Heart of a Psalmist - Worshipping Christ Through The Psalms

“They spit poison like deadly snakes; they are like cobras that refuse to listen, ignoring the tunes of the snake charmers, no matter how skillfully they play.”(4,5)

David describes the snake-like effect of sin upon the human race. Mankind infected with original sin becomes like poisonous serpents that close their ears to the middle-eastern charmers. ‘All the arts of sorcery are lost upon them…The most inventive affection and the most untiring patience cannot change their mind 2 .’ Jesus died upon the cross to destroy the serpent nature of mankind and provide a new nature created in the image of God: “And as Moses lifted up the bronze snake on a pole in the wilderness, so I, the Son of Man, must be lifted up on a pole so that everyone who believes in me will have eternal life.” (Jn. 3:14,15) David begins a rapid-fire prayer using 7 unforgettable metaphors to describe the judgment upon his en- emies. Songwriters and poets should note his use of everyday pictures from biblical times to depict the realities of the spiritual realm. 1. The Fangs of a Snake- “Break off their fangs, O God!” (6) This was a technique of the middle- eastern snake charmer to render the serpent harmless. Our enemy, the devil, has had his fangs broken! 2. The Jaws of a Lion- “Smash the jaws of these lions, O Lord!” (6) A lion with his jaw smashed is unable to bite with any pressure and is made harmless. Our adversary had his jaw smashed at the cross. 3. Water into Dry Ground- “May they disappear like water into thirsty ground.” (7) Like the small streams that dissipate uselessly into the desert the wicked will have no lasting effect upon the right- eous. 4. Defective arrow- “Make their weapons useless in their hands.” (7) This is referring to an arrow that has either been broken at the shaft or had the sharp head removed making it ineffective. The NIV translates it: “when they draw the bow, let their arrows be blunted.” 5. Dissolving Snails- “May they be like snails that dissolve into slime…”(8) Snails secrete moisture in order to move, if they get into a dry place where there is no water to replenish them, they literally dis- solve into a slimy pool. This was the fate of David’s vicious enemy. 6. A Stillborn Child- “…like a stillborn child who will never see the sun.” (8) This is the most tragic of all the metaphors. David prays that these corrupt rulers will be like an aborted child who never had the opportunity to live out the course of their life. 7. The Cooking Pot- “God will sweep them away, both young and old, faster than a pot heats on an open flame.” (9) This is one of the verses in the Old Testament that is very difficult to translate from the ancient Hebrew and is presented in a variety of ways in the different versions of the Bible. An alter- native to the above translation is the thought that God will come like a whirlwind and overturn the cook- ing pot before the wood can burn completely and the meat can be cooked. The general result is the same; God won’t allow the expected meal to be prepared and eaten, the appetite of the wicked will not be fulfilled. “The godly will rejoice when they see injustice avenged. They will wash their feet in the blood of the wicked. Then at last everyone will say, ‘There truly is a reward for those who live for God; surely there is a God who judges justly here on earth.’” This psalm definitely has a gruesome tone as it speaks of snakes, snails and stillborn children but it ends on a positive chord. As the evil-hearted meet their doom, the righteous rejoices at the victory that only God could secure for them. Washing their feet in the blood of the wicked is a poetical way of de- picting the soldiers leaving a battlefield among the slain bodies of their enemy. The judgment of God makes it clear that it is far better to serve the Lord than to abandon our relationship with Him. The Message translation of this last verse says: “It’s worth it to play by the rules.” Scroggie states: ‘ …he who does not rejoice at the triumph of good over evil is not righteous. Judgment is proceeding all the time. The wicked are destroying themselves all the time by their wickedness and the righteous are being blessed all the time in virtue of their righteousness.’ Though we all have gone astray from birth II BROKEN FANGS - 6-9 III BLOOD OF THE WICKED - 10,11

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