Revelation: Witness, Judgment, and the Throne

Washing Your Feet in the Blood of the Wicked

Transcript: AI Transcript

Professor: John Weaver

Subject: New Testament Studies

Genre: Sermon

Dictation Name:

Date: 2007-03-11

Synopsis: John Weaver expounds Psalm 58, a bold protest against unrighteous judges and the wicked. He argues that biblical hatred of evil and a desire for divine justice are compatible with Christian love. The sermon outlines the persons of the wicked (vv. 1-5), a prayer for their swift judgment (vv. 6-9), and the righteous rejoicing in God's vengeance (vv. 10-11). Weaver emphasizes that believers should cry out for God's justice and will ultimately be cleansed from the corruption of the wicked.

[John Weaver] Do you indeed speak righteousness, O congregation? Do you judge uprightly, O you sons of men? Yea, in heart you work wickedness. You weigh the violence of your hands in the earth. The wicked are estranged from the womb. They go astray as soon as they be born, speaking lies. Their poison is like the poison of a serpent. They are like the deaf adder that stoppeth her ear, who will not hearken to the voice of charmers, charming never so wisely.

[John Weaver] Break their teeth, O God, in their mouth. Break out the great teeth of the young lions, O Lord. Let them melt away as waters which run continually. When he bendeth his bow to shoot his arrows, let them be as cut in pieces. As a snail which smelteth, let every one of them pass away, like the untimely birth of a woman that they may not see the sun. Before your pots can feel the thorns, he shall take them away as with a whirlwind, both living and in his wrath.

[John Weaver] The righteous shall rejoice when he seeth the vengeance. He shall wash his feet in the blood of the wicked, so that a man shall say, Verily, there is a reward for the righteous. Verily, he is a God that judgeth in the earth." Psalm 58 is absolutely remarkable for the vigor of its language, the boldness of its figures, and the clarity of its doctrine. Psalm 58 could be easily compared with Psalm 12 for its desperation, where David began there by saying, Help, Lord, for the godly man seeth, and the faithful fail from among the children of men. It can also be compared to Psalm 14 for its condemnation, for there David begins, The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God, and he there begins to condemn the wicked. And certainly it can be compared to Psalm 82 for its vindication, for there the righteous judgment of God is indeed vindicated. Now, Psalm 58 is a bold protest against the unrighteous in general and unrighteous judges in particular. This psalm is a cry for vengeance against those who pervert justice.

[John Weaver] Now, before I go further, I want to point something out that is very significant. David is known in Scripture as the sweet psalmist of Israel. And certainly when you and I read Psalm 23, the Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. When we read Psalm 42, as the heart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God, O when shall I come and appear before my God? When we read such passages as Psalm 46, the Lord is our refuge and a stronghold in the day of trouble, we certainly see how David is indeed the sweet psalmist of Israel. But I want you to note that it is indeed possible for tenderness and love and Biblical hatred to dwell in the same breast. Now, I'm not talking about personal hatred, and I'm not talking about a personal vindictiveness, but I am talking about a biblical hatred, that is, a hatred of sin and a hatred of those who sin against God and a desire for biblical justice. Let me show you.

[John Weaver] Hold Psalm 58, if you would, but turn in your Bibles, first of all, to Psalm 94 and look at verse 16. Psalm 94 and verse 16. Note what God says. He asks two questions in this psalm. Psalm 94 verse 16. Who will rise up for me against the evildoers? Who will stand up for me against the workers of iniquity? God is warning someone to rise up against the evildoers. And then he asks who will stand up for me against the workers of iniquity? You see, if we stand for righteousness, We have to stand against us. If we stand for holiness, we have to stand for that which is unholy. If you look in Psalm 97 and look at verse 10, note what the Bible says.

[John Weaver] Ye that love the Lord. What's the next phrase? Hate evil. If you love the Lord, you hate evil. In other words, you hate everything that is contrary to God. And then if you will turn over in your Bibles to Psalm 139, and let's begin reading there with verse 21. Psalm 139, verse 21. Look what David, the sweet psalmist of Israel, says. Psalm 139, verse 21. Do not I hate them, O Lord, that hate Thee? And am not I greed with those that rise up against Thee? I hate them with perfect hatred.

[John Weaver] I count them my enemies. You see, there is a biblical doctrine of hatred. There is a biblical way of hating that is just and right. There is a personal way of hating that is unjust and unbiblical and not right. But that does not discount the fact that there is a biblical doctrine of hatred. And David said, Do not I hate them that they hate thee, O Lord, and am not I green with those that rise up against thee? I hate them, but for hatred I count them mine enemies.

[John Weaver] And certainly everyone who hates God is not only God's enemy, but he is also the enemy of all of those who love God. Now, if you look back at Psalm 58, I want you to note that this psalm is easily divided into three distinct divisions. What are they? First of all, verses 1 through 5 presents a forcible picture of the ungodly when they are in the seat of judgment and power. Verses 1-5 presents a forcible picture of the ungodly when they are in the sea of judgment and power. Secondly, verses 6-9 is the prayer for the swift judgment of God to overtake the wicked and the unjust rulers. So 6 through 9 is the prayer for the swift judgment of God to overtake the wicked and the unjust rulers. And then verses 10 through 11 shows the joy and the rejoicing of the righteous when God's vengeance comes upon the wicked. Now, let's begin with verses 1 through 5, and I want to give you just a simple three-point outline. Number one, the persons of the wicked.

[John Weaver] And you're going to see the persons of the wicked brought out in verses 1 through 5. Now, the persons condemned are those who should condemn crime and wickedness, but who turn out to be wicked criminals themselves.

[John Weaver] Now, please remember that Psalm 82 is a psalm against unjust judges. Psalm 58 is also a psalm against unjust judges. in particular, and in general, anyone who would pervert justice. And so David is telling us, then, that the biggest criminals turn out to be not the ones who commit the crime, but the ones who allow the criminals to go unpunished when they commit the crime. And thus they are committing a greater crime by not punishing the wicked.

[John Weaver] So first of all, in verse 1, we have the accusation. Look at it. He says, do you indeed speak righteousness, O congregation? Do you judge uprightly, you sons of men?

[John Weaver] Now, these two questions posed in verse 1 bring forth a negative answer. Watch it. Do you indeed speak righteousness, O congregation? And the answer is no. Do you judge uprightly, O you sons of men? And the answer is no again. Now, I want you to note that, first of all, in verse 1, he says, Do you speak righteousness, O congregation? To speak righteousness means to pronounce a just sentence.

[John Weaver] Now, if you would look back in your Bibles very quickly to Psalm 9, verses 7 through 9, you'll note that righteousness and judgment belong particularly to God. Psalm 9, 7-9. Note the Bible says, but the Lord shall endure forever. He hath prepared his throne for judgment, and he shall judge the world in righteousness. He shall minister judgment to the people in uprightness, The Lord also will be a refuge for the oppressed, a refuge in times of trouble. So the Bible says in verse 8 that God shall judge the world in righteousness. That is, whatever God speaks and whatever God gives in judgment, it will be absolutely just, it will be absolutely right. So, when the psalmist says, do you indeed speak righteousness, O congregation, he's saying, do you honestly pass a just sentence? Do you give forth a just decree?

[John Weaver] And the answer is no. Now, if you will turn over in your Bibles to Proverbs 17 and look at verse 15, you'll find an amazing statement. Now, watch this. Proverbs 17 and verse 15. God says, He that justified the wicked and he that condemned the just, even they both are an abomination to the Lord.

[John Weaver] Now, remember that the word abomination literally means a stench in the nostrils. So God says when a judge justifies the wicked, it's a stench in the nostrils of God. Likewise, when a judge condemns the just, it is a stench in the nostrils of God. So the Bible then, back in Psalm 58, is declaring, in David's time as well as ours, that there were a multitude of just judges that did not give forth justice. Now, interestingly enough, the word congregation, back in verse 1, do you indeed speak righteousness, O congregation? The Hebrew word literally is Elam, which is God's. Do you indeed speak righteousness, O God? Now, why in the world would God refer to judges as gods? Now, he also did that in Psalm 82. He called the judges gods. They're so-called because of their judicial capacity, they were to act as the representatives of the one true and living God, who is the supreme judge of the earth. And David addresses them as gods had reproachfully and half sarcastically in order to emphasize the fact that although they are supposed to represent God, they are perverting justice and they are indeed not representing God, but they themselves shall be judged by the righteous judge of all the judges as well.

[John Weaver] Now, the interesting thing is, in the latter part of that verse, He refers to the judges as the sons of men, or the sons of man. And that is to remind them that they too are men, and that they too are accountable and answerable to God, and that God will judge them.

[John Weaver] Now, hold Psalm 58, but turn in your Bibles to Deuteronomy chapter 1. At one time I thought of showing you numerous verses, but I think this one will be sufficient to show you that judges are supposed to represent God. Deuteronomy 1, beginning with verse 16. Look what Moses tells the judges. And I charged your judges at that time, saying, Hear the causes between your brethren, and judge righteously," that is, pronounce a just sentence,"...judge righteously between every man and his brother, and the stranger that is with him. You shall not respect persons in judgment," doesn't matter if they're rich or poor, have no respect for them,"...but you shall hear the small as well as the great. You shall not be afraid of the face of man, for the judgment is God." And the cause that is too hard for you, bring it to me and I will hear it." Now notice that for the judgment is God's. So judges then were ordained originally and initially to exercise God's righteous judgment, to pronounce the sentence that God demanded.

[John Weaver] Now it may surprise you to learn that when our country was first founded, judges used the Bible in determining sentences for the wicked. It may surprise you to know that the practice that we have of standing when the judge enters into the courtroom came from the fact that initially and originally the judge entered the courtroom carrying the Bible. And we stood out of respect for the Word of God, not out of respect for the man. Consequently now, the judges have laid the Bible aside and they expect you to stand for a man. It may surprise you to find out that usually, and originally, juries have the Bible when they determine the sentence and when they determine the guilt or innocence of individuals. So here God says judges are indeed to demonstrate His justice in the earth.

[John Weaver] So the accusation that comes in verse 1 is, You judges are guilty of violating your office and your oath. You're not sending forth righteousness.

[John Weaver] Now, if you look in verse two of Psalm 58, you'll see the denunciation. Verse one is the accusation. Verse two is the denunciation. David denounces them for their wickedness. He says in verse two, Yea, in heart you work wickedness. you weigh the violence of your hands in the earth. Now note what he says, gay in heart, you work wickedness. While outwardly pretending to give justice, and while outwardly pretending that they wanted justice, they were inwardly and secretly contriving injustice. and they were secretly and inwardly planning to overthrow justice.

[John Weaver] They were sitting there as solemn, righteous judges. But in reality, their plans and schemes were to condemn the innocent and to justify the wicked. So he says in verse 2, you weigh the violence of your hands in the earth.

[John Weaver] Now, who can tell me What is the American symbol of justice? Anybody know? The balances. But usually there is a woman or a statue holding it, and she has on her eyes, what does she have? A blindfold. Why? Showing you that justice is blind. In other words, it meets out the same regardless of who is standing in front of it. Well, isn't it interesting that God says, you weigh the violence of your hand. In other words, the scales of justice are now turned to be the scales of injustice. And justice is no longer blind. They pretended to weigh out justice, but all they were weighing out was violence. and wickedness.

[John Weaver] Now, you know, there's another thought that could be in this verse. You weigh the violence of your hands in the earth. Someone tell me what else was weighed out in the Bible. Money, money, money was by weight in the Bible, and this could have also a reference then to the bribes. And to the monetary rewards that the judges received for perverting justice. But what this verse does indeed tell us is that the judges were deliberately, maliciously, and intentionally doing injustice. For he says, you weigh the violence of your hands in the earth. That is, they were actually overthrowing justice. So instead of justice being blind, the blindfold is removed, and wickedness and violence are weighed and measured by the judges. Literally, These judges in David's time, like the judges in our time, knew exactly what they could get away with, humanly speaking. I want to tell you something, folks.

[John Weaver] If you really genuinely believe there is justice in our land today, you have not been in a courtroom recently. and you certainly have not been in the courtroom as a christian and you certainly have not been in the courtroom claiming your biblical and your constitutional rights because you'll find out that they are indeed unjust now let me just show you what i'm talking about your member from russ's good home state this judge saul walker was that his name the supreme uh... superior judge there in new york uh... saul Wattner, was it? Wattner. Oh, it wasn't Judge Wattner. It was Wattner, the judge who was threatening his ex-girlfriend and threatening to kidnap the child and demanding a ransom and didn't judge. Come to find out when they got through investigating who was blackmailing this woman, and by the way, the judge was married to another woman, it turned out to be uh... the supreme court judge in new york they don't know where it is not listed uh...

[John Weaver] you remember the people in colorado voted down uh... proposition number two which would have given quote-unquote, equal rights to the sodomites. That is, you could not discriminate against them. And so the people of Colorado said, yes, we want to discriminate. We do not want them to have equal rights. We do not even want them around us. I just heard on the radio this week where one judge is going to intervene and stop Proposition 2 from taking effect. Well, what right does the judge have to overthrow the will of the people of the state of Colorado.

[John Weaver] You see what I'm saying? Wickedness is being measured out. In other words, they know what they can get away with. And probably, no one in the state of Colorado will probably even challenge that judge. So the Bible says they are weighing out the violence. So here then is a denunciation because it is deliberate, it is purposeful, it is malicious, it is intentional, it is wicked.

[John Weaver] Now notice if you would, thirdly, verses 3 through 5, the verification. Not only do you have an accusation and a denunciation here, is that accusation and that denunciation verified?

[John Weaver] Now, generally speaking, verses 3 through 5 gives us a description of the class to which these wicked judges belong. They're deliberately wicked, they're deaf to rebuke, and they're incapable of reform.

[John Weaver] Now, look at verse 3. God says, the wicked are estranged from the womb. They go astray as soon as they be born, speaking lies.

[John Weaver] Now, certainly, verse 3 is an excellent verse on the doctrine of total depravity, because the Bible is indeed saying that men are wicked not only from their birth, but they are also wicked by practice. There is an innate depravity in man. But let me point out the fact that verse 3 really speaks more than the doctrine of total depravity. That truth is certainly true, and it is applicable in this situation. However, what verse 3 is emphasizing is a special characteristic of these men, and that is, their whole life has been of one continuous, unchecked rebellion and wickedness. That is, their whole life has been one bold, brazen rebellion against God. And these men are seasoned, habitual, hardened, wicked, ungodly characters.

[John Weaver] He says, the wicked are estranged from the womb, watch it, from the time they were born, they go astray as soon as they be born, speaking lies. In other words, they are practiced in their depravity. It's not just an innate depravity that is under consideration, but a practical, practiced, consummate depravity, one that you could just say bluntly, these men were good at being evil. They were wicked and they had wickedness refined.

[John Weaver] They had it down to the nth degree. Let me tell you something, folks. If you look around at the judicial system and our bureaucracy today, you will find that usually most of our congressmen and most of our civil officers have wickedness down to a refinement. And most of them can do so legally. They can sin and commit crimes legally and get by with it. They know just exactly how to work the system.

[John Weaver] Now, I want you to note a word back in verse 3. He says the wicked are estranged from the womb. Have you ever started to think on the word estranged? We use it today. When a man is separated from his wife, we normally say he's estranged from his wife. What does it mean when the Bible says the wicked are estranged from the womb? Who are they estranged from? And what are they estranged from? They're estranged from God and his law. You remember the Bible says in Ephesians chapter 4 and verse 18 that they are alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them. Do you remember what he said in Colossians chapter 1 and verse 21? Now listen carefully. They are alienated from God and are enemies in their minds. So when God says the wicked are estranged from God, it means that they're totally separated, they're totally alienated, they're complete enemies of God, they have absolutely no reference to God, they have no concern for God, they have no concern for righteousness.

[John Weaver] Listen folks, listen to me. An unrighteous man cannot help but be an unjust man. The word righteous in the Old Testament and the word justice in the Old Testament are synonymous. They are from the same word. If something is right, it is just. If something is just, it is right. An unrighteous man cannot be just because he does not even know what righteousness is. So God says, They're separated from God. Let me just remind you of something. Are you listening? Luke 18, verse 2.

[John Weaver] What did Jesus Christ say? There was a judge who feared not God nor regarded man. You remember that widow woman? She came to that judge and said, Avenge me, my adversary. And finally, he says, No, I fear not God nor regard man, yet I'll avenge this woman, lest by her continual coming, she weary me. But I want you to note what he said, though I fear not God, nor regard man. If you do not fear God, you will have no regard for man. The reason he was not concerned with giving this widow woman justice was he did not fear God. He was alienated from God. And the only reason he finally avenged the widow woman was just to get her off his back. It was not out of a principle of justice and righteousness. So, depraved, corrupted men are haters of God, and haters of righteousness, and haters of justice, and it is impossible for an unrighteous, ungodly man to give forth true justice, because they don't even know what justice is. I want you to look at what God says.

[John Weaver] Now let's read verses 3, 4, and 5 together. He says in verse three, the wicked are estranged from the womb. They go astray as soon as they be born, speaking lies. Their poison is like the poison of a serpent. They're like the death adder that stopped at her ear, which will not harken to the voice of charmers, charming never so wisely. Now, the interesting thing is, in verse four, he says their poison is like the poison of a serpent, the venom of a serpent. They're like the death adder.

[John Weaver] Now, the word adder occurs six times in the Old Testament, and every time except two. This instance in Psalm 58 verse 4 and in Psalm 91 verse 13, each time the word is translated as, if you will look in your margin reference, to Psalm 58 verse 4 and Psalm 91 verse 13, once again you will see the word asp.

[John Weaver] Now the interesting thing is the asp was the most poisonous, the most venomous serpent in the east. When an asp bit you, you were dead in just a matter of a minute. There was no remedy for an asp bite. You remember it was Cleopatra who supposedly killed herself by allowing an ass to bite her.

[John Weaver] Now the word poison in verse 4 is sometimes in our Bible translated rage, anger, wrath, fury, and God could be saying here their fury, their anger, their wrath is like venom. But the word here actually means venom. And what God is stressing is that wicked rulers have the great capacity to do destruction and misery. Now, the real problem with the wicked rulers is this. Are you listening?

[John Weaver] They will not listen to you. They will not listen to anyone. They will not even listen to God himself. God says these wicked rulers are like the deaf adder, the deaf ass that stoppeth her ear. Watch verse 5,"...who will not hearken to the voice of charming, charming never so wisely."

[John Weaver] Now, every one of you have seen snake charmers, and incidentally, I'll point out that the charming of serpents is indeed mentioned in the Bible in two specific cases. First of all, it's mentioned in Ecclesiastes chapter 10 and verse 11. And secondly, in Jeremiah chapter 8 and verse 17, and in each instance, God is speaking about poisonous vipers that cannot be charmed or will not be charmed, and thus they bite, they inflict. But every one of us has seen pictures and illustrations of the snake charmers where they sit in front of the snake and they play their music and they sway and back and forth.

[John Weaver] And I've heard all kinds of things. I've heard that all serpents or death that all the snake is doing is responding to the movement of the man's body, I don't know. Whether or not adders have ears, you know, I don't know. Whether or not they have the ability to stop their ears if they have them, I don't know. This verse could be talking about the fact that these snakes, these serpents are too venomous even for the snake charmers to mess with. I don't know about you, but if I was going to mess with a snake, I'd at least like to mess with a non-poisonous one. Or one, if he was poisonous, at least it wasn't fatal. But you let an ass bite you, you don't even have time to call the doctor. I mean, you're dead. But what God is saying is these men are like these poisonous asses. They will not listen.

[John Weaver] You cannot use logic with them for they are illogical. You cannot use reasoning with them for they are unreasonable. You cannot use scripture with them for they are unscriptural. You cannot refer to God to them for they hate God and despise God and will not even confess that God is. And God is saying the problem is they just simply will not listen.

[John Weaver] Now let me ask you a question. How many of you have written your congressmen, have written judges, and have gotten those individuals to listen to your biblical reasonings on the law of God? No one. You know why? They do what they want to do. They think they are a law unto themselves. Here's the persons of the wicked. God says they're like a poisonous serpent. They will not listen.

[John Weaver] They have great capacity for destruction. Now look very quickly in verses six through nine at the prayer of vengeance. Watch this. Let's read it. David says, break their teeth, O God, in their mouth. Break out the great teeth of the young lions, O Lord. Let them melt away as waters which run continually, when he bended his bow to shoot his arrows, let them be as cut in pieces, as a snail which melted. Let every one of them pass away like the untimely birth of a woman, that they may not see the sun. Before your pots can feel the thorns, he shall take them away, as will the whirlwind both living and in his wrath."

[John Weaver] Now, let me ask you a question. What does the Bible say that the righteous do Who of the wicked are in authority? Could someone tell me? I didn't hear you. No. What do the righteous do when the wicked are in authority, according to the Bible? Suffer or mourn. For instance, the Bible in Proverbs 29 and verse 2, the Bible says that when the ungodly or the unrighteous are in authority, the people mourn. Well, let me ask you a question. We are living in a day when we have many ungodly and unrighteous leaders. Now, my question is this. Are we, as God's people, just simply shut up to mourning and suffering? Does that mean that we have to suffer everything that lay upon us and everything that they do to us? Do we just sit back and take it?

[John Weaver] You see, the psalmist is saying, look, there is another avenue open. What is that avenue? It is a prayer Now, before I read this, I want you to turn in your Bible to Luke chapter 18. I know that you're well aware of this passage, but I want you to see it in light of what I'm going to show you from Psalm 58. Turn to Luke 18, and let's begin reading at verse 2. I just quoted it just a moment ago, but look at Luke 18, verse 2. Now, Jesus Christ is teaching us about prayer. But we do not just simply pray for our needs and for our wants. Look at what he says. Luke 18, verse 2.

[John Weaver] There was in a city a judge who feared not God, nor regarded man. And there was a widow in that city, and she came unto him, saying, Avenge me of mine adversary. And he would not for a while, but afterward he said within himself, Though I fear not God, nor regard man, Yet because this would have troubled me, I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary me." Watch this,"...and the Lord said, Hear what the unjust judge saith, and shall not God avenge his own elect, who cry day and night unto him, though he bear wrong with them? I tell you that he will avenge them speedily." Now did you hear what he said? Do you think that God is like the unjust judge, not interested in justice? Oh no, God's not like that. He says, and shall not God avenge his own elect? Watch it now, who cry how often? Day and night unto him. God says, I tell you that he will avenge them speedily. Do you know one reason that the wicked are not destroyed and overthrown is because God's people have not been crying for the righteous justice of God.

[John Weaver] Shall not God avenge his own elect who cry unto him day and night? In other words, this story is teaching us that we have a responsibility to cry for God to bring forth justice in this earth. We need not expect justice from wicked men, but we certainly expect justice from the righteous God of the earth. And God says if we cry to him, he will give it to us.

[John Weaver] Now, we should look back in your Bibles to Psalm 58 and note how David prays for vengeance against wicked, ungodly men. Note he gives us here six illustrations, okay? The first illustration he gives us is the illustration of a lion.

[John Weaver] Now you know a lion is a very ferocious beast. Now he's just gotten through talking about the wickedest being as serpents, and a serpent is silent and deadly. But a lion is more bold, and a lion is voracious, and a lion is ferocious, and he's loud. And he's very capable of being destroyed. You see, once the wicked get themselves in the seat of power, they could care less if they're silent anymore or not.

[John Weaver] And so here's what he says. Watch it in verse 7, verse 6. Break their teeth, O God, in their mouth. Break out the great teeth of the young lions.

[John Weaver] Now, I'm not sure that you're aware of this fact, but do you realize a lion with his teeth broken out, is practically helpless. You say, but pastor, he still has his claws. Yes, he has his claws. But if he has no teeth, he can't eat. You see, lions are carnivores. They eat meat. They're meat eaters. And once their teeth are broken out, it's just a matter of time until their claws are totally useless because they will die.

[John Weaver] Now look what David is saying. Now watch this. He is saying, God, if these wicked men will not do good, and they will not, destroy their power from doing evil. Break out their teeth. Destroy them. I don't know if you've ever had your teeth knocked out, but David says, not break their teeth, O God, in their mouth. The words smack them right in the mouth, God. Destroy their power to do evil.

[John Weaver] A toothless lion is a helpless one. And a lion that will soon die.

[John Weaver] Now, let me show you something. I want you to turn in your Bibles to Proverbs 30 and look at verse 14. You're talking about needing to pray this prayer. Well, just look at Proverbs 30 and verse 14. Look what Solomon, the wise man, says. Proverbs 30, verse 14. There is a generation, here's a whole generation now, folks. There is a generation whose teeth are as swords and their jaw teeth as knives to devour the poor from off the earth and the needy from among men. Did you get that? There is a whole generation of individuals who have teeth as swords and jaw teeth as knives. It's time we learn to pray with Psalm 58 verse 4. Break their teeth in their mouth, O God. Break out the teeth of the young lions.

[John Weaver] Destroy their ability and their power to do evil. Look, if you would please, in verse 7. He gives another illustration. Let them melt away as waters which run continually. Now, the word melt actually means to flow or to pass away.

[John Weaver] Now, most of us here are not used to snow. Russ and Brother Emmonsnider did snow a good bit. And snow will stay on the ground until it warms up. And just as quickly as it warms up, what does it do? It melts and passes away. Every one of us in here has spilled a glass of liquid or a jug of liquid. You can take a gallon jar and fill it with water and turn it upside down, and brother, it is emptied quickly.

[John Weaver] That's what David is saying. Lord, let the enemies vanish, let them pass away as quickly as the snow melts when the sun is out, and as quickly as water leaves a vessel. Let them pass away. And then he says in verse 7, here's another illustration, the third one. Let them melt away as waters which run continually. When he bendeth his bow to shoot his arrows, let them be as cut in pieces.

[John Weaver] Now there are two possible interpretations. to the latter part of verse 7. What does it mean when he bended his bow to shoot his arrows, let them be as cut in pieces? Well, first of all, the them could relate to the arrow. Let the arrows be cut in pieces. Two things on that. First of all, if you take an arrow and cut the head of it off, what good is it? Nothing. I mean, the arrow might hit you, but it really is not going to do more than hurt and create a little bruise. It's certainly not a deadly instrument anymore with the head cut off. It could also mean, and I have done this and so has Dr. Holmes, I can assure you, you shoot your arrow and that arrow hits a limb and then it either splinters or warps Instead of the arrow going to the mark, I mean it may end up behind you somewhere. So he could be saying, when they shoot the arrow, let the head be cut off, or let it be as a splintered arrow going in all kinds of directions, totally missing the mark.

[John Weaver] Ah, but there's another interpretation that could be. He could be saying, when he bent his bow to shoot his arrows, let them, that is the archers, the one doing the shooting, be as cut in pieces.

[John Weaver] Now I want you to picture this. Picture Doc with his bow drawn back about to release that arrow, aiming at a target. And someone slip up behind him with a sharp sword and hack him in two. Now is that arrow going to hit that target? Very obviously not. Because the archer has been cut in two, he's lost his capacity to aim, he's lost his capacity to shoot, he's dead. The arrow just goes off harmlessly into the air somewhere, or into the earth.

[John Weaver] So David is saying, Lord, let them be as lions, break out their teeth. Let them be as waters, let them pass away. Let them be as blooded arrows, or at least as archers who have been cut in two, who have no ability to shoot and to destroy. And then look in verse 18, verse 8, he says, has a snail which melted. Let every one of them pass away."

[John Weaver] Now, you know the snail, when he crawls, he leaves a trail of slime. And it looks like the snail is just wasting away. And I tell you what, you get that snail in the hot sun and you will literally see him waste or melt away. Some of you have stepped on a snail, and of course, once you smear him, once again, the sun hits it, and he's just simply gone.

[John Weaver] So God says, let God's enemies be a squash. He gives the next illustration. He says, let them be like the untimely birth of a woman that they cannot see the sun. Now, what in the world is an untimely birth of a woman? Well, that's when a woman has a miscarriage. David is saying, listen now, Let the enemy's lifetime pass so quickly, with such speed, that it will seem as if they have not lived at all. You know, it seems to me like David kind of wants the enemies done away with. Doesn't it seem like that to you? He says, God, let them die, and let them die quickly.

[John Weaver] Just as if they had never even been born. And then lastly, if you look in verse 9, here's the other illustration. He says,"...before your pots can feel the thorns, he shall take them away, and live a whirlwind, both living and in his wrath." Now, what in the world does it mean, before your pots can feel the thorns? Well, you've got to understand the way they cooked out in desert lands out in the east. Usually, the fire was made up of these brambles, of these thorns.

[John Weaver] And they were very easy to get to, they were very light. And what they would do, they would take these thorns and pile them together, and of course hang their pots over the thorn. Well, many times out in the desert, there would be a whirlwind or a hot air. And what the psalmist is saying, look, before the pot can ever get hot, let the whirlwind come along and blow those thorns out from under that pot and away from that individual. What the psalm is saying, God, you come in your wrath and destroy them before their plans can ever have time to come to fruition, before all their schemes can ever come to pass. Lord, just like a whirlwind, wipe them away.

[John Weaver] And he says God's going to do that, both living and dying. In other words, he will catch them alive and destroy them in his wrath. So David not only prayed against the wicked, he not only asked God to destroy them, he asked God to destroy them quickly.

[John Weaver] Now, let me ask you a question. What is to be the attitude of God's people when God does indeed destroy the wicked? Well, I want you to look at verses 10 and 11 at the praise of the righteous. When God rises and judges the wicked, what is our response to be? It is to be one of praise and rejoicing. Verse 10, the righteous shall rejoice when he seeth the vengeance. He shall wash his feet in the blood of the wicked, so that a man shall say, Verily there is reward for the righteous. Verily he is a God that judgeth the earth. Now let me just show you, first of all, Our attitude should be one of praise and rejoicing. He says the righteous shall rejoice to the vengeance. That is, when we see God's vengeance taken upon the wicked, then God says we're to rejoice. Now, look back in your Bibles to Psalm 52 and verse 6.

[John Weaver] There's a multitude of passages. I'm only going to show you about four of them. But watch Psalm 52, verse 6.

[John Weaver] Now, this is talking about the wicked man. The Bible says the righteous also shall see and fear, that is, see his destruction and fear, and shall laugh at him. In other words, when public judgment comes upon the wicked, the Bible says the righteous will see it, the righteous will fear, that is, will learn from it, but then we shall also laugh at him. We will rebut in the fact that he has been overthrown.

[John Weaver] Look in Psalm 60 and verse 6. Psalm 60 and verse 6. Once again, this passage is talking about the destruction of some of Israel's enemies. He says, Psalm 16, verse 6, God has spoken in His holiness, I will rejoice, I will divide Shechem and meet out the valley of Succoth. And you skip on down to verse 8, Morab is my washcloth, over Edom will I cast out my shoe, for this year triumph thou because of me. So, he's talking about the destruction of the enemies. He says, I will rejoice. In Psalm 137, Psalm 137, you talk about a powerful passage, Psalm 137 beginning in verse 7.

[John Weaver] Now, you remember the Edomites, really delighted in the destruction of Jerusalem over, the Edomites stood in the way and purposefully killed all of those who would have escaped the destruction. So look what the psalmist says, Psalm 137, verse 7. Remember, O Lord, the children of Edom in the day of Jerusalem, who said, Raise it, raise it, even the foundation thereof, that is, burn it, burn it, destroy everything, cut off everything. So the Edomites came, kill every one of them, cut it all off. Verse 8.

[John Weaver] O Torah of Babylon, this is what he calls them, who are to be destroyed, happy shall be They have rewarded thee as thou hast served us. Happy shall he be, taken and dashed by little ones against the stones." In other words, God will judge the wickedness, and the response should be one of plight and rejoicing. One more, look in your Bibles to Revelation 19. Here is one that everyone is familiar with, Revelation 19. Look at this. Revelation 19, and let's begin reading there with verse 1. Note, if you would please, the response from the whole world system is destroyed.

[John Weaver] After these things I heard a great voice of much people in heaven saying, Hallelujah. By the way, someone tell me what the word Hallelujah means. Praise God. Watch it. I heard a great people saying hallelujah, salvation and glory and honor and power unto the Lord our God for true and righteous are his judgments for he hath judged the great whore who did corrupt the earth with her fornication and hath avenged the blood of his servants at her hand and again they said hallelujah and her smoke rose up forever and ever And the four and twenty elders and four beasts fell down and worshiped God that sat on the throne. Amen. Hallelujah.

[John Weaver] So, dear friend, when this world is finally and fully destroyed, that is the world system and the ungodly, it will be. Hallelujah. Now, one other passage. Turn back in your Bibles to Deuteronomy chapter 32. Watch this. I need to show you this verse. Watch it very carefully. Deuteronomy 32. Now let's begin reading with verse 39. Deuteronomy 32, verse 39. Watch this. God says, See now that I am healed, and there is no God with me.

[John Weaver] I kill and I make alive, I wound and I heal, neither is there any that can deliver out of my hand. Now watch what God says. For I lift up mine hand to heaven, and say, I live forever. If I cut my glittering sword, that is, if I sharpen my sword, saith God, and mine hand hold on judgment, I will render vengeance to mine enemies, and reward them that hate me. I will make mine arrows drunk with blood, and my sword out of our flesh, and that with the blood of the slain, of the captives, from the beginning of revenge upon the enemy. O ye his people, for he will avenge the blood of his servants, and will render vengeance to his adversaries, and will be merciful unto his land and to his people." Isn't that amazing? God says, when I quit my sword and my hand takes hold on judgment, God's people are to rejoice.

[John Weaver] Now, I want you to look back to Psalm 58, because I literally preached This message, just so I can tell you about the latter part of this verse. I want you to see it. Psalm 58, verse 10. He says, The righteous shall rejoice when he see the vengeance. He shall wash his feet in the blood of the wicked. I'll let that say again. The righteous shall wash his feet in the blood of the wicked. Now, the vengeance is not ours, but it's God's. Nevertheless, we may rejoice in the righteous judgment of God. What in the world does it mean when it says the righteous not only shall rejoice, but shall wash his feet in the blood of the wicked?

[John Weaver] Well, let me give you three applications to this statement. First of all, there is what I'm going to call the individual application. What do I mean by that? I mean individually when the judgment of God falls upon wicked individuals who have persecuted the people of God. The Bible says that the wicked and the unrighteous man shall not live out half his days. What does that mean? It means the judgment of God will come upon him and cut him off in the prime of his life. You remember, it was Ahab who persecuted God's people and persecuted Elijah and tried to have Elijah slain. But you remember a certain man drew a back of bow and shot an arrow at adventure.

[John Weaver] He didn't even know who he was shooting at. But God sovereignly guided that arrow. And it struck old King Ahab between the shoulder blades And he fell down in his chariot and bled out. When his chariot got back to town, what happened? The dogs licked the blood out of the chariot. Elijah literally was vindicated because his enemy was dead. And in one sense of the word, the individual application was Elijah washed his feet. in the blood of Ahab, for God killed Ahab exactly like he said he would. How about Jezebel? The people of God literally washed their feet in one sense of the word in Jezebel, when she was trodden underfoot with that chariot, and the dogs ate her and left her. Look at old Haman. Old Haman was going to hang Mordecai, and what happened? God had Haman hanged on the very same gallows that he built for Mordecai. Mordecai washed his feet in the blood of the wicked. That gallows that was built for Mordecai was used to hang Haman. Look at old King Herod.

[John Weaver] Old King Herod in Acts 12 gave an oration, and the people said, It's the voice of a God! It's the voice of a God! And the Bible said immediately, God smote Herod because he gave not God the glory, and he was eaten of worms and gave up the ghost. and the righteous wash their feet in the blood of the wicked." That is, when God smites the individual wicked men who are persecuting and hating the people of God. Not only is there the individual application, there is the literal application.

[John Weaver] You say, what do you mean? Well, look next, if you would, in Psalm 68 and verse 23. Psalm 68 and verse 23. Once again, the psalmist said, that thy foot may be dipped in the blood of thine enemies, and the tongue of thy dogs in the same.

[John Weaver] Now let me tell you something, folks. God is going to give his people such a victory that even our dogs will participate in it. Look in your Bibles. to Isaiah 63 and verse 3. Look what the Messiah says. This is none other than Jesus Christ. Now Isaiah 63 and verse 3. Watch it. Look at what it said, Isaiah 63, verse 3. I tell you what, let's just begin reading with verse 1. I want you to see, it's not only the Lord Jesus, the Messiah, but it's also the judgment of God in context. Isaiah 63, verse 1. Who is this that cometh from Edom, with dyed garments from Basra, that is glorious in his apparel, traveling in the greatness of his strength, I that speak in righteousness mighty to say," that's the Lord Jesus. Now watch verse 2,"...for I have now read in thine apparel, and thy garments like him that treadeth in the wine vat," look what he says,"...I have trodden the winepress alone, and of the people there was none with me.

[John Weaver] For I will tread them in mine anger, and trample them in my fury, and their blood shall be sprinkled upon my garments, and I will stain All my raiment for the day of vengeance is in my heart, and the year of my redeeming is come." Did you hear what Jesus Christ said? He will stain his garments in the blood of the wicked.

[John Weaver] Now, I want you to turn back very quickly in your Bibles to Psalm 149, and I will confess that there is indeed not only a great irony but a great joy in what I'm about to read. And if you do not see the joy, then I'm sorry. But the Bible still speaks of it. You see, although the vengeance is the Lord's, and although the judgment is the Lord's, many times God allows His people to participate in His judgment. Did God judge the Ammonites and the Jebusites and the Hivites and the Philistines? Yes, He did. But would you please tell me how God judged them?

[John Weaver] He put a sword in the children of Israel's hand and said, you go in and out of the land and kill every one of them. That's how God judged them.

[John Weaver] Now watch what the Bible says in Psalm 149, verse 4. Look what he says. For the Lord taketh pleasure in his people. And I am thankful for that. For the Lord taketh pleasure in his people. He will putify the meek with salvation. Let the saints be joyful in glory. Let them sing aloud upon their beds. Now watch it. Let the high praises of God be in their mouth and a two-edged sword in their hand." Why do we need a two-edged sword? To execute vengeance upon the heathen and punishments upon the people. Watch this.

[John Weaver] To bind their kings with chains and their nobles with fetters of iron. To execute upon them the judgment written. Are you looking? Dishonor. Have all the saints praise ye the Lord. This honor have all the saints. Praise ye the Lord. We will be with our Lord and we will participate in the exercise of his vengeance.

[John Weaver] Now, let me make the application that I wanted to make. Here's the spiritual application. I don't care where you turn in the Bible. You will find washing of the feet. In the Old Testament, the washing of the feet was a sign of hospitality. You'll remember that most of the people in those times walked, and they wore sandals. And a man could be clean, but usually when he has walked in his sandals before he entered a home, it was just common, everyday hospitality. for you to provide him a basin of water, and he either washed his feet or you washed his feet for him.

[John Weaver] You were getting rid of the defilement and the uncleanness that he had brought upon himself through walking on the dusty roads. You'll find in Genesis chapter 18 in verse 4, when Abraham saw the Lord and the angels, he immediately brought forth a basin of water so they could wash their feet. Even the requirement, one of the requirements for a godly widow in 1 Timothy chapter 5 and verse 10, one of the godly requirements is she has to have washed the saints' feet. You remember the priest, before they went into the tabernacle or the temple, they had a labor that they had to wash their feet in. Why? It spoke of cleansing. You remember John chapter 13? Jesus Christ washed the disciples' feet. Why? It spoke of cleansing. Now God says, we shall wash our feet in the blood of the wicked. What does that mean?

[John Weaver] Now listen to me, folks. at all the wickedness that is in this world. Abortion, sodomy, murder, rape, crime, fraud, tillage, you name it, it's everywhere. You know what the Bible says in 1 Corinthians 15 and verse 33? Evil communications corrupt good matters. A lot of the saints are affected by the wickedness of the wicked. The very fact that we have an unjust economic system is affecting every one of us. The very fact that we have an unjust bureaucracy is affecting every one of us. But God is saying, one day, We're going to wash our feet in the blood of the wicked. What does that mean? We're going to wash away all the defilement and all the corruption that the wicked have brought upon us and upon this world.

[John Weaver] Do you remember back in Deuteronomy? I preached on this passage not so long ago, Deuteronomy 19 and Deuteronomy 21, where God said that the murderer was to be put to death for blood defiled the land, and the land could not be cleansed except by the blood of him who had shed it." Do you remember that? What is God saying? God is saying He is going to use the blood of the wicked to cleanse this world from their wickedness.

[John Weaver] Listen to me, dear friend. The Bible says, when we wash our feet in the blood of the wicked, We will be washing off the defilement and the uncleanliness and the corruption of this world. John said it like this. Are you listening? The kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord and his Christ. The corruption One last passage. I want you to turn to Psalm 37. Psalm 37. This is one of the most beautiful psalms, but I want you to see, David says it again the same way. Psalm 37, and let's begin reading with verse 34. Watch this carefully. David says, wait on the Lord and keep his way And he shall exalt thee to inherit the land. When the wicked are cut off, thou shalt see it. I have seen the wicked in great power, spreading himself like a green bay tree.

[John Weaver] Yet he passed away, and lo, he was not. Yea, I sought him, and he could not be found. Mark the perfect man, and behold the upright, for the end of that man is peace. But the transgressors shall be destroyed together. The end of the wicked shall be cut off, but the salvation of the righteous is of the Lord. He is their strength in the time of trouble, and the Lord shall help them and deliver them. He shall deliver them from the wicked and save them because they trust in him." Now folks, three times, David says the wicked shall be cut off. God's people shall be delivered from the wicked. We'll finally wash our feet in their blood, washing away the corruption and the ungodliness and the uncleanness. And we'll be serving in the kingdom of the Lord Jesus Christ. No wonder. David finished Psalm 58 with verse 11, and look at what he says. So that a man shall say, that is, once he sees the destruction of the wicked and the salvation of the righteous, so that a man shall say, verily, there is a reward for the righteous.

[John Weaver] Verily, there is a God that judgeth the earth. Dear friend, listen to me. The wicked may be in power now, but they shall not be in power long. The wicked may be profiting now, but they shall not profit long. For there is a God who judges in the earth, and we need to praise and honor Him. Father, we bow to Thee this day. We thank Thee for the Lord Jesus Christ. We thank thee that thou art the judge of all the earth, and that thou wilt indeed give justice. O God, help us, Lord, to be righteous, godly people, for we do know, according to your word, that judgment is coming. And Lord, when we see thee cut off the wicked, May we see it, and fear, and rejoice, and give thee the glory.

[John Weaver] In Christ's name we pray. Amen.

Washing Your Feet in the Blood of the Wicked

John Weaver | SermonAudio

Lecture Metadata	Details
Speaker	John Weaver
Source	SermonAudio
Media ID	31107174757
Subject	New Testament Studies
Course	Revelation: Witness, Judgment, and the Throne
Genre	Sermon
Date	2007-03-11
Dictation Name
Book	Book 140: Revelation: Witness, Judgment, and the Throne — Chapter 4
Source Timed Segments	96

Formatted Transcript

Opening

Do you indeed speak righteousness, O congregation? Do you judge uprightly, O you sons of men? Yea, in heart you work wickedness. You weigh the violence of your hands in the earth. The wicked are estranged from the womb. They go astray as soon as they be born, speaking lies. Their poison is like the poison of a serpent. They are like the deaf adder that stoppeth her ear, who will not hearken to the voice of charmers, charming never so wisely.

Break their teeth, O God, in their mouth. Break out the great teeth of the young lions, O Lord. Let them melt away as waters which run continually. When he bendeth his bow to shoot his arrows, let them be as cut in pieces. As a snail which melteth, let every one of them pass away, like the untimely birth of a woman that they may not see the sun. Before your pots can feel the thorns, he shall take them away as with a whirlwind, both living and in his wrath.

Introduction: The Boldness of Psalm 58

Psalm 58 is remarkable for its vigorous language and clear doctrine, comparable to Psalms 12, 14, and 82. It is a cry for vengeance against those who pervert justice.

The righteous shall rejoice when he seeth the vengeance. He shall wash his feet in the blood of the wicked, so that a man shall say, Verily, there is a reward for the righteous. Verily, he is a God that judgeth in the earth." Psalm 58 is absolutely remarkable for the vigor of its language, the boldness of its figures, and the clarity of its doctrine. Psalm 58 could be easily compared with Psalm 12 for its desperation, where David began there by saying, Help, Lord, for the godly man ceaseth, and the faithful fail from among the children of men. It can also be compared to Psalm 14 for its condemnation, for there David begins, The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God, and he there begins to condemn the wicked. And certainly it can be compared to Psalm 82 for its vindication, for there the righteous judgment of God is indeed vindicated. Now, Psalm 58 is a bold protest against the unrighteous in general and unrighteous judges in particular. This psalm is a cry for vengeance against those who pervert justice.

Biblical Hatred and Love Can Coexist

David, the sweet psalmist of Israel, demonstrates that tenderness and biblical hatred can dwell in the same breast. Biblical hatred is a hatred of sin and those who sin against God, not personal vindictiveness.

Now, before I go further, I want to point something out that is very significant. David is known in Scripture as the sweet psalmist of Israel. And certainly when you and I read Psalm 23, the Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. When we read Psalm 42, as the hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God, O when shall I come and appear before my God? When we read such passages as Psalm 46, the Lord is our refuge and a stronghold in the day of trouble, we certainly see how David is indeed the sweet psalmist of Israel. But I want you to note that it is indeed possible for tenderness and love and Biblical hatred to dwell in the same breast. Now, I'm not talking about personal hatred, and I'm not talking about a personal vindictiveness, but I am talking about a biblical hatred, that is, a hatred of sin and a hatred of those who sin against God and a desire for biblical justice. Let me show you.

Hold Psalm 58, if you would, but turn in your Bibles, first of all, to Psalm 94 and look at verse 16. Psalm 94 and verse 16. Note what God says. He asks two questions in this psalm. Psalm 94 verse 16. Who will rise up for me against the evildoers? Who will stand up for me against the workers of iniquity? God is wanting someone to rise up against the evildoers. And then he asks who will stand up for me against the workers of iniquity? You see, if we stand for righteousness, we have to stand against unrighteousness. If we stand for holiness, we have to stand against that which is unholy. If you look in Psalm 97 and look at verse 10, note what the Bible says.

Ye that love the Lord. What's the next phrase? Hate evil. If you love the Lord, you hate evil. In other words, you hate everything that is contrary to God. And then if you will turn over in your Bibles to Psalm 139, and let's begin reading there with verse 21. Psalm 139, verse 21. Look what David, the sweet psalmist of Israel, says. Psalm 139, verse 21. Do not I hate them, O Lord, that hate Thee? And am not I grieved with those that rise up against Thee? I hate them with perfect hatred.

I count them my enemies. You see, there is a biblical doctrine of hatred. There is a biblical way of hating that is just and right. There is a personal way of hating that is unjust and unbiblical and not right. But that does not discount the fact that there is a biblical doctrine of hatred. And David said, Do not I hate them that hate thee, O Lord, and am not I grieved with those that rise up against thee? I hate them with perfect hatred. I count them mine enemies.

The Persons of the Wicked (Psalm 58:1-5)

The wicked are described as unjust judges who pervert justice. They are accused of not speaking righteousness, denounced for working wickedness, and verified as estranged from God, poisonous like serpents, and deaf to rebuke.

And you're going to see the persons of the wicked brought out in verses 1 through 5. Now, the persons condemned are those who should condemn crime and wickedness, but who turn out to be wicked criminals themselves. Now, please remember that Psalm 82 is a psalm against unjust judges. Psalm 58 is also a psalm against unjust judges, in particular, and in general, anyone who would pervert justice. And so David is telling us, then, that the biggest criminals turn out to be not the ones who commit the crime, but the ones who allow the criminals to go unpunished when they commit the crime. And thus they are committing a greater crime by not punishing the wicked.

So first of all, in verse 1, we have the accusation. Look at it. He says, do you indeed speak righteousness, O congregation? Do you judge uprightly, you sons of men?

Now, these two questions posed in verse 1 bring forth a negative answer. Watch it. Do you indeed speak righteousness, O congregation? And the answer is no. Do you judge uprightly, O you sons of men? And the answer is no again. Now, I want you to note that, first of all, in verse 1, he says, Do you speak righteousness, O congregation? To speak righteousness means to pronounce a just sentence.

Now, if you would look back in your Bibles very quickly to Psalm 9, verses 7 through 9, you'll note that righteousness and judgment belong particularly to God. Psalm 9, 7-9. Note the Bible says, but the Lord shall endure forever. He hath prepared his throne for judgment, and he shall judge the world in righteousness. He shall minister judgment to the people in uprightness. The Lord also will be a refuge for the oppressed, a refuge in times of trouble. So the Bible says in verse 8 that God shall judge the world in righteousness. That is, whatever God speaks and whatever God gives in judgment, it will be absolutely just, it will be absolutely right. So, when the psalmist says, do you indeed speak righteousness, O congregation, he's saying, do you honestly pass a just sentence? Do you give forth a just decree?

And the answer is no. Now, if you will turn over in your Bibles to Proverbs 17 and look at verse 15, you'll find an amazing statement. Now, watch this. Proverbs 17 and verse 15. God says, He that justifieth the wicked and he that condemneth the just, even they both are an abomination to the Lord.

Now, remember that the word abomination literally means a stench in the nostrils. So God says when a judge justifies the wicked, it's a stench in the nostrils of God. Likewise, when a judge condemns the just, it is a stench in the nostrils of God. So the Bible then, back in Psalm 58, is declaring, in David's time as well as ours, that there were a multitude of unjust judges that did not give forth justice. Now, interestingly enough, the word congregation, back in verse 1, do you indeed speak righteousness, O congregation? The Hebrew word literally is elem, which is gods. Do you indeed speak righteousness, O gods? Now, why in the world would God refer to judges as gods? Now, he also did that in Psalm 82. He called the judges gods. They're so-called because of their judicial capacity, they were to act as the representatives of the one true and living God, who is the supreme judge of the earth. And David addresses them as gods half reproachfully and half sarcastically in order to emphasize the fact that although they are supposed to represent God, they are perverting justice and they are indeed not representing God, but they themselves shall be judged by the righteous judge of all the judges as well.

Now, the interesting thing is, in the latter part of that verse, He refers to the judges as the sons of men, or the sons of man. And that is to remind them that they too are men, and that they too are accountable and answerable to God, and that God will judge them. Now, hold Psalm 58, but turn in your Bibles to Deuteronomy chapter 1. At one time I thought of showing you numerous verses, but I think this one will be sufficient to show you that judges are supposed to represent God. Deuteronomy 1, beginning with verse 16. Look what Moses tells the judges. And I charged your judges at that time, saying, Hear the causes between your brethren, and judge righteously, that is, pronounce a just sentence, judge righteously between every man and his brother, and the stranger that is with him. You shall not respect persons in judgment, doesn't matter if they're rich or poor, have no respect for them, but you shall hear the small as well as the great. You shall not be afraid of the face of man, for the judgment is God's. And the cause that is too hard for you, bring it to me and I will hear it. Now notice that for the judgment is God's. So judges then were ordained originally and initially to exercise God's righteous judgment, to pronounce the sentence that God demanded.

Now it may surprise you to learn that when our country was first founded, judges used the Bible in determining sentences for the wicked. It may surprise you to know that the practice that we have of standing when the judge enters into the courtroom came from the fact that initially and originally the judge entered the courtroom carrying the Bible. And we stood out of respect for the Word of God, not out of respect for the man. Consequently now, the judges have laid the Bible aside and they expect you to stand for a man. It may surprise you to find out that usually, and originally, juries had the Bible when they determined the sentence and when they determined the guilt or innocence of individuals. So here God says judges are indeed to demonstrate His justice in the earth.

So the accusation that comes in verse 1 is, You judges are guilty of violating your office and your oath. You're not sending forth righteousness. Now, if you look in verse two of Psalm 58, you'll see the denunciation. Verse one is the accusation. Verse two is the denunciation. David denounces them for their wickedness. He says in verse two, Yea, in heart you work wickedness. You weigh the violence of your hands in the earth. Now note what he says, yea, in heart you work wickedness. While outwardly pretending to give justice, and while outwardly pretending that they wanted justice, they were inwardly and secretly contriving injustice, and they were secretly and inwardly planning to overthrow justice.

They were sitting there as solemn, righteous judges. But in reality, their plans and schemes were to condemn the innocent and to justify the wicked. So he says in verse 2, you weigh the violence of your hands in the earth. Now, who can tell me what is the American symbol of justice? Anybody know? The balances. But usually there is a woman or a statue holding it, and she has on her eyes, what does she have? A blindfold. Why? Showing you that justice is blind. In other words, it metes out the same regardless of who is standing in front of it. Well, isn't it interesting that God says, you weigh the violence of your hand. In other words, the scales of justice are now turned to be the scales of injustice. And justice is no longer blind. They pretended to weigh out justice, but all they were weighing out was violence and wickedness.

Now, you know, there's another thought that could be in this verse. You weigh the violence of your hands in the earth. Someone tell me what else was weighed out in the Bible. Money, money, money was by weight in the Bible, and this could have also a reference then to the bribes and to the monetary rewards that the judges received for perverting justice. But what this verse does indeed tell us is that the judges were deliberately, maliciously, and intentionally doing injustice. For he says, you weigh the violence of your hands in the earth. That is, they were actually overthrowing justice. So instead of justice being blind, the blindfold is removed, and wickedness and violence are weighed and measured by the judges. Literally, these judges in David's time, like the judges in our time, knew exactly what they could get away with, humanly speaking. I want to tell you something, folks.

If you really genuinely believe there is justice in our land today, you have not been in a courtroom recently, and you certainly have not been in the courtroom as a Christian, and you certainly have not been in the courtroom claiming your biblical and your constitutional rights, because you'll find out that they are indeed unjust. Now let me just show you what I'm talking about. You remember from Russ's good home state this judge Sol Wachtler, was that his name? The supreme, uh, superior court judge there in New York. Sol Wachtler, was it? Wachtler. Oh, it wasn't Judge Wachtler. It was Wachtler, the judge who was threatening his ex-girlfriend and threatening to kidnap the child and demanding a ransom and didn't judge. Come to find out when they got through investigating who was blackmailing this woman, and by the way, the judge was married to another woman, it turned out to be the supreme court judge in New York. They don't know where he is now, but he's not listed.

You remember the people in Colorado voted down Proposition Number 2, which would have given, quote-unquote, equal rights to the sodomites. That is, you could not discriminate against them. And so the people of Colorado said, yes, we want to discriminate. We do not want them to have equal rights. We do not even want them around us. I just heard on the radio this week where one judge is going to intervene and stop Proposition 2 from taking effect. Well, what right does the judge have to overthrow the will of the people of the state of Colorado?

You see what I'm saying? Wickedness is being measured out. In other words, they know what they can get away with. And probably, no one in the state of Colorado will probably even challenge that judge. So the Bible says they are weighing out the violence. So here then is a denunciation because it is deliberate, it is purposeful, it is malicious, it is intentional, it is wicked.

Now notice if you would, thirdly, verses 3 through 5, the verification. Not only do you have an accusation and a denunciation here, but is that accusation and that denunciation verified? Now, generally speaking, verses 3 through 5 gives us a description of the class to which these wicked judges belong. They're deliberately wicked, they're deaf to rebuke, and they're incapable of reform.

Now, look at verse 3. God says, the wicked are estranged from the womb. They go astray as soon as they be born, speaking lies. Now, certainly, verse 3 is an excellent verse on the doctrine of total depravity, because the Bible is indeed saying that men are wicked not only from their birth, but they are also wicked by practice. There is an innate depravity in man. But let me point out the fact that verse 3 really speaks more than the doctrine of total depravity. That truth is certainly true, and it is applicable in this situation. However, what verse 3 is emphasizing is a special characteristic of these men, and that is, their whole life has been of one continuous, unchecked rebellion and wickedness. That is, their whole life has been one bold, brazen rebellion against God. And these men are seasoned, habitual, hardened, wicked, ungodly characters.

He says, the wicked are estranged from the womb, watch it, from the time they were born, they go astray as soon as they be born, speaking lies. In other words, they are practiced in their depravity. It's not just an innate depravity that is under consideration, but a practical, practiced, consummate depravity, one that you could just say bluntly, these men were good at being evil. They were wicked and they had wickedness refined. They had it down to the nth degree. Let me tell you something, folks. If you look around at the judicial system and our bureaucracy today, you will find that usually most of our congressmen and most of our civil officers have wickedness down to a refinement. And most of them can do so legally. They can sin and commit crimes legally and get by with it. They know just exactly how to work the system.

Now, I want you to note a word back in verse 3. He says the wicked are estranged from the womb. Have you ever stopped to think on the word estranged? We use it today. When a man is separated from his wife, we normally say he's estranged from his wife. What does it mean when the Bible says the wicked are estranged from the womb? Who are they estranged from? And what are they estranged from? They're estranged from God and his law. You remember the Bible says in Ephesians chapter 4 and verse 18 that they are alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them. Do you remember what he said in Colossians chapter 1 and verse 21? Now listen carefully. They are alienated from God and are enemies in their minds. So when God says the wicked are estranged from God, it means that they're totally separated, they're totally alienated, they're complete enemies of God, they have absolutely no reverence for God, they have no concern for God, they have no concern for righteousness.

Listen folks, listen to me. An unrighteous man cannot help but be an unjust man. The word righteous in the Old Testament and the word justice in the Old Testament are synonymous. They are from the same word. If something is right, it is just. If something is just, it is right. An unrighteous man cannot be just because he does not even know what righteousness is. So God says, They're separated from God. Let me just remind you of something. Are you listening? Luke 18, verse 2.

What did Jesus Christ say? There was a judge who feared not God nor regarded man. You remember that widow woman? She came to that judge and said, Avenge me of mine adversary. And finally, he says, Though I fear not God nor regard man, yet I'll avenge this woman, lest by her continual coming, she weary me. But I want you to note what he said, though I fear not God, nor regard man. If you do not fear God, you will have no regard for man. The reason he was not concerned with giving this widow woman justice was he did not fear God. He was alienated from God. And the only reason he finally avenged the widow woman was just to get her off his back. It was not out of a principle of justice and righteousness. So, depraved, corrupted men are haters of God, and haters of righteousness, and haters of justice, and it is impossible for an unrighteous, ungodly man to give forth true justice, because they don't even know what justice is. I want you to look at what God says.

Now let's read verses 3, 4, and 5 together. He says in verse three, the wicked are estranged from the womb. They go astray as soon as they be born, speaking lies. Their poison is like the poison of a serpent. They're like the deaf adder that stoppeth her ear, which will not hearken to the voice of charmers, charming never so wisely. Now, the interesting thing is, in verse four, he says their poison is like the poison of a serpent, the venom of a serpent. They're like the deaf adder.

Now, the word adder occurs six times in the Old Testament, and every time except two, this instance in Psalm 58 verse 4 and in Psalm 91 verse 13, each time the word is translated as, if you will look in your margin reference, to Psalm 58 verse 4 and Psalm 91 verse 13, once again you will see the word asp. Now the interesting thing is the asp was the most poisonous, the most venomous serpent in the east. When an asp bit you, you were dead in just a matter of a minute. There was no remedy for an asp bite. You remember it was Cleopatra who supposedly killed herself by allowing an asp to bite her.

Now the word poison in verse 4 is sometimes in our Bible translated rage, anger, wrath, fury, and God could be saying here their fury, their anger, their wrath is like venom. But the word here actually means venom. And what God is stressing is that wicked rulers have the great capacity to do destruction and misery. Now, the real problem with the wicked rulers is this. Are you listening? They will not listen to you. They will not listen to anyone. They will not even listen to God himself. God says these wicked rulers are like the deaf adder, the deaf asp that stoppeth her ear. Watch verse 5, "...who will not hearken to the voice of charmers, charming never so wisely."

Now, every one of you have seen snake charmers, and incidentally, I'll point out that the charming of serpents is indeed mentioned in the Bible in two specific cases. First of all, it's mentioned in Ecclesiastes chapter 10 and verse 11. And secondly, in Jeremiah chapter 8 and verse 17, and in each instance, God is speaking about poisonous vipers that cannot be charmed or will not be charmed, and thus they bite, they inflict. But every one of us has seen pictures and illustrations of the snake charmers where they sit in front of the snake and they play their music and they sway back and forth. And I've heard all kinds of things. I've heard that all serpents are deaf, that all the snake is doing is responding to the movement of the man's body, I don't know. Whether or not adders have ears, you know, I don't know. Whether or not they have the ability to stop their ears if they have them, I don't know. This verse could be talking about the fact that these snakes, these serpents are too venomous even for the snake charmers to mess with. I don't know about you, but if I was going to mess with a snake, I'd at least like to mess with a non-poisonous one. Or one, if he was poisonous, at least it wasn't fatal. But you let an asp bite you, you don't even have time to call the doctor. I mean, you're dead. But what God is saying is these men are like these poisonous asps. They will not listen.

You cannot use logic with them for they are illogical. You cannot use reasoning with them for they are unreasonable. You cannot use scripture with them for they are unscriptural. You cannot refer to God to them for they hate God and despise God and will not even confess that God is. And God is saying the problem is they just simply will not listen.

Now let me ask you a question. How many of you have written your congressmen, have written judges, and have gotten those individuals to listen to your biblical reasonings on the law of God? No one. You know why? They do what they want to do. They think they are a law unto themselves. Here's the persons of the wicked. God says they're like a poisonous serpent. They will not listen.

The Prayer of Vengeance (Psalm 58:6-9)

David prays for the swift destruction of the wicked using six illustrations: breaking the teeth of lions, melting like waters, being cut in pieces like arrows, passing away like a snail, being like an untimely birth, and being taken away as with a whirlwind.

They have great capacity for destruction. Now look very quickly in verses six through nine at the prayer of vengeance. Watch this. Let's read it. David says, break their teeth, O God, in their mouth. Break out the great teeth of the young lions, O Lord. Let them melt away as waters which run continually, when he bendeth his bow to shoot his arrows, let them be as cut in pieces, as a snail which melteth. Let every one of them pass away like the untimely birth of a woman, that they may not see the sun. Before your pots can feel the thorns, he shall take them away, as with a whirlwind, both living and in his wrath.

Now, let me ask you a question. What does the Bible say that the righteous do when the wicked are in authority? Could someone tell me? I didn't hear you. No. What do the righteous do when the wicked are in authority, according to the Bible? Suffer or mourn. For instance, the Bible in Proverbs 29 and verse 2, the Bible says that when the ungodly or the unrighteous are in authority, the people mourn. Well, let me ask you a question. We are living in a day when we have many ungodly and unrighteous leaders. Now, my question is this. Are we, as God's people, just simply shut up to mourning and suffering? Does that mean that we have to suffer everything that they lay upon us and everything that they do to us? Do we just sit back and take it?

You see, the psalmist is saying, look, there is another avenue open. What is that avenue? It is a prayer. Now, before I read this, I want you to turn in your Bible to Luke chapter 18. I know that you're well aware of this passage, but I want you to see it in light of what I'm going to show you from Psalm 58. Turn to Luke 18, and let's begin reading at verse 2. I just quoted it just a moment ago, but look at Luke 18, verse 2. Now, Jesus Christ is teaching us about prayer. But we do not just simply pray for our needs and for our wants. Look at what he says. Luke 18, verse 2.

There was in a city a judge who feared not God, nor regarded man. And there was a widow in that city, and she came unto him, saying, Avenge me of mine adversary. And he would not for a while, but afterward he said within himself, Though I fear not God, nor regard man, yet because this widow troubleth me, I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary me. Watch this, "...and the Lord said, Hear what the unjust judge saith, and shall not God avenge his own elect, who cry day and night unto him, though he bear long with them? I tell you that he will avenge them speedily." Now did you hear what he said? Do you think that God is like the unjust judge, not interested in justice? Oh no, God's not like that. He says, and shall not God avenge his own elect? Watch it now, who cry how often? Day and night unto him. God says, I tell you that he will avenge them speedily. Do you know one reason that the wicked are not destroyed and overthrown is because God's people have not been crying for the righteous justice of God.

Shall not God avenge his own elect who cry unto him day and night? In other words, this story is teaching us that we have a responsibility to cry for God to bring forth justice in this earth. We need not expect justice from wicked men, but we certainly expect justice from the righteous God of the earth. And God says if we cry to him, he will give it to us.

Now, we should look back in your Bibles to Psalm 58 and note how David prays for vengeance against wicked, ungodly men. Note he gives us here six illustrations, okay? The first illustration he gives us is the illustration of a lion. Now you know a lion is a very ferocious beast. Now he's just gotten through talking about the wicked as being as serpents, and a serpent is silent and deadly. But a lion is more bold, and a lion is voracious, and a lion is ferocious, and he's loud. And he's very capable of being destroyed. You see, once the wicked get themselves in the seat of power, they could care less if they're silent anymore or not.

And so here's what he says. Watch it in verse 7, verse 6. Break their teeth, O God, in their mouth. Break out the great teeth of the young lions.

Now, I'm not sure that you're aware of this fact, but do you realize a lion with his teeth broken out is practically helpless. You say, but pastor, he still has his claws. Yes, he has his claws. But if he has no teeth, he can't eat. You see, lions are carnivores. They eat meat. They're meat eaters. And once their teeth are broken out, it's just a matter of time until their claws are totally useless because they will die.

Now look what David is saying. Now watch this. He is saying, God, if these wicked men will not do good, and they will not, destroy their power from doing evil. Break out their teeth. Destroy them. I don't know if you've ever had your teeth knocked out, but David says, break their teeth, O God, in their mouth. The words smack them right in the mouth, God. Destroy their power to do evil.

A toothless lion is a helpless one. And a lion that will soon die. Now, let me show you something. I want you to turn in your Bibles to Proverbs 30 and look at verse 14. You're talking about needing to pray this prayer. Well, just look at Proverbs 30 and verse 14. Look what Solomon, the wise man, says. Proverbs 30, verse 14. There is a generation, here's a whole generation now, folks. There is a generation whose teeth are as swords and their jaw teeth as knives to devour the poor from off the earth and the needy from among men. Did you get that? There is a whole generation of individuals who have teeth as swords and jaw teeth as knives. It's time we learn to pray with Psalm 58 verse 6. Break their teeth in their mouth, O God. Break out the teeth of the young lions.

Destroy their ability and their power to do evil. Look, if you would please, in verse 7. He gives another illustration. Let them melt away as waters which run continually. Now, the word melt actually means to flow or to pass away.

Now, most of us here are not used to snow. Russ and Brother Emmonsnider do see snow a good bit. And snow will stay on the ground until it warms up. And just as quickly as it warms up, what does it do? It melts and passes away. Every one of us in here has spilled a glass of liquid or a jug of liquid. You can take a gallon jar and fill it with water and turn it upside down, and brother, it is emptied quickly.

That's what David is saying. Lord, let the enemies vanish, let them pass away as quickly as the snow melts when the sun is out, and as quickly as water leaves a vessel. Let them pass away. And then he says in verse 7, here's another illustration, the third one. Let them melt away as waters which run continually. When he bendeth his bow to shoot his arrows, let them be as cut in pieces.

Now there are two possible interpretations to the latter part of verse 7. What does it mean when he bendeth his bow to shoot his arrows, let them be as cut in pieces? Well, first of all, the them could relate to the arrow. Let the arrows be cut in pieces. Two things on that. First of all, if you take an arrow and cut the head of it off, what good is it? Nothing. I mean, the arrow might hit you, but it really is not going to do more than hurt and create a little bruise. It's certainly not a deadly instrument anymore with the head cut off. It could also mean, and I have done this and so has Doc Holmes, I can assure you, you shoot your arrow and that arrow hits a limb and then it either splinters or warps. Instead of the arrow going to the mark, I mean it may end up behind you somewhere. So he could be saying, when they shoot the arrow, let the head be cut off, or let it be as a splintered arrow going in all kinds of directions, totally missing the mark.

Ah, but there's another interpretation that could be. He could be saying, when he bendeth his bow to shoot his arrows, let them, that is the archers, the one doing the shooting, be as cut in pieces. Now I want you to picture this. Picture Doc with his bow drawn back about to release that arrow, aiming at a target. And someone slip up behind him with a sharp sword and hack him in two. Now is that arrow going to hit that target? Very obviously not. Because the archer has been cut in two, he's lost his capacity to aim, he's lost his capacity to shoot, he's dead. The arrow just goes off harmlessly into the air somewhere, or into the earth.

So David is saying, Lord, let them be as lions, break out their teeth. Let them be as waters, let them pass away. Let them be as blunted arrows, or at least as archers who have been cut in two, who have no ability to shoot and to destroy. And then look in verse 8, he says, as a snail which melteth. Let every one of them pass away.

Now, you know the snail, when he crawls, he leaves a trail of slime. And it looks like the snail is just wasting away. And I tell you what, you get that snail in the hot sun and you will literally see him waste or melt away. Some of you have stepped on a snail, and of course, once you smear him, once again, the sun hits it, and he's just simply gone.

So God says, let God's enemies be as a snail. He gives the next illustration. He says, let them be like the untimely birth of a woman that they cannot see the sun. Now, what in the world is an untimely birth of a woman? Well, that's when a woman has a miscarriage. David is saying, listen now, let the enemy's lifetime pass so quickly, with such speed, that it will seem as if they have not lived at all. You know, it seems to me like David kind of wants the enemies done away with. Doesn't it seem like that to you? He says, God, let them die, and let them die quickly.

Just as if they had never even been born. And then lastly, if you look in verse 9, here's the other illustration. He says, "...before your pots can feel the thorns, he shall take them away, as with a whirlwind, both living and in his wrath." Now, what in the world does it mean, before your pots can feel the thorns? Well, you've got to understand the way they cooked out in desert lands out in the east. Usually, the fire was made up of these brambles, of these thorns. And they were very easy to get to, they were very light. And what they would do, they would take these thorns and pile them together, and of course hang their pots over the thorn. Well, many times out in the desert, there would be a whirlwind or a hot air. And what the psalmist is saying, look, before the pot can ever get hot, let the whirlwind come along and blow those thorns out from under that pot and away from that individual. What the psalmist is saying, God, you come in your wrath and destroy them before their plans can ever have time to come to fruition, before all their schemes can ever come to pass. Lord, just like a whirlwind, wipe them away.

And he says God's going to do that, both living and dying. In other words, he will catch them alive and destroy them in his wrath. So David not only prayed against the wicked, he not only asked God to destroy them, he asked God to destroy them quickly.

The Praise of the Righteous (Psalm 58:10-11)

When God executes vengeance, the righteous will rejoice and wash their feet in the blood of the wicked, signifying cleansing from the defilement of the wicked. This leads to the declaration that there is a reward for the righteous and a God who judges the earth.

Now, let me ask you a question. What is to be the attitude of God's people when God does indeed destroy the wicked? Well, I want you to look at verses 10 and 11 at the praise of the righteous. When God rises and judges the wicked, what is our response to be? It is to be one of praise and rejoicing. Verse 10, the righteous shall rejoice when he seeth the vengeance. He shall wash his feet in the blood of the wicked, so that a man shall say, Verily there is a reward for the righteous. Verily he is a God that judgeth the earth. Now let me just show you, first of all, our attitude should be one of praise and rejoicing. He says the righteous shall rejoice when he seeth the vengeance. That is, when we see God's vengeance taken upon the wicked, then God says we're to rejoice. Now, look back in your Bibles to Psalm 52 and verse 6.

There's a multitude of passages. I'm only going to show you about four of them. But watch Psalm 52, verse 6. Now, this is talking about the wicked man. The Bible says the righteous also shall see and fear, that is, see his destruction and fear, and shall laugh at him. In other words, when public judgment comes upon the wicked, the Bible says the righteous will see it, the righteous will fear, that is, will learn from it, but then we shall also laugh at him. We will rejoice in the fact that he has been overthrown.

Look in Psalm 60 and verse 6. Psalm 60 and verse 6. Once again, this passage is talking about the destruction of some of Israel's enemies. He says, Psalm 60, verse 6, God has spoken in His holiness, I will rejoice, I will divide Shechem and mete out the valley of Succoth. And you skip on down to verse 8, Moab is my washpot, over Edom will I cast out my shoe, Philistia, triumph thou because of me. So, he's talking about the destruction of the enemies. He says, I will rejoice. In Psalm 137, Psalm 137, you talk about a powerful passage, Psalm 137 beginning in verse 7.

Now, you remember the Edomites really delighted in the destruction of Jerusalem. The Edomites stood in the way and purposefully killed all of those who would have escaped the destruction. So look what the psalmist says, Psalm 137, verse 7. Remember, O Lord, the children of Edom in the day of Jerusalem, who said, Rase it, rase it, even the foundation thereof, that is, burn it, burn it, destroy everything, cut off everything. So the Edomites came, kill every one of them, cut it all off. Verse 8. O daughter of Babylon, this is what he calls them, who are to be destroyed, happy shall he be that rewardeth thee as thou hast served us. Happy shall he be that taketh and dasheth thy little ones against the stones. In other words, God will judge the wickedness, and the response should be one of delight and rejoicing. One more, look in your Bibles to Revelation 19. Here is one that everyone is familiar with, Revelation 19. Look at this. Revelation 19, and let's begin reading there with verse 1. Note, if you would please, the response when the whole world system is destroyed.

After these things I heard a great voice of much people in heaven saying, Hallelujah. By the way, someone tell me what the word Hallelujah means. Praise God. Watch it. I heard a great people saying hallelujah, salvation and glory and honor and power unto the Lord our God for true and righteous are his judgments for he hath judged the great whore who did corrupt the earth with her fornication and hath avenged the blood of his servants at her hand and again they said hallelujah and her smoke rose up forever and ever And the four and twenty elders and four beasts fell down and worshiped God that sat on the throne. Amen. Hallelujah.

So, dear friend, when this world is finally and fully destroyed, that is the world system and the ungodly, it will be Hallelujah. Now, one other passage. Turn back in your Bibles to Deuteronomy chapter 32. Watch this. I need to show you this verse. Watch it very carefully. Deuteronomy 32. Now let's begin reading with verse 39. Deuteronomy 32, verse 39. Watch this. God says, See now that I am he, and there is no God with me.

I kill and I make alive, I wound and I heal, neither is there any that can deliver out of my hand. Now watch what God says. For I lift up mine hand to heaven, and say, I live forever. If I whet my glittering sword, that is, if I sharpen my sword, saith God, and mine hand take hold on judgment, I will render vengeance to mine enemies, and reward them that hate me. I will make mine arrows drunk with blood, and my sword shall devour flesh, and that with the blood of the slain, of the captives, from the beginning of revenge upon the enemy. Rejoice, O ye his people, for he will avenge the blood of his servants, and will render vengeance to his adversaries, and will be merciful unto his land and to his people. Isn't that amazing? God says, when I whet my sword and my hand takes hold on judgment, God's people are to rejoice.

Now, I want you to look back to Psalm 58, because I literally preached this message, just so I can tell you about the latter part of this verse. I want you to see it. Psalm 58, verse 10. He says, The righteous shall rejoice when he seeth the vengeance. He shall wash his feet in the blood of the wicked. I'll let that sink in. The righteous shall wash his feet in the blood of the wicked. Now, the vengeance is not ours, but it's God's. Nevertheless, we may rejoice in the righteous judgment of God. What in the world does it mean when it says the righteous not only shall rejoice, but shall wash his feet in the blood of the wicked?

Well, let me give you three applications to this statement. First of all, there is what I'm going to call the individual application. What do I mean by that? I mean individually when the judgment of God falls upon wicked individuals who have persecuted the people of God. The Bible says that the wicked and the unrighteous man shall not live out half his days. What does that mean? It means the judgment of God will come upon him and cut him off in the prime of his life. You remember, it was Ahab who persecuted God's people and persecuted Elijah and tried to have Elijah slain. But you remember a certain man drew a bow at a venture and shot an arrow at adventure.

He didn't even know who he was shooting at. But God sovereignly guided that arrow. And it struck old King Ahab between the shoulder blades. And he fell down in his chariot and bled out. When his chariot got back to town, what happened? The dogs licked the blood out of the chariot. Elijah literally was vindicated because his enemy was dead. And in one sense of the word, the individual application was Elijah washed his feet in the blood of Ahab, for God killed Ahab exactly like he said he would. How about Jezebel? The people of God literally washed their feet in one sense of the word in Jezebel, when she was trodden underfoot with that chariot, and the dogs ate her and left her. Look at old Haman. Old Haman was going to hang Mordecai, and what happened? God had Haman hanged on the very same gallows that he built for Mordecai. Mordecai washed his feet in the blood of the wicked. That gallows that was built for Mordecai was used to hang Haman. Look at old King Herod.

Old King Herod in Acts 12 gave an oration, and the people said, It's the voice of a God! It's the voice of a God! And the Bible said immediately, God smote Herod because he gave not God the glory, and he was eaten of worms and gave up the ghost. And the righteous wash their feet in the blood of the wicked. That is, when God smites the individual wicked men who are persecuting and hating the people of God. Not only is there the individual application, there is the literal application. You say, what do you mean? Well, look next, if you would, in Psalm 68 and verse 23. Psalm 68 and verse 23. Once again, the psalmist said, that thy foot may be dipped in the blood of thine enemies, and the tongue of thy dogs in the same.

Now let me tell you something, folks. God is going to give his people such a victory that even our dogs will participate in it. Look in your Bibles to Isaiah 63 and verse 3. Look what the Messiah says. This is none other than Jesus Christ. Now Isaiah 63 and verse 3. Watch it. Look at what it said, Isaiah 63, verse 3. I tell you what, let's just begin reading with verse 1. I want you to see, it's not only the Lord Jesus, the Messiah, but it's also the judgment of God in context. Isaiah 63, verse 1. Who is this that cometh from Edom, with dyed garments from Bozrah, that is glorious in his apparel, traveling in the greatness of his strength, I that speak in righteousness mighty to save, that's the Lord Jesus. Now watch verse 2, "...wherefore art thou red in thine apparel, and thy garments like him that treadeth in the wine vat," look what he says, "...I have trodden the winepress alone, and of the people there was none with me.

For I will tread them in mine anger, and trample them in my fury, and their blood shall be sprinkled upon my garments, and I will stain all my raiment. For the day of vengeance is in my heart, and the year of my redeemed is come." Did you hear what Jesus Christ said? He will stain his garments in the blood of the wicked. Now, I want you to turn back very quickly in your Bibles to Psalm 149, and I will confess that there is indeed not only a great irony but a great joy in what I'm about to read. And if you do not see the joy, then I'm sorry. But the Bible still speaks of it. You see, although the vengeance is the Lord's, and although the judgment is the Lord's, many times God allows His people to participate in His judgment. Did God judge the Ammonites and the Jebusites and the Hivites and the Philistines? Yes, He did. But would you please tell me how God judged them?

He put a sword in the children of Israel's hand and said, you go in and out of the land and kill every one of them. That's how God judged them. Now watch what the Bible says in Psalm 149, verse 4. Look what he says. For the Lord taketh pleasure in his people. And I am thankful for that. For the Lord taketh pleasure in his people. He will beautify the meek with salvation. Let the saints be joyful in glory. Let them sing aloud upon their beds. Now watch it. Let the high praises of God be in their mouth and a two-edged sword in their hand. Why do we need a two-edged sword? To execute vengeance upon the heathen and punishments upon the people. Watch this.

To bind their kings with chains and their nobles with fetters of iron. To execute upon them the judgment written. Are you looking? This honor have all the saints. Praise ye the Lord. This honor have all the saints. Praise ye the Lord. We will be with our Lord and we will participate in the exercise of his vengeance.

Now, let me make the application that I wanted to make. Here's the spiritual application. I don't care where you turn in the Bible. You will find washing of the feet. In the Old Testament, the washing of the feet was a sign of hospitality. You'll remember that most of the people in those times walked, and they wore sandals. And a man could be clean, but usually when he has walked in his sandals before he entered a home, it was just common, everyday hospitality for you to provide him a basin of water, and he either washed his feet or you washed his feet for him.

You were getting rid of the defilement and the uncleanness that he had brought upon himself through walking on the dusty roads. You'll find in Genesis chapter 18 in verse 4, when Abraham saw the Lord and the angels, he immediately brought forth a basin of water so they could wash their feet. Even the requirement, one of the requirements for a godly widow in 1 Timothy chapter 5 and verse 10, one of the godly requirements is she has to have washed the saints' feet. You remember the priest, before they went into the tabernacle or the temple, they had a laver that they had to wash their feet in. Why? It spoke of cleansing. You remember John chapter 13? Jesus Christ washed the disciples' feet. Why? It spoke of cleansing. Now God says, we shall wash our feet in the blood of the wicked. What does that mean?

Now listen to me, folks. Look at all the wickedness that is in this world. Abortion, sodomy, murder, rape, crime, fraud, pillage, you name it, it's everywhere. You know what the Bible says in 1 Corinthians 15 and verse 33? Evil communications corrupt good manners. A lot of the saints are affected by the wickedness of the wicked. The very fact that we have an unjust economic system is affecting every one of us. The very fact that we have an unjust bureaucracy is affecting every one of us. But God is saying, one day, we're going to wash our feet in the blood of the wicked. What does that mean? We're going to wash away all the defilement and all the corruption that the wicked have brought upon us and upon this world.

Do you remember back in Deuteronomy? I preached on this passage not so long ago, Deuteronomy 19 and Deuteronomy 21, where God said that the murderer was to be put to death for blood defiled the land, and the land could not be cleansed except by the blood of him who had shed it. Do you remember that? What is God saying? God is saying He is going to use the blood of the wicked to cleanse this world from their wickedness. Listen to me, dear friend. The Bible says, when we wash our feet in the blood of the wicked, we will be washing off the defilement and the uncleanness and the corruption of this world. John said it like this. Are you listening? The kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord and his Christ. The corruption... One last passage. I want you to turn to Psalm 37. Psalm 37. This is one of the most beautiful psalms, but I want you to see, David says it again the same way. Psalm 37, and let's begin reading with verse 34. Watch this carefully. David says, wait on the Lord and keep his way, and he shall exalt thee to inherit the land. When the wicked are cut off, thou shalt see it. I have seen the wicked in great power, spreading himself like a green bay tree.

Yet he passed away, and lo, he was not. Yea, I sought him, and he could not be found. Mark the perfect man, and behold the upright, for the end of that man is peace. But the transgressors shall be destroyed together. The end of the wicked shall be cut off, but the salvation of the righteous is of the Lord. He is their strength in the time of trouble, and the Lord shall help them and deliver them. He shall deliver them from the wicked and save them because they trust in him. Now folks, three times, David says the wicked shall be cut off. God's people shall be delivered from the wicked. We'll finally wash our feet in their blood, washing away the corruption and the ungodliness and the uncleanness. And we'll be serving in the kingdom of the Lord Jesus Christ. No wonder David finished Psalm 58 with verse 11, and look at what he says. So that a man shall say, that is, once he sees the destruction of the wicked and the salvation of the righteous, so that a man shall say, verily, there is a reward for the righteous.

Verily, there is a God that judgeth the earth. Dear friend, listen to me. The wicked may be in power now, but they shall not be in power long. The wicked may be profiting now, but they shall not profit long. For there is a God who judges in the earth, and we need to praise and honor Him. Father, we bow to Thee this day. We thank Thee for the Lord Jesus Christ. We thank thee that thou art the judge of all the earth, and that thou wilt indeed give justice. O God, help us, Lord, to be righteous, godly people, for we do know, according to your word, that judgment is coming. And Lord, when we see thee cut off the wicked, may we see it, and fear, and rejoice, and give thee the glory.

Study Guide

Major Themes

Biblical Hatred and Justice

Summary: A righteous hatred of evil and a desire for God's justice are biblical and compatible with love. Believers are called to hate what God hates and to stand against unrighteousness.

Evidence: Weaver cites Psalm 97:10 ('Ye that love the Lord, hate evil') and Psalm 139:21-22 ('Do not I hate them, O Lord, that hate thee? ... I hate them with perfect hatred') to show that biblical hatred is directed against God's enemies.

The Wickedness of Unjust Judges

Summary: The greatest criminals are often those in positions of judgment who pervert justice. They are estranged from God, deliberately wicked, and deaf to correction.

Evidence: Weaver explains that Psalm 58 addresses judges who 'weigh the violence of your hands' and are like deaf adders that will not listen to charmers (Psalm 58:2-5).

Prayer for Divine Vengeance

Summary: Believers are not merely to suffer under wicked rulers but are to cry out to God day and night for justice, as taught in the parable of the unjust judge (Luke 18).

Evidence: Weaver references Luke 18:7 ('And shall not God avenge his own elect, which cry day and night unto him?') and the imprecatory prayers of Psalm 58:6-9.

Rejoicing in God's Judgment

Summary: The righteous are to rejoice when God executes vengeance on the wicked, as seen in Revelation 19 and Deuteronomy 32. This rejoicing is not personal gloating but praise for God's righteous acts.

Evidence: Weaver points to Revelation 19:1-4 where heaven says 'Hallelujah' at the judgment of the great whore, and Deuteronomy 32:43 ('Rejoice, O ye nations, with his people').

Cleansing from the Wicked's Corruption

Summary: Washing feet in the blood of the wicked symbolizes the final removal of the defilement and corruption that the wicked have brought upon the world and God's people.

Evidence: Weaver explains that foot washing in Scripture signifies cleansing (e.g., John 13) and that the blood of the wicked will cleanse the land from their bloodguilt (Deuteronomy 19, 21).

Key Arguments

Biblical hatred is distinct from personal vindictiveness

Summary: David's imprecatory psalms demonstrate that a love for God necessarily involves a hatred of evil and a desire for God's justice, which is not the same as personal revenge.

Evidence: Weaver states, 'I'm not talking about personal hatred, and I'm not talking about a personal vindictiveness, but I am talking about a biblical hatred, that is, a hatred of sin and a hatred of those who sin against God and a desire for biblical justice.'

Unjust judges are the worst criminals

Summary: Those who are supposed to uphold justice but instead pervert it are more guilty than the criminals they fail to punish, because they abuse their God-given authority.

Evidence: Weaver says, 'the biggest criminals turn out to be not the ones who commit the crime, but the ones who allow the criminals to go unpunished when they commit the crime.'

The wicked are incorrigibly deaf to truth

Summary: Wicked rulers are like deaf adders that refuse to listen to any reasoning, logic, or Scripture, making them incapable of reform.

Evidence: Weaver explains, 'You cannot use logic with them for they are illogical. You cannot use reasoning with them for they are unreasonable. You cannot use scripture with them for they are unscriptural.'

Prayer is the believer's weapon against wicked rulers

Summary: Instead of passively suffering, Christians are to persistently pray for God to avenge them and bring down the wicked, as taught in Luke 18.

Evidence: Weaver asks, 'Do we just sit back and take it? ... the psalmist is saying, look, there is another avenue open. What is that avenue? It is a prayer.'

God's judgment brings joy and cleansing to the righteous

Summary: The destruction of the wicked is cause for rejoicing because it vindicates God's righteousness and removes the corruption they caused.

Evidence: Weaver states, 'The righteous shall rejoice when he seeth the vengeance. He shall wash his feet in the blood of the wicked' (Psalm 58:10), and explains this as cleansing from defilement.

Scripture References

Psalm 58:1-11

Context: The entire sermon is an exposition of Psalm 58, focusing on its imprecatory nature and the judgment of the wicked.

Psalm 94:16

Context: Cited to show that God seeks someone to rise up against evildoers, supporting the call for righteous opposition.

Psalm 97:10

Context: Used to demonstrate that loving the Lord involves hating evil.

Psalm 139:21-22

Context: David's declaration of perfect hatred for God's enemies, illustrating biblical hatred.

Psalm 9:7-9

Context: Shows that righteousness and judgment belong to God, who judges the world in uprightness.

Proverbs 17:15

Context: Declares that justifying the wicked or condemning the just is an abomination to the Lord.

Deuteronomy 1:16-17

Context: Moses' charge to judges to judge righteously without partiality, for judgment is God's.

Ephesians 4:18

Context: Referenced to explain that the wicked are alienated from the life of God.

Colossians 1:21

Context: Mentioned to show that the wicked are alienated and enemies in their minds.

Luke 18:2-8

Context: The parable of the unjust judge, used to teach persistent prayer for God's vengeance.

Proverbs 30:14

Context: Describes a generation with teeth as swords, paralleling the prayer to break the teeth of the wicked.

Psalm 52:6

Context: The righteous will see the destruction of the wicked and laugh, rejoicing in God's judgment.

Psalm 60:6-8

Context: David rejoices in the subjugation of enemies, illustrating the proper response to God's judgment.

Psalm 137:7-9

Context: Pronounces blessing on those who execute God's vengeance on Babylon, showing delight in divine justice.

Revelation 19:1-4

Context: Heaven rejoices with 'Hallelujah' at the judgment of the great whore, affirming the righteous' praise.

Deuteronomy 32:39-43

Context: God declares He will render vengeance, and the nations are called to rejoice with His people.

Psalm 68:23

Context: The foot dipped in the blood of enemies, paralleling the imagery of Psalm 58:10.

Isaiah 63:1-4

Context: The Messiah treads the winepress of God's wrath, staining His garments with the blood of the wicked.

Psalm 149:4-9

Context: The saints execute the judgment written, binding kings and nobles, an honor for all the saints.

Psalm 37:34-40

Context: The wicked will be cut off, and the righteous will be delivered, reinforcing the final vindication.

Historical References

Judge Sol Wachtler

Context: A New York superior court judge who was involved in a scandal, threatening his ex-girlfriend and kidnapping, illustrating the corruption of modern judges.

Colorado Proposition 2

Context: A ballot measure regarding equal rights for sodomites, which was overturned by a judge against the will of the people, showing judicial overreach.

Cleopatra's death by asp

Context: Mentioned as an example of the fatal venom of an asp, illustrating the deadly nature of the wicked.

Ahab's death

Context: King Ahab was killed by an arrow and dogs licked his blood, fulfilling God's judgment and vindicating Elijah.

Jezebel's death

Context: Jezebel was trampled and eaten by dogs, an example of the righteous washing their feet in the blood of the wicked.

Haman's execution

Context: Haman was hanged on the gallows he built for Mordecai, illustrating divine justice and the vindication of the righteous.

Herod's death in Acts 12

Context: Herod was struck by God and eaten by worms for accepting worship, showing God's judgment on the wicked.

Important Quotes

Do you indeed speak righteousness, O congregation? Do you judge uprightly, O you sons of men? Yea, in heart you work wickedness. You weigh the violence of your hands in the earth.

Significance: The opening accusation against unjust judges, setting the theme of the psalm.

The righteous shall rejoice when he seeth the vengeance. He shall wash his feet in the blood of the wicked.

Significance: The central, shocking image of the psalm that the sermon seeks to explain and apply.

I'm not talking about personal hatred, and I'm not talking about a personal vindictiveness, but I am talking about a biblical hatred, that is, a hatred of sin and a hatred of those who sin against God and a desire for biblical justice.

Significance: Clarifies the distinction between sinful personal hatred and righteous biblical hatred.

Break their teeth, O God, in their mouth. Break out the great teeth of the young lions, O Lord.

Significance: The imprecatory prayer for God to destroy the power of the wicked.

The righteous shall rejoice when he seeth the vengeance. He shall wash his feet in the blood of the wicked, so that a man shall say, Verily, there is a reward for the righteous. Verily, he is a God that judgeth in the earth.

Significance: The conclusion of the psalm, emphasizing the joy and vindication of the righteous.

We're going to wash away all the defilement and all the corruption that the wicked have brought upon us and upon this world.

Significance: The spiritual application of washing feet in the blood of the wicked as cleansing from corruption.

Discussion Questions

How can we reconcile the imprecatory psalms with Jesus' command to love our enemies?

Context: Weaver argues that biblical hatred is not personal vindictiveness but a desire for God's justice. This question probes the tension.

In what ways do we see unjust judges or rulers today, and how should Christians respond?

Context: Weaver gives examples of modern judicial corruption and calls for prayer rather than passive acceptance.

What does it mean to 'wash our feet in the blood of the wicked' spiritually?

Context: Weaver explains this as the final cleansing from the defilement caused by the wicked. This question explores the imagery.

Is it ever appropriate for Christians to rejoice in the downfall of the wicked? Why or why not?

Context: Weaver cites Revelation 19 and Deuteronomy 32 to affirm that rejoicing in God's righteous judgment is biblical.

How does the doctrine of total depravity relate to the description of the wicked in Psalm 58:3-5?

Context: Weaver notes that verse 3 teaches total depravity but emphasizes the practiced, habitual wickedness of these individuals.

Applications

Cry out to God for justice against wicked rulers

Summary: Instead of passively suffering under unjust authorities, believers should persistently pray for God to avenge them and bring down the wicked.

Evidence: Weaver says, 'Do you know one reason that the wicked are not destroyed and overthrown is because God's people have not been crying for the righteous justice of God.'

Cultivate a biblical hatred of evil

Summary: Christians should hate what God hates—sin and those who rebel against Him—while avoiding personal vindictiveness.

Evidence: Weaver states, 'If you love the Lord, you hate evil. In other words, you hate everything that is contrary to God.'

Rejoice in God's righteous judgments

Summary: When God executes justice on the wicked, believers should respond with praise and rejoicing, recognizing His sovereignty and righteousness.

Evidence: Weaver points to Revelation 19: 'when this world is finally and fully destroyed, that is the world system and the ungodly, it will be Hallelujah.'

Trust in God's ultimate vindication

Summary: The wicked may prosper temporarily, but God will cut them off and deliver the righteous, so believers should wait on the Lord and keep His way.

Evidence: Weaver quotes Psalm 37: 'the wicked shall be cut off. God's people shall be delivered from the wicked.'

deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | clean_readable_transcript | 2026-06-06T03:20:14Z

deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | weaver_study | 2026-06-06T16:14:43Z

Clean Transcript

Washing Your Feet in the Blood of the Wicked

Clean readable transcript. This view follows the Commentary.net cleaned segment text while preserving timestamps for audio follow-along.

Do you indeed speak righteousness, O congregation? Do you judge uprightly, O you sons of men? Yea, in heart you work wickedness. You weigh the violence of your hands in the earth. The wicked are estranged from the womb. They go astray as soon as they be born, speaking lies. Their poison is like the poison of a serpent. They are like the deaf adder that stoppeth her ear, who will not hearken to the voice of charmers, charming never so wisely.
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Break their teeth, O God, in their mouth. Break out the great teeth of the young lions, O Lord. Let them melt away as waters which run continually. When he bendeth his bow to shoot his arrows, let them be as cut in pieces. As a snail which melteth, let every one of them pass away, like the untimely birth of a woman that they may not see the sun. Before your pots can feel the thorns, he shall take them away as with a whirlwind, both living and in his wrath.
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The righteous shall rejoice when he seeth the vengeance. He shall wash his feet in the blood of the wicked, so that a man shall say, Verily, there is a reward for the righteous. Verily, he is a God that judgeth in the earth." Psalm 58 is absolutely remarkable for the vigor of its language, the boldness of its figures, and the clarity of its doctrine. Psalm 58 could be easily compared with Psalm 12 for its desperation, where David began there by saying, Help, Lord, for the godly man ceaseth, and the faithful fail from among the children of men. It can also be compared to Psalm 14 for its condemnation, for there David begins, The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God, and he there begins to condemn the wicked. And certainly it can be compared to Psalm 82 for its vindication, for there the righteous judgment of God is indeed vindicated. Now, Psalm 58 is a bold protest against the unrighteous in general and unrighteous judges in particular. This psalm is a cry for vengeance against those who pervert justice.
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Now, before I go further, I want to point something out that is very significant. David is known in Scripture as the sweet psalmist of Israel. And certainly when you and I read Psalm 23, the Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. When we read Psalm 42, as the hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God, O when shall I come and appear before my God? When we read such passages as Psalm 46, the Lord is our refuge and a stronghold in the day of trouble, we certainly see how David is indeed the sweet psalmist of Israel. But I want you to note that it is indeed possible for tenderness and love and Biblical hatred to dwell in the same breast. Now, I'm not talking about personal hatred, and I'm not talking about a personal vindictiveness, but I am talking about a biblical hatred, that is, a hatred of sin and a hatred of those who sin against God and a desire for biblical justice. Let me show you.
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Hold Psalm 58, if you would, but turn in your Bibles, first of all, to Psalm 94 and look at verse 16. Psalm 94 and verse 16. Note what God says. He asks two questions in this psalm. Psalm 94 verse 16. Who will rise up for me against the evildoers? Who will stand up for me against the workers of iniquity? God is wanting someone to rise up against the evildoers. And then he asks who will stand up for me against the workers of iniquity? You see, if we stand for righteousness, we have to stand against unrighteousness. If we stand for holiness, we have to stand against that which is unholy. If you look in Psalm 97 and look at verse 10, note what the Bible says.
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Ye that love the Lord. What's the next phrase? Hate evil. If you love the Lord, you hate evil. In other words, you hate everything that is contrary to God. And then if you will turn over in your Bibles to Psalm 139, and let's begin reading there with verse 21. Psalm 139, verse 21. Look what David, the sweet psalmist of Israel, says. Psalm 139, verse 21. Do not I hate them, O Lord, that hate Thee? And am not I grieved with those that rise up against Thee? I hate them with perfect hatred.
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I count them my enemies. You see, there is a biblical doctrine of hatred. There is a biblical way of hating that is just and right. There is a personal way of hating that is unjust and unbiblical and not right. But that does not discount the fact that there is a biblical doctrine of hatred. And David said, Do not I hate them that hate thee, O Lord, and am not I grieved with those that rise up against thee? I hate them with perfect hatred. I count them mine enemies.
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And certainly everyone who hates God is not only God's enemy, but he is also the enemy of all of those who love God. Now, if you look back at Psalm 58, I want you to note that this psalm is easily divided into three distinct divisions. What are they? First of all, verses 1 through 5 presents a forcible picture of the ungodly when they are in the seat of judgment and power. Verses 1-5 presents a forcible picture of the ungodly when they are in the seat of judgment and power. Secondly, verses 6-9 is the prayer for the swift judgment of God to overtake the wicked and the unjust rulers. So 6 through 9 is the prayer for the swift judgment of God to overtake the wicked and the unjust rulers. And then verses 10 through 11 shows the joy and the rejoicing of the righteous when God's vengeance comes upon the wicked. Now, let's begin with verses 1 through 5, and I want to give you just a simple three-point outline. Number one, the persons of the wicked.
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And you're going to see the persons of the wicked brought out in verses 1 through 5. Now, the persons condemned are those who should condemn crime and wickedness, but who turn out to be wicked criminals themselves.
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Now, please remember that Psalm 82 is a psalm against unjust judges. Psalm 58 is also a psalm against unjust judges, in particular, and in general, anyone who would pervert justice. And so David is telling us, then, that the biggest criminals turn out to be not the ones who commit the crime, but the ones who allow the criminals to go unpunished when they commit the crime. And thus they are committing a greater crime by not punishing the wicked.
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So first of all, in verse 1, we have the accusation. Look at it. He says, do you indeed speak righteousness, O congregation? Do you judge uprightly, you sons of men?
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Now, these two questions posed in verse 1 bring forth a negative answer. Watch it. Do you indeed speak righteousness, O congregation? And the answer is no. Do you judge uprightly, O you sons of men? And the answer is no again. Now, I want you to note that, first of all, in verse 1, he says, Do you speak righteousness, O congregation? To speak righteousness means to pronounce a just sentence.
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Now, if you would look back in your Bibles very quickly to Psalm 9, verses 7 through 9, you'll note that righteousness and judgment belong particularly to God. Psalm 9, 7-9. Note the Bible says, but the Lord shall endure forever. He hath prepared his throne for judgment, and he shall judge the world in righteousness. He shall minister judgment to the people in uprightness. The Lord also will be a refuge for the oppressed, a refuge in times of trouble. So the Bible says in verse 8 that God shall judge the world in righteousness. That is, whatever God speaks and whatever God gives in judgment, it will be absolutely just, it will be absolutely right. So, when the psalmist says, do you indeed speak righteousness, O congregation, he's saying, do you honestly pass a just sentence? Do you give forth a just decree?
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And the answer is no. Now, if you will turn over in your Bibles to Proverbs 17 and look at verse 15, you'll find an amazing statement. Now, watch this. Proverbs 17 and verse 15. God says, He that justifieth the wicked and he that condemneth the just, even they both are an abomination to the Lord.
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Now, remember that the word abomination literally means a stench in the nostrils. So God says when a judge justifies the wicked, it's a stench in the nostrils of God. Likewise, when a judge condemns the just, it is a stench in the nostrils of God. So the Bible then, back in Psalm 58, is declaring, in David's time as well as ours, that there were a multitude of unjust judges that did not give forth justice. Now, interestingly enough, the word congregation, back in verse 1, do you indeed speak righteousness, O congregation? The Hebrew word literally is elem, which is gods. Do you indeed speak righteousness, O gods? Now, why in the world would God refer to judges as gods? Now, he also did that in Psalm 82. He called the judges gods. They're so-called because of their judicial capacity, they were to act as the representatives of the one true and living God, who is the supreme judge of the earth. And David addresses them as gods half reproachfully and half sarcastically in order to emphasize the fact that although they are supposed to represent God, they are perverting justice and they are indeed not representing God, but they themselves shall be judged by the righteous judge of all the judges as well.
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Now, the interesting thing is, in the latter part of that verse, He refers to the judges as the sons of men, or the sons of man. And that is to remind them that they too are men, and that they too are accountable and answerable to God, and that God will judge them.
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Now, hold Psalm 58, but turn in your Bibles to Deuteronomy chapter 1. At one time I thought of showing you numerous verses, but I think this one will be sufficient to show you that judges are supposed to represent God. Deuteronomy 1, beginning with verse 16. Look what Moses tells the judges. And I charged your judges at that time, saying, Hear the causes between your brethren, and judge righteously, that is, pronounce a just sentence, judge righteously between every man and his brother, and the stranger that is with him. You shall not respect persons in judgment, doesn't matter if they're rich or poor, have no respect for them, but you shall hear the small as well as the great. You shall not be afraid of the face of man, for the judgment is God's. And the cause that is too hard for you, bring it to me and I will hear it. Now notice that for the judgment is God's. So judges then were ordained originally and initially to exercise God's righteous judgment, to pronounce the sentence that God demanded.
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Now it may surprise you to learn that when our country was first founded, judges used the Bible in determining sentences for the wicked. It may surprise you to know that the practice that we have of standing when the judge enters into the courtroom came from the fact that initially and originally the judge entered the courtroom carrying the Bible. And we stood out of respect for the Word of God, not out of respect for the man. Consequently now, the judges have laid the Bible aside and they expect you to stand for a man. It may surprise you to find out that usually, and originally, juries had the Bible when they determined the sentence and when they determined the guilt or innocence of individuals. So here God says judges are indeed to demonstrate His justice in the earth.
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So the accusation that comes in verse 1 is, You judges are guilty of violating your office and your oath. You're not sending forth righteousness.
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Now, if you look in verse two of Psalm 58, you'll see the denunciation. Verse one is the accusation. Verse two is the denunciation. David denounces them for their wickedness. He says in verse two, Yea, in heart you work wickedness. You weigh the violence of your hands in the earth. Now note what he says, yea, in heart you work wickedness. While outwardly pretending to give justice, and while outwardly pretending that they wanted justice, they were inwardly and secretly contriving injustice, and they were secretly and inwardly planning to overthrow justice.
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They were sitting there as solemn, righteous judges. But in reality, their plans and schemes were to condemn the innocent and to justify the wicked. So he says in verse 2, you weigh the violence of your hands in the earth.
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Now, who can tell me what is the American symbol of justice? Anybody know? The balances. But usually there is a woman or a statue holding it, and she has on her eyes, what does she have? A blindfold. Why? Showing you that justice is blind. In other words, it metes out the same regardless of who is standing in front of it. Well, isn't it interesting that God says, you weigh the violence of your hand. In other words, the scales of justice are now turned to be the scales of injustice. And justice is no longer blind. They pretended to weigh out justice, but all they were weighing out was violence and wickedness.
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Now, you know, there's another thought that could be in this verse. You weigh the violence of your hands in the earth. Someone tell me what else was weighed out in the Bible. Money, money, money was by weight in the Bible, and this could have also a reference then to the bribes and to the monetary rewards that the judges received for perverting justice. But what this verse does indeed tell us is that the judges were deliberately, maliciously, and intentionally doing injustice. For he says, you weigh the violence of your hands in the earth. That is, they were actually overthrowing justice. So instead of justice being blind, the blindfold is removed, and wickedness and violence are weighed and measured by the judges. Literally, these judges in David's time, like the judges in our time, knew exactly what they could get away with, humanly speaking. I want to tell you something, folks.
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If you really genuinely believe there is justice in our land today, you have not been in a courtroom recently, and you certainly have not been in the courtroom as a Christian, and you certainly have not been in the courtroom claiming your biblical and your constitutional rights, because you'll find out that they are indeed unjust. Now let me just show you what I'm talking about. You remember from Russ's good home state this judge Sol Wachtler, was that his name? The supreme, uh, superior court judge there in New York. Sol Wachtler, was it? Wachtler. Oh, it wasn't Judge Wachtler. It was Wachtler, the judge who was threatening his ex-girlfriend and threatening to kidnap the child and demanding a ransom and didn't judge. Come to find out when they got through investigating who was blackmailing this woman, and by the way, the judge was married to another woman, it turned out to be the supreme court judge in New York. They don't know where he is now, but he's not listed.
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You remember the people in Colorado voted down Proposition Number 2, which would have given, quote-unquote, equal rights to the sodomites. That is, you could not discriminate against them. And so the people of Colorado said, yes, we want to discriminate. We do not want them to have equal rights. We do not even want them around us. I just heard on the radio this week where one judge is going to intervene and stop Proposition 2 from taking effect. Well, what right does the judge have to overthrow the will of the people of the state of Colorado?
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You see what I'm saying? Wickedness is being measured out. In other words, they know what they can get away with. And probably, no one in the state of Colorado will probably even challenge that judge. So the Bible says they are weighing out the violence. So here then is a denunciation because it is deliberate, it is purposeful, it is malicious, it is intentional, it is wicked.
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Now notice if you would, thirdly, verses 3 through 5, the verification. Not only do you have an accusation and a denunciation here, but is that accusation and that denunciation verified?
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Now, generally speaking, verses 3 through 5 gives us a description of the class to which these wicked judges belong. They're deliberately wicked, they're deaf to rebuke, and they're incapable of reform.
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Now, look at verse 3. God says, the wicked are estranged from the womb. They go astray as soon as they be born, speaking lies.
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Now, certainly, verse 3 is an excellent verse on the doctrine of total depravity, because the Bible is indeed saying that men are wicked not only from their birth, but they are also wicked by practice. There is an innate depravity in man. But let me point out the fact that verse 3 really speaks more than the doctrine of total depravity. That truth is certainly true, and it is applicable in this situation. However, what verse 3 is emphasizing is a special characteristic of these men, and that is, their whole life has been of one continuous, unchecked rebellion and wickedness. That is, their whole life has been one bold, brazen rebellion against God. And these men are seasoned, habitual, hardened, wicked, ungodly characters.
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He says, the wicked are estranged from the womb, watch it, from the time they were born, they go astray as soon as they be born, speaking lies. In other words, they are practiced in their depravity. It's not just an innate depravity that is under consideration, but a practical, practiced, consummate depravity, one that you could just say bluntly, these men were good at being evil. They were wicked and they had wickedness refined.
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They had it down to the nth degree. Let me tell you something, folks. If you look around at the judicial system and our bureaucracy today, you will find that usually most of our congressmen and most of our civil officers have wickedness down to a refinement. And most of them can do so legally. They can sin and commit crimes legally and get by with it. They know just exactly how to work the system.
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Now, I want you to note a word back in verse 3. He says the wicked are estranged from the womb. Have you ever stopped to think on the word estranged? We use it today. When a man is separated from his wife, we normally say he's estranged from his wife. What does it mean when the Bible says the wicked are estranged from the womb? Who are they estranged from? And what are they estranged from? They're estranged from God and his law. You remember the Bible says in Ephesians chapter 4 and verse 18 that they are alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them. Do you remember what he said in Colossians chapter 1 and verse 21? Now listen carefully. They are alienated from God and are enemies in their minds. So when God says the wicked are estranged from God, it means that they're totally separated, they're totally alienated, they're complete enemies of God, they have absolutely no reverence for God, they have no concern for God, they have no concern for righteousness.
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Listen folks, listen to me. An unrighteous man cannot help but be an unjust man. The word righteous in the Old Testament and the word justice in the Old Testament are synonymous. They are from the same word. If something is right, it is just. If something is just, it is right. An unrighteous man cannot be just because he does not even know what righteousness is. So God says, They're separated from God. Let me just remind you of something. Are you listening? Luke 18, verse 2.
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What did Jesus Christ say? There was a judge who feared not God nor regarded man. You remember that widow woman? She came to that judge and said, Avenge me of mine adversary. And finally, he says, Though I fear not God nor regard man, yet I'll avenge this woman, lest by her continual coming, she weary me. But I want you to note what he said, though I fear not God, nor regard man. If you do not fear God, you will have no regard for man. The reason he was not concerned with giving this widow woman justice was he did not fear God. He was alienated from God. And the only reason he finally avenged the widow woman was just to get her off his back. It was not out of a principle of justice and righteousness. So, depraved, corrupted men are haters of God, and haters of righteousness, and haters of justice, and it is impossible for an unrighteous, ungodly man to give forth true justice, because they don't even know what justice is. I want you to look at what God says.
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Now let's read verses 3, 4, and 5 together. He says in verse three, the wicked are estranged from the womb. They go astray as soon as they be born, speaking lies. Their poison is like the poison of a serpent. They're like the deaf adder that stoppeth her ear, which will not hearken to the voice of charmers, charming never so wisely. Now, the interesting thing is, in verse four, he says their poison is like the poison of a serpent, the venom of a serpent. They're like the deaf adder.
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Now, the word adder occurs six times in the Old Testament, and every time except two, this instance in Psalm 58 verse 4 and in Psalm 91 verse 13, each time the word is translated as, if you will look in your margin reference, to Psalm 58 verse 4 and Psalm 91 verse 13, once again you will see the word asp.
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Now the interesting thing is the asp was the most poisonous, the most venomous serpent in the east. When an asp bit you, you were dead in just a matter of a minute. There was no remedy for an asp bite. You remember it was Cleopatra who supposedly killed herself by allowing an asp to bite her.
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Now the word poison in verse 4 is sometimes in our Bible translated rage, anger, wrath, fury, and God could be saying here their fury, their anger, their wrath is like venom. But the word here actually means venom. And what God is stressing is that wicked rulers have the great capacity to do destruction and misery. Now, the real problem with the wicked rulers is this. Are you listening?
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They will not listen to you. They will not listen to anyone. They will not even listen to God himself. God says these wicked rulers are like the deaf adder, the deaf asp that stoppeth her ear. Watch verse 5, "...who will not hearken to the voice of charmers, charming never so wisely."
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Now, every one of you have seen snake charmers, and incidentally, I'll point out that the charming of serpents is indeed mentioned in the Bible in two specific cases. First of all, it's mentioned in Ecclesiastes chapter 10 and verse 11. And secondly, in Jeremiah chapter 8 and verse 17, and in each instance, God is speaking about poisonous vipers that cannot be charmed or will not be charmed, and thus they bite, they inflict. But every one of us has seen pictures and illustrations of the snake charmers where they sit in front of the snake and they play their music and they sway back and forth.
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And I've heard all kinds of things. I've heard that all serpents are deaf, that all the snake is doing is responding to the movement of the man's body, I don't know. Whether or not adders have ears, you know, I don't know. Whether or not they have the ability to stop their ears if they have them, I don't know. This verse could be talking about the fact that these snakes, these serpents are too venomous even for the snake charmers to mess with. I don't know about you, but if I was going to mess with a snake, I'd at least like to mess with a non-poisonous one. Or one, if he was poisonous, at least it wasn't fatal. But you let an asp bite you, you don't even have time to call the doctor. I mean, you're dead. But what God is saying is these men are like these poisonous asps. They will not listen.
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You cannot use logic with them for they are illogical. You cannot use reasoning with them for they are unreasonable. You cannot use scripture with them for they are unscriptural. You cannot refer to God to them for they hate God and despise God and will not even confess that God is. And God is saying the problem is they just simply will not listen.
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Now let me ask you a question. How many of you have written your congressmen, have written judges, and have gotten those individuals to listen to your biblical reasonings on the law of God? No one. You know why? They do what they want to do. They think they are a law unto themselves. Here's the persons of the wicked. God says they're like a poisonous serpent. They will not listen.
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They have great capacity for destruction. Now look very quickly in verses six through nine at the prayer of vengeance. Watch this. Let's read it. David says, break their teeth, O God, in their mouth. Break out the great teeth of the young lions, O Lord. Let them melt away as waters which run continually, when he bendeth his bow to shoot his arrows, let them be as cut in pieces, as a snail which melteth. Let every one of them pass away like the untimely birth of a woman, that they may not see the sun. Before your pots can feel the thorns, he shall take them away, as with a whirlwind, both living and in his wrath.
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Now, let me ask you a question. What does the Bible say that the righteous do when the wicked are in authority? Could someone tell me? I didn't hear you. No. What do the righteous do when the wicked are in authority, according to the Bible? Suffer or mourn. For instance, the Bible in Proverbs 29 and verse 2, the Bible says that when the ungodly or the unrighteous are in authority, the people mourn. Well, let me ask you a question. We are living in a day when we have many ungodly and unrighteous leaders. Now, my question is this. Are we, as God's people, just simply shut up to mourning and suffering? Does that mean that we have to suffer everything that they lay upon us and everything that they do to us? Do we just sit back and take it?
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You see, the psalmist is saying, look, there is another avenue open. What is that avenue? It is a prayer. Now, before I read this, I want you to turn in your Bible to Luke chapter 18. I know that you're well aware of this passage, but I want you to see it in light of what I'm going to show you from Psalm 58. Turn to Luke 18, and let's begin reading at verse 2. I just quoted it just a moment ago, but look at Luke 18, verse 2. Now, Jesus Christ is teaching us about prayer. But we do not just simply pray for our needs and for our wants. Look at what he says. Luke 18, verse 2.
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There was in a city a judge who feared not God, nor regarded man. And there was a widow in that city, and she came unto him, saying, Avenge me of mine adversary. And he would not for a while, but afterward he said within himself, Though I fear not God, nor regard man, yet because this widow troubleth me, I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary me. Watch this, "...and the Lord said, Hear what the unjust judge saith, and shall not God avenge his own elect, who cry day and night unto him, though he bear long with them? I tell you that he will avenge them speedily." Now did you hear what he said? Do you think that God is like the unjust judge, not interested in justice? Oh no, God's not like that. He says, and shall not God avenge his own elect? Watch it now, who cry how often? Day and night unto him. God says, I tell you that he will avenge them speedily. Do you know one reason that the wicked are not destroyed and overthrown is because God's people have not been crying for the righteous justice of God.
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Shall not God avenge his own elect who cry unto him day and night? In other words, this story is teaching us that we have a responsibility to cry for God to bring forth justice in this earth. We need not expect justice from wicked men, but we certainly expect justice from the righteous God of the earth. And God says if we cry to him, he will give it to us.
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Now, we should look back in your Bibles to Psalm 58 and note how David prays for vengeance against wicked, ungodly men. Note he gives us here six illustrations, okay? The first illustration he gives us is the illustration of a lion.
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Now you know a lion is a very ferocious beast. Now he's just gotten through talking about the wicked as being as serpents, and a serpent is silent and deadly. But a lion is more bold, and a lion is voracious, and a lion is ferocious, and he's loud. And he's very capable of being destroyed. You see, once the wicked get themselves in the seat of power, they could care less if they're silent anymore or not.
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And so here's what he says. Watch it in verse 7, verse 6. Break their teeth, O God, in their mouth. Break out the great teeth of the young lions.
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Now, I'm not sure that you're aware of this fact, but do you realize a lion with his teeth broken out is practically helpless. You say, but pastor, he still has his claws. Yes, he has his claws. But if he has no teeth, he can't eat. You see, lions are carnivores. They eat meat. They're meat eaters. And once their teeth are broken out, it's just a matter of time until their claws are totally useless because they will die.
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Now look what David is saying. Now watch this. He is saying, God, if these wicked men will not do good, and they will not, destroy their power from doing evil. Break out their teeth. Destroy them. I don't know if you've ever had your teeth knocked out, but David says, break their teeth, O God, in their mouth. The words smack them right in the mouth, God. Destroy their power to do evil.
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A toothless lion is a helpless one. And a lion that will soon die.
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Now, let me show you something. I want you to turn in your Bibles to Proverbs 30 and look at verse 14. You're talking about needing to pray this prayer. Well, just look at Proverbs 30 and verse 14. Look what Solomon, the wise man, says. Proverbs 30, verse 14. There is a generation, here's a whole generation now, folks. There is a generation whose teeth are as swords and their jaw teeth as knives to devour the poor from off the earth and the needy from among men. Did you get that? There is a whole generation of individuals who have teeth as swords and jaw teeth as knives. It's time we learn to pray with Psalm 58 verse 6. Break their teeth in their mouth, O God. Break out the teeth of the young lions.
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Destroy their ability and their power to do evil. Look, if you would please, in verse 7. He gives another illustration. Let them melt away as waters which run continually. Now, the word melt actually means to flow or to pass away.
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Now, most of us here are not used to snow. Russ and Brother Emmonsnider do see snow a good bit. And snow will stay on the ground until it warms up. And just as quickly as it warms up, what does it do? It melts and passes away. Every one of us in here has spilled a glass of liquid or a jug of liquid. You can take a gallon jar and fill it with water and turn it upside down, and brother, it is emptied quickly.
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That's what David is saying. Lord, let the enemies vanish, let them pass away as quickly as the snow melts when the sun is out, and as quickly as water leaves a vessel. Let them pass away. And then he says in verse 7, here's another illustration, the third one. Let them melt away as waters which run continually. When he bendeth his bow to shoot his arrows, let them be as cut in pieces.
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Now there are two possible interpretations to the latter part of verse 7. What does it mean when he bendeth his bow to shoot his arrows, let them be as cut in pieces? Well, first of all, the them could relate to the arrow. Let the arrows be cut in pieces. Two things on that. First of all, if you take an arrow and cut the head of it off, what good is it? Nothing. I mean, the arrow might hit you, but it really is not going to do more than hurt and create a little bruise. It's certainly not a deadly instrument anymore with the head cut off. It could also mean, and I have done this and so has Doc Holmes, I can assure you, you shoot your arrow and that arrow hits a limb and then it either splinters or warps. Instead of the arrow going to the mark, I mean it may end up behind you somewhere. So he could be saying, when they shoot the arrow, let the head be cut off, or let it be as a splintered arrow going in all kinds of directions, totally missing the mark.
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Ah, but there's another interpretation that could be. He could be saying, when he bendeth his bow to shoot his arrows, let them, that is the archers, the one doing the shooting, be as cut in pieces.
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Now I want you to picture this. Picture Doc with his bow drawn back about to release that arrow, aiming at a target. And someone slip up behind him with a sharp sword and hack him in two. Now is that arrow going to hit that target? Very obviously not. Because the archer has been cut in two, he's lost his capacity to aim, he's lost his capacity to shoot, he's dead. The arrow just goes off harmlessly into the air somewhere, or into the earth.
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So David is saying, Lord, let them be as lions, break out their teeth. Let them be as waters, let them pass away. Let them be as blunted arrows, or at least as archers who have been cut in two, who have no ability to shoot and to destroy. And then look in verse 8, he says, as a snail which melteth. Let every one of them pass away.
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Now, you know the snail, when he crawls, he leaves a trail of slime. And it looks like the snail is just wasting away. And I tell you what, you get that snail in the hot sun and you will literally see him waste or melt away. Some of you have stepped on a snail, and of course, once you smear him, once again, the sun hits it, and he's just simply gone.
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So God says, let God's enemies be as a snail. He gives the next illustration. He says, let them be like the untimely birth of a woman that they cannot see the sun. Now, what in the world is an untimely birth of a woman? Well, that's when a woman has a miscarriage. David is saying, listen now, let the enemy's lifetime pass so quickly, with such speed, that it will seem as if they have not lived at all. You know, it seems to me like David kind of wants the enemies done away with. Doesn't it seem like that to you? He says, God, let them die, and let them die quickly.
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Just as if they had never even been born. And then lastly, if you look in verse 9, here's the other illustration. He says, "...before your pots can feel the thorns, he shall take them away, as with a whirlwind, both living and in his wrath." Now, what in the world does it mean, before your pots can feel the thorns? Well, you've got to understand the way they cooked out in desert lands out in the east. Usually, the fire was made up of these brambles, of these thorns.
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And they were very easy to get to, they were very light. And what they would do, they would take these thorns and pile them together, and of course hang their pots over the thorn. Well, many times out in the desert, there would be a whirlwind or a hot air. And what the psalmist is saying, look, before the pot can ever get hot, let the whirlwind come along and blow those thorns out from under that pot and away from that individual. What the psalmist is saying, God, you come in your wrath and destroy them before their plans can ever have time to come to fruition, before all their schemes can ever come to pass. Lord, just like a whirlwind, wipe them away.
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And he says God's going to do that, both living and dying. In other words, he will catch them alive and destroy them in his wrath. So David not only prayed against the wicked, he not only asked God to destroy them, he asked God to destroy them quickly.
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Now, let me ask you a question. What is to be the attitude of God's people when God does indeed destroy the wicked? Well, I want you to look at verses 10 and 11 at the praise of the righteous. When God rises and judges the wicked, what is our response to be? It is to be one of praise and rejoicing. Verse 10, the righteous shall rejoice when he seeth the vengeance. He shall wash his feet in the blood of the wicked, so that a man shall say, Verily there is a reward for the righteous. Verily he is a God that judgeth the earth. Now let me just show you, first of all, our attitude should be one of praise and rejoicing. He says the righteous shall rejoice when he seeth the vengeance. That is, when we see God's vengeance taken upon the wicked, then God says we're to rejoice. Now, look back in your Bibles to Psalm 52 and verse 6.
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There's a multitude of passages. I'm only going to show you about four of them. But watch Psalm 52, verse 6.
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Now, this is talking about the wicked man. The Bible says the righteous also shall see and fear, that is, see his destruction and fear, and shall laugh at him. In other words, when public judgment comes upon the wicked, the Bible says the righteous will see it, the righteous will fear, that is, will learn from it, but then we shall also laugh at him. We will rejoice in the fact that he has been overthrown.
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Look in Psalm 60 and verse 6. Psalm 60 and verse 6. Once again, this passage is talking about the destruction of some of Israel's enemies. He says, Psalm 60, verse 6, God has spoken in His holiness, I will rejoice, I will divide Shechem and mete out the valley of Succoth. And you skip on down to verse 8, Moab is my washpot, over Edom will I cast out my shoe, Philistia, triumph thou because of me. So, he's talking about the destruction of the enemies. He says, I will rejoice. In Psalm 137, Psalm 137, you talk about a powerful passage, Psalm 137 beginning in verse 7.
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Now, you remember the Edomites really delighted in the destruction of Jerusalem. The Edomites stood in the way and purposefully killed all of those who would have escaped the destruction. So look what the psalmist says, Psalm 137, verse 7. Remember, O Lord, the children of Edom in the day of Jerusalem, who said, Rase it, rase it, even the foundation thereof, that is, burn it, burn it, destroy everything, cut off everything. So the Edomites came, kill every one of them, cut it all off. Verse 8.
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O daughter of Babylon, this is what he calls them, who are to be destroyed, happy shall he be that rewardeth thee as thou hast served us. Happy shall he be that taketh and dasheth thy little ones against the stones. In other words, God will judge the wickedness, and the response should be one of delight and rejoicing. One more, look in your Bibles to Revelation 19. Here is one that everyone is familiar with, Revelation 19. Look at this. Revelation 19, and let's begin reading there with verse 1. Note, if you would please, the response when the whole world system is destroyed.
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After these things I heard a great voice of much people in heaven saying, Hallelujah. By the way, someone tell me what the word Hallelujah means. Praise God. Watch it. I heard a great people saying hallelujah, salvation and glory and honor and power unto the Lord our God for true and righteous are his judgments for he hath judged the great whore who did corrupt the earth with her fornication and hath avenged the blood of his servants at her hand and again they said hallelujah and her smoke rose up forever and ever And the four and twenty elders and four beasts fell down and worshiped God that sat on the throne. Amen. Hallelujah.
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So, dear friend, when this world is finally and fully destroyed, that is the world system and the ungodly, it will be Hallelujah. Now, one other passage. Turn back in your Bibles to Deuteronomy chapter 32. Watch this. I need to show you this verse. Watch it very carefully. Deuteronomy 32. Now let's begin reading with verse 39. Deuteronomy 32, verse 39. Watch this. God says, See now that I am he, and there is no God with me.
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I kill and I make alive, I wound and I heal, neither is there any that can deliver out of my hand. Now watch what God says. For I lift up mine hand to heaven, and say, I live forever. If I whet my glittering sword, that is, if I sharpen my sword, saith God, and mine hand take hold on judgment, I will render vengeance to mine enemies, and reward them that hate me. I will make mine arrows drunk with blood, and my sword shall devour flesh, and that with the blood of the slain, of the captives, from the beginning of revenge upon the enemy. Rejoice, O ye his people, for he will avenge the blood of his servants, and will render vengeance to his adversaries, and will be merciful unto his land and to his people. Isn't that amazing? God says, when I whet my sword and my hand takes hold on judgment, God's people are to rejoice.
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Now, I want you to look back to Psalm 58, because I literally preached this message, just so I can tell you about the latter part of this verse. I want you to see it. Psalm 58, verse 10. He says, The righteous shall rejoice when he seeth the vengeance. He shall wash his feet in the blood of the wicked. I'll let that sink in. The righteous shall wash his feet in the blood of the wicked. Now, the vengeance is not ours, but it's God's. Nevertheless, we may rejoice in the righteous judgment of God. What in the world does it mean when it says the righteous not only shall rejoice, but shall wash his feet in the blood of the wicked?
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Well, let me give you three applications to this statement. First of all, there is what I'm going to call the individual application. What do I mean by that? I mean individually when the judgment of God falls upon wicked individuals who have persecuted the people of God. The Bible says that the wicked and the unrighteous man shall not live out half his days. What does that mean? It means the judgment of God will come upon him and cut him off in the prime of his life. You remember, it was Ahab who persecuted God's people and persecuted Elijah and tried to have Elijah slain. But you remember a certain man drew a bow at a venture and shot an arrow at adventure.
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He didn't even know who he was shooting at. But God sovereignly guided that arrow. And it struck old King Ahab between the shoulder blades. And he fell down in his chariot and bled out. When his chariot got back to town, what happened? The dogs licked the blood out of the chariot. Elijah literally was vindicated because his enemy was dead. And in one sense of the word, the individual application was Elijah washed his feet in the blood of Ahab, for God killed Ahab exactly like he said he would. How about Jezebel? The people of God literally washed their feet in one sense of the word in Jezebel, when she was trodden underfoot with that chariot, and the dogs ate her and left her. Look at old Haman. Old Haman was going to hang Mordecai, and what happened? God had Haman hanged on the very same gallows that he built for Mordecai. Mordecai washed his feet in the blood of the wicked. That gallows that was built for Mordecai was used to hang Haman. Look at old King Herod.
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Old King Herod in Acts 12 gave an oration, and the people said, It's the voice of a God! It's the voice of a God! And the Bible said immediately, God smote Herod because he gave not God the glory, and he was eaten of worms and gave up the ghost. And the righteous wash their feet in the blood of the wicked. That is, when God smites the individual wicked men who are persecuting and hating the people of God. Not only is there the individual application, there is the literal application.
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You say, what do you mean? Well, look next, if you would, in Psalm 68 and verse 23. Psalm 68 and verse 23. Once again, the psalmist said, that thy foot may be dipped in the blood of thine enemies, and the tongue of thy dogs in the same.
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Now let me tell you something, folks. God is going to give his people such a victory that even our dogs will participate in it. Look in your Bibles to Isaiah 63 and verse 3. Look what the Messiah says. This is none other than Jesus Christ. Now Isaiah 63 and verse 3. Watch it. Look at what it said, Isaiah 63, verse 3. I tell you what, let's just begin reading with verse 1. I want you to see, it's not only the Lord Jesus, the Messiah, but it's also the judgment of God in context. Isaiah 63, verse 1. Who is this that cometh from Edom, with dyed garments from Bozrah, that is glorious in his apparel, traveling in the greatness of his strength, I that speak in righteousness mighty to save, that's the Lord Jesus. Now watch verse 2, "...wherefore art thou red in thine apparel, and thy garments like him that treadeth in the wine vat," look what he says, "...I have trodden the winepress alone, and of the people there was none with me.
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For I will tread them in mine anger, and trample them in my fury, and their blood shall be sprinkled upon my garments, and I will stain all my raiment. For the day of vengeance is in my heart, and the year of my redeemed is come." Did you hear what Jesus Christ said? He will stain his garments in the blood of the wicked.
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Now, I want you to turn back very quickly in your Bibles to Psalm 149, and I will confess that there is indeed not only a great irony but a great joy in what I'm about to read. And if you do not see the joy, then I'm sorry. But the Bible still speaks of it. You see, although the vengeance is the Lord's, and although the judgment is the Lord's, many times God allows His people to participate in His judgment. Did God judge the Ammonites and the Jebusites and the Hivites and the Philistines? Yes, He did. But would you please tell me how God judged them?
#85 | 57:42 to 58:30 | cleaned
He put a sword in the children of Israel's hand and said, you go in and out of the land and kill every one of them. That's how God judged them.
#86 | 58:31 to 58:37 | cleaned
Now watch what the Bible says in Psalm 149, verse 4. Look what he says. For the Lord taketh pleasure in his people. And I am thankful for that. For the Lord taketh pleasure in his people. He will beautify the meek with salvation. Let the saints be joyful in glory. Let them sing aloud upon their beds. Now watch it. Let the high praises of God be in their mouth and a two-edged sword in their hand. Why do we need a two-edged sword? To execute vengeance upon the heathen and punishments upon the people. Watch this.
#87 | 58:37 to 59:12 | cleaned
To bind their kings with chains and their nobles with fetters of iron. To execute upon them the judgment written. Are you looking? This honor have all the saints. Praise ye the Lord. This honor have all the saints. Praise ye the Lord. We will be with our Lord and we will participate in the exercise of his vengeance.
#88 | 59:13 to 59:46 | cleaned
Now, let me make the application that I wanted to make. Here's the spiritual application. I don't care where you turn in the Bible. You will find washing of the feet. In the Old Testament, the washing of the feet was a sign of hospitality. You'll remember that most of the people in those times walked, and they wore sandals. And a man could be clean, but usually when he has walked in his sandals before he entered a home, it was just common, everyday hospitality for you to provide him a basin of water, and he either washed his feet or you washed his feet for him.
#89 | 59:46 to 1:00:39 | cleaned
You were getting rid of the defilement and the uncleanness that he had brought upon himself through walking on the dusty roads. You'll find in Genesis chapter 18 in verse 4, when Abraham saw the Lord and the angels, he immediately brought forth a basin of water so they could wash their feet. Even the requirement, one of the requirements for a godly widow in 1 Timothy chapter 5 and verse 10, one of the godly requirements is she has to have washed the saints' feet. You remember the priest, before they went into the tabernacle or the temple, they had a laver that they had to wash their feet in. Why? It spoke of cleansing. You remember John chapter 13? Jesus Christ washed the disciples' feet. Why? It spoke of cleansing. Now God says, we shall wash our feet in the blood of the wicked. What does that mean?
#90 | 1:00:41 to 1:01:53 | cleaned
Now listen to me, folks. Look at all the wickedness that is in this world. Abortion, sodomy, murder, rape, crime, fraud, pillage, you name it, it's everywhere. You know what the Bible says in 1 Corinthians 15 and verse 33? Evil communications corrupt good manners. A lot of the saints are affected by the wickedness of the wicked. The very fact that we have an unjust economic system is affecting every one of us. The very fact that we have an unjust bureaucracy is affecting every one of us. But God is saying, one day, we're going to wash our feet in the blood of the wicked. What does that mean? We're going to wash away all the defilement and all the corruption that the wicked have brought upon us and upon this world.
#91 | 1:01:54 to 1:03:11 | cleaned
Do you remember back in Deuteronomy? I preached on this passage not so long ago, Deuteronomy 19 and Deuteronomy 21, where God said that the murderer was to be put to death for blood defiled the land, and the land could not be cleansed except by the blood of him who had shed it. Do you remember that? What is God saying? God is saying He is going to use the blood of the wicked to cleanse this world from their wickedness.
#92 | 1:03:12 to 1:03:45 | cleaned
Listen to me, dear friend. The Bible says, when we wash our feet in the blood of the wicked, we will be washing off the defilement and the uncleanness and the corruption of this world. John said it like this. Are you listening? The kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord and his Christ. The corruption... One last passage. I want you to turn to Psalm 37. Psalm 37. This is one of the most beautiful psalms, but I want you to see, David says it again the same way. Psalm 37, and let's begin reading with verse 34. Watch this carefully. David says, wait on the Lord and keep his way, and he shall exalt thee to inherit the land. When the wicked are cut off, thou shalt see it. I have seen the wicked in great power, spreading himself like a green bay tree.
#93 | 1:03:47 to 1:05:05 | cleaned
Yet he passed away, and lo, he was not. Yea, I sought him, and he could not be found. Mark the perfect man, and behold the upright, for the end of that man is peace. But the transgressors shall be destroyed together. The end of the wicked shall be cut off, but the salvation of the righteous is of the Lord. He is their strength in the time of trouble, and the Lord shall help them and deliver them. He shall deliver them from the wicked and save them because they trust in him. Now folks, three times, David says the wicked shall be cut off. God's people shall be delivered from the wicked. We'll finally wash our feet in their blood, washing away the corruption and the ungodliness and the uncleanness. And we'll be serving in the kingdom of the Lord Jesus Christ. No wonder David finished Psalm 58 with verse 11, and look at what he says. So that a man shall say, that is, once he sees the destruction of the wicked and the salvation of the righteous, so that a man shall say, verily, there is a reward for the righteous.
#94 | 1:05:06 to 1:06:38 | cleaned
Verily, there is a God that judgeth the earth. Dear friend, listen to me. The wicked may be in power now, but they shall not be in power long. The wicked may be profiting now, but they shall not profit long. For there is a God who judges in the earth, and we need to praise and honor Him. Father, we bow to Thee this day. We thank Thee for the Lord Jesus Christ. We thank thee that thou art the judge of all the earth, and that thou wilt indeed give justice. O God, help us, Lord, to be righteous, godly people, for we do know, according to your word, that judgment is coming. And Lord, when we see thee cut off the wicked, may we see it, and fear, and rejoice, and give thee the glory.
#95 | 1:06:39 to 1:07:55 | cleaned
In Christ's name we pray. Amen.
#96 | 1:07:56 to 1:07:58 | cleaned

deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | clean_readable_transcript | 2026-06-06T03:20:14Z

Washing Your Feet in the Blood of the Wicked

John Weaver | Freedom Ministries

John Weaver expounds Psalm 58, a bold protest against unrighteous judges and the wicked. He argues that biblical hatred of evil and a desire for divine justice are compatible with Christian love. The sermon outlines the persons of the wicked (vv. 1-5), a prayer for their swift judgment (vv. 6-9), and the righteous rejoicing in God's vengeance (vv. 10-11). Weaver emphasizes that believers should cry out for God's justice and will ultimately be cleansed from the corruption of the wicked.

Opening

Introduction: The Boldness of Psalm 58

Psalm 58 is remarkable for its vigorous language and clear doctrine, comparable to Psalms 12, 14, and 82. It is a cry for vengeance against those who pervert justice.

Biblical Hatred and Love Can Coexist

The Persons of the Wicked (Psalm 58:1-5)

So first of all, in verse 1, we have the accusation. Look at it. He says, do you indeed speak righteousness, O congregation? Do you judge uprightly, you sons of men?

The Prayer of Vengeance (Psalm 58:6-9)

And so here's what he says. Watch it in verse 7, verse 6. Break their teeth, O God, in their mouth. Break out the great teeth of the young lions.

The Praise of the Righteous (Psalm 58:10-11)

Washing Your Feet in the Blood of the Wicked

John Weaver | SermonAudio

Lecture Metadata	Details
Speaker	John Weaver
Source	SermonAudio
Media ID	31107174757
Subject	New Testament Studies
Course	Revelation: Witness, Judgment, and the Throne
Genre	Sermon
Date	2007-03-11
Dictation Name
Book	Book 140: Revelation: Witness, Judgment, and the Throne — Chapter 4
Source Timed Segments	96

Lecture Guide

Outline

Introduction: The Boldness of Psalm 58: Psalm 58 is remarkable for its vigorous language and clear doctrine, comparable to Psalms 12, 14, and 82. It is a cry for vengeance against those who pervert justice.
Biblical Hatred and Love Can Coexist: David, the sweet psalmist of Israel, demonstrates that tenderness and biblical hatred can dwell in the same breast. Biblical hatred is a hatred of sin and those who sin against God, not personal vindictiveness.
The Persons of the Wicked (Psalm 58:1-5): The wicked are described as unjust judges who pervert justice. They are accused of not speaking righteousness, denounced for working wickedness, and verified as estranged from God, poisonous like serpents, and deaf to rebuke.
The Prayer of Vengeance (Psalm 58:6-9): David prays for the swift destruction of the wicked using six illustrations: breaking the teeth of lions, melting like waters, being cut in pieces like arrows, passing away like a snail, being like an untimely birth, and being taken away as with a whirlwind.
The Praise of the Righteous (Psalm 58:10-11): When God executes vengeance, the righteous will rejoice and wash their feet in the blood of the wicked, signifying cleansing from the defilement of the wicked. This leads to the declaration that there is a reward for the righteous and a God who judges the earth.

Major Themes

Key Arguments

Biblical hatred is distinct from personal vindictiveness

David's imprecatory psalms demonstrate that a love for God necessarily involves a hatred of evil and a desire for God's justice, which is not the same as personal revenge.

Weaver states, 'I'm not talking about personal hatred, and I'm not talking about a personal vindictiveness, but I am talking about a biblical hatred, that is, a hatred of sin and a hatred of those who sin against God and a desire for biblical justice.'

Unjust judges are the worst criminals

Those who are supposed to uphold justice but instead pervert it are more guilty than the criminals they fail to punish, because they abuse their God-given authority.

Weaver says, 'the biggest criminals turn out to be not the ones who commit the crime, but the ones who allow the criminals to go unpunished when they commit the crime.'

The wicked are incorrigibly deaf to truth

Wicked rulers are like deaf adders that refuse to listen to any reasoning, logic, or Scripture, making them incapable of reform.

Weaver explains, 'You cannot use logic with them for they are illogical. You cannot use reasoning with them for they are unreasonable. You cannot use scripture with them for they are unscriptural.'

Prayer is the believer's weapon against wicked rulers

Instead of passively suffering, Christians are to persistently pray for God to avenge them and bring down the wicked, as taught in Luke 18.

Weaver asks, 'Do we just sit back and take it? ... the psalmist is saying, look, there is another avenue open. What is that avenue? It is a prayer.'

God's judgment brings joy and cleansing to the righteous

The destruction of the wicked is cause for rejoicing because it vindicates God's righteousness and removes the corruption they caused.

Weaver states, 'The righteous shall rejoice when he seeth the vengeance. He shall wash his feet in the blood of the wicked' (Psalm 58:10), and explains this as cleansing from defilement.

Scripture References

Psalm 58:1-11: The entire sermon is an exposition of Psalm 58, focusing on its imprecatory nature and the judgment of the wicked.
Psalm 94:16: Cited to show that God seeks someone to rise up against evildoers, supporting the call for righteous opposition.
Psalm 97:10: Used to demonstrate that loving the Lord involves hating evil.
Psalm 139:21-22: David's declaration of perfect hatred for God's enemies, illustrating biblical hatred.
Psalm 9:7-9: Shows that righteousness and judgment belong to God, who judges the world in uprightness.
Proverbs 17:15: Declares that justifying the wicked or condemning the just is an abomination to the Lord.
Deuteronomy 1:16-17: Moses' charge to judges to judge righteously without partiality, for judgment is God's.
Ephesians 4:18: Referenced to explain that the wicked are alienated from the life of God.
Colossians 1:21: Mentioned to show that the wicked are alienated and enemies in their minds.
Luke 18:2-8: The parable of the unjust judge, used to teach persistent prayer for God's vengeance.
Proverbs 30:14: Describes a generation with teeth as swords, paralleling the prayer to break the teeth of the wicked.
Psalm 52:6: The righteous will see the destruction of the wicked and laugh, rejoicing in God's judgment.
Psalm 60:6-8: David rejoices in the subjugation of enemies, illustrating the proper response to God's judgment.
Psalm 137:7-9: Pronounces blessing on those who execute God's vengeance on Babylon, showing delight in divine justice.
Revelation 19:1-4: Heaven rejoices with 'Hallelujah' at the judgment of the great whore, affirming the righteous' praise.
Deuteronomy 32:39-43: God declares He will render vengeance, and the nations are called to rejoice with His people.
Psalm 68:23: The foot dipped in the blood of enemies, paralleling the imagery of Psalm 58:10.
Isaiah 63:1-4: The Messiah treads the winepress of God's wrath, staining His garments with the blood of the wicked.
Psalm 149:4-9: The saints execute the judgment written, binding kings and nobles, an honor for all the saints.
Psalm 37:34-40: The wicked will be cut off, and the righteous will be delivered, reinforcing the final vindication.

Historical References

Judge Sol Wachtler: A New York superior court judge who was involved in a scandal, threatening his ex-girlfriend and kidnapping, illustrating the corruption of modern judges.
Colorado Proposition 2: A ballot measure regarding equal rights for sodomites, which was overturned by a judge against the will of the people, showing judicial overreach.
Cleopatra's death by asp: Mentioned as an example of the fatal venom of an asp, illustrating the deadly nature of the wicked.
Ahab's death: King Ahab was killed by an arrow and dogs licked his blood, fulfilling God's judgment and vindicating Elijah.
Jezebel's death: Jezebel was trampled and eaten by dogs, an example of the righteous washing their feet in the blood of the wicked.
Haman's execution: Haman was hanged on the gallows he built for Mordecai, illustrating divine justice and the vindication of the righteous.
Herod's death in Acts 12: Herod was struck by God and eaten by worms for accepting worship, showing God's judgment on the wicked.

Important Quotes

Do you indeed speak righteousness, O congregation? Do you judge uprightly, O you sons of men? Yea, in heart you work wickedness. You weigh the violence of your hands in the earth.

The opening accusation against unjust judges, setting the theme of the psalm.

The righteous shall rejoice when he seeth the vengeance. He shall wash his feet in the blood of the wicked.

The central, shocking image of the psalm that the sermon seeks to explain and apply.

I'm not talking about personal hatred, and I'm not talking about a personal vindictiveness, but I am talking about a biblical hatred, that is, a hatred of sin and a hatred of those who sin against God and a desire for biblical justice.

Clarifies the distinction between sinful personal hatred and righteous biblical hatred.

Break their teeth, O God, in their mouth. Break out the great teeth of the young lions, O Lord.

The imprecatory prayer for God to destroy the power of the wicked.

The righteous shall rejoice when he seeth the vengeance. He shall wash his feet in the blood of the wicked, so that a man shall say, Verily, there is a reward for the righteous. Verily, he is a God that judgeth in the earth.

The conclusion of the psalm, emphasizing the joy and vindication of the righteous.

We're going to wash away all the defilement and all the corruption that the wicked have brought upon us and upon this world.

The spiritual application of washing feet in the blood of the wicked as cleansing from corruption.

Discussion Questions

[Question]

How can we reconcile the imprecatory psalms with Jesus' command to love our enemies?

[Context]

Weaver argues that biblical hatred is not personal vindictiveness but a desire for God's justice. This question probes the tension.

[Question]

In what ways do we see unjust judges or rulers today, and how should Christians respond?

[Context]

Weaver gives examples of modern judicial corruption and calls for prayer rather than passive acceptance.

[Question]

What does it mean to 'wash our feet in the blood of the wicked' spiritually?

[Context]

Weaver explains this as the final cleansing from the defilement caused by the wicked. This question explores the imagery.

[Question]

Is it ever appropriate for Christians to rejoice in the downfall of the wicked? Why or why not?

[Context]

Weaver cites Revelation 19 and Deuteronomy 32 to affirm that rejoicing in God's righteous judgment is biblical.

[Question]

How does the doctrine of total depravity relate to the description of the wicked in Psalm 58:3-5?

[Context]

Weaver notes that verse 3 teaches total depravity but emphasizes the practiced, habitual wickedness of these individuals.

Applications

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deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | weaver_study | 2026-06-06T16:14:43Z