Psa 58:1 | KingComments | STEP | The words of this heading we also find in the heading of three other psalms ( ; ). For “for the choir director” ( ) see at Psalm 4:1. For “[set to] Al-tashheth” or “Do not destroy” see at Psalm 57:1a. For “a Mikhtam of David” see at Psalm 56:1. David calls the unjust judges to account ( ). He asks the “gods”, with whom judges are meant, so to speak the supreme court, the penetrating question of whether they “indeed speak righteousness”. He also asks a second question: whether they judge uprightly, in accordance with truth and justice. Here it is about the leaders, the judges of the people. Prophetically, it is the leaders at the time of the great tribulation who submit to the leadership of the antichrist. The Lord Jesus says that in this period lawlessness will increase and the love of the multitude – whereby we must think especially of the apostate mass of Israel led by the antichrist – will grow cold ( ). Thereby he addresses the college as “sons of men”, literally ‘sons of Adam’. These noble men are in themselves nothing more than ordinary “sons of men”. This is evident from the fact that they judge according to the depraved deliberations and prejudices that characterize the sons of men who live without God. David himself answers his questions and does so in no unmistakable way ( ). The judges do not render justice or judge fairly. “No”, they abuse their position. They wrong other sons of men in the name of justice in order to benefit themselves. This injustice is in their hearts. This is where it is conceived, and what God sees as committed there. Their hands, that is, their actions, follow the injustice that is in their hearts. They weigh out the violence with their hands. It is presented in such a way, that the matter on which they have to decide is placed by them on one side of a scale, while on the other side of the scale lies justice. This is how things should be in a fair administration of justice in any case: there should be a balance between the crime and the verdict (cf. ; ). But these judges – and indeed also judges today – do not apply the law, but violence. Instead of weighing out a just punishment, they weigh out violence. They apply what they consider to be necessary violence in order to profit as much as possible from a trial. This is done by them “on earth”. That is their sphere of activity, just like that of all the sons of men. As judges, they feel exalted above the earth and look down on people with contempt. The judges are part of a society where the wicked call the shots ( ). The judges partake in this fiercely and even lead the way by their unjust judgments. They “are estranged” from God (cf. ). The judges are detached from God, the supreme Judge, and act according to their own will and play god. This behavior did not come about suddenly, but it characterizes them “from the womb”, that is, from the very beginning. This makes clear the character of (original) sin. It is the sinful nature. The power of original sin has been put to an end by God in Christ for everyone who acknowledges that he was brought forth in iniquity and conceived in sin ( ). They “speak lies”. They can do nothing but tell lies, just like the devil, who is “a liar and the father of lies” ( ). They have no connection to the truth and therefore they wander. This is so “from birth”. They cannot be trusted in anything. Whatever they say or claim or promise, it is all false. The cause is not that they are deceived or have had a wrong upbringing, but the conscious and guilty acting according to what they devise in their depraved hearts from the time they were able to think consciously. Their speaking is “venom” which is “like the venom of a serpent” ( ). Just as of the serpent the mouth is the most dangerous weapon – a serpent’s bite from a poisonous serpent is deadly because of the poison (cf. ) – so too of the judges their mouth is the most dangerous. They speak like the serpent, that is the devil, the father of lies. Thus they perform their pernicious and deadly work. They themselves are “like a deaf cobra, that stops up its ear”. They shut themselves off from everything that points out to them their wrong actions and lying words. They are therefore dangerous and uncorrectable, just like a poisonous serpent that is no longer correctable to the charmer because it stops up its ears. They do not want to hear the truth under any circumstances. That they are true children of their father, the devil, is evident from what comes out of their mouths and for what they stop up their ears. They do not want to “listen to the voice of charmers” ( ). They shut themselves off from every sound of warning. The person performing the charming may be very skilled, but if there is pertinent unwillingness, he cannot do anything with his charming. We can apply this to the conscience that every person has. When a person wants to do something that is not right, his conscience speaks like a “charmer”. The wicked judge silences his conscience and sears it ( ).

‏ Psalms 58:1

Unrighteous Judges

The words of this heading we also find in the heading of three other psalms (Psa 58:1a; Psa 57:1 ; Psa 59:1 ; Psa 75:1).

For “for the choir director” (Psa 58:1a) see at Psalm 4:1.

For “[set to] Al-tashheth” or “Do not destroy” see at Psalm 57:1a.

For “a Mikhtam of David” see at Psalm 56:1.

David calls the unjust judges to account (Psa 58:1b). He asks the “gods”, with whom judges are meant, so to speak the supreme court, the penetrating question of whether they “indeed speak righteousness”. He also asks a second question: whether they judge uprightly, in accordance with truth and justice.

Here it is about the leaders, the judges of the people. Prophetically, it is the leaders at the time of the great tribulation who submit to the leadership of the antichrist. The Lord Jesus says that in this period lawlessness will increase and the love of the multitude – whereby we must think especially of the apostate mass of Israel led by the antichrist – will grow cold (Mt 24:12).

Thereby he addresses the college as “sons of men”, literally ‘sons of Adam’. These noble men are in themselves nothing more than ordinary “sons of men”. This is evident from the fact that they judge according to the depraved deliberations and prejudices that characterize the sons of men who live without God.

David himself answers his questions and does so in no unmistakable way (Psa 58:2). The judges do not render justice or judge fairly. “No”, they abuse their position. They wrong other sons of men in the name of justice in order to benefit themselves. This injustice is in their hearts. This is where it is conceived, and what God sees as committed there.

Their hands, that is, their actions, follow the injustice that is in their hearts. They weigh out the violence with their hands. It is presented in such a way, that the matter on which they have to decide is placed by them on one side of a scale, while on the other side of the scale lies justice. This is how things should be in a fair administration of justice in any case: there should be a balance between the crime and the verdict (cf. Job 31:6; Dan 5:27).

But these judges – and indeed also judges today – do not apply the law, but violence. Instead of weighing out a just punishment, they weigh out violence. They apply what they consider to be necessary violence in order to profit as much as possible from a trial. This is done by them “on earth”. That is their sphere of activity, just like that of all the sons of men. As judges, they feel exalted above the earth and look down on people with contempt.

The judges are part of a society where the wicked call the shots (Psa 58:3). The judges partake in this fiercely and even lead the way by their unjust judgments. They “are estranged” from God (cf. Eph 4:17-19). The judges are detached from God, the supreme Judge, and act according to their own will and play god.

This behavior did not come about suddenly, but it characterizes them “from the womb”, that is, from the very beginning. This makes clear the character of (original) sin. It is the sinful nature. The power of original sin has been put to an end by God in Christ for everyone who acknowledges that he was brought forth in iniquity and conceived in sin (Psa 51:5).

They “speak lies”. They can do nothing but tell lies, just like the devil, who is “a liar and the father of lies” (Jn 8:44). They have no connection to the truth and therefore they wander. This is so “from birth”. They cannot be trusted in anything. Whatever they say or claim or promise, it is all false. The cause is not that they are deceived or have had a wrong upbringing, but the conscious and guilty acting according to what they devise in their depraved hearts from the time they were able to think consciously.

Their speaking is “venom” which is “like the venom of a serpent” (Psa 58:4). Just as of the serpent the mouth is the most dangerous weapon – a serpent’s bite from a poisonous serpent is deadly because of the poison (cf. Num 21:6) – so too of the judges their mouth is the most dangerous. They speak like the serpent, that is the devil, the father of lies. Thus they perform their pernicious and deadly work.

They themselves are “like a deaf cobra, that stops up its ear”. They shut themselves off from everything that points out to them their wrong actions and lying words. They are therefore dangerous and uncorrectable, just like a poisonous serpent that is no longer correctable to the charmer because it stops up its ears. They do not want to hear the truth under any circumstances. That they are true children of their father, the devil, is evident from what comes out of their mouths and for what they stop up their ears.

They do not want to “listen to the voice of charmers” (Psa 58:5). They shut themselves off from every sound of warning. The person performing the charming may be very skilled, but if there is pertinent unwillingness, he cannot do anything with his charming. We can apply this to the conscience that every person has. When a person wants to do something that is not right, his conscience speaks like a “charmer”. The wicked judge silences his conscience and sears it (1Tim 1:19 ; 1Tim 4:2).