“Justice—do you rulers know the meaning of the word? Do you judge the people fairly? No! You plot injustice in your hearts. You spread violence throughout the land. These wicked people are born sinners; even from birth they have lied and gone their own way.” Psalms 58:1-3 NLT
David’s gritty tune. The caption for Psalm 58 is “sung to the tune of Do Not Destroy.” Come on, you know that old song, Do Not Destroy 😂😂😂. The words, Al taschet (Hebrew: אַל-תַּשְׁחֵת, do not destroy. Catchy huh?
This Psalm was written when David was a younger man, for sure under 30 years old. Younger men are pretty angsty and far more black and white in their views of justice.
Saul and/or Abner was in constant and hot pursuit of David. He was running for his life, hiding in caves and scrounging for food. Saul had made David out to be an outlaw, a traitor. People risked their lives to provide food and shelter for him.
It’s ironic that David is so clear minded about justice when he’s being hunted, contrasted to how foggy he was on justice when he raped his neighbor’s wife and murdered Uriah later in his life and kingship. Late in the afternoon after his kingly nap, King David is wandering on his rooftop and feeling, you know, frisky. He sees, he PLOTS, he takes. Once a man of principle and character while in the caves, later he’s a power hungry pervert. He wasn’t singing “Do Not Destroy” as he aged and climbed the social ladder to the throne.
Should only young men be concerned and vocal about injustice? Do old men have more skeletons in the closet, more risk of losing what they had worked so hard to obtain? You see these patterns in many of our social structures today. Men of power having to hide more dirt as they climb in politics, business, and even the Church. Maybe old men should be more active in cleaning and clearing out our own dirt, our own injustices – confessing and repenting of our sins before God. David could clearly see injustice when young, but his heart became so clouded as he aged.
Prayer
Dad,
Is this why men become so less engaged as we age? Men not only lose heart, they also lose energy and clarity as we make our way through life. I would hope that wisdom brings both a sense of perspective and a renewed voice to speak out, live out a sense of justice for those who are weak and alone. Help us, as men, to continue to walk humbly and see clearly, constantly purging our hearts and minds of plans and plots to selfishly satisfy our own souls.