Psalm 58

To the choirmaster: according to Do Not Destroy. A Miktam of David,

1 Do you indeed decree what is right, you gods? [you mighty lords (by revocalization; Hebrew in silence)] Do you judge the children of man uprightly?

2 No, in your hearts you devise wrongs; your hands deal out violence on earth.

While Psalm 57 is a soaring affirmation of the sovereignty and glory of God transcending the darkness of night and ushering in a new day, Psalm 58 immediately returns us to earth, to a world where men appear to be in charge and injustice and violence are the result. The initial statement is framed as a question. “Are you people in charge really decreeing what is right and judging the sons of Adam justly?”  The Hebrew translated “gods” is literally “silent ones”, but if we add a consonant it becomes “mighty ones”, also the most common term for “God”, elohim. Elohim is occasionally used elsewhere to refer to human rulers, and given the context, that is likely the case here. “Silent ones” works as well in an ironic sense: “You silent ones decree what is right” as if to say, “You can’t speak and yet you decree what is right. You have no ultimate power and authority, and yet you act as if you do.” The psalmist then answers his own question, “No, you don’t decree or judge what is right, rather in your hearts you devise wrongs and with your hands you weigh out violence.” There aren’t enough context clues to tell us when David wrote this psalm, but it was likely on the occasion of David or someone he knew being on the receiving end of some injustice. Because the particular context is unknown the psalm has become a fitting summary of what it looks like when human leaders are unjust in their laws and in their actions. They claim to have moral authority, but their hearts and hands say otherwise. This text can easily be applied to politicians on both sides of the aisle, to judges and authorities at all levels of civil government. Anyone who has experienced injustice at the hands of corrupt men can identify with this psalm. The statement of Lord Acton comes to mind, “power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely.” David acknowledges the reality of human depravity, that we place ourselves in judgment over others while we ourselves plot evil in our hearts and are responsible for violence. The advent of social media has given us the power to declare our virtue by merely siding with certain politicians who claim to be on the moral high ground. This is called virtue signalling, and with twisted logic, wrong becomes right. A classic example is the issue of abortion, where human rights are disregarded for the sake of sexual license. Under the banner of “reproductive freedom”, our leaders have measured out violence upon the unborn, considering these “sons of Adam” as less than human. There are many other examples of ways in which leaders promote ideas that are destructive to human flourishing while convincing many that they are for our good. It is a sobering way to begin a psalm, but it is a statement of reality. Human beings are made in the image of God and capable of creating beautiful things, but they are also fatally flawed by sin and capable of destroying beautiful things as well. 

3 The wicked are estranged from the womb; they go astray from birth, speaking lies.

4 They have venom like the venom of a serpent, like the deaf adder that stops its ear,

5 so that it does not hear the voice of charmers or of the cunning enchanter.

One of the characteristics of wisdom literature is the categorization of human beings into two opposite groups -- the righteous and the wicked, the wise and the fool, the godly and the ungodly. Human beings are more complex than simple binaries, but these categories speak to real tendencies and worldviews. In context, “the wicked” here are those in power (verses 1 and 2) who while pretending to be moral superiors are actually moral inferiors. They may not even realize their own depravity, believing that the ends justify the means and intent is more important than results. With that in mind, David describes them as strangers (to humanity) from the womb, wandering down the wrong path from birth. It’s another poetic passage that might be used to support the Calvinist doctrine of total depravity. David even referred to himself as “sinful from birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me” (Psalm 51:5). The difference of course is that David recognized his depravity and sought to change his behavior while the “wicked” here have determined not to change course. This idea of being “set in one’s ways” is reinforced in the metaphor that follows -- a poisonous snake that cannot be charmed. This is actually one of the oldest references to snake charming in ancient literature. The practice probably originated in India but is documented in ancient Egypt as well, which is probably the way that David became aware of the practice. The metaphor combines the poisonous power of the snake to kill with a single bite with the additional power of free will. The snake cannot be charmed. It is not safe. It is not controllable. Thus the wicked are dangerous and unpredictable, and they have been this way from birth. Lying is their native tongue. It’s also significant that the snake from the beginning of the Bible to the end is a metaphor for Satan -- poisonous, deadly, uncontrollable, lying as a native tongue. So the wicked are simply manifestations of the Evil one himself. They are in fact, more like the charmed snakes, controlled by their master. Adam and Eve were deceived by the serpent, and so has every generation of humans since. There actually is a simple binary in life. As Jesus said, there are only two masters, and every human being is following one or the other. We cannot serve both. Will we become a snake or a glorious human being? That free will is ours. 

6 O God, break the teeth in their mouths; tear out the fangs of the young lions, O LORD!

David prays a series of curses upon the unjust leaders of his day. James warns that not many should presume to be teachers (leaders) because they will fall under more strict judgment, and that is certainly part of the context here. Because of the wide ranging impact of judges and their decisions, they themselves will be held accountable should they be self-serving, and that is the indictment upon them in the first few verses of the psalm. There are six curses in the next three verses all expressed in metaphoric language. First, David asks that God break the teeth in their mouths, that is, blunt their power. Take away a predator’s teeth and it’s likely to become a vegetarian because it can no longer tear flesh, it can only gum and swallow. I’m reminded of the cartoon image of a lion with dentures removed! The second curse is related to the first, “tear out the fangs of the young lions”, and here the divine name YHWH is invoked. The portrayal of the psalmist’s enemies as lions is a frequent metaphor, used as recently as the previous psalm, “my soul is in the midst of lions; I lie down amid fiery beasts -- the children of man, whose teeth are spears and arrows, whose tongues are sharp swords” (57:4). The “young lion” suggests strength and appetite. It’s no surprise that the New Testament picks up on this metaphor as a representation of Satan, the Adversary, who prowls around like a roaring lion looking for whom he may devour (1 Peter 5:8). The good news is that David’s prayer has been answered in Christ. Jesus has defanged the lion by overcoming death. The writer of Hebrews tells us that Jesus destroyed him who holds the power of death, that is the devil (2:14). Our adversary is still prowling and is still dangerous, but not when you are with Aslan. 

7 Let them vanish like water that runs away; when he aims his arrows, let them be blunted.

8 Let them be like the snail that dissolves into slime, like the stillborn child who never sees the sun.

The four curses in these two verses have a similar theme: may what has the appearance of life and vitality quickly fade into nothingness. Water that flows on the ground and is life-giving quickly soaks into the same ground and is immediately useless, unable to be recovered. An arrow that is carefully aimed and fired but strikes a solid surface like a rock will be blunted, falling powerlessly to the ground. The slug that moves along the ground leaves nothing behind but a shiny trail of drying goo. Add some salt and the process will be expedited. The snail may be one of the lowest forms of life encountered by the psalmist, and even its meager life is short and meaningless. The final metaphor is also the most painful. Imagine the joy of parents who are anticipating life for nine months turned to crushing sadness at the delivery of a stillborn child. There is no hope of life even though everything necessary is there, only a devastating finality. This is the four-fold prayer against the powers at be who operate with impunity to lie, commit injustice, and do violence to others. The greater our experience of injustice the more solidarity we feel with the psalmist who prays these horrible curses. Jesus said that if someone causes a child who believes in him to stumble, it would be better for that person to have a heavy stone tied around them and be tossed in the sea, quickly panicking and drowning them alive, their bodies left to be scavenged and devoured by the sea and time. Jesus showed solidarity with the psalmist when he saw men in his day who would turn children away from believing in God. We should do so as well when we encounter leaders who abuse children in any way, robbing them of their innocence and their faith in the goodness of God. I would not presume to judge another person for such crimes, but I do trust that God will do so, and I can take some satisfaction in that. The crimes against children today are in large part due to the fallout from the sexual revolution, where adult happiness achieved ascendance over the good of children. Now we are seeing the sexualization of children at younger ages by men and women who ought to know better. Of course, many of them were broken as children, so it explains why they grow up broken and likely to break others. I share the sentiment of the psalmist when it comes to having righteous anger toward those who abuse their authority. Those who presume to lead/teach will be judged more strictly. Let this be a warning to leaders: God is just and he will hold each person accountable for what they did with what they knew. 

9 Sooner than your pots can feel the heat of thorns, whether green or ablaze, may he sweep them away! [The meaning of the Hebrew verse is uncertain]

This is a verse that is difficult to translate, but the context gives us some help. It is literally, “before your pots feel the [burning] bramble, as living as his wrath, he will sweep them away as in a whirlwind.” One of the things that people did every day until very recently was start fires for cooking. They used kindling, useless dried vegetation that quickly ignited and was just as quickly consumed. Like kindling that quickly flames up and generates heat to light other wood on fire, God’s wrath when aroused will be sudden, swift, and complete. Think about this everytime you start a fire. The final phrase “he will sweep them away as in a whirlwind” is actually one word, and it is the same word used of the storm that killed Job’s family, a tornado of sorts. This is another metaphor that many can identify with, particularly living in Joplin, MO as I do. In thirty-two minutes on a Sunday afternoon, an EF5 tornado destroyed a third of the city, killing 161 people and injuring a thousand more. It was sudden, surprising, and devastating. So is God’s wrath. The difficult part of the verse are the middle two words -- “life” and “wrath”. The “life” may refer to the green brambles which being green don’t start blazing quite as quickly as dried kindling, but it will burn nonetheless. They are brambles which just moments ago were thriving, connected to the ground and growing, but they were suddenly pulled from the ground and thrown into the fire. This is the most likely interpretation given the previous context of four things that appear to have life, power, and hope but quickly fade away. The accent in this text is on the suddenness of God’s wrath, completely surprising those that are the recipients of it. While God is known famously for his steadfast love, the Bible has plenty to say about his wrath as well. And while it is easy for me to point my finger at child molesters, serial killers, and terrorists and summon God’s wrath with glee, the reality is that the finger is also pointing at me. Ephesians 2:3 tells us that we are all “children of wrath by nature” and Ephesians 5:6 that the wrath of God is coming upon the sons of disobedience. Romans 1:18-32 gives the most thorough exposition of the reason for and the effect of God’s wrath. I try to sidestep these passages by assuring myself that I am a good person and God’s wrath is designed for others. The New Testament won’t let me off the hook that easily. No, I deserve God’s wrath just as surely as every other person who exercises their free will to resist the goodness of God. What I need is a savior to step in and take my place, suffering God’s wrath in my place.

10 The righteous will rejoice when he sees the vengeance; he will bathe his feet in the blood of the wicked.

11 Mankind will say, “Surely there is a reward for the righteous; surely there is a God who judges on earth.”

The sudden judgment upon the wicked is a cause for celebration among the righteous. It’s the same kind of thing that we experience today when watching a movie where the bad guy gets it in the end. It’s the satisfying ending that we all want, so there’s no point in judging the psalmist. Most normal human beings want to see justice done (unless they are purveyors of injustice). It is the image of washing one’s feet in the blood of the wicked that gets people riled up in this text. I presume this is where the phrase “blood bath”comes from, or at least is related to. The placing of one’s feet on top of someone or on a piece of land signified dominance and ownership (see Psalm 60 and 108 where God tosses his sandal on the nations). This metaphor of washing feet in the blood of the wicked is simply that, a statement of complete and total victory over injustice and its perpetrators. This vengeance however is not at the hands of the psalmist. It is God’s vengeance. The final verse makes this clear: there is a reward (lit. “fruit”) for the righteous and there is a God who judges the earth. This is one of the frequent messages of the psalms: place your desire for vengeance in the hands of God. He will certainly judge justly. I would like a just judgment, except when it comes to God’s judgment of me. In that case, I would like mercy. I want the obvious villains judged, but mostly good people should get a pass. Therein lies the rub. There are no mostly good people. Even the best of us have broken every commandment, if not literally then in our hearts. There is fruit for living a just life in this world, the good life is a reward in itself. This is the message of Psalm 1 and the fruitful tree. There is also judgment for rejecting a just life in this world (also the message of Psalm 1 where the chaff is blown by the wind), and judgment beyond the grave as Jesus referenced in Luke 16 in the story of the rich man and Lazarus. The reality of God’s judgment is both sobering and satisfying. It means that I am accountable for my actions. That everyone is accountable for their actions, and this can result in a more just society when people believe this and live accordingly. It is satisfying in that we can be confident that evil will be punished justly in this life and with the perfect measure of justice in the life to come, whatever that may be. We don’t have to seek vengeance for ourselves when we’ve been wronged. If we do so, we will always do it imperfectly. For this we place our trust in God. Finally, the last verse of this psalm points us to Jesus who took the judgment and wrath of God upon himself on the cross. When we contemplate the cross we recognize the truth of this psalm fulfilled. “Surely there is a God who judges the earth.” For on the cross as Jesus died, the wrath of God was satisfied, for every sin on him was laid, here in the death of Christ, I live.