Psalms 58

Psalms 58:1-11

“ There Is a God That Judgeth” Psalms 58:1-11 This psalm is launched against wicked rulers. It may have been occasioned by the attitude of Abner and others of Saul’ s party, who accounted David as a rebel and outlaw and urged vindictive measures against him. Their sin, Psalms 58:1-6 Poison is literally “ burning heat.” Such is the effect of venomous words, into which the malice of the great serpent is infused. Evil men, capable of such speech, resemble the snake tribe, which will respond only to the shrillest notes. Hot speech to man and deaf ears to God go together. Their doom, Psalms 58:6-9 For let them read they shall, Psalms 58:7. The imperative and predictive future are in Hebrew expressed by similar words. Note the remarkable comparisons-the lion’ s broken jaw-tooth, the ebbing tide, the snail scorched by intense heat, the untimely birth, the quickly-expiring fire, the cyclone! Sin inevitably brings penalty, and herein is God’ s moral government vindicated. The contrast, Psalms 58:10-11 As the weary traveler is refreshed when his feet are washed, so the saints are glad to see God’ s vindication of the righteous. There is a wide difference between the gratification of personal vengeance, and a consuming zeal to uphold God’ s character.

Like the deaf adder This Psalm is against wicked rulers. It has been suggested that it was written on account of, Abner and the rest of Saul’s princes, who judged David as a rebel and outlaw, and urged Saul to pursue him. It is the fourth of the Golden Psalms. For superscription, see also Psalms 57:1-11.

The divisions are very simple: a description of the evils of the unrighteous judges (Psalms 58:1-5); prayer for their overthrow (Psalms 58:6-8); the ultimate triumph of righteousness (Psalms 58:9-11).

Psalms 58:2. Ye weigh out violence (R.V.) Weighing is always symbolical of JUSTICE, but these unrighteous judges weighed out violence rather than justice.

Psalms 58:3. They go astray as Soon as born. It is said that the young serpent will sting as swiftly and as poisonously as an older one. And certain it is that the virulence of our nature will show itself in young children. Of course we all share the fallen nature of Adam, though, in the case of the believer, grace neutralizes its effect.

Psalms 58:4-5. Like the poison of a serpent The second clause may be rendered, Like a deaf adder, he stoppeth the ear. “The hearing of all the serpent tribes is very imperfect, as all are destitute of a tympanic cavity.” The charmer has to reach the snake by very shrill notes of voice or flute. In the case of David’s persecutors, it was not so much their inability as their unwillingness to hear. Saul’s conscience was not dead, for he was on more than one occasion touched by David’s appeals (1 Samuel 19:6; 1 Samuel 24:17-21; 1 Samuel 26:21; 1 Samuel 26:25). But he resisted the prompting of his better self.

Psalms 58:6. Break their teeth! This imagery is borrowed from the lion, which tears his prey with his great eye-teeth.

Psalms 58:7. Let his arrows be as if they were cut Headless, pointless, blunt and harmless (Psalms 37:15).

Psalms 58:9.Before the contents of the pots can feel the heat of the thorns burning beneath, God will take away both those which have not been reached by the fire and those which are burning. The rapidity and rush of the tempest, which sweeps away all preparation for the meal, is very vivid.

Psalms 58:10-11.Sooner or later the “integrity of the righteous will be vindicated. It will be manifest that the eye of the all-seeing Judge has discerned between the false and the true. There is a great distinction between the desire for the gratification of personal vengeance and zeal for the vindication of God’s character. Ah, what a commentary is supplied by Revelation 19:1-4!