A Brief Explication of the Other Fifty Psalms, Psalm 58
PSAL. LVIII. To the chief Musician Al-…, Michtam of David.
TH… Psalmist being opp essed by the calumnies of the Courtiers …t King Saul, and by the Sen…tors of the Courts of Justice, who should have provided against the oppression of the subjects, chargeth them in the first part of this Psalm, as must guilty of injustice done to him, ver. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. In the second part, he prayeth against them, that God would execute judgement upon them, ver. 6, 7, 8. And in the third part, he pronounceth the sentence of their deserved destruction, ver. 9, 10, 11. From this experience of the Propher, we may see what strong Parties, and hard opposition the godly may meet with in the defence of a good cause, and how necessary it is in such trials to exercise our faith, and to exalt God above all opposite powers, that we may be borne out, and get consolation and victory in the Lord.
Ver. 1. DO ye indeed speak righteousnesse, O Congregation? do ye judge uprightly, Oye sonnes of men.
2. Yes, in heart you work wickednesse: you weigh the violence of your hands in the earth.
3. The wicked are estranged from the wombe, they go astray assoone as they be borne, speaking lies.
4. Their poison is like the poison of a serpent, they are like the deaf Adder, that stoppeth her eare.
5. Which will not hearken to the voice of Charmers, charme never so wisely.
In the fi…st part he ch…rgeth the Councel and Senate, or Congregation of the Judges; first, for not giving out righteous decrees or sentences, ver. 1. Secondly, for their resolved, violent, oppressing decrees, ver. 2. Thirdly, for their inveterate wickednesse, and falshood from the wombe, ver. 3. Fourthly, for their incorrigible wickednesse, which they will not for any admonition or advertisement amend, ver. 4, 5. Whence learn, 1. There is a Congregation of Rulers, whose office it is to administer justice to the people; who presuppose they be the supreme Court in authority and place, above the body of the people; yet are they subject to Gods challenge, which he doth send unto them by the hand of his messengers, when they do wrong, as here we see; Do ye indeed speak righteousnesse, O Congregation? 2. When the just cause of the righteous cometh before the Judge, whosoever be pursuer, were he as great a Party as King Saul pursuing David, the Judge should defend the righteous and absolve him, without fearing mans face: and if he do not, he shall be called to a reckoning for it before God: Do ye judge uprightly, O ye sons of men? 3. The Lord locketh to the affections, purposes and conclusions of a mans he…tt, and what ill turn a man is resolved to do, for that is a done work before God: and the man is so much the more guilty, as his sin is deliberate: …, in heart you work wickednesse. 4. A wicked Judge doth not stand to give out a decree for as much opp…ession as he is able to put in execution: You weigh the violence of your hands in the earth; and when he is thus oppressing men, he will labour to seem to make his decree no lesse agreeable to the law, then the equall scales of the Merchants balance do in a just weight answer one to another; You weigh the violence of your hands. 5. An unrenewed man is a born stranger to God, to good men, and all goodnesse; The wicked are estranged from the wombe. 6. Men… wicked actions do prove the wickednesse of nature, or mens original sin doth augment the ditty and condemnation of unrenewed men for their actual sins: They are estranged from the wombe, is made here a part of their challenge. 7. Errour, falshood and lies are kindly sinnes to men, they break out early, and continue long, and do draw on guiltinesse the longer, the more; They go astray assoon as they be borne, speaking lies. 8. There is as great natural enmity in the wicked against the godly, as there is in serpents against mankinde, and they are as ready to vent their deadly hatred against them, as serpents are to spue forth their deadly venome: Their poison is like the poison of a serpent. 9. That which filleth up the measure of the sins of the wicked is this, they are obdured in their sins, they are incorrigible, and will not receive instruction, admonition or correction from the Word of God: They are like the deaf Adder that stoppeth her eare. 10. Albeit holy Scripture useth to compare the best things in some points unto the worst things, for clearing the purpose in hand by a similitude, yet doth it not therefore justifie the wicked thing, by borrowing a similitude from it, as here the admonition and reproof of sinners is compared to charming of an Adder, and yet for that comparison the damnable sin of charming is not the lesse damnable; nor is the duty of reproof and admonition of sinners the worse, or lesse laud…ble for the comparison, for it is a challenge: They are like the deaf Adder that stoppeth her eare, whi…h will not hearken unto the charmer, charming never so wis…ly.
Ver. 6. Break their teeth, O God, in their mouth: break out the great teeth of the young lions, O LORD.
7. Let them melt away as waters which run continually: When he bendeth his bowe to shoot his arrowes, let them be as cut in pieces.
8. As a snaile which melteth, let every one of them passe away: like the untimely birth of a woman that they may not see the Sun.
In the second part of the Psalme he maketh imprecation against them, by special warrant of the Spirit of God, who endited this Psalme unto him, that judgement might be executed against them unto destruction. Whence learn, 1. The Lord shall in due time disable the wicked from doing the harme they intend to do against Gods people; for this prayer is a prophecie and promise to the Churches comfort: Break their teeth, O God, in their mouth. 2. Were the wicked never so potent and resolute to execute their cruelty, God shall break their power in pieces: Break out the great teeth of the young Lions, O Lord. 3. When once God entereth in judgement with the enemies of his people, he shall bring upon them a constant daily consumption and wasting of their power and abilities till they be abolished: Let them melt away like water that runs continn…lly. 4. The chief plots of the wicked shall miscar…y in the very point of their putting them in execution: When he bendeth his bowe to shoot his arrowes, let them be as cut in pie…es. 5. How strong soever the foundation of the enterprises of the wicked against the godly seem to themselves to be, yet the event shall prove them to be weak, seeble and effectlesse devices: As a snaile which melteth let them passe away, at the untimely birth of a woman, that they may not see the Sun.
Ver. 9. Before your pots can feele the thornes, he shall take them away as with a whirlwinde, both living and in his wrath.
10. The righteous shall rejoyce when he seeth the vengeance: he shall wash his feet in the blood of the wicked.
11. So that a man shall say, Verily there is a reward for the righteous: Verily he is a God that judgeth in the earth.
In the last part of the Psalme he pronounceth the sentence of dese…ved destruction upon the wicked and unrighteous Potentates, oppressors of the godly, as an answer from God to the … imprecation against them, and that for the consolation of the godly, and clea…ing of Gods justice among men. Whence learn, 1 Howsoever the ungodly do hope to make themselves good cheer by their works of iniquity, and do rejoyce a while in their …opes, yet before they finde any ripe satisfaction by their ill deeds, suddenly are they destroyed, and as it were swallowed up quick, and taken away by the fierce wrath of God against them: Before your pots can feel the thornes, he shall take them away as with a whirlewinde, both living and in his wrath. 2. It is lawful for the godly to rejoyce in Gods justice against the obstinate enemies of his people: provided their joy be indeed in Gods justice, not in the destruction of the creature; but in the manifestation of Gods just avenging hand: The righteous shall rejoyce when he seeth the vengeance. 3. The punishment of the wicked should reach the Lo…ds people to be more holy in all their wayes, for this is one of the ends of Gods punishing the wicked in their sight; The righteous shall wash his feet in the blood of the wicked. 4. When the Lord executeth judgement against the wicked, then men who knew not what to think of Gods providence, when they saw the godly oppressed, and the wicked high in power shall come to a …ight judging of matters: So that a man s…all say, Verily there is a reward for the righteous. 5. No man serveth God for nought, in following the course of friendship with G…d, and walking in obedience unto him, fruit certainly will be found. Verily there is a reward for the righteous, 6. Albeit the Lord doth not set down his Court for executing … …o soon as men would, yet he failes not to sh…w himself Ru… of the affairs of m…n; and a right…ous Judge, as to relieve the opp…d, so also to take order with oppressors: Verily he is … God that judgeth in the earth.