For the leader. Do not destroy. A miktam of David.I
Do you indeed pronounce justice, O gods;
do you judge fairly you children of Adam?No, you freely engage in crime;
your hands dispense violence to the earth.II
The wicked have been corrupt since birth;
liars from the womb, they have gone astray.Their venom is like the venom of a snake,
like that of a serpent stopping its ears,So as not to hear the voice of the charmer
or the enchanter with cunning spells.III
O God, smash the teeth in their mouths;
break the fangs of these lions, LORD!Make them vanish like water flowing away;
trodden down, let them wither like grass.Let them dissolve like a snail that oozes away,
like an untimely birth that never sees the sun.Suddenly, like brambles or thistles,
have the whirlwind snatch them away.Then the just shall rejoice to see the vengeance
and bathe their feet in the blood of the wicked.Then people will say:
Psalms 58:1-12
“Truly there is a reward for the just;
there is a God who is judge on earth!”
This psalm says that, “The wicked have been corrupt since birth.” That is an intriguing thought. Do you believe that? Do you think evil is genetic in some way; that some people are just born evil?
That doesn’t feel right to me. I’d rather think of things in just the opposite way – no one is truly evil. In fact, I want to believe that no one is a lost cause, no matter what sins they have committed.
But I suppose in the times before Christ, this is likely how people felt, especially those who were oppressed by tyrants and foreign enemies. I am wondering how many people still feel this way.
Still, I have to appreciate how the psalmists maintain their faith in God to protect them. In this case, the psalmist seems more intent on God demonstrating His power so other righteous people will understand that faith is the better path. “Then people will say: ‘Truly there is a reward for the just; there is a God who is judge on earth!'”
Then again, if I’m being honest, I have sent up similar prayers. We all want justice and want to be vindicated from time to time. When someone is really coming after us, don’t we sometimes pray that they will see the error of their ways? Somehow, just getting them to drop their attacks isn’t as satisfying as making them admit they were wrong. Although, I feel pretty confident that I’ve never prayed for anyone to “wither like grass.”
Fortunately, at this very moment, I don’t feel like there is anyone in my life who is being overly mean to me. I can’t think of anyone who would be the target of such a prayer. Maybe my prayer should be in thanks for that!
But let’s get back to the nature vs nurture discussion of sin. I choose to believe that all human beings are born with high hopes to be a child of God. Let’s say a prayer that those who have been led astray will find their way back. At the same time, let’s ask God to guide us to be that positive influence they might need.