Jordan Loftis. Jordan is the editor of Short Daily Devotions and the author of The Men With Bare Feet: Discovering Intimacy With God Through Moses, Joshua, and Jesus.