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God the Righteous Judge: Hope amid Corrupt Rulers
July 19, 2026 · 14 min
Psalms 58–61: trusting God as Judge and refuge when leaders pervert justice; we pray for His righteous intervention.
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God, Our Protector: Psalm 59 0:10 Good morning, and welcome once again to our Oasis of praise. Today, we're gonna be looking at Psalms 58 through 61, God, the righteous judge, God, our protector, God, our victor,0:22 and God, our refuge. Verse 2 of chapter 61. From the end of the earth, I will cry to you, and my heart is overwhelmed. Lead me to the rock that is higher than I. Psalm0:34 58 is a an imprecatory prayer against unrighteous judges or rulers. Now there is nothing, nothing, more disturbing to the righteous and0:45 destructive, by the way, to a nation than to have those who pervert and deny justice and the rule of law. It undermines the rule of law. Now throughout the old testament, we see that God's focus0:57 is on justice, and there's a reason. Justice is the number 1 duty of civil government. Now that means leaders need to be focused on ensuring justice because when people are denied1:09 justice, justice, as we read even in the Psalms, they lose hope, and many hopeless people become desperate people. And desperate people often are at a place that it1:21 foments anger and it fuels lawlessness when there's no foundation of self government. And and we see here this how the psalmist is responding to this. He's not becoming1:33 angry. He's not becoming lawless. He goes to God. And that really is needs to be our model as followers when we're in these situations and you're going to face injustice, if1:45 you're alive and breathing, you're going to face it. We need to follow David's example. Pray. Pray that God will deal with those who do evil and pervert justice. Now some scholars speculate that before1:56 Saul pursued David as a traitor, he had convened some kind of judicial process among the elders to gain cover and justification for his dogged pursuit of David.2:09 And so that's what they suggest David is responding to. Verse 1, do you indeed speak righteousness, you silent ones? Do you judge uprightly, you sons of men? The word or term2:21 silent ones is a bit unclear in terms of its translation. It might mean mighty ones or god's. When we depart from god's word and his way substituting our own, we make2:32 ourselves into god's little g. Verse 2. Know in heart you work wickedness. You weigh out the violence of your hands in the earth. The wicked are estranged from the womb. They go astray2:44 as soon as they are born speaking lies. They come out of the womb speaking lies. This is the nature of unredeemed man who has the2:56 power. Power in the hands of the unredeemed is rarely used for redemptive purposes. That's why we need godly people in government. Hold on, you say. Wait wait. Their day is coming. The needy3:08 will not always be forgotten. Drop down to verse 9. Before your pots can feel the burning thorns, he shall take them away as with a whirlwind, as in his living3:20 and burning wrath. The righteous shall rejoice when he sees the vengeance. He shall wash his feet in the blood of the wicked so that men will say, surely, there is a reward for the righteous. Surely,3:33 he is God who judges the earth. Now the psalmist, his conclusion is that there are wicked judges today who are corrupt by their way of nature.3:45 It it's it's it's the very way of their I mean, they're it it's just in their nature. It's who they are. And they listen to no 1 thinking they are untouchable. But but the3:57 judge of all the earth is coming, and he will act. And it is in it is to him that we are to appeal for justice. Psalm 59 is4:09 a lament. It's a plea to God. This is believed to have to follow the events of 1st Samuel 19 when Saul sent men to David's house to watch for him and kill him.God, Our Victor: Psalm 60 4:20 There are some scholars, that or some scholars rather point out that there is a4:38 of David when Saul sent men and they watched the house in order to kill him. Deliver me from my enemies, oh my god. Defend me from those who rise up against me. Deliver me from the workers of4:50 iniquity and save me from bloodthirsty men. For, look, they lie in wait for my life. The mighty gather against me, not for my transgression nor for my sin, oh lord. They run and prepare themselves,5:02 though through no fault of mine. Awake to help me and behold. So here's David serving the lord and king Saul, I might add, but yet he is a5:14 target even though he has done nothing wrong. Now there is a type of joy that comes when we're in trouble and we didn't do anything wrong. It doesn't make it doesn't make it completely5:25 better, but there is a there's a sense of joy that we're being targeted because of who we're aligned with and what god is doing in and through us. Look at what Jesus says in Matthew 5. Blessed are you when they5:37 revile you and persecute you and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for my sake. Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they5:49 persecuted the prophets who were before you. He says, rejoice. How can how can you rejoice when people are out to kill you? Or even as David describes here in verse 6,6:01 at evening, they return. They growl like a dog, and they go all around the city. Indeed, they belch with their mouths. Swords are in their lips, for they say, who hears? Saying, basically, god doesn't hear.6:13 They attack with their mouths, and they make all kinds of false accusations. And I'm I'm sure they were saying that David was a traitor to Israel, and therefore, that's why they were pursuing him. But look at what6:25 David says, verse 8. But you, oh, Lord, shall laugh at them. You shall have all the nations in derision. I will wait for you. O you his strength,6:37 for God is my defense. My God of mercy shall come to meet me. God shall let me see my desire on my enemies. Now take note that God or rather that David prays god's judgment6:49 upon those who were carrying out the unjust commands of Saul. Now look at the confidence that David gains by stirring up his faith7:00 and his hope in God. Look at verse 15. They wander up and down for food, and they howl if they are not satisfied. But I will sing of your power. Yes. I will sing aloud of your mercy in the7:12 morning, for you have been my defense and refuge in the day of my for god is my defense, my god of mercy. I like this. While the while7:24 the dogs howl at night, I'll sing praises in the morning. Now I think that's probably for someone this morning. The the the the the nighttime, the the dogs are howling.7:36 They're barking, but you're gonna sing praises in the morning. Psalm 60 is a Psalm of David, which is, identified as a teaching psalm. In it, a surprise attack was made,God, Our Refuge: Psalm 61 7:48 in the southern region while David was fighting up in the northern part of Israel, and Israel was defeated by Edom. Now portions of this Psalm, actually, we're gonna see again in Psalm 1 0 8. So in 1st in8:00 verses 1 through 5, we have the the problem. He states the problem for, when he fought against Mesopotamia and Syria, Azob, and Job Joab returned and killed8:12 12000 Edomites in the Valley of Salt. Oh god, you have cast us off. You have broken us down. You have been displeased. Oh, restore us again. You have made the earth tremble. You have broken it. Heal its8:24 breaches, for it is shaking. You have shown your people hard things. You have made us drink the wine of confusion. So David then connects their problem, their defeat with their sin and8:36 the displeasure, the the displeasure of God toward the nation. Verse 4. You have given a banner to those who fear you that it may be displayed8:48 because of the truth. Now in verse verses 6 to 8, David recounts the promises of God, so he's transitioning here. God has spoken in his holiness. I will rejoice. I will divide Shechem8:59 and measure out the valley of Succoth. Then David petitions God in verses 9 through 12 with recognition of God being the 1 who will make victory happen.9:13 Who will bring me the strong city? Who will lead me to Edom? Is it not you, oh god, who cast us off, and you, oh god, who did not go out with our armies? David never lets9:24 go of God. He realizes through God, we will do valiantly. We we you know, where else do we go? I remember when when the the apostles were the disciples were asked by Jesus, are you gonna leave too? And they9:36 go, where do we go? Who else has the words of life? David says, David is realizing it is through God that we do valiantly. We have no other option. It is he who shall tread down our9:48 enemies. Then we close with a great Psalm. Psalm 61. David is discouraged, and he's disheartened. I know none of you have ever been there before. In fact, some of10:00 you may be there today. Where did he go when he was disheartened and he was discouraged? He went to the rock. David begins with a plea for help by stirring up his remembranceConclusion and Prayer 10:12 of the lord's faithfulness and his promises, and it's it's instructive for us. You know, when we're in this time of sometimes we're not hearing from God. It seems like a dark time, quiet time.10:24 We need to be we need to remember what God has done. Stir up our faith. He and and then he ends with hopeful praise. Again, this is a this is a great Psalm to10:36 pray to the Lord in those times when you need God to break through in your life. Hear my cry, oh God. Attend to my prayer. From the end of the earth, I will cry to you when my heart is overwhelmed.10:48 Lead me to the rock that is higher than I. For you have been a shelter for me, a strong tower from the enemy. I will abide in your tabernacle forever. I will trust in the shelter of your wings. For you, oh god,11:00 have heard my vows. You have given me the heritage of those who fear your name. So let me stop right there because I think it's an important verse. What does it mean to fear god? Because we hear this a lot, fear11:11 god. Reverence him with obedience, trust, and worship, yielding every aspect of our lives to him. That's what it means to fear God. And and what is this heritage11:23 that David talks about for those who fear God? Now the word is also translated inheritance. So it's not just what they inherit or their heritage. It's their inheritance. What is the inheritance of those11:35 who fear God? Now here, David points to the the the presence of God, the protection of God, and the promises of God as belonging to those who fear God. Now Peter in the New Testament11:47 provides an even fuller understanding of this promise through Christ Jesus. In 1st Peter chapter 1 verse 3, blessed be the God and father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to his abundant mercy has begotten us11:58 again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade12:10 away, reserved in heaven for you, who are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation inheritance is not12:22 only eternal life through Christ Jesus, but it is the presence, the protection, and the promises of God for those who fear him. So where do you12:34 go when you're discouraged? Go to the rock, fear God, and receive the inheritance that he has for you. Father, we thank you for your word, and, lord,12:46 encouraged by these Psalms. Lord, may we go to the rock, the rock of our salvation when we are discouraged. And and I pray, father, that we would stir up our faith, Lord, just12:57 remembering the things that you have done for us and how you've changed us through your word and through the Holy Spirit and through the redemptive work of Jesus Christ on the cross. I pray, father, that you13:09 would use us today to touch the lives of someone else. Help us, Lord, to share the good news of the gospel of Jesus Christ and be able to speak about why13:21 we are hopeful in a time of so much uncertainty and difficulty. It's because of the rock. And so, father, I pray that we would share that with others today. In Jesus'13:33 name, amen. Thanks for joining me this morning. And until next time, keep standing on the word.13:42 Today's study comes from the Stand on the Word Bible Reading Plan available for free at f r c dot o r g slash bible. By following along in just a few minutes a day,13:54 you can read through the entire Bible in just 2 years. Learn more and request the free reading guide at frc dot org slash bible.In this video 0:00 God, Our Protector: Psalm 594:11 God, Our Victor: Psalm 607:40 God, Our Refuge: Psalm 6110:01 Conclusion and Prayer
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