Stop the Damage!

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Opening Prayer

Almighty Father, You are my light and my salvation. Grant me, even in problem-riddled days, the desire to praise Your holy name.

Read Psalm 58

^[1] For the director of music. To the tune of “Do Not Destroy.” Of David. A miktam. 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. ^[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.”

Meditate

“Surely there is a God who judges the earth” (Psa. 58:11).

Think Further

David was a passionate man, it would seem from his colorful language.

Many of us would recoil from some of David’s language, yet God has not silenced, or edited,

those words, for they are in our Scriptures. The cause of David’s impassioned speech is that he

sees rulers dealing unjustly and unrighteously. Instead of protecting the poor and needy, the

rulers mete out violence and spread lies, and, moreover, they refuse to listen to reason. David’s

plea is that God would stop them in their tracks and put an end to the damage that they are doing.

I wonder if some of us get more upset over David’s words than we do over the injustice and

violence in the world. Might it be that we are more interested in films and games where the evil

ones get killed than in actually praying for real evildoers to be stopped? Much suffering in the

world is caused by others, and both perpetrators and victims need our prayers. As salt and light

in the world, it is incumbent upon believers to prayerfully and actively (but appropriately)

oppose injustice and violence. David cared deeply, but he directed his anger Godward, rather

than taking the law into his own hands.

It seems that David took some comfort from the fact that there would be a future reckoning,

where justice prevailed and people would recognize that God does judge the earth. David’s hope

is grounded in the fact that he knows, to some extent, who God is. God is fundamentally just and

so wickedness cannot ultimately triumph. There is a sense in which David’s affirmation of faith

comes before God’s answer to him. David knew nothing of Christ’s reconciling work, but he

knew that injustice, violence and suffering were not the last words and that “there is a magic

deeper still” (C. S. Lewis, 1898–1963).

David was a passionate man, it would seem from his colorful language. Many of us would recoil from some of David’s language, yet God has not silenced, or edited, those words, for they are in our Scriptures. The cause of David’s impassioned speech is that he sees rulers dealing unjustly and unrighteously. Instead of protecting the poor and needy, the
rulers mete out violence and spread lies, and, moreover, they refuse to listen to reason. David’s plea is that God would stop them in their tracks and put an end to the damage that they are doing. I wonder if some of us get more upset over David’s words than we do over the injustice and violence in the world. Might it be that we are more interested in films and games where the evil ones get killed than in actually praying for real evildoers to be stopped? Much suffering in the
world is caused by others, and both perpetrators and victims need our prayers. As salt and light in the world, it is incumbent upon believers to prayerfully and actively (but appropriately) oppose injustice and violence. David cared deeply, but he directed his anger Godward, rather than taking the law into his own hands. It seems that David took some comfort from the fact that there would be a future reckoning, where justice prevailed and people would recognize that God does judge the earth. David’s hope is grounded in the fact that he knows, to some extent, who God is. God is fundamentally just and
so wickedness cannot ultimately triumph. There is a sense in which David’s affirmation of faith comes before God’s answer to him. David knew nothing of Christ’s reconciling work, but he knew that injustice, violence and suffering were not the last words and that “there is a magic deeper still” (C. S. Lewis, 1898–1963).

Apply

What social injustice or tyranny gets you stirred up? How is that reflected in your prayers?

Closing prayer

Break the power, Mighty God, of those who torture believers. Lord, tear down the regimes that kill those who meet together in your name.

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