Psalm 58 (Listen)
58:1 Do you indeed decree what is right, you gods?
Do you judge the children of man uprightly?
2 No, in your hearts you devise wrongs;
your hands deal out violence on earth.
3 The wicked are estranged from the womb;
they go astray from birth, speaking lies.
4 They have venom like the venom of a serpent,
like the deaf adder that stops its ear,
5 so that it does not hear the voice of charmers
or of the cunning enchanter.
6 O God, break the teeth in their mouths;
tear out the fangs of the young lions, O LORD!
7 Let them vanish like water that runs away;
when he aims his arrows, let them be blunted.
8 Let them be like the snail that dissolves into slime,
like the stillborn child who never sees the sun.
9 Sooner than your pots can feel the heat of thorns,
whether green or ablaze, may he sweep them away!
10 The righteous will rejoice when he sees the vengeance;
he will bathe his feet in the blood of the wicked.
11 Mankind will say, “Surely there is a reward for the righteous;
surely there is a God who judges on earth.”
Devotional:
Then people will say, “Yes, there is a reward for the righteous! There is a God who judges on earth!” (Psalm 58:11 CSB)
Watch the news on any given day and you will see stories of death, war, and destruction. To make matters worse, it seems like a lot of evil people are doing pretty well while good people seem to suffer. Apparently, the world hasn’t changed much since the time of David. He doesn’t mince words with the way he feels about evil in the world. While we often reflect on the mercy of God, it is important to remember that God is also just. He will not let evil go unpunished, and while His wrath for sin was poured out on the cross, there will be a day when He judges the earth. Let yourself be humbled by the knowledge of a God who is as merciful as He is just.
Pray it: Father, my heart breaks at the injustices and suffering I see in this world. I praise you for your promise to bring justice to the world while also giving mercy to sinners through the cross. Help me to live in a way committed to both justice and mercy. Amen.
Share it: Share a verse or thought from this passage with someone today.