For those who may wish to ‘study’ this chapter, the following simple resources are provided for you. Each passage has a four-Part approach to help you take in and think further about what you have read.

Passage: Psalm 58

1 Do you rulers indeed speak justly?
    Do you judge people with equity?
2 No, in your heart you devise injustice,
    and your hands mete out violence on the earth.

3 Even from birth the wicked go astray;
    from the womb they are wayward, spreading lies.
4 Their venom is like the venom of a snake,
    like that of a cobra that has stopped its ears,
5 that will not heed the tune of the charmer,
    however skilful the enchanter may be.

6 Break the teeth in their mouths, O God;
    Lord, tear out the fangs of those lions!
7 Let them vanish like water that flows away;
    when they draw the bow, let their arrows fall short.
8 May they be like a slug that melts away as it moves along,
    like a stillborn child that never sees the sun.

9 Before your pots can feel the heat of the thorns –
    whether they be green or dry – the wicked will be swept away.
10 The righteous will be glad when they are avenged,
    when they dip their feet in the blood of the wicked.
11 Then people will say,
    ‘Surely the righteous still are rewarded;
    surely there is a God who judges the earth.’

A. Find Out:

1. Who does David first speak about? v.1a
2. What does he ask and what is his judgement? v.1b,2
3. How does he describe them? v.3-5
4. What does he ask of the Lord? v.6-8
5. What does he feel will happen? v.9
6. What will be the result? v.10,11

B. Think:

1. What does David say about the ways of the wicked?
2. What is his desire for them?
3. What does he feel will be the end result of that?

C. Comment:

In this psalm David denounces the wicked, calls judgement from God on them and declares vindication for the righteous.

First he identifies the wicked. In this psalm it is unjust rulers that he speaks against. They should be rightly judging their people but instead of bringing peace, order and justice to their people, they bring injustice and violence. He then clarifies the way of the wicked and makes two important observations about them: first, they were wicked from birth. This is a key truth to understanding salvation, all have sinned and gone astray (Rom 3:12), all inherited sin, it was something that has been with us since we were born.

Second, they are out of control. Sin seeks to be unrestrained (that is the picture of the snake that ignores the charmer). Sin feeds on sin. When God lifts off His hand of restraint, then sin breaks loose (Rom 1:24 ,26,28).

Following this David calls on God to judge them, to destroy them and their works. Remove them from the earth, is his call. As he asks this (v.6-8) he has a sense within him that God will grant his request and that quickly (v.9). When this happens, he declares, the righteous will be glad, they will be relieved when evil is removed and all who watch will know that there is a God and His judgement has come.

D. Application:

1. Sin is inherent and we are helpless. We need God’s salvation.
2. Failure to receive that salvation means judgement will come.