{"id":14127,"date":"2025-01-20T14:58:53","date_gmt":"2025-01-20T18:58:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sonderbooks.com\/sonderjourneys\/?p=14127"},"modified":"2025-08-15T23:26:06","modified_gmt":"2025-08-16T03:26:06","slug":"wisdom-psalms-and-wicked-rulers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sonderbooks.com\/sonderjourneys\/?p=14127","title":{"rendered":"Wisdom Psalms and Wicked Rulers"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Psalm 58:1-2 —
\nDo you rulers indeed speak justly?
\nDo you judge people with equity?
\nNo, in your heart you devise injustice,
\nand your hands mete out violence on the earth.<\/em><\/p>\n

It seemed appropriate that last week, as our president-elect was threatening war against Greenland, Canada, and Panama, that I was having my quiet times in Psalm 58. [I have a somewhat random method of choosing where in Scripture to focus my quiet times. It has to do with my schedule of reviewing what I’ve memorized. Psalm 58 was up next.]<\/p>\n

What I thought about was that the world has had unjust rulers as long as we have had rulers. And God’s people have brought that before God in prayer just as long.<\/p>\n

As it happens, shortly before the election, I was having my quiet times in Malachi 3, which definitely made me think of one candidate:<\/p>\n

“So I will come to put you on trial. I will be quick to testify against sorcerers, adulterers and perjurers, against those who defraud laborers of their wages, who oppress the widows and the fatherless, and deprive the foreigners among you of justice, but do not fear me,” says the Lord Almighty.<\/em><\/p>\n

Wisdom Psalms are all about how it’s good for you to follow God – but they also grapple (notably in Psalm 73, but other places as well) with how sometimes the wicked prosper. And they absolutely, definitely pray that the wicked will experience their own downfall and the consequences of their unjust actions. It is right and good to pray against those who do the things above. And I firmly believe that is ultimately good for our nation to be against injustice, evil, and oppression.<\/p>\n

In this post, rather than write my own psalm, I’m going to use words directly from Scripture to pray for our new administration.<\/p>\n

Before I begin, let me say that I am completely against political violence. But I am absolutely for the metaphorical lions having their fangs torn out. (See the difference?) Lest anyone misunderstand, again, let me say that I am taking these words directly from Scripture.<\/p>\n

Let me also say that when I see “poor and needy,” I’m thinking of transgender folks whose rights may get stripped away, and of people currently eligible for Medicaid and Social Security recipients who may lose benefits. To anyone marginalized whose situation may be made worse.\u00c2\u00a0 To the extent that doesn’t happen – well, these prayers are against any who oppress the poor and needy, who make life harder for them.<\/p>\n

Let’s begin with Psalm 58:6-7–<\/p>\n

Break the teeth in their mouths, O God;
\nLord, tear out the fangs of those lions!
\nLet them vanish like water that flows away;
\nwhen they draw the bow, let their arrows fall short.<\/em><\/p>\n

And then verses from Psalm 10 come to mind:<\/p>\n

In his arrogance the wicked man hunts down the weak,
\nwho are caught in the schemes he devises.
\nHe boasts about the cravings of his heart;
\nhe blesses the greedy and reviles the Lord.
\nIn his pride the wicked man does not seek him;
\nin all his thoughts there is no room for God.
\nHis ways are always prosperous;
\nyour laws are rejected by him;
\nhe sneers at all his enemies.
\nHe says to himself, “Nothing will ever shake me.”
\nHe swears, “No one will ever do me harm.”
\nHis mouth is full of lies and threats;
\ntrouble and evil are under his tongue….
\nHe says to himself, “God will never notice;
\nhe covers his face and never sees.”<\/em><\/p>\n

Arise, Lord! Lift up your hand, O God.
\nDo not forget the helpless.
\nWhy does the wicked man revile God?
\nWhy does he say to himself,
\n“He won’t call me to account”?
\nBut you, O God, see the trouble of the afflicted;
\nyou consider their grief and take it in hand.
\nThe victims commit themselves to you;
\nyou are the helper of the fatherless.
\nBreak the arm of the wicked man;
\ncall the evildoer to account for his wickedness
\nthat would not otherwise be found out.<\/em><\/p>\n

From Psalm 7:14-16–
\nWhoever is pregnant with evil
\nconceives trouble and gives birth to disillusionment.
\nWhoever digs a hole and scoops it out
\nfalls into the pit they have made.
\nThe trouble they cause recoils on them;
\ntheir violence comes down on their own heads.<\/em><\/p>\n

And let’s dip into Proverbs, for Proverbs 21:13:<\/p>\n

Whoever shuts their ears to the cry of the poor
\nwill also cry out and not be answered.<\/em><\/p>\n

Proverbs 17:23 —
\nThe wicked accept bribes in secret
\nto pervert the course of justice.<\/em><\/p>\n

Proverbs 29: 4, 7 —
\nBy justice a king gives a country stability,
\nbut those who are greedy for bribes tear it down.<\/em><\/p>\n

The righteous care about justice for the poor,
\nbut the wicked have no such concern.<\/em><\/p>\n

Psalm 12 seems very timely:
\nHelp, Lord, for no one is faithful anymore;
\nthose who are loyal have vanished from the human race.
\nEveryone lies to their neighbor;
\nthey flatter with their lips
\nand harbor deception in their hearts.<\/em><\/p>\n

May the Lord silence all flattering lips
\nand every boastful tongue –
\nthose who say,
\n“By our tongues we will prevail;
\nour own lips will defend us – who is lord over us?”<\/em><\/p>\n

“Because the poor are plundered and the needy groan,
\nI will now arise,” says the Lord.
\n“I will protect them from those who malign them.”
\nAnd the words of the Lord are flawless,
\nlike silver purified in a crucible,
\nlike gold refined seven times.<\/em><\/p>\n

You, Lord, will keep the needy safe
\nand will protect us forever from the wicked,
\nwho freely strut about
\nwhen what is vile is honored by the human race.<\/em><\/p>\n

Psalm 28:3-4–
\nDo not drag me away with the wicked,
\nwith those who do evil,
\nwho speak cordially with their neighbors
\nbut harbor malice in their hearts.
\nRepay them for their deeds
\nand for their evil work;
\nrepay them for what their hands have done
\nand bring back on them what they deserve.<\/em><\/p>\n

From Psalm 37–
\nDo not fret because of those who are evil
\nor be envious of those who do wrong;
\nfor like the grass they will soon wither,
\nlike green plants they will soon die away….<\/em><\/p>\n

A little while, and the wicked will be no more;
\nthough you look for them, they will not be found….<\/em><\/p>\n

The wicked plot against the righteous
\nand gnash their teeth at the;
\nbut the Lord laughs at the wicked,
\nfor he knows their day is coming.
\nThe wicked draw the sword
\nand bend the bow
\nto bring down the poor and needy,
\nto slay those whose ways are upright.
\nBut their swords will pierce their own hearts,
\nand their bows will be broken….<\/em><\/p>\n

I have seen a wicked and ruthless man
\nflourishing like a luxuriant native tree,
\nbut he soon passed away and was no more;
\nthough I looked for him, he could not be found.<\/em><\/p>\n

Psalm 52:1-7–
\nWhy do you boast of evil, you mighty hero?
\nWhy do you boast all day long,
\nyou who are a disgrace in the eyes of God?
\nYou who practice deceit,
\nyour tongue plots destruction;
\nit is like a sharpened razor.
\nYou love evil rather than good,
\nfalsehood rather than speaking the truth.
\nYou love every harmful word,
\nyou deceitful tongue!<\/em><\/p>\n

Surely God will bring you down to everlasting ruin:
\nHe will snatch you up and pluck you from your tent;
\nhe will uproot you from the land of the living.
\nThe righteous will see and fear;
\nthey will laugh at you, saying,
\n“Here now is the man
\nwho did not make God his stronghold
\nbut trusted in his great wealth
\nand grew strong by destroying others!”<\/em><\/p>\n

Psalm 64:2-8–
\nHide me from the conspiracy of the wicked,
\nfrom the plots of evildoers.
\nThey sharpen their tongues like swords
\nand aim cruel words like deadly arrows.
\nThey shoot from ambush at the innocent;
\nthey shoot suddenly, without fear.
\nThey encourage each other in evil plans,
\nthey talk about hiding their snares;
\nthey say, “Who will see it?”
\nThey plot injustice and say,
\n“We have devised a perfect plan!”
\nSurely the human mind and heart are cunning.<\/em><\/p>\n

But God will shoot them with his arrows;
\nthey will suddenly be struck down.
\nHe will turn their own tongues against them
\nand bring them to ruin;
\nall who see them will shake their heads in scorn.<\/em><\/p>\n

And of course Psalm 109:7-19–
\nWhen he is tried, let him be found guilty,
\nand may his prayers condemn him.
\nMay his days be few;
\nmay another take his place of leadership….
\nMay a creditor seize all he has;
\nmay strangers plunder the fruits of his labor.
\nMay no one extend kindness to him
\nor take pity on his fatherless children….<\/em><\/p>\n

For he never thought of doing a kindness,
\nbut hounded to death the poor
\nand the needy and the brokenhearted.
\nHe loved to pronounce a curse —
\nmay it come back on him.
\nHe found no pleasure in blessing —
\nmay it be far from him.
\nHe wore cursing as his garment;
\nit entered into his body like water,
\ninto his bones like oil.
\nMay it be like a cloak wrapped about him,
\nlike a belt tied forever around him.<\/em><\/p>\n

Psalm 140:8-13–
\nDo not grant the wicked their desires, Lord;
\ndo not let their plans succeed.
\nThose who surround me proudly rear their heads;
\nmay the mischief of their lips engulf them.
\nMay burning coals fall on them;
\nmay they be thrown into the fire,
\ninto miry pits, never to rise.
\nMay slanderers not be established in the land;
\nmay disaster hunt down the violent.
\nI know that the Lord secures justice for the poor
\nand upholds the cause of the needy.
\nSurely the righteous will praise your name,
\nand the upright will live in your presence.<\/em><\/p>\n

And finally, Psalm 146:<\/p>\n

Praise the Lord.<\/em><\/p>\n

Praise the Lord, my soul.<\/em><\/p>\n

I will praise the Lord all my life;
\nI will sing praise to my God as long as I live.
\nDo not put your trust in princes,
\nin human beings, who cannot save.
\nWhen their spirit departs, they return to the ground;
\non that very day their plans come to nothing.
\nBlessed are those whose help is the God of Jacob,
\nwhose hope is the Lord their God.<\/em><\/p>\n

He is the Maker of heaven and earth,
\nthe sea, and everything in them —
\nhe remains faithful forever.
\nHe upholds the cause of the oppressed
\nand gives food to the hungry.
\nThe Lord sets prisoners free,
\nthe Lord gives sight to the blind,
\nthe Lord lifts up those who are bowed down,
\nthe Lord loves the righteous.
\nThe Lord watches over the foreigner
\nand sustains the fatherless and the widow,
\nbut he frustrates the ways of the wicked.<\/em><\/p>\n

The Lord reigns forever,
\nyour God, O Zion, for all generations.<\/em><\/p>\n

Praise the Lord.<\/em><\/p>\n

May it be so, Lord. Amen and amen.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Psalm 58:1-2 — Do you rulers indeed speak justly? Do you judge people with equity? No, in your heart you devise injustice, and your hands mete out violence on the earth. It seemed appropriate that last week, as our president-elect was threatening war against Greenland, Canada, and Panama, that I was having my quiet times […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[55,66],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-14127","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-praying-with-the-psalmists","category-wisdom-psalms"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sonderbooks.com\/sonderjourneys\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14127","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sonderbooks.com\/sonderjourneys\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sonderbooks.com\/sonderjourneys\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sonderbooks.com\/sonderjourneys\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sonderbooks.com\/sonderjourneys\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=14127"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/sonderbooks.com\/sonderjourneys\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14127\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":14134,"href":"https:\/\/sonderbooks.com\/sonderjourneys\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14127\/revisions\/14134"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sonderbooks.com\/sonderjourneys\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=14127"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sonderbooks.com\/sonderjourneys\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=14127"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sonderbooks.com\/sonderjourneys\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=14127"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}