Tough Guy

Saturday February 21, 2026

Tough guy.  In our psalm this morning, we read about a “tough guy”.  The King James Version calls him a “mighty man”, a more modern version refers to them as a “hero”, but neither are used in an endearing way.  This tough guy is evidently boasting about the evil he is doing (Psalm 52:1).  They love evil instead of good, lying instead of speaking the truth (v.3).  They love any words that destroy (v.4).  The picture does truly depict someone who thinks they are tough.  They are constantly building themselves up to others when they talk.  They describe bad things they do, and laugh about it, and they build themselves up by tearing down others.  The theme in this psalm, though, is God’s faithful love (v.1 and v.8).  The question is asked in the opening verse as to why this person wants to boast about evil and the reasoning for the question appears to be because God’s faithful love is constant.  In other words, why would you do that?  After describing this tough guy, and ultimately their destruction, we are given a picture of another type of individual.  This person is described as a flourishing olive tree in the house of God (v.8).  This person trusts in the faithful love of God (v.8) and puts their hope in the name of God, for it is good (v.9).  Too often, our culture, and possibly even ourselves, are drawn towards the wrong type of people.  The tough guy, for a while, appears to have everything going for them.  They build themselves up so much by tearing others down, that they appear to really be a mighty man.  They even build wealth and appear to be successful.  But, destruction will ultimately come to this type of individual.  The other person, described like a flourishing olive tree in the house of God, likely goes unnoticed by others.  However, their actions are not driven by what others think.  They have a desire to be near the Lord and pleasing in His sight.  What controls your decision making and your actions?  Do you often wonder when making decisions what others might think of you?   One of the most inspiring thoughts, to me, about this passage is the consistency, or faithfulness, of God.  People change and their opinions also change over time.  So, if you are living to please others, or look mighty in their sight, it is a moving target.  It can be exhausting.  But God is not like man, for He is the same and His faithful LOVE is the same.  Isn’t that refreshing?  Learn of Him and rest in Him.