Psalm 58
This Psalm, a miktam of David is entitled God Who Judges the Earth. It is supposed to be God who is the judge, not man. Yet so many people put themselves in His place and condemn, punish, and kill as if they have the right, as if they have never sinned. Leaders make sweeping decisions for people and someone is always hurt by their choices. If they swear to uphold group a, group b is forgotten and vice versa. But they are never trampled by their own rulings. They always reap the gain from the people’s loss.
Verses 1-2 read,
“Do you indeed decree what is right, you gods?
Do you judge the children of man uprightly?
2 No, in your hearts you devise wrongs;
your hands deal out violence on earth.”
The people who make themselves judge by doling out slanted justice elevate themselves to a false position of god. They think they have a right to magistrate. But they can’t hand out justice properly, they can’t judge uprightly, because their hearts are flawed. They like all of us are born sinners. We all plan evil. We all scheme selfishly. And those who elevate themselves to be judge, dispense a skewed justice. They become murderers. They take vengeance on themselves and somehow think it is their right to spew their false piety, anger, hate, and viciousness over everyone.
We are all born sinners. None of us has the right to allocate justice while we ourselves are unjust. None of us has the right to judge because we deserve judgment. Verses 3-5 read,
“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.”
We are all born imperfect and capable of evil. But we don’t have to stay that way. The Father calls us to Him. Jesus can give us His righteousness. The Holy Spirit can conform us to Christ’s image. But some people can’t make The Lord their God, because they have raised themselves up to be their own gods. They think they are in charge of their own lives, but these gods are slaves to Satan, the prince of this world. They spread their poison like deadly snakes who kill with one bite. And like the adder those lethal serpents keep spreading their poisonous lies. Their own agenda is fragile and can’t stand up to arguments. Their pride makes them deaf. They refuse to hear anyone for fear that their image will be destroyed.
But they like everyone on this earth will be judged by the One God Elohim. He is our Creator and Judge. Only He has the authority to avenge, judge, condemn, or absolve. Verses 6-7 describe the punishment the wicked judges will receive.
“O God, break the teeth in their mouths;
tear out the fangs of the young lions, O Lord!
7 Let them vanish like water that runs away;
when he aims his arrows, let them be blunted.”
God breaks their teeth making them harmless. They can’t rip apart their prey or even wound without their teeth. And though in the worldly sense they may cause the believer pain and suffering, they have no real power to wound us. They are like their haughty prince, the devil, whom Peter described as a prowling lion. He encouraged believers not to freak out and fear him, but to remain calm and act. 1 Peter 5:6-11 says,
“Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, 7 casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you. 8 Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. 9 Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world. 10 And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you. 11 To him be the dominion forever and ever. Amen.”
The devil is like a roaring lion, but he has no teeth when it comes to followers of Jesus Christ. Whatever pains he might cause are temporary. We can resist him because of our faith in Our Awesome God, The Lion of Judah who is worthy and conquered the devil. Revelation 5:1-5 reads,
“Then I saw in the right hand of him who was seated on the throne a scroll written within and on the back, sealed with seven seals. 2 And I saw a mighty angel proclaiming with a loud voice, “Who is worthy to open the scroll and break its seals?” 3 And no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth was able to open the scroll or to look into it, 4 and I began to weep loudly because no one was found worthy to open the scroll or to look into it. 5 And one of the elders said to me, “Weep no more; behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has conquered, so that he can open the scroll and its seven seals.”
It is God, Elohim, who judges. Only He is worthy. Vengeance is His. (Deuteronomy 32:35-36). His Judgment will bring eternal punishment and death to the wicked. It will be as if they never existed. Verses 8-9 read,
“Let them be like the snail that dissolves into slime,
like the stillborn child who never sees the sun.
9 Sooner than your pots can feel the heat of thorns,
whether green or ablaze, may he sweep them away!”
But for us who make Jesus our Lord and are credited with His righteousness judgement brings eternal life and the Kingdom of Heaven. He gives it to us now before Judgement Day so that we can glorify Him and so that the lost can be found and declare Jesus is Lord. Verses 10-11 read,
“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.”
Who is your God? Is He Elohim? Is Jesus your righteousness? Are you indwelled with God’s Awesome Holy Spirit? Or are you your own god judging the world with an unworthy and sinful heart. With Jesus as our Lord and The Holy Spirit within us we are given the authority to forgive, and to bless. (John 20:21-23). But we leave judgement up to Jesus. We may discern sin and error in a fellow believer and help him back, but this is not the judgement of God who judges finally and completely with all authority. (John 5:25-29, James 4:10-12).
This Psalm, a miktam of David is entitled God Who Judges the Earth. It is supposed to be God who is the judge, not man. Yet so many people put themselves in His place and condemn, punish, and kill as if they have the right, as if they have never sinned. Leaders make sweeping decisions for people and someone is always hurt by their choices. If they swear to uphold group a, group b is forgotten and vice versa. But they are never trampled by their own rulings. They always reap the gain from the people’s loss.
Verses 1-2 read,
“Do you indeed decree what is right, you gods?
Do you judge the children of man uprightly?
2 No, in your hearts you devise wrongs;
your hands deal out violence on earth.”
The people who make themselves judge by doling out slanted justice elevate themselves to a false position of god. They think they have a right to magistrate. But they can’t hand out justice properly, they can’t judge uprightly, because their hearts are flawed. They like all of us are born sinners. We all plan evil. We all scheme selfishly. And those who elevate themselves to be judge, dispense a skewed justice. They become murderers. They take vengeance on themselves and somehow think it is their right to spew their false piety, anger, hate, and viciousness over everyone.
We are all born sinners. None of us has the right to allocate justice while we ourselves are unjust. None of us has the right to judge because we deserve judgment. Verses 3-5 read,
“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.”
We are all born imperfect and capable of evil. But we don’t have to stay that way. The Father calls us to Him. Jesus can give us His righteousness. The Holy Spirit can conform us to Christ’s image. But some people can’t make The Lord their God, because they have raised themselves up to be their own gods. They think they are in charge of their own lives, but these gods are slaves to Satan, the prince of this world. They spread their poison like deadly snakes who kill with one bite. And like the adder those lethal serpents keep spreading their poisonous lies. Their own agenda is fragile and can’t stand up to arguments. Their pride makes them deaf. They refuse to hear anyone for fear that their image will be destroyed.
But they like everyone on this earth will be judged by the One God Elohim. He is our Creator and Judge. Only He has the authority to avenge, judge, condemn, or absolve. Verses 6-7 describe the punishment the wicked judges will receive.
“O God, break the teeth in their mouths;
tear out the fangs of the young lions, O Lord!
7 Let them vanish like water that runs away;
when he aims his arrows, let them be blunted.”
God breaks their teeth making them harmless. They can’t rip apart their prey or even wound without their teeth. And though in the worldly sense they may cause the believer pain and suffering, they have no real power to wound us. They are like their haughty prince, the devil, whom Peter described as a prowling lion. He encouraged believers not to freak out and fear him, but to remain calm and act. 1 Peter 5:6-11 says,
“Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, 7 casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you. 8 Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. 9 Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world. 10 And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you. 11 To him be the dominion forever and ever. Amen.”
The devil is like a roaring lion, but he has no teeth when it comes to followers of Jesus Christ. Whatever pains he might cause are temporary. We can resist him because of our faith in Our Awesome God, The Lion of Judah who is worthy and conquered the devil. Revelation 5:1-5 reads,
“Then I saw in the right hand of him who was seated on the throne a scroll written within and on the back, sealed with seven seals. 2 And I saw a mighty angel proclaiming with a loud voice, “Who is worthy to open the scroll and break its seals?” 3 And no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth was able to open the scroll or to look into it, 4 and I began to weep loudly because no one was found worthy to open the scroll or to look into it. 5 And one of the elders said to me, “Weep no more; behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has conquered, so that he can open the scroll and its seven seals.”
It is God, Elohim, who judges. Only He is worthy. Vengeance is His. (Deuteronomy 32:35-36). His Judgment will bring eternal punishment and death to the wicked. It will be as if they never existed. Verses 8-9 read,
“Let them be like the snail that dissolves into slime,
like the stillborn child who never sees the sun.
9 Sooner than your pots can feel the heat of thorns,
whether green or ablaze, may he sweep them away!”
But for us who make Jesus our Lord and are credited with His righteousness judgement brings eternal life and the Kingdom of Heaven. He gives it to us now before Judgement Day so that we can glorify Him and so that the lost can be found and declare Jesus is Lord. Verses 10-11 read,
“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.”
Who is your God? Is He Elohim? Is Jesus your righteousness? Are you indwelled with God’s Awesome Holy Spirit? Or are you your own god judging the world with an unworthy and sinful heart. With Jesus as our Lord and The Holy Spirit within us we are given the authority to forgive, and to bless. (John 20:21-23). But we leave judgement up to Jesus. We may discern sin and error in a fellow believer and help him back, but this is not the judgement of God who judges finally and completely with all authority. (John 5:25-29, James 4:10-12).
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