Psalm 58 There Is A Reward For the Righteous

Intro |

In the 21 Century, injustice has almost become a routine part of life. We just expect to see a section on the news about refuges, abuse, embezzlement, corruption, and murder.

We have even become used to hearing about this type of behavior from leaders in government, education, and sadly the church.

From local school boards to the White House unjust rulers seem to be going unchecked, and are doing a good job of reproducing themselves in positions of authority.

All the while, we sit back and accept this as “just the way it is.”

In Psalm 58, David was not willing to sit back passively and watch the wicked prosper.

In fact we see David, looking to God, calling for the judgement of unjust leaders and the reward of the righteous.

1. The Wicked Are Among Us (vv.1-5)

v.1 — Paul begins by addressing the very role of those in leadership.

We look to leaders to speak and judge on behalf of the people.

Maybe it is to speak out and declare a state of emergency after a natural disaster.

Or to speak out against unjust and illegal rioting, and to act in a way that protects law abiding citizens.

In Ps. 58, David is speaking out directly against the wickedness he experienced in ancient Israel.

CONTEXT — This Psalm was most likely written while David was in the Cave at Adullam.

CONTENT — This is a Miktam, we are not certain what this word means, but if you look to other ancient religious writings you can see that they translated this word as having the root meaning to engrave or inscribe on a column.

So, perhaps, as David was on the run from Saul, hiding in the wilderness and caves, he inscribed these Psalms on the wall of the cave.

v.2 — Regardless, David points out that these wicked rulers were silent. They didn’t speak out or judge rightly on behalf of the people.

Their hearts devise wrong and their hands deal out violence.

We can understand this better by looking at David’s situation when he escaped the cave at Adullam.

1 Sam 22:6-8 “Now Saul heard that David was discovered, and the men who were with him. Saul was sitting at Gibeah under the tamarisk tree on the height with his spear in his hand, and all his servants were standing about him. And Saul said to his servants who stood about him, “Hear now, people of Benjamin; will the son of Jesse give every one of you fields and vineyards, will he make you all commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds, that all of you have conspired against me? No one discloses to me when my son makes a covenant with the son of Jesse. None of you is sorry for me or discloses to me that my son has stirred up my servant against me, to lie in wait, as at this day.””

He is basically saying, look, why are you siding with David? He can’t give you anything. Who cares if he is innocent or right, don’t you want what I can give?

We an see this today in many areas, but higher education should concern us. University after university is caving to whatever modern philosophy sounds good.

This is happening in christian institution too. Donors have money and therefore influence, christian colleges and seminaries are making space and even advocating for unorthodox, unbiblical, liberal ideologies.

This type of injustice lacks physical violence, but it is an attack none-the-less.

v.3 — The hearts and hands of the unjust are wicked, they are estranged from the womb, they go astray from birth, speaking lies..

Sinfulness is from the womb…from birth.

This is the doctrine of original sin.

Simply put, everyone sins because everyone is a sinner.

Many people think about it the other way around. We are considered sinners because we sin, but that isn’t what the bible teaches.

Original Sin simply teaches what we see in Genesis 3 and Rom. 5, and many other places.

Rom. 5:12 “Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned—”

The consequence of Adam and Eve’s rebellion against God is applied to every person.

The wicked sin because they are wicked, and we all sin.

v.4 — This type of wickedness left un-dealt with is deadly.

Rom. 6:23 “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

v. 5 — David goes further to give a clear picture of just how dangerous wickedness unchecked is.

Ps 58:5 “[the wicked do] not hear the voice of charmers or of the cunning enchanter.”

Similarly God said to Ezekial, Ezek 12:2 ““Son of man, you dwell in the midst of a rebellious house, who have eyes to see, but see not, who have ears to hear, but hear not, for they are a rebellious house.”

Boice points out that the wicked are dumb when they should speak, and deaf when they need to hear.

It can be easy to see ourselves as David in this Psalm and forget that we are all in places of leadership and we all deal with sin.

How are you stewarding those areas in your life?

Fathers are you speaking the word of God to your children so that they can confidently rest in the grace of God?

Moms are your hands loving your kids in a way that points them to Christ so that they are not tempted to look for love in sinful places, people and things?

Grandparents are you hearts set to lead your grandchildren in the Lord in a way that is compelling not complacent?

The world is working nonstop to disciple the next generation. Wicked leaders who promote the ways of the world, the flesh, and the devil are dealing destruction and lies as truth.

2. The Wicked Will Not Escape Judgement (vv.6-9)

David was confident in the justice of God, so he calls on him to deal with the wicked.

In Ps. 57 you may remember David refers to his enemies as lions and men who have teeth like arrows.

In Ps. 58 he seeks the help of God to tear out the fangs of the young lions, and to blunt the arrows of the marksman.

David wants the wicked to be dealt with swiftly, early, their wickedness is so dangerous that it can’t be allowed to linger.

I mentioned higher education earlier.

I did so because i believe If you look at the liberal drift in our nation it runs parallel with the liberal drift in higher education.

I can understand this in secular institutions, remember the wicked are wicked and they can’t hear the voice of the charmer.

But what are we to make of Christian institutions who embrace what is being called protestant liberalism.

Harvard, Yale and Princeton were founded as places of robust christian learning, and now you are more likely to be learn about Critical Race Theory, and Gender Neutrality than you are orthodox Christianity.

Recently Eastern Nazarene College in Mass. announced its closing after decades of liberal drift.

Largely, this is happening because the Church has removed itself from higher education, or simply thinking deeply about hard things.

Maybe you avoid the topics of sexuality, evolution, gender identity, diversity and many others because we are not confident in the word of God.

This can’t be! The church and learning go hand and hand, and we need to cry out to God to deal swiftly with the injustices on our college campuses and in the lives of our young people.

Ps. 58.7 “Let them vanish like water that runs away...”

Like David, let us appeal to God that the wicked influences on the next generation would vanish like a flash flood that does it’s damage and moves on swiftly.

Or more severely, like a stillborn child who never gets to see the light of day.

This sounds harsh, but David knew that if the wicked are not going to turn to righteousness, it is better for them to never have lived.

The wicked will not escape judgement, and the righteous will be rewarded.

3. The Righteous Will Be Rewarded (vv.10-11)

If you just read the first nine verses you may be left asking whats the point if sin has infected everyone, if the wicked are wicked without hope, and if wickedness seems to be taking more and more ground—why even care?

Boice answers this thought well by saying, “The moral of this Psalm is although judgement may tarry long, it will come, and when it comes the way of the righteous will be seen to have been right.”

v.10— The righteous will rejoice when he sees the vengeance.

Many think these verses seem harsh, and rightly so if you are simply thinking about the justice of man.

But David’s appeal is for the justice of God. Sin is an assault against the holiness of God, but we have lessened our sin to a mistake, a struggle, or even a little sin.

No sin is deadly!

So when we get to the later part of v.10 we don’t see a brutal scene, but we see the righteous anger of God poured out against the wicked… “and he will bath his feet in blood of the wicked.”

When Jesus came the first time he came as the lamb of God to shed his blood for our sins. At his second coming he will come as the Lion of Judah to devour his enemies because of their sin.

Rev. 19:13 “He is clothed in a robe dipped in blood, and the name by which he is called is The Word of God.”

This same scene is prophesied of in Is. 63:2-3 with a question and answer. “Why is your apparel red, and your garments like his who treads in the winepress? “I have trodden the winepress alone, and from the peoples no one was with me; I trod them in my anger and trampled them in my wrath; their lifeblood spattered on my garments, and stained all my apparel.”

This Psalm reminds us of our role in the redemptive story. We do not wield a sword of steal, but the sword of the word. We do not pray curses upon our enemies, but for their salvation of the wicked.

We can do this because we know when Jesus returns as the Lion of Judah his perfect justice will reign.

We will rejoice when that day comes, the righteous will be rewarded, but until then we must push back against the darkness, and call sinners to repentance and belief so that they too can know the mercy of the Lord who is slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love!