Psa 58:11 | KingComments | STEP | It becomes the righteous, Old Testament believer to rejoice “when he sees the vengeance” that God exercises on the wicked ( ). The righteous person is not bloodthirsty, but longs for justice ( ). God will satisfy that desire by bringing vengeance on the wicked and especially on the ungodly judges and their bloodshed (cf. ; ). As a result, the righteous will “wash his feet in the blood of the wicked” (cf. ). “The blood of the wicked” indicates that he dies a violent death. This is his just punishment. He has committed violence ( ) and perishes by violence. In his blood the righteous one washes his feet. Washing the feet is a refreshment for a weary pilgrim. In this context, it means that the death of the wicked refreshes him. He receives new strength because he has seen that God has judged. The earth is the dwelling place of the righteous. Now injustice reigns there and he suffers greatly from it. Through the vengeance of God, the injustice and his suffering come to an end and at the same time a change is brought. The righteous is no longer oppressed, but will live in peace on earth and enjoy the blessing that God has promised him. This change is for men, for everyone, the visible evidence that there is “reward for the righteous” ( ). It has long seemed that the unjust judges could go about their business unhindered, that there was no justice for the righteous and that he received punishment instead of reward. But the death of the wicked will make it clear to “men” that there is indeed reward for the righteous. God gives him what he is entitled to, but what he has always been denied by the prevailing injustice. This also reveals – and this is also acknowledged by everyone with an assenting “surely” – that “there is a God who judges on earth”. People often say as an excuse for not considering God: ‘If there is a God, why doesn’t He intervene?’ It shows the arrogance of men who think they can judge everything. God is not guided in His actions by the opinions of men. He determines the time to intervene and do justice on earth. That time is certainly coming. When that time comes, God Himself will judge on earth. Then justice will be done in a way that everyone will acknowledge: “The judgment is God’s” ( ). For the New Testament believer, things are different. Certainly he also looks forward to the time when God judges on earth. There is even a special reward for him in looking forward to the appearance of Christ as the righteous Judge ( ). His destination, however, is not earth, but heaven. That is where he belongs. His deliverance from the affliction of this world does not happen through the judgment God brings on his enemies, but by taking him out of the world. That happens at the coming of Christ to take His church to Himself. There is a lesson in what David says for the believer today. No one can explain the events on earth by attributing them to chance or fate or to mere physical processes, as if everything takes care of itself. The clear proof that God controls everything will be provided when He judges openly, perceptibly for all. We cannot explain events without God. If we involve Him in the events, we will see, sometimes already now, but in any case later, their true purpose, His purpose. That gives us peace of mind to accept certain events, even if we do not always understand why things had to go the way they did. This faith is also the faith of the believing remnant in the great tribulation and also their experience at the coming of Christ to earth. They know that God is still doing justice on earth and will experience that when Christ comes with reward for them ( ). In the light of the prophecies, of this psalm only becomes reality when the Lord Jesus establishes the millennial realm of peace. Then He will reward the righteous for their faithfulness.

‏ Psalms 58:11

There Is a God Who Judges on Earth

It becomes the righteous, Old Testament believer to rejoice “when he sees the vengeance” that God exercises on the wicked (Psa 58:10). The righteous person is not bloodthirsty, but longs for justice (Mt 5:6). God will satisfy that desire by bringing vengeance on the wicked and especially on the ungodly judges and their bloodshed (cf. Isa 63:1-6; Rev 14:19-20 ; Rev 19:13-14).

As a result, the righteous will “wash his feet in the blood of the wicked” (cf. Psa 68:23a). “The blood of the wicked” indicates that he dies a violent death. This is his just punishment. He has committed violence (Psa 58:2) and perishes by violence. In his blood the righteous one washes his feet. Washing the feet is a refreshment for a weary pilgrim. In this context, it means that the death of the wicked refreshes him. He receives new strength because he has seen that God has judged.

The earth is the dwelling place of the righteous. Now injustice reigns there and he suffers greatly from it. Through the vengeance of God, the injustice and his suffering come to an end and at the same time a change is brought. The righteous is no longer oppressed, but will live in peace on earth and enjoy the blessing that God has promised him.

This change is for men, for everyone, the visible evidence that there is “reward for the righteous” (Psa 58:11). It has long seemed that the unjust judges could go about their business unhindered, that there was no justice for the righteous and that he received punishment instead of reward. But the death of the wicked will make it clear to “men” that there is indeed reward for the righteous. God gives him what he is entitled to, but what he has always been denied by the prevailing injustice.

This also reveals – and this is also acknowledged by everyone with an assenting “surely” – that “there is a God who judges on earth”. People often say as an excuse for not considering God: ‘If there is a God, why doesn’t He intervene?’ It shows the arrogance of men who think they can judge everything.

God is not guided in His actions by the opinions of men. He determines the time to intervene and do justice on earth. That time is certainly coming. When that time comes, God Himself will judge on earth. Then justice will be done in a way that everyone will acknowledge: “The judgment is God’s” (Deu 1:17).

For the New Testament believer, things are different. Certainly he also looks forward to the time when God judges on earth. There is even a special reward for him in looking forward to the appearance of Christ as the righteous Judge (2Tim 4:8). His destination, however, is not earth, but heaven. That is where he belongs. His deliverance from the affliction of this world does not happen through the judgment God brings on his enemies, but by taking him out of the world. That happens at the coming of Christ to take His church to Himself.

There is a lesson in what David says for the believer today. No one can explain the events on earth by attributing them to chance or fate or to mere physical processes, as if everything takes care of itself. The clear proof that God controls everything will be provided when He judges openly, perceptibly for all.

We cannot explain events without God. If we involve Him in the events, we will see, sometimes already now, but in any case later, their true purpose, His purpose. That gives us peace of mind to accept certain events, even if we do not always understand why things had to go the way they did.

This faith is also the faith of the believing remnant in the great tribulation and also their experience at the coming of Christ to earth. They know that God is still doing justice on earth and will experience that when Christ comes with reward for them (Rev 22:12). In the light of the prophecies, Psa 58:11 of this psalm only becomes reality when the Lord Jesus establishes the millennial realm of peace. Then He will reward the righteous for their faithfulness.