Psalm 59

For the choir director: A psalm of David, regarding the time Saul sent soldiers to watch David’s house in order to kill him. To be sung to the tune “Do Not Destroy!”

 ¹ Rescue me from my enemies, O God.
      Protect me from those who have come to destroy me.
 ² Rescue me from these criminals;
      save me from these murderers.
 ³ They have set an ambush for me.
      Fierce enemies are out there waiting, Lord,
      though I have not sinned or offended them.
 ⁴ I have done nothing wrong,
      yet they prepare to attack me.
      Wake up! See what is happening and help me!
 ⁵ O Lord God of Heaven’s Armies, the God of Israel,
      wake up and punish those hostile nations.
      Show no mercy to wicked traitors.
                         Interlude
 ⁶ They come out at night,
      snarling like vicious dogs
      as they prowl the streets.
 ⁷ Listen to the filth that comes from their mouths;
      their words cut like swords.
      “After all, who can hear us?” they sneer.
 ⁸ But Lord, you laugh at them.
      You scoff at all the hostile nations.
 ⁹ You are my strength; I wait for you to rescue me,
      for you, O God, are my fortress.
 ¹⁰ In his unfailing love, my God will stand with me.
      He will let me look down in triumph on all my enemies.
 ¹¹ Don’t kill them, for my people soon forget such lessons;
      stagger them with your power, and bring them to their knees,
      O Lord our shield.
 ¹² Because of the sinful things they say,
      because of the evil that is on their lips,
   let them be captured by their pride,
      their curses, and their lies.
 ¹³ Destroy them in your anger!
      Wipe them out completely!
   Then the whole world will know
      that God reigns in Israel.^[a]
                         Interlude
 ¹⁴ My enemies come out at night,
      snarling like vicious dogs
      as they prowl the streets.
 ¹⁵ They scavenge for food
      but go to sleep unsatisfied.^[b]
 16 But as for me, I will sing about your power.
      Each morning I will sing with joy about your unfailing love.
   For you have been my refuge,
      a place of safety when I am in distress.
 ¹⁷ O my Strength, to you I sing praises,
      for you, O God, are my refuge,
      the God who shows me unfailing love.

Break the Teeth.

In the case of Psalm 58, the curses are directed at wicked leaders who judge their people unfairly and “spread violence throughout the land” (58:1-2).

Often, we don’t know how to respond to psalms like this one. Is this psalm endorsing violence against our enemies? Should we literally break the teeth of those who perpetrate injustice?

No, we should not. For one thing, we must pay attention to the rhetoric of Psalm 58. The breaking of fangs fits the simile of evil rulers being like “deadly snakes” (58:4). To break the fangs, therefore, is a way of taking away their power to harm. This psalm does not give victims of injustice permission to get revenge. Rather, it entrusts vengeance to the Lord, asking him to break fangs and smash jaws. By asking God to do these things, we relinquish our right to do them ourselves.

The vivid rhetoric of Psalm 58 reminds us just how much God cares about justice. Thus, though the language is quite different, the basic theme of Psalm 58 is consistent with yesterday’s reflection on doing justice for the powerless. We who belong to the Lord should share his passion for justice, especially for those who are victims of powerful, evil people.

But, we who read the Psalms through the lens of Christian faith must not forget what Jesus said about turning the other cheek and walking the second mile. We are to be people who love our enemies as ourselves. There may be times when our love for our neighbors and our commitment to justice calls for vigorous action, but we must not fill our hearts with hatred and vengeance.

Psalm 58

For the director of music. To the tune of “Do Not Destroy.” Of David. A miktam.
1 Do you rulers indeed speak justly?
Do you judge people with equity?
2 No, in your heart you devise injustice,
and your hands mete out violence on the earth.
3 Even from birth the wicked go astray;
from the womb they are wayward, spreading lies.
4 Their venom is like the venom of a snake,
like that of a cobra that has stopped its ears,
5 that will not heed the tune of the charmer,
however skillful the enchanter may be.
6 Break the teeth in their mouths, O God;
LORD, tear out the fangs of those lions!
7 Let them vanish like water that flows away;
when they draw the bow, let their arrows fall short.
8 May they be like a slug that melts away as it moves along,
like a stillborn child that never sees the sun.
9 Before your pots can feel the heat of the thorns—
whether they be green or dry—the wicked will be swept away.[c]
10 The righteous will be glad when they are avenged,
when they dip their feet in the blood of the wicked.
11 Then people will say,
“Surely the righteous still are rewarded;
surely there is a God who judges the earth.”

Psalm 57

For the director of music. To the tune of “Do Not Destroy.” Of David. Amiktam. When he had fled from Saul into the cave.

 ¹ Have mercy on me, my God, have mercy on me,
   for in you I take refuge.
I will take refuge in the shadow of your wings
   until the disaster has passed.

 ² I cry out to God Most High,
   to God, who vindicates me.
³ He sends from heaven and saves me,
   rebuking those who hotly pursue me—
   God sends forth his love and his faithfulness.

 ⁴ I am in the midst of lions;
   I am forced to dwell among ravenous beasts—
men whose teeth are spears and arrows,
   whose tongues are sharp swords.

 ⁵ Be exalted, O God, above the heavens;
   let your glory be over all the earth.

 ⁶ They spread a net for my feet—
   I was bowed down in distress.
They dug a pit in my path—
   but they have fallen into it themselves.

 ⁷ My heart, O God, is steadfast,
   my heart is steadfast;
   I will sing and make music.
⁸ Awake, my soul!
   Awake, harp and lyre!
   I will awaken the dawn.

 ⁹ I will praise you, Lord, among the nations;
   I will sing of you among the peoples.
¹⁰ For great is your love, reaching to the heavens;
   your faithfulness reaches to the skies.

 ¹¹ Be exalted, O God, above the heavens;
   let your glory be over all the earth.

Psalm 56

For the director of music. To the tune of “A Dove on Distant Oaks.” Of David. A miktam. When the Philistines had seized him in Gath.

1 Be merciful to me, my God,
for my enemies are in hot pursuit;
all day long they press their attack.
2 My adversaries pursue me all day long;
in their pride many are attacking me.

3 When I am afraid, I put my trust in you.
4 In God, whose word I praise—
in God I trust and am not afraid.
What can mere mortals do to me?

5 All day long they twist my words;
all their schemes are for my ruin.
6 They conspire, they lurk,
they watch my steps,
hoping to take my life.
7 Because of their wickedness do not let them escape;
in your anger, God, bring the nations down.

8 Record my misery;
list my tears on your scroll—
are they not in your record?
9 Then my enemies will turn back
when I call for help.
By this I will know that God is for me.

10 In God, whose word I praise,
in the LORD, whose word I praise—
11 in God I trust and am not afraid.
What can man do to me?

12 I am under vows to you, my God;
I will present my thank offerings to you.
13 For you have delivered me from death
and my feet from stumbling,
that I may walk before God
in the light of life.

My Heart is in Anguish

Psalm 55

For the director of music. With stringed instruments. A maskil of David.
 ¹ Listen to my prayer, O God,
   do not ignore my plea;
 ² hear me and answer me.
My thoughts trouble me and I am distraught
 ³ because of what my enemy is saying,
   because of the threats of the wicked;
for they bring down suffering on me
   and assail me in their anger.
 ⁴ My heart is in anguish within me;
   the terrors of death have fallen on me.
⁵ Fear and trembling have beset me;
   horror has overwhelmed me.
⁶ I said, “Oh, that I had the wings of a dove!
   I would fly away and be at rest.
⁷ I would flee far away
   and stay in the desert;
⁸ I would hurry to my place of shelter,
   far from the tempest and storm.”
 ⁹ Lord, confuse the wicked, confound their words,
   for I see violence and strife in the city.
¹⁰ Day and night they prowl about on its walls;
   malice and abuse are within it.
¹¹ Destructive forces are at work in the city;
   threats and lies never leave its streets.
 ¹² If an enemy were insulting me,
   I could endure it;
if a foe were rising against me,
   I could hide.
¹³ But it is you, a man like myself,
   my companion, my close friend,
¹⁴ with whom I once enjoyed sweet fellowship
   at the house of God,
as we walked about
   among the worshipers.
 ¹⁵ Let death take my enemies by surprise;
   let them go down alive to the realm of the dead,
   for evil finds lodging among them.
 ¹⁶ As for me, I call to God,
   and the LORD saves me.
¹⁷ Evening, morning and noon
   I cry out in distress,
   and he hears my voice.
¹⁸ He rescues me unharmed
   from the battle waged against me,
   even though many oppose me.
¹⁹ God, who is enthroned from of old,
   who does not change—
he will hear them and humble them,
   because they have no fear of God.
 ²⁰ My companion attacks his friends;
   he violates his covenant.
²¹ His talk is smooth as butter,
   yet war is in his heart;
his words are more soothing than oil,
   yet they are drawn swords.
 ²² Cast your cares on the LORD
   and he will sustain you;
he will never let
   the righteous be shaken.
²³ But you, God, will bring down the wicked
   into the pit of decay;
the bloodthirsty and deceitful
   will not live out half their days.
   But as for me, I trust in you.