Psalm 58 is another one of David's imprecatory Psalms.
An imprecation is a curse that invokes misfortune upon someone. Imprecatory
psalms are those in which the author imprecates; that is, he calls down
calamity, destruction, and God’s anger and judgment on his enemies. This type
of psalm is found throughout the book. The major imprecatory psalms are Psalms
5, 10, 17, 35, 58, 59, 69, 70, 79, 83, 109, 129, 137, and 140.

When studying the imprecatory psalms, it is
important to note that these psalms were not written out of vindictiveness or a
need for personal vengeance. Instead, they are prayers that keep God’s justice,
sovereignty, and protection in mind. God’s people had suffered much at the
hands of those who opposed them, including the Hittites, Amorites, Philistines,
and Babylonians (the subject of Psalm 137). In writing the imprecatory psalms, the authors sought vindication on
God’s behalf as much as they sought their own.

As we said yesterday, we can’t be sure when David
wrote this particular psalm, but it pretty obvious as you read it why he wrote
it. Saul was king or had been king for 40 years and during his reign he himself
became very jealous, vindictive, and cruel. He started out humble, but it
wasn’t long before pride took over his heart and life and he is gathering and
attracting people with the same spirit as himself.  

I’ll never forget a quote I heard years ago. “Power
tends to corrupt; absolute power corrupts absolutely”. This statement was made
by Lord Acton, a British historian of the late nineteenth and early twentieth
centuries. It was his observation that a person's sense of morality lessens as
his or her power increases. It appears that this is exactly what happened in
King Saul’s reign over Israel.  

What did David do as he observed the corruption, the
injustice, the violence, and chaos that happens in a nation or society that
becomes lawless with everyone looking out for their own interest? David did
basically what he always did! He turned to the LORD and prayed! In this prayer,
David first addressed the lawless leaders and asked them if their words were
just, their decisions legal, their sentences fair, and their silences honest.
Were they upholding the law and defending the righteous or twisting the law and
benefiting the wicked? He knew the answer, and so do we. When they should have
spoken, they were silent, and when they spoke, they ignored God's law.

The problem? They had evil hearts, for they were
born in sin just like the rest of us (51:5; Gen. 8:21). However, they made no
effort to seek God's help in controlling that sinful nature but gave in to its
evil impulses. It's because humans are sinners that God established government
and law, for without law, society would be in chaos. It's from the heart that
evil words come out of our mouth and evil deeds are done by our hands.

David prays for God to both punish the evildoers and
to vindicate the righteous. God vindicates Himself, His law, and His people,
and He always does it justly. So effective is His judgment that outsiders will
say, "Surely there is a God who judges on earth" (v. 11).

While Jesus Himself quoted some imprecatory psalms
(John 2:17; 15:25), He also instructed us to love our enemies and pray for them
(Matthew 5:44–48; Luke 6:27–38). The New Testament makes it clear that our
enemy is spiritual, not physical (Ephesians 6:12). It is not sinful to pray the
imprecatory psalms against our spiritual enemies, but we should also pray with
compassion and love and even thanksgiving for people who are under the devil’s
influence (1 Timothy 2:1). We should desire their salvation. After all, God “is
patient . . . not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance”
(2 Peter 3:9). Above all things, we should seek the will of God in everything
we do and, when we are wronged, leave the ultimate outcome to the Lord (Romans
12:19).

God bless!