May 20, 2009
Unrighteous judges but glorious truth
Psalm 58
Kaity Avance
Central Truth
David prays for God to punish unrighteous judges so that the righteous will continue to trust the Lord.
Key Verse | Psalm 58:11
Then observers will say,
“Yes indeed, the godly are rewarded!
Yes indeed, there is a God who judges in the earth!"
(Psalm 58:11)
Psalm 58
God Who Judges the Earth
To the choirmaster: according to Do Not Destroy. A Miktam 1 58:1 Probably a musical or liturgical term of David.
1
Do you indeed decree what is right, you gods?
2
58:1
Or 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.
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.
6
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.
8
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!
3
58:9
The meaning of the Hebrew verse is uncertain
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.”
Dive Deeper | Psalm 58
Becoming a Christian in college was certainly a life transformation (praise the Lord!). Today, in loving Christ and pursuing Him daily, the Lord calls me to love Him first and share His truth regardless of the circumstance or discomfort.
The Lord has provided many opportunities for me to share the glory of what He has done in my life with many people with whom I used to live my old, destructive lifestyle. I call them opportunities, but they are certainly not easy. I’m such a people pleaser; it is one of my biggest struggles. Sharing Christ is harder with some friends than with others, and this past fall I had a unique opportunity to visit my old sorority house with the intent to share the gospel. Let there be no mistake, I was petrified. What would these girls think of me? They liked me and thought I was pretty cool when I was in college. Did I really have to ruin that image? I certainly didn’t want to. They would never know any differently if I didn’t tell them who Christ is or the true life that He offers. I feared that they would judge me if I told them how I use to live my life and about the sin of my past that I thought I hid so well.
But the Lord has called me to something more. In Mathew 10:28 the Lord says, “Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Instead, fear the one who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell." In Psalm 58, David prays that the Lord would punish unrighteous judges, those who are capable of killing the body. I love that David calls on the Lord to punish, for it is our job to love and bring truth. I have never regretted the times when I have shared the gospel and the glorious truth of who the Lord is, but I have regretted every time that I have missed these God-appointed opportunities out of fear of disapproval.
Discussion Questions
1. Who are your judges?
2. Why were people willing to die for the gospel in the past, yet we find it hard to share with old friends, co-workers, or family?
3. Today, who will you tell about the truth of the Lord?