We have already indicated the probable historical background to this Psalm in our consideration of Psalms 56 and 57. It is the last of the trilogy of Psalms teat bears the subscription “Al-taschith” (destroy not), referring to times of exceptional danger in the Life of David. Psalm 56 refers to the time when David was compelled to go down to the Philistines at oath (1 Sam.21:10-15); Psalm 57 to the time when he dwelt in the cave of Adullam (1 Sam.22:1-5); and ii we follow the historical sequence, Psalm 58 would be written as David contemplated the hatred of Doeg and the treachery of the Ziphites Sam.23).We have considered these particular events in detail in our introduction and background to Psalm 54, to which we refer readers.
This Psalm, however, does not have any direct historical allusions in its context, and is a reflection fly David on the conduct of those who were judges in Israel at that time.It is an indictment of the manner in which they perverted justice while pretending to uphold it, and a plea to God to confound their evil intentions by manifesting Himself as the true Judge. In developing this theme, David uses a number of striking and dramatic images; and it is said that the original Hebrew conveys a sense of nervous tension that would be appropriate to the circumstances out of which all three Psalms sprang.
For convenience the Psalm can be divided into three parts:
- The protest against unrighteous judges (v.1-5).
- The swift retribution that God will bring upon evil men and for which David prays (v.6-9).
- The joy of knowing the ultimate triumph of the righteous over the wicked (v..16-11).
Unrighteous judges
It is appropriate as we come to the opening verse of this Psalm (and later verses) to consider our general approach to Scripture. We believe that it is important to emphasise that we do not need to be intellectuals to understand the Word of God. While, undoubtedly, an understanding of the original words of both Old and New Testaments will enhance our appreciation of the meaning, it is by no means essential in grasping tile general tenor of their teaching; and we suggest that even with the English text of the Authorized Version, it is possible to grasp all the essentials of Bible doctrine and to see clearly the way in which God would have us to live. This is because in the great majority of cases the message is essentially simple and straightforward. So often its teaching only appears difficult when flesh complicates the issues. We need to recognise that this is one of the primary devices to which the human heart resorts in order to evade its responsibilities before God. It is what the Scriptures term “the deceitfulness of sin” and “an evil heart of unbelief”. It will not be an acceptable excuse to say at the judgment that we were unable to live the truth acceptably because we were confused by Scripture. We make these comments because it seems, on occasions, that study can become an end in itself, and our writing and addresses no different from the commentaries of Orthodoxy, instead of giving proper attention to the application of what we learn to practical living.
These reflections arise out of the opening words of the Psalm, because of the quite diverse translations which scholars of Hebrew have produced; and yet at the end of much abstract discussion, nothing destroys or changes in any manner the obvious message of the Word of God. The A.V., following a twelfth century Jewish Rabbi, renders the words in verse 1:
“Do ye indeed speak righteously, O congregation?”others render the words:
“Do you indeed speak righteousness, you silent ones?” (NAV)
“Do you indeed in silence speak righteousness?” (RV)
“Do you indeed, O ye gods, speak righteousness?” (RV with mg.)
It seems to be generally agreed that the A.V. rendering “congregation” cannot be supported and that the basic meaning of the Hebrew word is ‘silence’. However, if the vowel points were changed, then the word could properly be rendered ‘gods’, as for instance in Psalm 82:1 and 6, words which were quoted by the Lord Jesus when the Jews accused him of blasphemy (John 10:34). The judges of Israel were Elohim (gods) because unto them the Word of Elohim (God) came. They were His representatives in the midst of His people Israel. But nothing changes the obvious sense of the message, and we accept the idea of silence, remaining (as we have stated previously) suspicious of changes in the text without clear and unmistakable evidence for making them.
So the judges who should have spoken were dumb, maintaining silence in the face of violence and injustice. we can imagine how this was so in the experience of David. It was at the time, as we have indicated, that Samuel had died. No doubt with advancing years and his estrangement from Saul, Samuel’s influence in Israel would nave waned. Now a greater responsibility rested upon the judges. They should have spoken; but they remained silent. For whatever reason, they felt it more important to ingratiate themselves with Saul than to judge righteous judgment. Indeed, one wonders, bearing in mind how the Psalms of David do not appear to indict Saul personally, whether his attitude was fostered by the personal ambitions of those who were powerful and influential in Israel. It would account for the genuine love David had for Saul; and, no doubt, if this were the case, for David’s sorrow and anger at the manner in which evil men were casting stumbling blocks in the path of a man who lacks the strength of character to hold fast to the Word of God.
David could therefore ask, “Do ye judge uprightly, O ye sons of men?”, reminding the judges that, although they were powerful in the congregation, they were themselves nevertheless but men subject, like all others, to the righteous judgment of God. In their hearts they planned wickedness, and the result was that they “weighed out” (RV) violence openly in the land. There is deep irony in the use of scales, the symbol of justice, to describe the manner in which they “weighed” their actions (v.2).
The final three verses of this section indicate the true character of these judges in Israel. They were not men who had been misled by others; they were evil men. Even in human nature there are degrees of wickedness, and some men plumb depths of iniquity that horrify even the ‘ordinary sinner’, if we can use such a term. As one writer put it, there are some “who have more than an ordinary aptitude for wickedness”.
“The wicked are estranged from the womb: they go astray as soon as they be born, speaking lies. Their poison is like the poison of a serpent: they are like the deaf adder that stoppeth the ear; which will not hearken to the voice of charmers, charming never so wisely” (v.3-5).
They were a serpent’s brood. We should not use this passage as a general description of human nature, for it is clearly identifying the “wicked” with the corrupt judges.They had pursued throughout their lives a way of unrestrained wickedness, like the adder which was deaf to the enchantment of the snake charmer, so they would not hear the reproofs and warnings of the Word of God. Habits formed almost from birth had been nurtured into maturity, and now they were hardened in the way they had chosen to go.
If there is a lesson for us in our ecclesial life from this, it is surely highlighted by the thought of these judges who were silent when they should have spoken, and deaf when they should have listened. We cannot for ever be ignoring the problems of our Community, turning a blind eye, saying in our hearts, “It’s nothing to do with me”, or, “Best to ignore it for ‘the sake of peace”. This is especially true in the case of doctrinal error in our midst. If we choose to ignore false teaching, for whatever reason, we need to remember that we are dealing with the issues of life and death. What gospel is being preached? Into what gospel might misguided individuals be baptised under the cloak of the name “Christadelphian”?
Divine retribution
Moved by the wickedness of such men, David, reverting to the imagery we have noted in the two previous Psalms, calls upon God:
“break their teeth, O God, in their mouth: break out the great teeth of the young lions, O LORD” (v.6).
The insidious cunning of the serpent is now replaced by the open ferocity of the lion. The figure of the wild beast is sustained through all three Psalms (56:1,2; 57:4). David’s prayer is that God would break their teeth (or frustrate their purpose), rendering them impotent to carry out their evil designs towards him – and, indeed, towards all who were righteous in Israel. So he cries, changing the figure of speech in a graphic manner:
“Let them melt away as waters which run continually: when he bendeth his bow to shoot his arrows, let them be as cut in pieces. As a snail which melteth, let every one of them pass away: like the untimely birth of a woman, that they might not see the sun” (v.6-8).
The meaning is clear. In the rainy season, or following a sudden storm, the water courses would fill quickly; but the waters would soon vanish away (see Job 6:15). “When he aimeth his arrows” (RV), let them be blunted and broken off so that they are unable to wound.
David asks that they may be like a snail that melts. Some render “snail” as “slug”, and others refer the melting to the trail of slime left by a snail as it moves. Here is another example of the way scholarly argument leads back to the obvious meaning. Be it snail or slug, any amateur gardener will have seen the effect of drought or heat upon such creatures, an effect seen even more vividly in the more extreme climatic conditions of the land of Israel. All the plans of the wicked would be aborted. They themselves would become like a stillborn child which never saw the light of the sun.
The section ends with yet another vivid symbol which is not so easily understood by those unacquainted with the Land:
“Before your pots can feel the burning thorns, he shall take them away as With a whirlwind, as in his living and burning wrath” (v.9 NAV).
The reference is to the dry thorns that would be burned under the cook-pot by a traveller in the wilderness, yet swept away by a sudden whirlwind before the heat was felt. Even so would God in His wrath sweep away the wicked before they could bring their evil schemes to fruition.
The triumph of the righteous
“The righteous shall rejoice when he seeth the vengeance: he shall wash his feet in the blood of the wicked. So that a man shall say, Verily there is a reward for the righteous: verily he is a God that judgeth in the earth” (v.10,11).
Here, in conclusion, the Psalmist contemplates the outcome of the judgments so vividly described. The language is such that we might find difficulty in associating with it. It is, however, the kind of language that a warrior like David would have appreciated. No doubt it was the kind of descriptive language that would be used of the victors in the wars of those times. The righteous find joy because they see the vengeance.Not only are they delivered, but Goo, in whom they put their trust, is vindicated.Those who witness the righteous triumph over the wicked acknowledge that ultimately they will be victorious, although the wicked appear to prosper for a time. In that day it will be recognised that, verily – in very truth although the fact might have been doubted by many, there is a reward (lit. fruit) for the righteous. So “let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not” (Gal.6:9).
In this knowledge, while deploring the unrighteous judges in Israel, David could take confidence; for verily, in very truth, whatever men might think, there was a God who was righteous, who was Judge of all the earth.
The Solution