To the Chief Musician. Set to "Do Not Destroy." A Michtam of David.
The meaning of the title is somewhat obscure. "Do Not Destroy" is the word Al-tashheth and may be a Psalm everyone knew at the time, thus indicating this Psalm would be sung to this song. The meaning of a Michtam is also mostly speculation. The word means to engrave or an engraving on a sculpture. One interesting speculation is these Psalm were engraved in the caves where David was hiding while fleeing from Saul.
1 Do you indeed speak righteousness, you silent ones?
Do you judge uprightly, you sons of men?
2 No, in heart you work wickedness;
You weigh out the violence of your hands in the earth.
These questions are intended for the leaders of men. Those that were supposed to be righteous and stand up for righteousness had learned to keep quiet. They had chosen silence, which in this case was a vote for unrighteousness. The hearts of these men were wicked and they 'weigh out' the violence all over the land. This weighing out was to measure their violence, spreading it around to everyone. The measure of violence in all directions is the little leaven that would leaven an entire culture.
3 The wicked are estranged from the womb;
They go astray as soon as they are born, speaking lies.
4 Their poison is like the poison of a serpent;
They are like the deaf cobra that stops its ear,
5 Which will not heed the voice of charmers,
Charming ever so skillfully.
These mean were identified with wickedness from the womb. We are all infected with sin in our inherited sinful nature. These men seemed to have been born for the purpose of speaking their lies and poisoning the lives of others. The poison of a serpent is a visual of the fangs of the cobra, dripping with poison, ready to kill. The deaf cobra cannot be tamed by the charmer because it cannot hear. It will strike the charmer in spite of their efforts. This is the picture of these evil men who spread their lies and deceit all the while paying no attention and not hearing those calling for them to deal in righteousness.
6 Break their teeth in their mouth, O God!
Break out the fangs of the young lions, O LORD!
7 Let them flow away as waters which run continually;
When he bends his bow,
Let his arrows be as if cut in pieces.
8 Let them be like a snail which melts away as it goes,
Like a stillborn child of a woman, that they may not see the sun.
In the first part of the Psalm David makes his case against these guys. Then in the 2nd part the Psalm becomes imprecatory as David calls for their destruction. Their means of doing evil was likened to the fangs of poison, now David calls for those fangs to be broken out. The vicious lion is not near as frightening when his fangs have been broken out. David asks that these enemies would flow away like water. You can picture here the water that is just absorbed into the ground and gone. When these enemies use their arrows, David prays they would be ineffective, as if cut in pieces. They would not fly, they would cause no harm. To pray that God would make them like a snail might be the thought that in the trail they leave behind there is the appearance they are depleted to nothing. A stillborn never had the first thought or action. It was completely incapable of life.
9 Before your pots can feel the burning thorns,
He shall take them away as with a whirlwind,
As in His living and burning wrath.
10 The righteous shall rejoice when he sees the vengeance;
He shall wash his feet in the blood of the wicked,
11 So that men will say,
"Surely there is a reward for the righteous;
Surely He is God who judges in the earth."
This is the swift and sure action of the Lord. David calls for God dealing with these men quicker than their pot can feel the fire; as if a by a whirlwind. The righteous will see the Lord move on their behalf. And men will know that God is for, and with, the righteous. He is God and He will judge, He will enforce His righteousness in His way. We can call for all kinds of imprecatory action, but only God has the right and the wisdom to enforce His judgment.
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