There are names in the Bible that are very poetic....Mephibosheth has always struck me that way....and other names are just difficult to pronounce....Zerubbabel might be one. Some are comically simple such as Lot or Job. Some names have a grandeur about them such as....Solomon....and others....to me anyway....are ugly. Doeg would be one of those....pronounced...dough-egg. Doeg? I just don't like it.
Well the name fit the man Doeg. He wasn't an Israelite.....as a matter of fact....he was an Edomite....the people that came from Jacob's brother Esau....and were usually enemies of the Israelites.
Israel wanted a king....and would not take no for an answer....(just like wanted a powerful leader)....so God gave them one....Saul....who started off Ok but eventually descended into the pit of hate and revenge towards....David....a man after God's own heart.
Segue to David fleeing Saul....to Ahimelech....the High Priest....at Nob....seeking provisions for his men. Ahimelech may not have been aware of the whole situation....and provided David with those provisions.
Doeg was Saul's chief herdsman.....apparently a high profile position....and he was at Nob the day that David arrived. David knew he was there and was concerned....and true enough....Doeg went back to Saul and reported on Ahimelech giving provisions to him....apparently without telling Saul that Ahimelech may not have known the whole story between Saul and David.
King Saul ordered his men to go and kill the priests at Nob....but they refused such a horrible command....(oh that some today would refuse such orders in this administration)....so Saul turned to Doeg and ordered him to go and kill Ahimelech and everyone else that was there.....of which Doeg did do just that....everyone....women and children and all.... a slaughter! David was told of what happened and blamed himself. Psalm 52 speaks of Doeg. I was reading that Psalm last night....and that is what precipitated this post. Here are a couple of verses from that short Psalm...
"Why do you boast in evil....O mighty man....Your tongue devises destruction....like a sharp razor....working deceitfully....You love evil more than good....and lying rather than speaking righteousness You love all devouring words....You deceitful tongue....here is the man who did not make God his strength....but trusted in the abundance of his riches....and strengthened himself in his wickedness." (1a, 2, 3, 4, 7 NKJV)
Doeg is an odd name....flip a couple of letters and it would be doge. That's what came to my mind anyway....doge....a medieval ruler in parts of Italy....or from what I read....a meme of some sort from a while back....or maybe a computer game....or then maybe the insidious creation of Elon Musk....that went out at the command of the president....for probably no one else would have or could have done such a task....and under the claim of government efficiency....brought a lot of pain to a lot people who lost their jobs....and also pain to people around the world who lost vital health benefits because of the....in some cases....slaughter such as at USAID!
Yes there are changes that need to be made in many of our government policies....foreign aid and immigration are but two....but you do not do surgery with a chainsaw....and if your own leaders would defy or even question your commands....it might be a good thing to at least take seriously their hesitations.
