Psalms In My Palms - Book 3 - Justice

"Lord, Have Mercy!"

Psalms 58:1-11 and 59:1-17.

The vengeance of God is not to be compared to the vengeance of man! We are so full of ourselves we create vengeance by jealousy, coveting, and hatred. In considering the vengeance of God we must keep varied things in mind. We must notice how the Hebrew language is used. In our present day English we translate "vengeance " and "avenge" in a negative manner. Since we connote vengeance and human revenge as similar terms which could not apply to God as He never needs to defend Himself. HE IS JUSTICE! Remember, He upholds and defends us with JUSTICE, which basically in Hebrew means, "save" or "salvation". God is the only one who qualifies for the "Vindicator" of all humanity! (Remember Romans 12:19; Deuteronomy 32:35; and Hebrews 10:30). Here we have in these two chapters of Psalms the prayers of David to the God of JUSTICE who is David's Vindicator. David realizes, though the wicked seem to get liberties in spite of their evil ways, that God's timing is perfect and evil does not pay. Surely there is a God who Judges the men on earth!

Psalm 58 begins,(TLB)-"JUSTICE? You high and mighty politicians don't even know the meaning of the word! Fairness? Which of you has any left? Not one! All your dealings are crooked: you give "Justice" In exchange for bribes." (Now does that have a familiar ring?). But that was David's complaint. JUSTICE perverted is the sound of his song. Another literal meaning for the second verse says,"You deal out the violence of your hands in the land." That about says it.

Perhaps you would like to be reading something more romantic or mysterious but you are now dealing with the truth of reality. It happens every day in our country as well as foreign countries; nor is it limited to a time period. Psalm 58:3-5 tells us,(TEV)-"Evil men go wrong all their lives; they tell lies from the day they are born." (Read Isaiah 48:8). David went on, "They are full of poison, like snakes; they stop their ears, like a deaf cobra, which does not hear the voice of the snake charmer, or the chant of the clever magician." (Read Ecclesiastes 10:8-1. Sin will turn on you and destroy you just as the snake turns on the snake charmer and he is destroyed by his own possession.)

David is quite alarmed at the boldness of his enemies so he cries out for JUSTICE from God. He suggests in verses 6-9, (CEB)-"God":

1. "Break their teeth out of their mouth".- (Job 4:10; Psalm 3:7)

2. "Tear out the lion's jawbone, Lord!" -(Job 29:17)

3. "Let them dissolve like water flowing away."-(Jeremiah 2:13)

4. "When they bend their bow, let the arrows be like headless shafts."-(Psalm 91:5)

5. "Like a snail that dissolves into slime."

6. "Like a woman's stillborn child"-(Job 3:16)

7. "Before your pot feels the thorns whether green or burned up..."-(It's the proverbial "watched pot never boils" - Ecclesiastes 7:6)

8. "God will sweep them away."-(Proverbs 10:25. Like a whirlwind, sudden destruction will come. A living burning wrath! Jeremiah 11:20)

"But the Righteous." (God's wrath to the wicked is as sure as His Love to the Righteous.) We begin verse 10 with, (NKJV)-"But the righteous shall rejoice." (TLB-calls it "In the triumph of right"; because they understand, the God of JUSTICE! "Surely there is a reward for the righteous; Surely He is God who judges in the earth." They recognize the Savior King has won the Victory. (Read Revelation 19:11-16; Job 29:14 (NKJV)-"I put on righteousness, and it clothed me; my JUSTICE was like a robe and a turban." Full covering for a Christian; Psalm 92:15; 50:6-"...God Himself shall judge. "; 75:7-"But God is the Judge: He puts down one and exalts another.") Victory is because of God's JUSTICE!