Psalm 52:6-7 The righteous will see and fear;
    they will laugh at you, saying,
“Here now is the man
    who did not make God his stronghold
but trusted in his great wealth
    and grew strong by destroying others!”

This Psalm is greatly overshadowed by its neighbor, Psalm 51, which is David’s prayer of repentance after the Bathsheba incident, but this Psalm too marks a significant incident in David’s life, as recorded in 1 Samuel 22. There aren’t many people held up as examples of the fate of those who defy God, but Doeg the Edomite is one of those. It’s interesting that 1 Samuel 21:7 notes that he was King Saul’s chief shepherd. Most references to shepherds in the Bible lift them up as examples of caring faithfulness, with Jesus calling Himself the Shepherd in John 10, and Peter and others referring to Him that way. We sometimes forget that pastor means shepherd, so even if we’ve never seen a live sheep, we’ve seen shepherds. Most are indeed caring and faithful, but some are like Doeg, trusting in the things of this world rather than in the power of God. That is sad at best and tragic at worst. Not a few people in that office in local churches are effectively just hired hands, as Jesus describes in John 10. They go through the motions, but without the calling and power of God. They are more worried about how they will pay their bills than about the care of their flock. That is unfortunate to say the least. We aren’t to go around judging and accusing the leaders of churches, but we are to be discerning and wise. There are no perfect pastors; Jesus is our only example of perfection. When we discern faults and failures in pastors, we are first to pray for them, and only then, if the Lord directs, go to them privately to share and caution them about what we have seen. A good result is not guaranteed! We must go in humility, and we are NOT to go talking about those faults with other people. Always, our first concern should be our own walk with the Lord. And by no means are we to be comparing our own pastor negatively with this or that famous figure. Each person has their own calling and accountability.

This subject came up in a meeting I attended yesterday, held at a church where the pastor retired because of age and health, and has moved back to where he was raised, far from here. One of the remaining church members is currently doing seminary studies by correspondence, but is scared witless about her ability to fill the role of pastor. As we assured her, we all tend to have an image of what a pastor should be and do, and put ourselves down for how we don’t measure up, at least in our own eyes. The thing is, God is the judge, and Jesus is the Great Shepherd, (Hebrews 13:20) so we need to let Him set the parameters of each ministry. That is an immediate issue here, as we seek to transition into my successor. I don’t expect to simply leave, as the pastor of yesterday’s church did, but my successor will not have the same ministry I do, and they need to be at peace with that. I am currently in good health, but I am 78, and none of us knows God’s timetable. I am to be faithful in my own ministry and encourage others in theirs, so that God’s flock may be rightly cared for as He desires, for His glory.

Father, thank You for this reminder, and for how You fit everything together. Yesterday’s meeting was very timely! Thank You for the further interaction with the Taiwan team, and for the deep love that we experienced from them. I do pray for them as some return to Taiwan today and some go to another town for a little longer, that they will be protected and obedient, doing and saying what You desire of them on Your schedule, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!