Psalm 58: Praying Against the Wicked

Hey, Manuel this morning. We continue on through our sermon series in the Book of Psalms looking at Psalm 58 this week. Am I sermon I have entitled praying against the wicked and we've seen in the last couple Sundays as reach as Rees has preached to us. That the superscription that is that information, that's what it comes. Out of a title in. Your Bible has helped give the song a context, but this week unlike the last two weeks, in the last two songs, the superscription does not help us. With the context of this song, it does make it clear that it is a song and specifically a Psalm of David and therefore just as we have done in this summer and his Summers past, we know that we can learn from it. What is there to teach us about praying in about praising God? And that's helpful to be reminded of before we started because the words of the this particular song Our ones we're going to have to wrestle with. It's an imprecatory song and it's a song that we can't ignore the song that given in God's word as we need to wrestle with it. And so it's a good reminder to start with the fact that this is a song, just like all the songs that we love and are easier to read like the song 23, this is a song just like that and so we're going to wrestle with it this morning. Let's read all of Psalm 58. Encourage you to open up your Bibles, turn on your devices, so that you can read along as I read aloud. So, I'm 58 eight out of the English Standard Version.

To the choirmaster according to do not destroy a michtam of David. Do you and D decree, what is right? You got. Do you judge the children of man up rightly know in your hearts you devised wrong your hands deal, out of violence on Earth. The wicked are estranged from the womb. They go astray from birth speaking lies. They have venom like the Venom of a serpent, like the Death Adder that stops its years. So that it does not hear the voice of Charmers or the cunning enchanter. Oh God! Break the teeth in their mouth. Tear out the fangs of the Young Lions. Oh, Lord. Let them vanish like the water that runs away. When he aims his arrows, let them be blunted. Let them be like the snail that dissolves into slime, like this stillborn child, who never sees the Sun Sooner than your pots can feel the heat of forms with a green or Blaze, may he sweep them away. The righteous will rejoice. When he sees the Vengeance, he will bathe his feet in the blood of the wicked mankind will say. Surely there is a reward for the righteous. Surely there is a God who judges on Earth Let's take a look at this song. We are going to wrestle with it in three parts. Where to talk about David praying, imprecations against his enemies. So we're going to start by looking at the verses of the song and what they mean, and then we're going to spend some time considering imprecatory Psalms in general, because I think we need to understand what we're reading. We need to understand it because we need to apply these things to realize. We need to learn from them particularly in the wrong prayer. In the light of the types of prayer that David gives in this song, we need some clarity. So let's start with praying imprecations. That's what David is doing here. He begins speaking about evil leaders, that's verses 1 through 5. The psalmist, open the song by describing, evil leaders, whose Wicked Deeds are a grievous Injustice, 2 Gods people. Now, there are lots of issues as I read the commentaries about how this song is translated. And one of the first issues has this idea of God's. Remember the first verse, do you and Dee decree, what is right? You gods in the most satisfactory way of moving forward, in regards to, this is to take those small g-gods and understand that being a term referring to leaders and rulers of the people. Sometimes in the Old Testament, the word Gods with a small G is referring to Mighty ones. That is leaders of the people we see it. In Psalm 82, verse one, where the psalmist rights God has taken his place in the Divine Council in the midst of the Gods, he holds judgment. SOB's people are leaders or rulers or judges, judges in the sense of the Book of Judges were these judges were to lead the people of God, as opposed to someone who gets in a gown and sits on a bench in the league. Legal proceedings, Oracle questions that point where he is going, do you judge has decree? What is right? Do you mighty ones? Judge a brightly and anticipated answer to both. Those questions is no, these leaders do not speak. What is right? They do not make right righteous judgement. These leaders are silent when they should be speaking up in defense. A weak ones. But then they do speak and when they do speak, they make evil judgement. And it's comes clear and worse to, these leaders are entirely corrupt from the very core of who they are. The very core of their being a plan violence. And then they acted out the verb to hear indicates. This is a habitual continual practice, this pursuit of unrighteousness and Injustice.

These are not leaders. Brothers and sisters, I need is important to note in our days. These are not leaders who occasionally make a bad decision. Who occasionally decide in the wrong way. These are leaders who constantly and continually and habitually pursue evil.

The song, mr. First of these judges is snakes and to their deceitful, unrighteous words as the Venom of a cobra.

These people are so evil, their sin is so pervasive, even the charmer cannot charm them, likely a reference to God.

I meant there are many people. History of the world are many people today who wickedly pursuing promote Injustice in their decisions and their actions, in their words and it's these type of people that the psalmist appeals to God about and that's what he does. Next verses, 6 through 9, we see there, the imprecatory prayer, the David mates, he prays in a manner that is similar to the making of a curse. He prays that these evil leaders, their words and their deeds would no longer have influence. In fact, he prays that they would no longer Exist. The intensity of his prayer is a reflection of the gravity of the evil that these judges were perpetrated. He Compares them now to Young Lions. Few verses ago, they were snakes and other young lions and this points to the power that they possess and the danger that they represent. And he prays that the Menace of their evil influence will be nullified, that their sharp teeth will be broken in their mouths of their fangs will be removed. Thomas prays that this threat. This danger. This evil but will be removed like lions without teeth. Or like an arrow, whose head has been blunted. The praise that they will, not and no longer be dangerous to God's people. The psalmist also uses more figurative language. Is he prays that they would not only be stripped of their power to influence and to do evil, but in fact that they would be destroyed in annihilate, He prays that they would be like water that vanishes quickly after the flood or like a snail, that shrivels In the Heat of a sun or like a child. This is a

difficult image. The psalmist was for like a child who once lived in his mother's womb. But who no longer exists? The psalm is praised figuratively.

That the wicked rulers would be annihilated in destroyed. He says, before the blaze of their wickedness, can burn more victims, let them be swept away.

We need to understand this, we need to wrestle with this brothers and sisters. Just as a lament is a prayer that the psalter endorses for times of grief and mourning. So imprecatory prayers, the psalter proposes for times of grave, evil and Injustice. We can't ignore these The song ends with the psalmist, anticipating an answer verses 10 and 11. He anticipates an answer to his prayer. An answer that will make the righteous rejoice. Specifically, the righteous will rejoice in God's Vengeance and it's important to note. It's a rejoice in God's Vengeance. As opposed to Simply the destruction of the wicked. The destruction of the wicked is joyful only insofar as it is, the will, and the work of a gracious and glorious. God. The righteous will rejoice in the Divine and perfectly just Judgment of God, which brings them Deliverance. Here we have another graphic picture from Wartime. The destruction of the wicked is portrayed with the image of the righteous bathing, their feet in the blood of the slain. At the very least, that means the slaughter is so complete that the blood has run out and the right just walk through it.

And this anticipated answer answer confirms what the psalmist has implied. The righteous will be rewarded when God vindicates them in the Judgment of the wicked.

God will avenge himself and God will vindicate. His people. I saw the song Dust in the song has presented the wickedness of this. These judges the psalmist has prayed for their demise in the psalmist and participate with faith. The answer to his prayers. So now we ask, what are we to do with an imprecatory song that prays that people would be like a stillborn child?

What are we to do with that? How should we apply these swell before we apply them? I think it's best. We do our best to understand them. And so, let's take a moment and consider imprecatory prayers. The song Mysterio, expresses his prayer in kerslake fashion. He praised the God will break their teeth in their mouth that he will tear out their fangs. He prays that they would come to an end like water that runs away in a snail that dissolves into slime in a stillborn who, never sees the light of the Sun, We need to consider, imprecatory Psalms. So that we might understand them. I know if you recall from earlier sermons in the series in the Psalms and imprecation is an invocation of judgment or Calamity or curse against one's enemies. And so, on a cracker Tori. Psalm is a song in which the psalmist, invoke God's judgment against his enemies. And these are difficult passages to come to terms with especially in our New Covenant age. And so I have 10 trues to help you understand and interpret, imprecatory Psalms know, most of you. If you're eight people have already heard these. These are part of my sermon a couple weeks ago, but I remember, I had to rush through them because I was running out of time in the second and third Services didn't get to hear them. I just cut them out entirely. So you're going to hear some of these maybe. Perhaps for the second time, here are 10 truth to help us understand imprecatory Psalms. And just so, you know, I try and write them down if you can, but our sermons when they're uploaded, you can always listen to them. Again, you can always get the manuscripts off the upload. So if you don't get all 10, or you can email me and I'll send the notes to you. Listen to these tennis shoes that help us, understand and interpret, imprecatory Psalms. I got these from an article by Sam storms. You could also Google sandstorms in imprecatory Psalms, and read the article yourself. First of all, support and know that God and His word pronounces, imprecations against his own people. For their unfaithfulness, and that's important less we presume upon God and engage with these songs flippantly. God is opposed to all unrighteousness irrespective of people. I think it's important to know so that we take these. So, I'm seriously number to the people being. Cursed are not enemies over trivial matters, they are people who hate the faithful precisely for their faith. They mock God, and they use ruthless, and deceitful means to suppress The Godly Brothers and sisters implications are not meant for someone who takes your parking spot in the mall.

Implications are not meant for trivial matters. We shouldn't use them in that way. They're also not for people. Or politicians or teachers or bosses or parents for whom you occasionally disagree with.

Therefore vile vicious enemies, who perpetrate evil continually and profoundly. Number 3. These prayers are not expressions of personal Vengeance. There is a vast difference between Vindication and vindictiveness. David's passion was for the Triumph of divine Justice. Not the satisfaction of his personal malice. These are not expressions of personal Vengeance. Number for imprecations are nothing more than human prayers. Based on Divine promises, when is simply asking God to do what he has already said. He will do.

Are we getting the application when the questions to keep in mind, if we consider praying something along the lines of them? Imprecatory Psalms, would you be to ask yourself has God said specifically, he will do what I am asking for. because if he hasn't yet not to ask for it, number 5, implications are expressions provoked by the horror of sin. This is a reaction in The Godly to the evil of sin. We all know that when we see these horrendous Deeds Done in our world, whether they're on a large scale like a genocide. Or they're involving individual people like the abuse of children, we have that reaction to horrendous evil. And the implication, the imprecatory Psalms, our response to that horror number 6. Keep in mind as we seen today that these curses are in Poetic form And they can have Expressions that are extravagant. Which make them somewhat difficult to determine exactly what is being honest. This teaches us. And when it comes to praying for God's Vengeance and when it comes to praying for our Vindication, we leave the exact fulfillment, the Gods, She deals with the details. Number seven, the motivation behind such prayers is Zeal for God's righteousness, God's honor God's reputation and the Triumph of God's kingdom. Imprecatory Psalms are about the glory of God.

Now what we don't see so much in Psalm 58 but which it was true of many other imprecatory Psalms is that in most instances? These prayers for divine judgement come only after extended efforts on the part of the psalmist to call the enemies of God to repentance. If you think about David's interaction with saw, And how she saw was against David and Saul tried to kill David and we find in the songs implications of David against those who sought his life. But if we look at the story David continually Call Saul to stop sitting in this way, he had many opportunities to kill him which he did not take in order that God might work repentance in him. So keep that in mind. Number nine, in the New Testament at a minimum of Jesus, and Paul promote the praying of imprecatory Psalms. And so this teaches us that this is not just an Old Testament thing. We can't just say all that's for the Old Testament. We don't need to deal with this particular thing. On the 10th point, which is probably the most important point in regards to imprecatory Psalms is this. We must reconcile all the words of scripture as we navigate these imprecatory Psalms as we call for God, to vindicate, the righteous and bring his vengeance upon the wicked. We need to remember that the New Testament teaches us to love our enemies, to do, good to our enemies to pray for our enemies. We have to hold these truths in concert. We can't ignore some for the other in either direction.

we must reconcile all the words of scripture as we navigate imprecatory Psalms

I hope those 10 points are helpful. And keep those in mind. Now, as we take the last few minutes of our time to apply, so I'm 58 first application.

All of us must understand that there will be a reckoning. There will be a reckoning the prayer. This prayer is a prayer from David that both the righteous and the unrighteous will get their just reward. That's what he's praying for that. There will be a reckoning

Jesus believed in this and taught this to go to Matthew 25. Jesus shares a parable with his disciples and with those who he is teaching and then he speaks in regards to that, parable about the Reckoning that all people will face at the End of the Age of Matthew 2546. He says, the unrighteous will go away into Eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life, both the righteous and the unrighteous will get what's coming. We need to understand that. The Book of Revelation laser with his Reckoning will be like we read in Revelation, chapter 20 verses 11 through 15. Then I saw a great white throne and him. Who was Seated, on it from his presence Earth, and Sky, float away. And no place was found for them. And I saw the dead, Great and Small standing Before. The Throne and books were opened. Then another book was opened which is The Book of Life and the dead were judged by what was written in the books. According to what they had done and the Sea gave up the Dead who were in it, death and Hades, gave up the Dead who were in them and they were judged each one of them. According to what they had done then death and Hades were thrown into the Lake of Fire. This is the second death, the Lake of Fire And if anyone's name was not found written in the Book of Life, he was thrown into the Lake of Fire. There will be a reckoning. There will be a reckoning and to be one who receives Vindication rather than Vengeance were told, your name must be written in the Book of Life. The book of life is a book in which are written. The names of all those who have been saved by faith in Jesus, all those who have acknowledged, God is their creator with acknowledge their rejection of God, through their sin and sinfulness all those who returned from their sin and sought forgiveness by entrusting themselves to Christ. All of those will have their names written in the book of life and they will be Vindicated.

But all others will receive God's Vengeance for their Rebellion. There will be a reckoning I admonish each one of you this morning. If you haven't all ready to receive the salvation of God, that is offered to you through the life, death and resurrection of Jesus and do so by repent of your sins and entrusting yourself to Christ and his work on behalf of his people. Is he faith in? Jesus means the Day of Reckoning will be vindications that avengeance Most certainly points to one of the ways, which Christ fulfills Psalm 58. We understand and Christ work in his life and death that he allowed the curses against the unrighteous to fall on himself. Instead of on those who would be his people.

Until he offered salvation to all in light of the Reckoning that's coming. Number two. Let's seek Justice on Earth through prayer. And I usually do. So let's realize that ultimately the answer to all imprecatory prayers won't come until Christ returns. This song teaches us that we can pursue Justice on Earth by petitioning Our Father in heaven. And so we ought to get ultimately God's full Justice will only be experienced on the last day.

I rather not helpful article and imprecatory Psalms. These words, the consistent witness of scripture, affirms the legitimacy of God's people making use of imprecatory prayers and their individual family and corporate prayers. Underlying this assertion is a basic assumption that the prayers of God's people should be rooted in all of scripture. The Salters God's divinely-inspired prayer book, in him know, it gives us the language of petition and praise the imprecatory Psalms help give shape to the hurt and outraged. That the people of God, I X experience in a world desecrated by sin & Soul, brothers and sisters. We should pray these types of prayers. Yet, we need to come to terms with the fact that until Christ returns to consummate the Salvation that he purchased with his blood, there will continue to be evil. People who continue to bring about trials and trouble and tribulation due to their evil Deeds.

Number three. Seek Justice on Earth through your Deeds. Be reminded that the song. Say, surely, there is a reward for the righteous The righteous are those who act and speak and make decision and just ways their actions promote Justice, Jonathan Edwards, the Great American shirt preacher. In his book, charity and it's fruits and courage has Believers to act and just ways listen to his words. Persons may do good to others. And it weird things in for this world, they may help others, in their external difficulties and calamities for. There are innumerable kinds of temporal calamities to which man find Reliable and in which they stand much in need of the help of their neighbors and Friends. Many are hungry or thirsty, or strangers, or naked, or sick or in prison or suffering, as some other kind. And to all such we met Minister, we may do good to others by furthering their or the state or substance or an aiding their good name in the promoting your Steam and acceptance among men or buy. Anything that may truly add to their comfort or happiness in the world, whether it be in the kind word or the considerate and benevolent Deeds, And by endeavoring to do this.

Good to them. Externally, we are under greater advantage to do good to their souls for. When our instructions Council warnings and good examples are accompanied with such a kindness, the latter tends to open up the way, for the better, effect of the former had to give them their full force and to lead such persons to appreciate her efforts when we seek spiritual good. Jonathan Edwards. The saying Act justly? I want to commend this congregation with a course of covid 4 to ways in which you have acted. Just lie towards those in need We have been blown away at the food drives in the clothing drives and the offers of tangible help from people in this congregation and I wanted courage, each, one of you to continue to walk in those ways. Let's not be people who seek and perpetuate Injustice, but rather who proved our right standing with God, by the right Deeds that promote Justice.

Can I finish with this? Pray for God's Vengeance against the wicked and a Vindication of the righteous. I encourage you to do that. But as you do it, do it only with the amount of specificity for which scripture gives warrant is he God has not revealed with specificity to us his will concerning evil men. The way he did with David God made it clear to David that those who opposed him.

Should could and would be destroyed it, so he could pray specifically in that manner. As we pray prayers of embarkation. Let us not presume to know the will of God where he is not revealed it.

Can you imagine if in the early church? after Christ's Ascension, the Believers prayed prayers of imprecation, specifically against Saul of Tarsus Who's evil, Deeds? We're Grievous.

Do you imagine if they had to pray that he would be wiped out? When God had a plan for his life to save them. Call Paul and Descent of mode into the world to preach the gospel.

We can pray these prayers wisely. By praying in general terms. General terms that scripture gives us for instance. If we if we feel that our leaders in this, pandemic are acting with grave Injustice

That is a post of praying, specifically things that God hasn't revealed in his will. We could spray in more general terms. You could pray the book or the words from Amos chapter 5. We could pray that God would let Justice roll down. Like Waters, that righteousness would be a stream that fills our country. We could admit that we don't have all the answers for that. We trust in God's, providential care what that ask that he would flood our nation with Justice and righteousness? And that evil and wickedness would be nullified, those would be appropriate prayers for New Testament Christians in light of imprecatory Psalms. So encouraged you with these things, brothers and sisters. But I recognize that there will be a reckoning let us seek Justice with our prayers. Let us see Justice with our Deeds. And as we pray, imprecations against wickedness and evil in this world. Let's pray only in so far as God has revealed. His will in scripture. Let's pray. Father, God, we thank you for your word this morning, we thank you, even for the hard and difficult parts and we thank you for your spirit who illuminate, your word to us. Father God, you have given a clear indication in this song that you will vindicate the righteous and Port your Vengeance on the wicked.

Father God, we want to read that. And understand that with all seriousness.

We would ask that your Holy Spirit would help us to understand these imprecatory Psalms and such way that we can apply them to our lives. And I pray father God to buy your spirit. You would convince any who are not convinced. That there will be a reckoning for all of us. The you are a God who will vindicate the righteous? And avenge yourself against wickedness. I pray father God for Westland Alliance Church that you will help us to be people who pray for your Justice and righteousness in our society, in our communities, in our workplaces, in our schools. I know you also. help us to be people who act out Justice in ways that scripture calls us to Father God as we grow and develop in these forms of prayers. As we are obedient to your word in the Psalms which teach us the appropriateness of these types of prayers, I pray that you will help us to lean into your word. That we would pray in such a way. That we are in line with what your word has revealed. And I will pray no more than nine. The pray these things in Christ name, amen.