Beloved, I am glad to share with you today the above theme from Ps 58:1-2 and following. Indeed, verses 2 to 6 leave us with no illusions about what human justice is. If we find this picture too severe, it is enough to evoke the cross: The relations of men among themselves are often governed by the law of the strongest. And lying with the venom of slander are commonly used weapons (verses 4, 5; Psalm 140:1-8). Yes, the world around us is filled with injustice, as it was in David’s time. But our attitude as Christians must be very different from that of the pious Israelite, as it emerges from verses 7 to 11. At the time of great distress, he can only turn to the God of vengeance to hasten the coming of the day when justice will reign on earth.
That day will indeed come, but in the meantime, it is still “now the day of salvation” (2 Corinthians 6:1-10). So it is up to us, who have been gracious, to intercede for men with the Savior God. The injustice that surrounds us is an opportunity for us to do good and sow “the fruit of righteousness” (James 3:17-18). We do not seek to improve the world that cannot be improved, but to manifest the Savior’s characters in it. The princes and judges of the earth are here called to the bar of God’s tribunal as they are again in Ps. 82. Here they are referred to as “sons of men” (John 5:27), but they are called “gods” in Ps. 82. Under their authority, the world remains in all its original wickedness. The prophet makes this wickedness a frightening description and, solemnly, he calls judgment on him.
The psalm also makes known the foundation of the triumph of the righteous when the judgment of the world comes: We have this triumph itself in passages like Isaiah 30:32 and Rev 19:1 for example. But here we have the motive or the principle of this joy of the righteous before the judgment of God. “The righteous will rejoice when he sees revenge… And man will say: Certainly there is a fruit for the righteous, certainly there is a God who judges the earth.” The saint of the present economy cannot rejoice in judgment because the Lord makes his name known and establishes his praise in grace; but soon he will learn to rejoice in it, because the Lord will claim His divine glory through vengeance, and establish His government of the “world to come” by the judgment of this “present century.”
All this is perfect in its season: We are now rejoicing in the redemptive grace of our “next relative”; soon we will be able to rejoice with transport in the vengeful power of the same close relative. For both belonged to “Goel” under Law, and both are the ways of Jesus (our neighbor) in their respective times. Eph 5 shows the saints in the first of these triumphant joys; Apo 19 shows them in the second. All this alludes to Ruth 2:20; 3:9; 4:14 and Lev. 25:25; Numbers 5:8; 35:19. This judgment of the earth and its gods or princes will not take place, of course, until the apostate, the iniquitous of the last days, has been manifested. So much so that this psalm is the language of the Spirit of God in the residue, and evokes the same period and circumstances as the previous ones, as we see since Psalm 52.
Are you really talking about justice? By asking this question to his enemies, as a challenge, David displays the audacity of conscious rectitude. He argues that the justice of our case is manifestly evident when we dare to appeal to the opposing party himself; for if there were any reason to question his justice, it would be absurd to challenge the testimony of an adversary. David presents himself with the openness of one who was supported by a sense of his integrity, and rejects, by a forced statement of their own lips, the basic accusations with which they blackened his character in estimating those who were simple enough to believe them. “You yourselves,” as if he had said, “can attest to my innocence, and yet persecute me with baseless slander.
The following verses have been compiled for your edification and grouped together for your better understanding.
There is a God who judges:
· Justice ordered
Ps 82:3 Do justice to the weak and the orphan, Rise to the unfortunate and the poor, Isaiah 56:1 Thus speaks the Lord: Observe what is right, and practice what is righteous; For my salvation will not be long in coming, and my justice to manifest itself. Rom 13.7 Give back to all that is due to them: the tax to whom you owe the tax, the tribute to whom you owe the tribute, the fear to whom you owe fear, the honor to whom you owe honor. Col 1:4 having been informed of your faith in Jesus Christ and of your charity for all the saints,
· Wicked heart, evil
-Stubbornness Ec 8:11 Because a sentence against evil deeds is not carried out promptly, the hearts of the sons of man are filled in them with the desire to do evil.
-Foolishness Ec 9:3 This is an evil among all that is done under the sun, it is that there is for all the same fate; so the hearts of the sons of man are full of wickedness, and madness is in their hearts during their lives; after which, they go to the dead. For who is excepted?
-Depravity Jr 17:1 The sin of Judah is written with an iron chisel, with a diamond tip; It is engraved on the table of their hearts, and on the horns of your altars.
-Extortion and excess Mt 23:25 Woe to you, hypocritical scribes and Pharisees! because you clean the outside of the cup and the dish, and inside they are full of rapine and intemperance.
-Source of all evil Mk 7:21 For it is from within, it is from the hearts of men, that evil thoughts, adultery, immodesty, murder come out,
-Source of unbelief and lust Hb 3:12 Beware, brother, that someone of you has an evil and unbelieving heart, to the point of turning away from the living God. 2 Pet 2:14 Their eyes are full of adultery and insatiable with sin; they initiate souls badly strengthened; they have hearts exercised in greed; they are children of curse.
· Spiritual deafness
Isa 6:10 Make the heart of this people insensitive, harden his ears, and plug his eyes, that he may not see with his eyes, hear with his ears, do not understand with his heart, do not convert and be healed. Ez 12:2 Son of man, you dwell in the midst of a family of rebels, who have eyes to see and who do not see, ears to hear and who do not hear; for it is a family of rebels. Zech 7:11 But they refused to be attentive, they had rebellious shoulders, and they hardened their ears for not hearing. 2 Tim 4:4 will turn the ear away from the truth, and turn to fables.
· Reward for justice
Rt 2:12 May Jehovah give you back what you have done, and may your reward be complete from Jehovah, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to take refuge! Isaiah 35:4 Say unto those with troubled hearts: Take courage, fear not; Behold your God, vengeance will come, The retribution of God; He will come himself, and save you. Luke 14:14 And you will be happy that they cannot reciprocate; for it will be returned to you at the resurrection of the righteous. Hb 10.35 So do not give up your insurance, to which a large remuneration is attached.
From all of the above, we note thatjustice is silent in Israel: The wicked were wicked and nothing else. The pious man waits for judgment to fall on them, for “if grace is used toward the wicked he does not learn righteousness; in the land of righteousness, he does evil” (Isa 26:10). It is from the same men that David says that they are not taken with the hand, but that the man who touches them carries an iron or a spearwood (2 Sam. 23:6, 7). That is why the righteous await judgment, as the only possible way to remove evil, according to God’s own judgment, for he had shown perfect patience with the wicked, but when the hand of God himself is raised against them, they do not see (Isaiah 26:11). Revenge for deliverance will come, “and man will say, ‘Certainly, there is a fruit for the righteous, certainly there is a God who judges on earth’ (v. 11). “When thy judgments are on the earth, the inhabitants of the world learn righteousness” (Isaiah 26:9). These terrible events establish God’s government and just judgment on earth. Grace has pulled us Christians out of the world; we are not of the world, as Christ was not of the world (John 17:14). As for our deliverance, even from the midst of suffering, Christ will come and withdraw us out of evil, so that we have in no way to seek the destruction of our enemies; but, for the persecuted residue, there is no other deliverance than by this destruction: it is for them the only promised deliverance, which at the same time establishes God’s government on earth. Our prayers are with you all.
PRAYER OF ACCEPTANCE OF JESUS CHRIST AS LORD AND PERSONAL SAVIOR
I now invite every person who wants to become a new creation by walking in the truth, to pray with me the following prayer:
Lord Jesus, I have long walked in the lusts of the world ignoring your love for humans. I admit to having sinned against you and ask your forgiveness for all my sins, because today I have decided to give you my life by taking you as Lord and personal Savior. I recognize that you died on the cross of Calvary and rose from the dead for me.
I am now saved and born again by the power of the Holy Spirit. Lead me every day to the eternal life that you give to all who obey your Word. Reveal yourself to me and strengthen my heart and faith, so that your light may shine in my life right now.
Thank you, Lord Jesus, for accepting me into your divine family, so that I may also contemplate the wonders of your kingdom.
I will now choose a nearby waterpoint to baptize myself by immersion, in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
All adoration, power and glory are yours, now and forever and ever. Amen!
I would be happy to respond to any questions and comments you may have, before sharing with you tomorrow ” God leads his people to victory after having disciplined them.”
May the Lord Jesus Christ bless you abundantly.
David Feze, Servant of the Almighty God.