The Emotions of Psalms, Part 3 – Psalm 52: Feeling Confident
Psalm 52 June 21, 2026
Introduction
- Napoleon Bonaparte – one of the greatest military leaders in the history of the world. He was intelligent, disciplined, and extremely ambitious, quickly rising through the ranks of the French military during the chaos of the French Revolution.
- In addition to all of his notable talent, Napoleon was especially known for his confident boasting. No one had to tell Napoleon he was gifted, he knew it and would let everyone around him know how amazing he was.
- “I have fought sixty battles and I have learned nothing which I did not know at the beginning.”
- Napoleon: A Biography by Frank McLynn, p. 145. Translated from Gourgaud’s Journal de Sainte-Hélène 1815-1818, entry of 25 December 1817.
- “The bullet that will kill me is not yet cast.”
- Statement at Montereau (17 February 1814)
- “I have fought sixty battles and I have learned nothing which I did not know at the beginning.”
- As Napoleon consolidated his power and conquered even more European lands, he moved to be crowned Emperor of a new Roman empire.
- On his coronation day, as the pope moved to lift the crown to Napoleon’s head, Bonaparte infamously was reported to have grabbed the crown himself and placed it on his own head, such was his hubris.
- Over the next decade, he defeated Austria, Prussia, and numerous coalitions. Much of Europe came under his control. His confidence grew into extraordinary self-belief.
- “The word impossible is not French.”
- Letter to General Jean Le Marois (9 July 1813), quoted in Famous Sayings and their Authors (1906) by Edward Latham, p. 138
- “All authority is in the throne; and what is the throne? This wooden frame covered with velvet? No, I am the throne.”
- Address to the Legislative Body (December 1813)
- “I am a monarch of God’s creation, and you reptiles of the earth dare not oppose me.”
- Addressing members of the Catholic clergy assembled during ‘Bonaparte’s Conference with the Catholic and Protestant clergy at Breda,’ May 1, 1810 (originally reported in the Gazette of Dorpt), as quoted in The life of Napoleon Bonaparte, emperor of the French: with a preliminary view of the French revolution, Sir Walter Scott, Philadelphia: Leary & Getz, 1857, p. 91
- “The word impossible is not French.”
- 3 points today – Psalmist’s Pathos, Psalmist’s Processing, Psalmist’s Pointing
Psalmist’s Primary Pathos: Confidence
- Psalm written when David was fleeing Saul after Doeg the Edomite kills the priests who helped/fed David (see 1 Samuel 21-22)
- A Maskil of David. A Maskil is often understood as a teaching psalm.
- 52 Why do you boast of evil, O mighty man?
The steadfast love of God endures all the day.
2 Your tongue plots destruction,
like a sharp razor, you worker of deceit.
3 You love evil more than good,
and lying more than speaking what is right. Selah
4 You love all words that devour,
O deceitful tongue. - 5 But God will break you down forever;
he will snatch and tear you from your tent;
he will uproot you from the land of the living. Selah
6 The righteous shall see and fear,
and shall laugh at him, saying,
7 “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!” - 8 But I am like a green olive tree
in the house of God.
I trust in the steadfast love of God
forever and ever.
9 I will thank you forever,
because you have done it.
I will wait for your name, for it is good,
in the presence of the godly.
- boast (Heb. hālal) – lit. to shine upon; to praise a thing
- the temptation is always to “boast” and feel confident in the things of the world, including yourself
- Spectrum of “boasting”: Saturation to Suppression
- Initial reaction to outside stimulus (for “confidence”, often something done well)
- Saturation – see all the lies below in the Psalm
- Galatians 6:3 “For if anyone thinks he is something, when he is nothing, he deceives himself.”
- Many verses warn against egotistical pride
- 2 Corinthians 10:12b “…But when they measure themselves by one another and compare themselves with one another, they are without understanding.”
- Saturation can manifest through comparison (positively and negatively)
- Galatians 6:3 “For if anyone thinks he is something, when he is nothing, he deceives himself.”
- Suppression – false humility
- [referring to various religious, legalistic practices] Colossians 2:23“These have indeed an appearance of wisdom in promoting self-made religion and asceticism and severity to the body, but they are of no value in stopping the indulgence of the flesh.”
- A major problem in the church is the inability to walk confidently, without ego
- Pendulum swing away from egotistic expressions in keeping with the many warnings of scripture against egotistical pride – this swing creates false humility
- Inability/unwillingness to receive compliments
- Inability/unwillingness to recognize that you are good at something
- Inability/unwillingness to step up and lead
- Focus on seeing yourself as a broken, sinner (true that may be), instead of a saved saint
- Pendulum swing away from egotistic expressions in keeping with the many warnings of scripture against egotistical pride – this swing creates false humility
- A major problem in the church is the inability to walk confidently, without ego
- [referring to various religious, legalistic practices] Colossians 2:23“These have indeed an appearance of wisdom in promoting self-made religion and asceticism and severity to the body, but they are of no value in stopping the indulgence of the flesh.”
- Saturation – see all the lies below in the Psalm
- Initial reaction to outside stimulus (for “confidence”, often something done well)
Psalmist’s Processing
- Lies of confidence
- The things of evil are boast worthy (v1-4)
- Things we boast in (or backtrack from):
- Our plans (v2)
- Our misordered loves (v3)
- Our manipulations (v3-4)
- Evil is usually convenient, pleasurable, quick, and cheap
- Truth of confidence
- God will “break you down” (v5)
- Heb. nāṯaṣ: destroy, pull down
- God will expose you that justice may come (v6-7)
- Our laugh is one of satisfaction at God’s justice/righteousness
- God will uphold the His righteous (v8a)
- My faith/trust is in the love of God (v8b)
- My gratitude is in God (v9a)
- My patience is in God (v9b)
- God will “break you down” (v5)
- Jeremiah 9:23-24 “23 Thus says the Lord: “Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, let not the mighty man boast in his might, let not the rich man boast in his riches, 24 but let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the Lord who practices steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth. For in these things I delight, declares the Lord.””
- Lies enflame pride to remain on extremes of spectrum so that one remains a fool and apart from God
- Psalm 53:1-3 “The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.”
- They are corrupt, doing abominable iniquity;
- there is none who does good.
- 2 God looks down from heaven
- on the children of man
- to see if there are any who understand,
- who seek after God.
- 3 They have all fallen away;
- together they have become corrupt;
- there is none who does good,
- not even one.”
- (see also Psalm 14:1-3)
- The fool makes himself to be god, by not acknowledging the One True God….all fall into this trap if they do not submit by faith to Jesus.
- Truth brings humility and refocuses our confidence off of ourselves and onto Jesus….what we think we can do means nothing. Only our trust in the Lord matters.
- Truth > humility > identity > value >confidence >peace/hope/joy/love >action
- 2 Corinthians 12:9-10 “9 But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 10 For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.”
- Truth > humility > identity > value >confidence >peace/hope/joy/love >action
Psalmist’s Pointing to Jesus
- Matthew 25:47-54 “47 While he was still speaking, Judas came, one of the twelve, and with him a great crowd with swords and clubs, from the chief priests and the elders of the people. 48 Now the betrayer had given them a sign, saying, “The one I will kiss is the man; seize him.” 49 And he came up to Jesus at once and said, “Greetings, Rabbi!” And he kissed him. 50 Jesus said to him, “Friend, do what you came to do.” Then they came up and laid hands on Jesus and seized him. 51 And behold, one of those who were with Jesus stretched out his hand and drew his sword and struck the servant of the high priest and cut off his ear. 52 Then Jesus said to him, “Put your sword back into its place. For all who take the sword will perish by the sword. 53 Do you think that I cannot appeal to my Father, and he will at once send me more than twelve legions of angels? 54 But how then should the Scriptures be fulfilled, that it must be so?””
- Jesus knows who He is and the power at his disposal. Yet, continues to trust in His Father.
Conclusion
- In 1812, Napoleon assembled the Grand Army—over 600,000 men, one of the largest military forces Europe had ever seen—and invaded Russia. Napoleon believed he could force a decisive victory before those factors mattered. Instead, the Russians withdrew deeper into their territory, destroying food and supplies as they retreated. Napoleon captured Moscow but found little value in doing so. Then winter arrived. The retreat became one of history’s greatest military disasters. Of the hundreds of thousands who entered Russia, only a fraction returned.
- In 1814, he was forced to abdicate and was exiled to the island of Elba. Most men would have accepted defeat. Napoleon returned, rallied supporters, and reclaimed power during the famous Hundred Days where he sought to reclaim his throne. Instead, he suffered final defeat at the Battle of Waterloo against forces led by the Duke of Wellington and his allies.
- This time there would be no comeback. He was exiled to the remote island of Saint Helena in the South Atlantic. There he spent his final years reflecting on what had happened.
- It was during that time that Napoleon wrote these words:
- “Alexander, Caesar, Charlemagne and I myself have founded great empires; but upon what did these creations of our genius depend? Upon force. Jesus alone founded His empire upon love….Christ alone has succeeded in so raising the mind of man toward the unseen, that it becomes insensible to the barriers of time and space. Across a chasm of eighteen hundred years, Jesus Christ makes a demand which is beyond all others difficult to satisfy; He asks for that which a philosopher may often seek in vain at the hands of his friends, or a father of his children, or a bride of her spouse, or a man of his brother. He asks for the human heart; He will have it entirely to Himself. He demands it unconditionally; and forthwith His demand is granted. Wonderful! In defiance of time and space, the soul of man, with all its powers and faculties, becomes an annexation to the empire of Christ.”
- In a statement about Jesus Christ. While exiled on the rock of St. Helena, Napoleon called Count Montholon to his side and asked him, “Can you tell me who Jesus Christ was?” Upon the Count declining to respond Napoleon countered. Ravi Zacharias, Jesus Among Other Gods, p. 149, in Henry Parry Liddon (1868) The Divinity of Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ; Eight Lectures. New edition.[2] pp. 147-148, and in Henry Parry Liddon (1869) The Divinity of Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ; Eight Lectures. Fourth edition. [3] pp. 147-148.
- “Alexander, Caesar, Charlemagne and I myself have founded great empires; but upon what did these creations of our genius depend? Upon force. Jesus alone founded His empire upon love….Christ alone has succeeded in so raising the mind of man toward the unseen, that it becomes insensible to the barriers of time and space. Across a chasm of eighteen hundred years, Jesus Christ makes a demand which is beyond all others difficult to satisfy; He asks for that which a philosopher may often seek in vain at the hands of his friends, or a father of his children, or a bride of her spouse, or a man of his brother. He asks for the human heart; He will have it entirely to Himself. He demands it unconditionally; and forthwith His demand is granted. Wonderful! In defiance of time and space, the soul of man, with all its powers and faculties, becomes an annexation to the empire of Christ.”
- Amen. Amen.
- Prayer through Psalm.