Psalm 58 is a miktam of David—a memorial to God’s faithfulness within a series of psalms in which King Saul pursues David (Pss 52-59). Yet even though David prays this curse against his enemies, he does not take vengeance in his own hands. At least two times, David could have taken Saul’s life (1 Sam 24, 26). Yet David showed restraint, for Saul was still the anointed king of Israel. Instead, he prays Psalm 58 to reveal three truths we must remember about God when we feel like cussing.
God Condemns the Unjust (vv. 1-5)
First, David’s plea is based on his belief that God condemns the unjust judges: “Do you indeed decree what is right, you gods? Do you judge the children of man uprightly?” (v. 1). David does not begin by addressing the one true God, but by addressing those who commit injustices against him.[1] “Indeed” indicates a note of surprise, for David cannot believe his eyes. Even in a fallen world, he is outraged by their abuse of power. These lords and nobles of Israel had said nothing when Saul pursued him. They should have intervened, but instead condoned Saul’s actions. Yet sadly, we find such cowardice in every civilization throughout history. Those in authority take advantage of the weak and helpless in society. They deliberately persecute them or, more often, simply ignore their plight. These judges are mute when they ought to speak and deaf when they ought to hear.
David answers his own question, “No, instead of speaking what is right, in your hearts you devise wrongs. Instead of judging uprightly, your hands deal out violence on earth” (v. 2). They progress from hearts to hands, for what the wicked devise within their hearts, they eventually carry out. They press their thumbs upon the scales of justice because their hearts are weighted with corruption. They will do as they desire. So, David continues his condemnation of unjust judges: “The wicked are estranged from the womb; they go astray from birth, speaking lies” (v. 3). David teaches the doctrine of original sin that Adam’s seed is sinful from his birth. They are born perverted from the womb and have continued down that path. “They have venom like the venom of a serpent, like the deaf adder that stops its ear, so that it does not hear the voice of charmers or of the cunning enchanter” (vv. 4-5). David pictures his enemies as snakes, bringing to mind the seed of the serpent in Genesis 3:15, “I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.” They are like their father, the Devil (John 8:44)—sneaky, slithery, cunning cobras with venom in their bite. They stop their ears to any appeals for change (e.g., John 8:43; Acts 7:57). Therefore, not even snake charmers or enchanters can tame them. No amount of skill can reason with them (see Ezek 12:2; Isa 42:20). They are “evil people and impostors [who] go on from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived” (2 Tim 3:13). And there is only one way to ensure our safety when dealing with venomous snakes: We’ve got to smash them on the head.
Remember, though, that David also was a sinner from the womb (see Ps 51:5; Rom 3:10-12), yet saved by God—redeemed and made anew. His repentance unto life sent him down a different path. So, even as we pray for justice, we trust in God as Judge. We know the God above them all—the God who sees them all—the God who rightly condemns them for injustice, but who promises to save. Here in Psalm 58, we learn to pray like David. For because our God condemns the unjust judges, we call on God to judge them.
God Judges the Wicked (vv. 6-9)
David continues his imprecatory prayer: “O God, break the teeth in their mouths; tear out the fangs of the young lions, O LORD!” (v. 6) “Snakes” imply deceit, while “lions” epitomize ferocity (Ps 91:13; Isa 11:7-8). “Punch them in the mouth! Break their teeth! Rip out their vicious fangs! If you cannot convince them to be good at least remove their power for evil.” David knows that his survival depends upon his enemies’ demise.[2] The postscript, “Do not destroy,” is the same as in previous psalms (Pss 56, 57). As David sings unto the Lord, “Do not destroy me. Instead, destroy my enemies.”
Let them vanish like water that runs away; when he aims his arrows, let them be blunted. Let them be like the snail that dissolves into slime, like the stillborn child who never sees the sun. Sooner than your pots can feel the heat of thorns, whether green or ablaze, may he sweep them away!” (58:7-9).
But can Christians even pray like this? Can we make use of the imprecatory psalms? Can we wish such judgment on the wicked? It seems valid, first, because they’re in the Bible. God inspired them for a reason. Moses prayed such prayers (Num 10:35), and also prophets like Jeremiah (Jer 18:21). Nehemiah prayed against Sanballat and Tobiah (Neh 4:4-5) and Jesus himself called down curses against the Pharisees (Matt 23:13, 15). The apostles quoted prayers from the imprecatory psalms (Acts 1:20; Rom 11:9-10) and cursed those who hated God (1 Cor 16:22a; see Gal 1:8-9). Likewise, the martyred saints will one day shout in heaven, “O Sovereign Lord, holy and true, how long before you will judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?” (Rev 6:10). These prayers are in the Bible for the people of God to pray.
In addition, we must do something against the evils in this world. We cannot be activists in every case, but we can pray: “Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven” (Matt 6:10). Prayer is the Christian’s weapon against the powers and principalities of this dark world (Eph 6:12). We also pray these psalms against ourselves. For we too are sinners both by birth and by our choices. So, we pray against our own depravity. And in these self-imprecatory prayers, God’s Spirit wars against our flesh (Rom 8:13). Finally, we pray imprecatory prayers because they give glory ultimately to God. According to Psalm 83, “Fill their faces with shame, that they may seek your name, O LORD. Let them be put to shame and dismayed forever; let them perish in disgrace, that they may know that you alone, whose name is the LORD, are the Most High over all the earth” (vv. 16-18). God gets the glory either through conversion or despair. He gets the glory whether they receive his grace or his dis-grace. God gets the glory either way, for his people recognize true justice and call on God to be our Judge (103:6). God gets the glory when we leave the vengeance up to him. As Paul says, “Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, ‘Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord’” (Rom 12:19). Prayers of imprecation call on God to keep his promises: First, to Abraham and to his offspring: “I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed” (Gen 12:3; see Gal 3:29). Then, to David and his descendants. Yet how could David’s offspring reign upon the throne of Israel unless God first took down Saul? God gets the glory because he keeps his promises.
God Justifies the Righteous (vv. 10-11)
As surely as God will judge the wicked, he also justifies the righteous: “The righteous will rejoice when he sees the vengeance; he will bathe his feet in the blood of the wicked” (Ps 58:10). Bathing one’s feet in blood was an ancient Near Eastern way of expressing an enemy’s total defeat. For God would deliver David from King Saul and would continue to rescue believers throughout history (Luke 11:7-8). Vengeance is his; He would repay (see Deut 32:35).
Likewise, God has rescued us through the cross of Christ, though it was Christ’s own blood that puddled at his feet. It was the wicked who rejoiced at his demise. The Righteous One received the unjust judgment, so that sinners might be justified. As Isaiah foretold, “He was despised and rejected by men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not” (Isa 53:3). But that was not the end of the story—the final answer for God’s Anointed King. For according to Isaiah 53:11, “Out of the anguish of his soul he shall see and be satisfied; by his knowledge shall the righteous one, my servant, make many to be accounted righteous, and he shall bear their iniquities” (see Heb 12:2). And the Son of God will one day return to finish what he started. As John writes,
Then I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse! The one sitting on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he judges and makes war. His eyes are like a flame of fire, and on his head are many diadems, and he has a name written that no one knows but himself. He is clothed in a robe dipped in blood, and the name by which he is called is The Word of God. And the armies of heaven, arrayed in fine linen, white and pure, were following him on white horses. From his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations, and he will rule them with a rod of iron. He will tread the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty. On his robe and on his thigh he has a name written, King of kings and Lord of lords (Rev 19:11-16; see Isa 63:1-6; Jer 51:48; Ezek 28:23; Rev 14:19–20; 18:20).
We can pray with confidence since we know how the story ends. As David closes, “Mankind will say, ‘Surely there is a reward for the righteous; surely there is a God who judges on earth’” (Ps 58:11).[3] The nations believe in many gods and not a God who judges all the earth. But one day, God’s certain judgment of the wicked will convince all peoples of his glory. For on that day, “At the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (Phil 2:10-11). Then, all mankind will realize what the righteous have always known by faith.
As we pray the imprecatory psalms, let us be reminded of God’s love. For we did not start off as the righteous who rejoice in our reward, but as the children of God’s wrath deserving of his justice. We did not start off as victors in the battle, but as victims in the bloodbath. So, even as we pray imprecatory psalms against our enemies, we are reminded of God’s redeeming love. We are not like them only because we are saved by grace through faith alone (Eph 2:8-9). We are not like them only because our sin has been covered by the blood of Jesus. We are not like them only because God’s Spirit has given us ears to hear his precious Word. Praise God for his redeeming love!
Life Application Study:
- Read the imprecatory prayers of Moses (Num 10:35), the psalmists (Pss 83:16-18; 103:6), the prophets (Jer 18:21), Nehemiah (Neh 4:4-5), Jesus (Matt 23:13, 15; Mark 11:14), Peter (Acts 1:20), Paul (Rom 11:9-10; 1 Cor 16:22; Gal 1:8-9), and the future saints (Rev 6:10). Why did God include these in the Bible and how can we pray them today?
- Explain the doctrines of original sin and total depravity (Ps 51:5; Rom 3:10-12, 23). How does sin nature still affect the believer today?
- What do you typically do when you feel like cussing? What goes through your thoughts, comes out of your mouth, and gets worked into your everyday life? Consider the meaning of each vivid phrase in Psalm 58:6-9 as it might be understood today.
- How does knowing the end of God’s story transform the way you live right now (Phil 2:10-11; Rev 19:11-16)? What truths about Christ’s eternal glory will inform your heart about this present society?
- Where do you see injustice in our world today? How can you pray against it? How has God called you to actively address it?
Pray Psalm 58:
- Lord, preserve our nation from unjust leaders (vv. 1-2).
- Father, help me to recognize my own sin nature (vv. 3-5).
- Frustrate those who defame your glory (vv. 6-9).
- Lord, I praise you for the ultimate demise of the wicked and justice for the righteous (vv. 10-11).
[1] These “gods” are not spiritual beings, but human rulers based on the context. The Hebrew word refers to “silence.” So, we might render this phrase, “How can you be silent when you ought to speak? How can you not say anything against injustice?”
[2] Verse 6 begins and ends with the name of God to headline the entire prayer in verses 6-9. The chiasm focuses on the threat of danger.
[3] The repeated terms in the inclusio reveal how verse 11 resolves the problem presented in verse 1.
