Psalm 58 – Justice Will Come
Do you really speak righteously, you mighty ones? Do you judge people fairly? No, you practice injustice in your hearts; with your hands you weigh out violence in the land. (Psalms 58:1-2)
It’s heartbreaking to see people suffer under unjust rulers. It’s enraging when you’re one of those people. This is what’s called an “imprecatory” psalm, where the author cries out over the injustice he’s experiencing and begs God to bring justice on his oppressors (even through gruesome violence, as David prays in this psalm). So should we ask God for the same kinds of things when we experience injustice?
No. Because we now know something David didn’t: that “our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers of this darkness, against evil, spiritual forces in the heavens (Eph 6:12). And we also know that on the cross Jesus “disarmed the rulers and authorities and disgraced them publicly; he triumphed over them in him (Col 2:15). God will bring justice on our enemies, so we can turn the other cheek and love our enemies.