Psalm 58
God's Vengeance
There is deep evil in this world. And it has penetrated the highest offices in the world. This Psalm helps us address that reality.
For the director of music. To the tune of ‘Do Not Destroy’. Of David. A miktam.
1 Do you rulers indeed speak justly?
Do you judge people with equity?
2 No, in your heart you devise injustice,
and your hands mete out violence on the earth.3 Even from birth the wicked go astray;
from the womb they are wayward, spreading lies.
4 Their venom is like the venom of a snake,
like that of a cobra that has stopped its ears,
5 that will not heed the tune of the charmer,
however skilful the enchanter may be.6 Break the teeth in their mouths, O God;
Lord, tear out the fangs of those lions!
7 Let them vanish like water that flows away;
when they draw the bow, let their arrows fall short.
8 May they be like a slug that melts away as it moves along,
like a stillborn child that never sees the sun.9 Before your pots can feel the heat of the thorns –
whether they be green or dry – the wicked will be swept away.
10 The righteous will be glad when they are avenged,
when they dip their feet in the blood of the wicked.
11 Then people will say,
‘Surely the righteous still are rewarded;
surely there is a God who judges the earth.’
You won’t hear a song like this in The Greatest Showman or La La Land. Where is this kind of prayer appropriate and necessary? In a world where injustice permeates every part of life.
Since the Arab Spring in 2011, it is estimated that somewhere near 100,000 people who opposed the incumbent government in Syria have “disappeared”. The regime has been charged by international courts for using chemical weapons in a brutal civil war. The facade of democracy is upheld in rigged elections, so that Al Assad and his Ba’ath party continue in power.
David writes here of rulers who shun fairness and justice. The answer to his two opening questions about their integrity is emphatic. Righteousness is far from their hearts. Eugene Peterson colourfully renders v2, “Behind the scenes you weave webs of deceit.” David knew this is his own life, where those in positions of authority took advantage to take what they wanted from whoever they wanted.
They are snake like these rulers (v4). Following in the ways of the Enemy, they twist and distort, crushing the weak and lining their pockets. They cannot be controlled by the articulate voice of reason or compelling appeals to mercy. They have blocked their ears and sunk their poison deep into the veins of their people.
It is into this that this Psalm was composed for the people to speak to God.
Here is a vital point for us to spotlight: We as the people of God don’t take vengeance into our own hands, but by lifting up our hands in prayer, we yield retribution to the mighty hand of God.
David employs a number of vivid and even shocking images as he prays for God to intervene. If we believe God to be good, we must believe him to be willing to put an end to evil. He won’t stand back and neither should we want him to do so. We as humans have been given great responsibility. And these rulers have abused it.
Each of these prayers in vv6-8 is that the threat of these rulers would be muted and nullified. The teeth and arrows can no longer pierce and kill. The water can no longer overwhelm and flood. They will melt away like a slug in the heat of the sun. The final image is jarring and there’s no hiding from it. It’s uncomfortable. The most important part is that they will not see the sun. They will be shrouded in darkness and death, swept away from the source of light and life (v9).
The language in v10 is again shocking on first sight. The context is the battle field, where those who set themselves against God, his word, and his people have met their end. And so all those who trusted in Jesus are vindicated. There is an Enemy behind these evil rulers. And the righteous will stand in triumph over him and his demons. And this is because the Servant King stands victorious over the serpent king, as Christ’s bruised heel crushed Satan’s head (Ephesians 1.20-22).
And so the righteous will be able to proclaim that the narrow way through the valley of the shadow of death is the route to life and victory. Those who have gone through the tribulation will worship before the throne of the Lamb who was slain and now reigns (Rev 7.14).
And they are vindicated in their trust, for God is just (v11).
Glory be to God the Father, who is seated on his eternal throne.
Glory be to God the Son, who is appointed as head over every power and authority.
Glory be to God the Spirit, who convicts the world of sin, righteousness and judgement.
Ever three and ever One.