58:1ffThis is called an imprecatory psalm (see the note on
Life Application Study BiblePsalmsChapter 58
Psalm 58
New Living Translation · Life Application Study Bible · Original page: 904
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58Psalm 58
1For the choir director: A psalm of David, to be sung to the tune “Do Not Destroy!”Justice—do you rulers* know the meaning of the word?Do you judge the people fairly?
2No! You plot injustice in your hearts.You spread violence throughout the land.
3These wicked people are born sinners;even from birth they have lied and gone their own way.
4They spit venom like deadly snakes;they are like cobras that refuse to listen,5 ignoring the tunes of the snake charmers,no matter how skillfully they play.
6Break off their fangs, O God!Smash the jaws of these lions, O LORD!
7May they disappear like water into thirsty ground.Make their weapons useless in their hands.*
8May they be like snails that dissolve into slime,like a stillborn child who will never see the sun.
9God will sweep them away, both young and old,faster than a pot heats over burning thorns.
10The godly will rejoice when they see injustice avenged.They will wash their feet in the blood of the wicked.
11Then at last everyone will say,“There truly is a reward for those who live for God;surely there is a God who judges justly here on earth.”Theme: Prayer and praise for God’s saving help. God’s constant love is our place ofsafety in a wicked world.
Life Application Notes 4 notes
58:1ffThe Old Testament is filled with references to justice— it is a key topic in the psalms. Unfortunately, many judges and rulers in ancient times took justice into their own hands. They had complete authority with no accountability and the power to make their own laws. When earth’s judges are corrupt, there is little hope of justice in this life. But God loves justice, and those who obey him will experience perfect justice in eternity.
58:6-10Shifting from prayer to prediction, David fervently calls for justice that veers into grisly judgment. Broken fangs and smashed jaws give way to the godly wading in the blood of the wicked. The words convey ugly pictures of the gruesome results of sin. Even uglier pictures of the darkness are often revealed by our own demands for justice and more. This is certainly not the only time David's forceful sense of justice turned back on him (see 2 Samuel 12:1-15). Ironically, David himself would eventually occupy the throne and be subject tothe very imprecation he called down on others. We can be grateful that God hears our prayers, but we can also be grateful that God doesn’t have to abide by our requests.
58:11Of all people, our national leaders should be just and fair. When they are unjust and unfair, people suffer as politicians wrest power from the people, national morality deteriorates, and God is ignored. When right triumphs at last, “the godly will rejoice” (58:10). Be assured that there will be a day of accountability and that God judges fairly. Be careful never to side with injustice lest you find yourself standing before an angry Judge.