Prayer to the Judge of all the Earth: Psalm 58-Supplication through the Scriptures

Prayer to the Judge of all the Earth

Psalm 58

Prayer is one of the greatest privileges God has given to believers in Christ Jesus.

Christopher Gordon

God is a God of justice. He loves righteousness and hates wickedness. His eyes are too pure to approve evil, and He cannot look on wickedness with favor (Habakkuk 1:13). Because we have been made in the image of God, we too desire justice, although our sense of justice has been heavily marred by the Fall. It is easy to demand justice and vindication when we are the injured party, but when we are the ones who have injured another, we desire mercy. 

The Lord tells us in several places that vengeance belongs to the Lord. We do not need to seek revenge, or return evil for evil, but we need to entrust ourselves and our situation to the Lord (Romans 12:19; 1 Peter 2:23). This does not mean we do not seek justice through the avenues God has ordained, but we ourselves must not become judge and executioner. We cannot know the entirety of all that has taken place and so we must leave ourselves and our vindication in the Lord’s hands. 

One way to do this is to commit to prayer the offense and the offender. God concerns Himself with all that concerns us. He has not turned a blind eye to our suffering. He has not forgotten us. He has not looked with favor on the one who has dealt treacherously for “the radical nature of evil requires a response from the God of justice” (VanGemeren). In His wisdom, He has ordained our path and we can trust our loving and omniscient Father to do what is best and right and always those two things together. 

Perhaps you are not suffering injustice on a personal level at this time. We do not need to look far to see many instances of injustice around us. Let’s pray through Psalm 58 concerning the injustice we see in our lives, in the persecuted church abroad, and in our society. “Shall not the Judge of all the earth deal justly?” (Genesis 18:25)

Their Hands Deal Violence

58:1-5 Do you indeed decree what is right, you gods? Do you judge the children of man uprightly? No, in your hearts you devise wrongs; your hands deal out violence on earth. The wicked are estranged from the womb; they go astray from birth, speaking lies. They have venom like the venom of a serpent, like the deaf adder that stops its ear, so that it does not hear the voice of charmers or of the cunning enchanter. 

Let’s pray: 

▫️Those who are suffering unjustly would commit themselves to the Lord and His Sovereign care.

▫️The Lord would protect His children from those who devise wrong and deal out violence.

▫️Those facing injustice would trust the Word of the Lord for He has said, “The Lord knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked shall perish” (Psalm 1:6).

▫️The true nature of those who have dealt unjustly would be revealed, the things hidden would be made known, and justice would not be perverted.

▫️The lies that have been spoken would be made clear and truth would prevail.

Bring Them Down

58:6-8 O God, break the teeth in their mouths; tear out the fangs of the young lions, O Lord! Let them vanish like water that runs away; when he aims his arrows, let them be blunted. Let them be like the snail that dissolves into slime, like the stillborn child who never sees the sun. Sooner than your pots can feel the heat of thorns, whether green or ablaze, may he sweep them away! 

Let’s pray:

▫️The Lord would rise up and defend His children, and He would repay with vengeance those who have dealt wickedly (Romans 12:19).

▫️The Lord would thwart the plans of the wicked and would nullify any attempt to continue to do evil toward His people. 

▫️Those who are suffering injustice would entrust themselves to the One who judges righteously, and they would not be overcome by evil but would be able to overcome evil with good and bless and not curse (Romans 12:14, 21)

The Righteous Will Rejoice

58:10-11 The righteous will rejoice when he sees the vengeance; he will bathe his feet in the blood of the wicked. Mankind will say, “Surely there is a reward for the righteous; surely there is a God who judges on earth.”

Let’s pray:

▫️The righteous will rejoice when he sees his God working on his behalf and bringing about his vindication.

▫️The children of the Lord will boldly say, “Surely there is a reward for the righteous; surely there is a God who judges on earth” as they face times of injustice.

▫️We would know that the justice due us does not escape the notice of God for He is the Everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth and He does not become weary or tired, and His understanding is inscrutable. He will give strength to the weary and to him who lacks might He increases power (Isaiah 40:27-29).

May the Lord do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think for His glory and our good. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

It is unto the Lord Christ alone, who is both the true tabernacle and the minister thereof, that we are to look in all our spiritual distresses.

John Owen 

Psalm 58 quoted from the ESV.

Photo credit to tingeyinjurylawfirm