Leadership (Psalm 58)

¹ Do you rulers indeed speak justly?
Do you judge people with equity?
² No, in your heart you devise injustice,
and your hands mete out violence on the earth.

³ Even from birth the wicked go astray;
from the womb they are wayward, spreading lies.
⁴ Their venom is like the venom of a snake,
like that of a cobra that has stopped its ears,
⁵ that will not heed the tune of the charmer,
however skillful the enchanter may be.

⁶ Break the teeth in their mouths, O God;
Lord, tear out the fangs of those lions!
⁷ Let them vanish like water that flows away;
when they draw the bow, let their arrows fall short.
⁸ May they be like a slug that melts away as it moves along,
like a stillborn child that never sees the sun.

⁹ Before your pots can feel the heat of the thorns—
whether they be green or dry—the wicked will be swept away.
¹⁰ The righteous will be glad when they are avenged,
when they dip their feet in the blood of the wicked.
¹¹ Then people will say,
“Surely the righteous still are rewarded;
surely there is a God who judges the earth.”

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What struck me in today’s psalm are the harsh words for unjust leaders.  David, a ruler himself, decries the injustice and violence that characterizes the leadership of the unjust.  This psalm is a prayer for justice on behalf of those who have suffered because of the rulers’ unjust rule.

There is certainly no lack of unjust rulers in our world today.  But the truth is that there has never been a lack.  The sinful nature does not mix well with power.

But this leads to two thoughts and prayer in two directions.

As a leader and ruler of sorts, called to lead our church and school organization as well as to provide spiritual leadership for all who are part of our ministry, I am praying that my leadership would indeed be just and would follow in the way of Christ in all things.  I’m praying for forgiveness where that has not been the case, and wisdom in what God is calling me to do in leadership today and in the future.

But I’m also praying for others in leadership and authority – as well as those aspiring to be in leadership and authority.  In 1 Timothy 2:1-2, Paul calls for prayer for kings and all in authority.  So I am praying today also for all government officials – local, state, and national – that they would be led by the Lord to exercise their authority and responsibilities with justice, mercy, and equity.

NOTE:

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