READ Psalm 58:1–5. 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.
EVIL IN THE CORRIDORS OF POWER. Political corruption is not a new phenomenon. Men and women were commissioned to rule the world and cultivate its riches as stewards, seeing all they have as belonging to God (Genesis 1:26–30). But under sin they rule out of self-interest, exploiting others to increase their assets and power. David rightly denounces them, but his description of the wicked in verse 3 is striking, because in Psalm 51:5 he admits that he too has been “sinful from the time my mother conceived me.” Whenever we confront a wrongdoer, no matter how evil, we are looking in a mirror. If you, unlike the people you see, have been “granted repentance that leads to life” (Acts 11:18) or to “a knowledge of the truth (2 Timothy 2:25), you have “only God to thank.”41
Prayer: Lord, put into authority honest, wise, and generous leaders. And when I see those who are not so, do not let me fall into the error of thinking that I would be impervious to the temptations of power. Establish justice in our land. Amen.