PS 58, 59

This Psalm I would classify as a true imprecatory prayer. The publishers of the NASB entitle it as - Prayer for the Punishment of the Wicked.

We have talked some about the appropriateness of these type of Psalms of David for the Born Again Believer.

Is it ok to pray for the destruction of your enemies?

Matthew 5:43–48 NASB95

43 “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ 44 “But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45 so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven; for He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. 46 “For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? 47 “If you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? 48 “Therefore you are to be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

I have learned that our real enemies are in the spirit realm and that those that are flesh and blood are just tools manipulated by the principalities and powers.

So lets look at this Psalm.

Psalm 58:1–2 (NASB95)

1 Do you indeed speak righteousness, O gods?

“O gods” is a difficult word to translate. It is the Hebrew word elem , it refers to the silent ones, as in judges, who should be speaking out against evil.

Do you judge uprightly, O sons of men?

Should we expect righteousness from our leaders?

2 No, in heart you work unrighteousness;

On earth you weigh out the violence of your hands.

Notice everything begins in the heart. All the evil we are witnessing began in the heart of someone. Man has no answer for the the evil heart of man. Only Jesus changes hearts.

Psalm 58:3–5 (NASB95)

3 The wicked are estranged from the womb;

These who speak lies go astray from birth.

4 They have venom like the venom of a serpent;

Like a deaf cobra that stops up its ear,

5 So that it does not hear the voice of charmers,

Or a skillful caster of spells.

Have you ever considered when a sinner becomes a sinner? is it when he first sins or did his first sin just prove who he was?

Genesis 6:5 NASB95

5 Then the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great on the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.

Its humbling to consider we are rotten from the get go.

Psalm 58:6–9 NASB95

6 O God, shatter their teeth in their mouth; Break out the fangs of the young lions, O Lord. 7 Let them flow away like water that runs off; When he aims his arrows, let them be as headless shafts. 8 Let them be as a snail which melts away as it goes along, Like the miscarriages of a woman which never see the sun. 9 Before your pots can feel the fire of thorns He will sweep them away with a whirlwind, the green and the burning alike.

That’s as imprecatory as it gets!

Psalm 58:10–11 NASB95

10 The righteous will rejoice when he sees the vengeance; He will wash his feet in the blood of the wicked. 11 And men will say, “Surely there is a reward for the righteous; Surely there is a God who judges on earth!”

In the end we will see this litterally as Jesus our Kinsman Redeemer meets out vengeance, the wicked will see a bloody end.

Now Ps 59 another imprecatory Psalm of David. This one is set as Saul is seeking to kill David, and is staking out his house. The story is in 1 Sam 19. David is young man and Saul has lost his mind and is insanely jealous of David.

1 Samuel 19:1–13 NASB95

1 Now Saul told Jonathan his son and all his servants to put David to death. But Jonathan, Saul’s son, greatly delighted in David. 2 So Jonathan told David saying, “Saul my father is seeking to put you to death. Now therefore, please be on guard in the morning, and stay in a secret place and hide yourself. 3 “I will go out and stand beside my father in the field where you are, and I will speak with my father about you; if I find out anything, then I will tell you.” 4 Then Jonathan spoke well of David to Saul his father and said to him, “Do not let the king sin against his servant David, since he has not sinned against you, and since his deeds have been very beneficial to you. 5 “For he took his life in his hand and struck the Philistine, and the Lord brought about a great deliverance for all Israel; you saw it and rejoiced. Why then will you sin against innocent blood by putting David to death without a cause?” 6 Saul listened to the voice of Jonathan, and Saul vowed, “As the Lord lives, he shall not be put to death.” 7 Then Jonathan called David, and Jonathan told him all these words. And Jonathan brought David to Saul, and he was in his presence as formerly. 8 When there was war again, David went out and fought with the Philistines and defeated them with great slaughter, so that they fled before him. 9 Now there was an evil spirit from the Lord on Saul as he was sitting in his house with his spear in his hand, and David was playing the harp with his hand. 10 Saul tried to pin David to the wall with the spear, but he slipped away out of Saul’s presence, so that he stuck the spear into the wall. And David fled and escaped that night. 11 Then Saul sent messengers to David’s house to watch him, in order to put him to death in the morning. But Michal, David’s wife, told him, saying, “If you do not save your life tonight, tomorrow you will be put to death.” 12 So Michal let David down through a window, and he went out and fled and escaped. 13 Michal took the household idol and laid it on the bed, and put a quilt of goats’ hair at its head, and covered it with clothes.

So as we read this Psalm consider the pressure David is feeling and yet consider his prayer as he pours out his heart to God.

Psalm 59 (NASB95)

For the choir director; set to Al-tashheth. A Mikhtam of David, when Saul sent men and they watched the house in order to kill him.

1 Deliver me from my enemies, O my God;

Set me securely on high away from those who rise up against me.

2 Deliver me from those who do iniquity

And save me from men of bloodshed.

3 For behold, they have set an ambush for my life;

Fierce men launch an attack against me,

Not for my transgression nor for my sin, O Lord,

4 For no guilt of mine, they run and set themselves against me.

Arouse Yourself to help me, and see!

Its hard for me to consider a more difficult situation where others are seeking to hurt me and I am guiltless.

5 You, O Lord God of hosts, the God of Israel,

Awake to punish all the nations;

Do not be gracious to any who are treacherous in iniquity.

Selah.

6 They return at evening, they howl like a dog,

And go around the city.

7 Behold, they belch forth with their mouth;

Swords are in their lips,

For, they say, “Who hears?”

8 But You, O Lord, laugh at them;

You scoff at all the nations.

9 Because of his strength I will watch for You,

For God is my stronghold.

10 My God in His lovingkindness (hesed - loyal love) will meet me;

God will let me look triumphantly upon my foes.

11 Do not slay them, or my people will forget;

Scatter (imperative) them by Your power, and bring them down (imperative),

O Lord, our shield.

In other words, don’t just kill them. Take them out in a way that will bring you glory!

12 On account of the sin of their mouth and the words of their lips,

Let them even be caught in their pride,

And on account of curses and lies which they utter.

13 Destroy them in wrath, destroy them that they may be no more;

That men may know that God rules in Jacob

To the ends of the earth.

Selah.

14 They return at evening, they howl like a dog,

And go around the city.

15 They wander about for food

And growl if they are not satisfied.

16 But as for me, I shall sing of Your strength;

Yes, I shall joyfully sing of Your lovingkindness in the morning,

For You have been my stronghold

And a refuge in the day of my distress.

17 O my strength, I will sing praises to You;

For God is my stronghold, the God who shows me lovingkindness.