Psalm 58 is another golden Psalm or
technically known as a mikhtam. This term, as we have said earlier, suggests
that the content is so valuable that it’s worth engraving on some materials
that were more durable so that the song will be preserved. The superscript also
tells us that it was to be set in the tune of Al-tashheth. This word could
well be the opening line of a song that was known and this Psalm was to be sung
with the same tune.
The opening clearly shows that the Psalmist was praying against
unjust judges. The term “gods” is probably a cynicism. They were probably
referring to rulers who acted as if they were gods. What is said about them tells
us implicitly that their judgments are simply not trustworthy. In verses 1-5, David
states his indictment against them and show why and how they were wicked. He began
by deriding their judgments, saying that they were unrighteous and they
exercised violence. Then he made comment on their character, using a series of
hyperbolic exaggerations. The intention was to prove a point, to say how rotten
they were from start to end. They were wayward even before they came into
being. And from the moment of their birth they would speak falsehood and be led
astray. Like poisonous snakes they kept spilling out venom and like a cobra
that would not listen to its charmer, but instead turned a deaf ear to sound
counsel.
From verses 6-9, David’s prayer became
imprecatory. His prayer began to denounce the wicked, pronounce a curse upon
them and asked that they be punished. David literally asked God to act against
those unjust judges. They were described as ferocious and nasty as young lions.
He wished for their teeth to be shattered and broken so that they would not be
able to devour. They were like relentless and uncontrollable flood water
rushing to destroy everything in its path. So David asked God to avert their
flow so that they could do no harm in its relentless flow. He also saw them as
people armed with what looks like lethal arrows, but asked God for their arrows
to be without a head. David also asked God to make them move at a snail pace
and be melted away as they moved along and also made them to be like still born
children. Basically David seemed to be asking for their plans to be aborted. So
that no harm could be done.
Some of us may feel uneasy and wonder:
does this kind of prayer collide with Jesus’ teaching on loving one’s enemy? Bear
in mind that for us human, our revelation is progressive. We can see better
from hindsight. In the absence of Jesus’ teaching on holistic love, David’s
feeling was justified. Anyway, we are not in David’s shoes and have not
experienced the pain, heartaches, anguish and turmoil, hence we are not
qualified to make any judgement call concerning the way he had acted. Would
David have done better had he been exposed to Jesus’ teaching? This is
hypothetical, we don’t really know. Only God knows! Let’s just obey what our
Lord has taught us.
The last two verses give us a ring of
victorious assertion that God will vindicate and He will definitely judge the
wicked. And when God does that, His judgement will be instantaneous and
thorough. Verse 9 tells us that even before the material used for the fire is
burned up, the pot would already have reached a boiling point. This is a
picture of how swift and rapid God’s judgement would be. Besides
that, it would be like
a whirlwind – thorough and complete. When God’s judgement falls on the wicked,
there will be cause for the righteous to rejoice. They will rejoice because the
wicked will no longer be around to torment them. The judgement of the wicked
will prove indeed that God is righteous and just. Take comfort that we serve a
righteous and fair God. No wickedness will go unpunished. And no righteous
living will go unrewarded. Whatever suffering we bear now, God will make it up
to us. Let’s choose this day to live for Him and serve His cause!
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