Surely there is a God who judges on earth. (Psalm 58:11)
In this challenging psalm, the writer is invoking God’s divine judgment on his enemies. These people are wicked leaders who are devising evil plans, spreading violence all around (V1-2). Verses 3-10 describe a graphic request for God to deal swiftly and powerfully towards these evil doers.
In our day, we read about or watch a lot of wrongdoing being done by people in the world but also those who have hurt us personally. It would be tempting to take a psalm like this in order to justify praying against the guy who cut us off on our way to the grocery store or call down judgment on the government official who we disagree with.
However, God has called us to love our enemies and to pray for those who persecute us. God does not condone evil or turn a blind eye to it. He sees all and will bring perfect judgement. It was pictured at the cross where the justice of God was displayed when God punished Jesus for our sins. God will complete His work of justice when Jesus returns to do away with all evil. In the meantime, let us pray for the salvation of our enemies and trust God to execute justice in His way and in His time.