Psalm 58:11 So that a man shall say, Verily there is reward for the righteous: verily he is a God that judgeth the earth.
That’s for sure Friends! Psalm 58 is Bruh David’s denunciation of the wicked, particularly the leaders and judges. He contemplates their work and questions their motives. ‘Do ye judge uprightly, O ye sons of men? Yea, in heart ye work wickedness; ye weigh the violence of your hands in the earth.’ (vs.1-2) The wicked, he claims, ‘go astray as soon as they be born, speaking lies.’ (vs.3) That sounds a mite soon, but believe me, ‘Their poison is like the poison of a serpent.’ (vs.4) Oh people, wickedness and evil are so prevalent in our world today, it seems like we’re surrounded by a multitude of vipers, just spewing their deadly poison far and wide, respecting God nor man. I can’t remember a time when the leaders, the judges and those in positions of power, have been so corrupt and ungodly. Yes Friends, those we’ve chosen to lead and guide us safely here on earth are instead, both literally and figuratively, driving us down the path to ruin, through their evil, ungodly acts. Note the worldwide trends; economic disaster, abject poverty and hunger, war, strife,oppression, and any number of other inhumane things, with the leaders and power brokers still living a life of ease and wealth, while the majority of their people suffer unnecessary deprivation and want. The rich are getting richer and the poor, poorer. Friends, what a sad state of affairs! And to make it worse, none of these criminals are being brought to justice. That’s why Bruh David pleaded, ‘Break their teeth, O God, in their mouth: break out the great teeth of the young lions, O Lord. 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.’ (vs.6-7) Yes Lord, please reduce the power of the wicked. Your servants are crying out to you for help! Dull their fangs, let their sharp teeth drop out of their mouths, leaving only soft gums, so that their evil ways will cease. O Lord, loosen their grip on wealth and power, so that their incessant rape, pillage and oppression of the earth and it’s peoples will stop. At the end though, as always, Bruh David’s faith in his God, shines through. ‘The righteous shall rejoice when he seeth the vengeance: he shall wash his feet in the blood of the wicked.’ (vs.10) The last part is a tad ghoulish, but it evokes the great release of anxiety and pleasure the oppressed will derive from witnessing the punishment of the wicked. Although we shouldn’t really take enjoyment from our enemy’s demise, it’s just a natural human reaction, that’s sometimes hard to hold back. And the wicked will undoubtedly be punished, ‘So that a man shall say, Verily there is reward for the righteous.’ Yes Friends, there surely is. ‘For the righteous shall flourish like the palm tree…like a cedar in Lebanon. Those that be planted in the house of the Lord shall flourish in the courts of our God. They shall bring forth fruit in old age; they shall be fat and flourishing.’ (Ps.92:12-14) Wow Friends! That’s a promise we can take to the bank. But remember, this calls for a conscious decision; we must strive to resist the enemy’s evil machinations, and the only way to do this, is to be clothed in our armour of righteousness, and when he comes calling, to drive him away with righteous indignation, letting him know in no uncertain terms, ‘That the wicked worketh a deceitful work: but to him that soweth righteousness shall be a sure reward.’ (Prov.11:18) That’s a proven fact! And though the rewards may take some time to manifest themselves, let us not lose hope, let us not give up on doing the right thing, even when it’s difficult, for our God is a just and faithful Being; ‘verily he is a God that judgeth the earth.’ Yes people, in His own time and manner, God evens things up. ‘For promotion cometh neither from the east, nor from the west, nor from the south. But God is the judge: he putteth down one, and setteth up another.’ (Ps.75:6-7) And lest we forget, on the day of judgement, we all must stand before the Saviour and account for our earthly behaviour, and on that fateful day, all men shall rue their evil deeds, when ‘the heavens shall declare his righteousness: for God is judge himself. Selah..’ (Ps.50:6) Much LOVE!…practice righteousness…it’s better to be safe than sorry…
That’s for sure Friends! Psalm 58 is Bruh David’s denunciation of the wicked, particularly the leaders and judges. He contemplates their work and questions their motives. ‘Do ye judge uprightly, O ye sons of men? Yea, in heart ye work wickedness; ye weigh the violence of your hands in the earth.’ (vs.1-2) The wicked, he claims, ‘go astray as soon as they be born, speaking lies.’ (vs.3) That sounds a mite soon, but believe me, ‘Their poison is like the poison of a serpent.’ (vs.4) Oh people, wickedness and evil are so prevalent in our world today, it seems like we’re surrounded by a multitude of vipers, just spewing their deadly poison far and wide, respecting God nor man. I can’t remember a time when the leaders, the judges and those in positions of power, have been so corrupt and ungodly. Yes Friends, those we’ve chosen to lead and guide us safely here on earth are instead, both literally and figuratively, driving us down the path to ruin, through their evil, ungodly acts. Note the worldwide trends; economic disaster, abject poverty and hunger, war, strife,oppression, and any number of other inhumane things, with the leaders and power brokers still living a life of ease and wealth, while the majority of their people suffer unnecessary deprivation and want. The rich are getting richer and the poor, poorer. Friends, what a sad state of affairs! And to make it worse, none of these criminals are being brought to justice. That’s why Bruh David pleaded, ‘Break their teeth, O God, in their mouth: break out the great teeth of the young lions, O Lord. 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.’ (vs.6-7) Yes Lord, please reduce the power of the wicked. Your servants are crying out to you for help! Dull their fangs, let their sharp teeth drop out of their mouths, leaving only soft gums, so that their evil ways will cease. O Lord, loosen their grip on wealth and power, so that their incessant rape, pillage and oppression of the earth and it’s peoples will stop. At the end though, as always, Bruh David’s faith in his God, shines through. ‘The righteous shall rejoice when he seeth the vengeance: he shall wash his feet in the blood of the wicked.’ (vs.10) The last part is a tad ghoulish, but it evokes the great release of anxiety and pleasure the oppressed will derive from witnessing the punishment of the wicked. Although we shouldn’t really take enjoyment from our enemy’s demise, it’s just a natural human reaction, that’s sometimes hard to hold back. And the wicked will undoubtedly be punished, ‘So that a man shall say, Verily there is reward for the righteous.’ Yes Friends, there surely is. ‘For the righteous shall flourish like the palm tree…like a cedar in Lebanon. Those that be planted in the house of the Lord shall flourish in the courts of our God. They shall bring forth fruit in old age; they shall be fat and flourishing.’ (Ps.92:12-14) Wow Friends! That’s a promise we can take to the bank. But remember, this calls for a conscious decision; we must strive to resist the enemy’s evil machinations, and the only way to do this, is to be clothed in our armour of righteousness, and when he comes calling, to drive him away with righteous indignation, letting him know in no uncertain terms, ‘That the wicked worketh a deceitful work: but to him that soweth righteousness shall be a sure reward.’ (Prov.11:18) That’s a proven fact! And though the rewards may take some time to manifest themselves, let us not lose hope, let us not give up on doing the right thing, even when it’s difficult, for our God is a just and faithful Being; ‘verily he is a God that judgeth the earth.’ Yes people, in His own time and manner, God evens things up. ‘For promotion cometh neither from the east, nor from the west, nor from the south. But God is the judge: he putteth down one, and setteth up another.’ (Ps.75:6-7) And lest we forget, on the day of judgement, we all must stand before the Saviour and account for our earthly behaviour, and on that fateful day, all men shall rue their evil deeds, when ‘the heavens shall declare his righteousness: for God is judge himself. Selah..’ (Ps.50:6) Much LOVE!…practice righteousness…it’s better to be safe than sorry…
SCRIP-BITS 