Psalm 58

Today I’ll make a brief comment at the end of the reading. But as always, as you read keep in mind our two questions:What things in this Psalm can I relate to?Is there anything in the Psalm that makes me think of Jesus?For the choirmaster. To the tune of “Do Not Destroy.” A Miktam of David.1 Do you indeed speak justly, O rulers? Do you judge uprightly, O sons of men?2 No, in your hearts you devise injustice; with your hands you mete out violence on the earth.3 The wicked are estranged from the womb; the liars go astray from birth.4 Their venom is like the venom of a snake, like a cobra that shuts its ears,5 refusing to hear the tune of the charmer who skillfully weaves his spell.6 O God, shatter their teeth in their mouths; O LORD, tear out the fangs of the lions.7 May they vanish like water that runs off;when they draw the bow, may their arrows be blunted.8 Like a slug that dissolves in its slime, like a woman’s stillborn child, may they never see the sun.9 Before your pots can feel the burning thorns— whether green or dry— He will sweep them away.10 The righteous will rejoice when they see they are avenged;they will wash their feet in the blood of the wicked.11 Then men will say, There is surely a reward for the righteous! There is surely a God who judges the earth!”REFLECTIONSWe will encounter a few psalms like this one, where the psalmist asks God to destroy the wicked or looks forward to their final destruction. We often find these psalms hard to read and wonder whether we should pray them. I’ll make more detailed comments on that when we get to Psalm 69. But for now, a couple of comments. First, David and the other psalmists longed for God to bring an end to violence, injustice, corruption, exploitation and wickedness – and so do we. When God judges wickedness and puts all evil to an end forever, it will be good and will bring rejoicing. Secondly, notice that this psalm is especially directed at rulers and people in authority who “mete out violence on the earth” (v 1-2) – and on top of that, these rulers have refused God’s call to repent (v 4-5). The Bible has specially targeted warnings for those in positions of power. Finally, we all by nature would come under the judgment of this Psalm. It is only God’s grace to guilty sinners that means we can receive a “reward for the righteous” that we don’t deserve. Only Jesus is “righteous” in himself, but through his blood shed for the wicked, he gives us the reward of his own righteousness. Now spend a moment thinking about the questions:What things in this Psalm can I relate to?Is there anything in the Psalm that makes me think of Jesus?Then pray, seeking to delight in God or to depend on God.