This psalm speaks of the rulers of the land who had failed to render justice, and so, David called for the direct judgment of God on them. This is a psalm which invokes judgment, calamity, or curses upon an enemy, there are seven curses mentioned within the psalm.
Although the headings aren’t inspired by God, they are important because they give us some understanding of the Psalm and they help us to see why it was written. The headings usually tell us four things.
1. Who wrote them, probably wrote them, or possibly wrote them.
2. Information about the historical background to the Psalm. Why it was written.
3. They tell us of the tune the Psalm was written to.
4. How it was used.
The heading tells us that this psalm of David is for the director of music. Some commentators believe that the ‘director of music’ is God Himself and others believe that it is a song leader who led choirs or musicians, 1 Chronicles 6:33 / 1 Chronicles 16:17 / 1 Chronicles 25:6.
The psalm was to be directed to the ‘tune of a do not destroy’, no one knows what this tune was but some suggest it reflects David’s words to Saul, 1 Samuel 26:9. The word, ‘miktam’ means golden, hence why it’s often referred to as the ‘golden psalm’. However, there are others who believe that the word ‘miktam’ may have some musical meaning.
Still, others believe that the word means to cover, when we look at other psalms with the same heading, Psalms 56-60, they all appear to be written in times of distress, which leads some to believe that the word ‘miktam’ has the idea of covering the lips in the sense of secrecy. In other words, these are silent or secret psalms which were whispered during times of distress.
David begins by addressing the rulers and judges because of their unrighteous corrupt judgments, Psalm 58:1, and as a result, evil prevailed throughout the land, Psalm 58:2 / Job 31:6 / Daniel 5:27 / Revelation 6:5. David appears to ask, why didn’t they defend him or other innocent people instead of staying silent.
After asking these two questions, David goes straight to the source of their corruption, it was their hearts. Their corrupt hearts led them to create violence all over the earth, Psalm 58:2. They weighed out the evidence as in crooked scales and they distorted their judgments because of prejudiced hearts and bribes, Psalm 58:2.
Notice David says, ‘even from birth the wicked go astray; from the womb they are wayward, spreading lies,’ Psalm 58:3. This is one of these verses which some people go to justify human beings being born sinners. However, the first thing to notice with this verse, is simply this, if these people were ‘born astray’, then they couldn’t ‘go astray from birth’, Psalm 58:3.
David is saying that babies are born into a sinful world with their eyes and ears wide open, Psalm 51:5. We all know that babies are so inquisitive, they begin to learn immediately through taste, touch, sound, sight, and smell. They are watching, and they see evil all around them, constantly from birth.
Yes, they don’t know or understand what evil is when they are born, but evil is present, it’s all around them and they’re influenced by it. David is simply saying that the ones going astray ‘speak lies’, Psalm 58:3, so the going astray has to be accomplished, at the very least, only after the person has learned to speak. He isn’t talking about newly born babies in this passage, he’s talking about adults, James 1:14-15.
The words of the rulers and judges were very dangerous and just like a ‘cobra’, Psalm 58:4. Snake charmers never trust the cobra, no matter how skilled they are, because they are very unpredictable, no matter how skilful the charmer is, Psalm 58:6 / Isaiah 11:8 / Isaiah 8:19. These rulers were very dangerous and very unpredictable.
David now calls upon God to pronounce seven curses upon these rulers and judges.
1. David asks God to break their teeth, Psalm 58:6.
2. David asks God to tear out their fangs, Psalm 58:6.
Snakes and lions have their power in their teeth and without them, they wouldn’t survive. David wants God to make the rulers and judges as powerless as snakes and lions without teeth, Joel 1:6 / Psalm 3:7 / Psalm 17:12 / Psalm 34:10 / Psalm 35:17 / Psalm 57:4 / Job 29:17 / Proverbs 30:14.
3. David asks God to make them vanish away like water, Psalm 58:7.
He wants the rulers and judges to perish or be cut off, so that he could be saved from them, Job 6:15-19.
4. David asks God to make their arrows useless, Psalm 58:7.
He wants God to render his enemy’s arrows useless, in terms of having no effect on him, Psalm 11:2.
5. David asks God to make them like slugs which melt away, Psalm 58:8.
He wants his enemies to be like a passing snail, as it moves along, it leaves a slimy trail as if it’s leaving a part of itself behind. He wants them to melt away like the slime of a snail.
6. David asks God to make his enemies like a still-born child, Psalm 58:8.
The word ‘still-born’ in Hebrews suggests an abortion. A ‘still-born’ child isn’t delivered alive, they are ripped out of the womb. David is asking that his enemies, be like they had never been born alive in the first place, Job 3:16. He wants God to rip off the face of the earth as they had never existed.
7. David asks God to sweep away their pot, Psalm 58:9.
Most commentators agree that this seventh curse is difficult to understand. It appears that David considered how quickly a bunch of dry thorns burning in a fire under cooking pots, Ecclesiastes 7:6. Just as a tornado takes away property and possessions, David appears to be asking God to let these corrupt rulers and judges be swept from the presence of the people, Job 27:21.
After God deals with those corrupt rulers and judges, the righteous, that is, God’s people will be glad, Psalm 58:10. As victorious people, the righteous will dip their feet in their blood, Psalm 58:10 / Psalm 37:34 / Psalm 40:3 / Psalm 68:23.
After the corrupt rulers and judges are judged, the righteous will see this as their reward from God, Psalm 58:11 / 1 Timothy 4:8, and they will know that God truly is the judge of the earth, Psalm 58:11 / Genesis 18:25 / Revelation 20:11-15.
David asked God to curse his enemies with seven different curses, however, when we turn to the New Testament we quickly discover that cursing people would be sinful. Paul tells Christians that we should bless those who persecute us, not curse them, Romans 12:14. Jesus tells Christians to love, bless and pray for our enemies, Matthew 5:44-48 / Luke 6:27-36.
As Christians, we must remember to leave vengeance to God, and not take matters into our hands, Deuteronomy 32:35 / Nahum 1:2-3 / Romans 12:19. We can’t bless, love and prayer for our enemies if hatred resides in our hearts. Even if these activities don’t change them, they will help us develop love like God’s.
Our religion is worth little if it doesn’t lead us to a higher love than that which is shown by worldly men, Proverbs 24:17. Our love should not be restricted simply to those who are like us. We should greet everyone in a kind manner, seeking opportunities to do good for all, Galatians 6:10.