Compare Doeg's actions with other biblical figures who opposed God's will. Doeg’s Deed at Nob 1 Samuel 22:18: “Then the king said to Doeg, ‘You turn and strike down the priests!’ So Doeg the Edomite turned and struck them down, and that day he killed eighty-five men who wore the linen ephod.” • Obeyed Saul’s unrighteous order, not God’s law • Slaughtered consecrated priests—an attack on God’s worship • Sought personal advancement through violence • Psalm 52 later exposes his treachery and foretells judgment Echoes of Pharaoh’s Hard Heart (Exodus 5–14) • Pharaoh rejected repeated commands: “Let My people go” (Exodus 5:1) • Used state power to oppress God’s people, as Doeg did under Saul • Resulting deaths: Egyptian firstborn vs. priests at Nob • Divine judgment followed swiftly in both accounts Balaam’s Greed and Betrayal (Numbers 22–24; 31:8,16) • Balaam knew God’s word yet pursued Moabite gold • Doeg craved royal favor; Balaam craved payment • Both weaponized spiritual privilege against Israel • Each met judgment—Balaam “fell by the sword,” Doeg condemned in Psalm 52 Jezebel’s Violence Against the Prophets (1 Kings 18–19) • Jezebel “cut off the prophets of the LORD” (1 Kings 18:4) • Same spirit of silencing God’s messengers seen in Doeg • Obadiah hid prophets; Ahimelech aided David—targets of tyrants • Jezebel’s grisly end (2 Kings 9:33-37) mirrors Doeg’s prophetic doom Judas Iscariot: Betrayal for Self-Advantage (Matthew 26:14-16; 27:3–5) • Insider turned informant, as Doeg was at Saul’s court • Motivated by silver vs. royal promotion • Both acts led to innocent bloodshed • Tragic outcomes: Judas hanged, Doeg uprooted (Psalm 52:5) Shared Patterns Across These Opponents • Clear knowledge of God’s will, yet deliberate rejection • Ambition or greed overriding obedience • Direct harm to God’s people and purposes • Certain, often swift, divine judgment Lessons for Our Hearts Today • Anchor loyalty in God’s word rather than human authority • Guard against ambition that tempts us to compromise righteousness • Trust that God sees, records, and judges every deed (Romans 12:19; Hebrews 10:30) |
    |