Notes on the Book of Psalms, Psalm 58
The lviii. PSALM.
David being wrongfully persecuted, and indangered of his life, taxeth' his enemies of injustice and violence, and shews the reason, because of the naturall antipathy the wicked bear to the godly; and pray…s they may never have power to execute their malice, but may come to nought they and their enterprises, which they shall certainly and suddenly do, to the joy of the righteous, and the glory of God and his justice.Psalm lviii. To the chief musician, Altaschith, … Michtam of David.
To the President of the Quire is this Psalm, made by David, committed for his ordering of it to be sung to the speciall tune of Michtam, the sum or substance whereof is comprised in this one word Altaschith, signifying destroy not.
1DO ye indeed speak righteousness, O generation? do ye judge uprightly, O ye sons of men?1 YOu that pretend to do justice, and to give faithfull advice, and who by your places which you hold in the state, and about the King ought to do so, do you do it? Nay, do you not the quite contrary? When you are assembled together, is not your practise to advise how to intrap me an innocent person, and as men that favour not the things of the spirit, that have no fear of God or love of goodness? do you not unjustly condemn and accuse me of treasonable practises against Saul? When as its nothing so.
2Yea, in heart you work wickedness, you weigh the violence of your hands in the earth.2 Yea, you study how one to exceed another in false suggestions and mischievous contrivements against me, you weigh and ponder this thing, and the tother thing with your selves, and cast about every way in your thoughts, which is likeliest to take effect, you role every stone, and use all the means in the world to mischieve me.
3The wicked are estranged from the womb, they go astray, assoon as they be born, speaking lies.3 There is an innate Antipathy in wicked men, such as are mine enemies, to the servants and people of God, they manifest it almost as soon as they can either speak or act, they are trained up early in the way, and practise of their Parents, to believe and slander them that are better than themselves.
4 Their malice is as naturall and as destructive to the people of God,4Their poison is like the poison of a serpent; they are like the deaf Adder that stoppeth her ear. if he suffer it to take effect, and ever was so from the beginning, as the poison of a serpent is to a man, whom he maliced even in paradise. And they are every whit as unalterable from this their cursed indisposition, as an Adder is from his venemous nature, no truth can take place nor reason prevail with them to be other than they are to the godly, but are wilfully prejudiced, and resolve to continue so, and to do them all the mischief they can.
5 Nothing can do good upon them,5Which will not hearken to the voice of charmers, charming never so wisely. but as the Adder will not suffer himself to be charmed and hindred from doing hurt, but resists by stopping the Organ of hearing, that inchantment cannot operate upon him; so are they hardened against all right reason, good advice, threats and judgements, nothing can fasten upon them to make them better disposed towards God, and his faithfull servants.
6 And as the serpent hath not more poison in him,6Break their teeth, O God, in their mouth; break out the great teeth of the young lions. O Lord. than mine enemies malice to me, so, nor have the Beast of prey more rage and fury in them in their hunger and anger, than these men have against me, not the fiercest sort of lions; therefore, O Lord, watch over me narrowly to disable their attempts, and disappoint their rage.
7 Lord,7Let them melt away as waters, which run continually: when he bendeth his bow to shoot his arrows, let them be as cut in peices. put a speedie end to them and their destructive purposes, let them be as a teemed vessel, wasting by degrees, but yet speedily, till there be none left, let all their enterprises be fruitless and ineffectuall, as he that discharges a broken arrow which falls a… his feet.
8As a snail which melteth, let every one of them pass away: like the untimely birth of a woman, that they may not see the sun.8 Let these wicked wretches that are good for nothing, but to do hurt to them that are good, be like other unprofitable creatures, of no long continuance, yea, the sooner they come to nought, the better, for if they live but to be able, they have will enough to do all manner of mischief.
9Before your pots can …eel the thornes, he shall take them away as with a whirlwind.9 Yea, and so it shall be, for when they are as it were putting the match to the powder, ready to blow up the godly and innocent person; God shall yet prevent them, and by some suddain and remarkable judgement upon them swifter than thought, shall disappoint and disable them, when they least look for it, and in their own conceits are furthest from death and danger, shall the Lord in his fierce wrath suddainly snatch them hence.
10The righteous shall rejoyce when he seeth the vengeance: he shall wash his feet in the bloud of the wicked.10 So that however they afflict the godly, so long as God gives them leave, yet, the time will certainly come, when the righteous shall see an end of their miseries, and of their enemies too, to their no small rejoycing to see God so mindfull of them, and themselves so much in favour with him, as to have the wicked destroied for their sakes, and to fall at their feet, who once hoped to tread upon their necks.
11So that a man shall say, verily there is a reward for the righteous: verily he is a God that judgeth in the earth.11 So that any man that observes shall see, and cannot but acknowledge, that its good trusting in God, and walking obediently to his will, for such shall not lose their labour, nor their confidence, but God will recompence both in due time: and that how ever the good and godly are for a time under the wheel, and the wicked a top, and things seem quite out of order, yet, God that while is not idle in heaven, but takes notice of good men, and their sufferings, and of wicked men and their doings, to judge them accordingly.