So that a man shall say, Verily there is a reward for the righteous: verily he is a God that judgeth in the earth.
Psalm 58 is a psalm of David against corrupt rulers and unjust men who pervert judgment (vv. 1-2). He exposes their wickedness, compares their malice to venomous serpents (vv. 3-5), and calls upon God to break their power and bring them to nothing (vv. 6-9). The verse before this declares that the righteous shall rejoice when God’s judgment is openly seen (v.10). This final verse gives the conclusion drawn from such acts of providence: when God judges wickedness and vindicates His people, men are compelled to confess that righteousness is not vain and that God actively governs the earth.
“So that a man shall say.” God’s judgments are not mute events. They speak. When proud men fall, when oppression is overturned, when hidden wickedness is exposed, observers are forced to interpret what they see. Even those not previously wise may be brought to acknowledge divine government. The phrase shows that God’s works create testimony in the world. As the psalmist elsewhere declares, “The righteous also shall see, and fear, and shall laugh at him” (Psalm 52:6). Thus, providence becomes a sermon to mankind.
“Verily there is a reward for the righteous.” “Verily” means surely, certainly, without doubt. At times, it may appear that the righteous labor in vain while the wicked prosper. David & Asaph both wrestled with such matters elsewhere (Psalm 37; Psalm 73). Yet when God acts, the lie is exposed. There is indeed a reward for the righteous, not always immediate riches or ease, but the favor of God, preservation, peace of conscience, spiritual blessing, and final glory. As it is written, “Say ye to the righteous, that it shall be well with him: for they shall eat the fruit of their doings.” (Isaiah 3:10).
This reward is often hidden for a season, which is why faith is required. The righteous may suffer reproach, losses, persecution, or delay. But God forgets neither their work nor their tears (Hebrews 6:10; 1 Corinthians 15:58; Psalm 56:8; 2 Kings 20:5). As David says elsewhere, “Mark the perfect man, and behold the upright: for the end of that man is peace” (Psalm 37:37). Therefore, no obedience is wasted, and no trust in God is empty.
“Verily he is a God that judgeth in the earth.” This is the greater conclusion: God is not distant, indifferent, or absent from human affairs. He judges “in the earth,” meaning in the present world, within history, among nations, families, rulers, and individuals. Though final judgment is yet to come, temporal judgments already declare His rule. Pharaoh, Saul, Absalom, Herod, and many others stand in Scripture as witnesses that God judges in the earth.
This truth should steady the soul when wickedness seems unchecked. Men may delay justice, courts may fail, rulers may lie, and violence may prosper for a time, yet none escape the Judge of all. As Abraham said, “That be far from thee to do after this manner, to slay the righteous with the wicked: and that the righteous should be as the wicked, that be far from thee: Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?” (Genesis 18:25). What men call chance, accident, or mere politics is often the unseen hand of God bringing counsel to pass.
This verse also points forward to the greater reign of Jesus Christ, to whom all judgment is committed (John 5:22). The same God who judges in providence will judge openly by the Man whom He hath ordained (Acts 17:31). Therefore, present judgments are foretastes of that final day when every wrong shall be answered and every secret brought to light.
This verse sets forth the certainty of divine justice and the blessed outcome of righteousness. Therefore, let the heart not envy the wicked, the tongue confess God’s righteous government, and the ear receive patience under trial. As the psalmist declares, “Fret not thyself because of evildoers, neither be thou envious against the workers of iniquity” (Psalm 37:1), and James warns, “Grudge not one against another, brethren, lest ye be condemned: behold, the judge standeth before the door” (James 5:9).
So that a man shall say, Verily there is a reward for the righteous: verily he is a God that judgeth in the earth.
Psalm 58 is a psalm of David against corrupt rulers and unjust men who pervert judgment (vv. 1-2). He exposes their wickedness, compares their malice to venomous serpents (vv. 3-5), and calls upon God to break their power and bring them to nothing (vv. 6-9). The verse before this declares that the righteous shall rejoice when God’s judgment is openly seen (v.10). This final verse gives the conclusion drawn from such acts of providence: when God judges wickedness and vindicates His people, men are compelled to confess that righteousness is not vain and that God actively governs the earth.
“So that a man shall say.” God’s judgments are not mute events. They speak. When proud men fall, when oppression is overturned, when hidden wickedness is exposed, observers are forced to interpret what they see. Even those not previously wise may be brought to acknowledge divine government. The phrase shows that God’s works create testimony in the world. As the psalmist elsewhere declares, “The righteous also shall see, and fear, and shall laugh at him” (Psalm 52:6). Thus, providence becomes a sermon to mankind.
“Verily there is a reward for the righteous.” “Verily” means surely, certainly, without doubt. At times, it may appear that the righteous labor in vain while the wicked prosper. David & Asaph both wrestled with such matters elsewhere (Psalm 37; Psalm 73). Yet when God acts, the lie is exposed. There is indeed a reward for the righteous, not always immediate riches or ease, but the favor of God, preservation, peace of conscience, spiritual blessing, and final glory. As it is written, “Say ye to the righteous, that it shall be well with him: for they shall eat the fruit of their doings.” (Isaiah 3:10).
This reward is often hidden for a season, which is why faith is required. The righteous may suffer reproach, losses, persecution, or delay. But God forgets neither their work nor their tears (Hebrews 6:10; 1 Corinthians 15:58; Psalm 56:8; 2 Kings 20:5). As David says elsewhere, “Mark the perfect man, and behold the upright: for the end of that man is peace” (Psalm 37:37). Therefore, no obedience is wasted, and no trust in God is empty.
“Verily he is a God that judgeth in the earth.” This is the greater conclusion: God is not distant, indifferent, or absent from human affairs. He judges “in the earth,” meaning in the present world, within history, among nations, families, rulers, and individuals. Though final judgment is yet to come, temporal judgments already declare His rule. Pharaoh, Saul, Absalom, Herod, and many others stand in Scripture as witnesses that God judges in the earth.
This truth should steady the soul when wickedness seems unchecked. Men may delay justice, courts may fail, rulers may lie, and violence may prosper for a time, yet none escape the Judge of all. As Abraham said, “That be far from thee to do after this manner, to slay the righteous with the wicked: and that the righteous should be as the wicked, that be far from thee: Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?” (Genesis 18:25). What men call chance, accident, or mere politics is often the unseen hand of God bringing counsel to pass.
This verse also points forward to the greater reign of Jesus Christ, to whom all judgment is committed (John 5:22). The same God who judges in providence will judge openly by the Man whom He hath ordained (Acts 17:31). Therefore, present judgments are foretastes of that final day when every wrong shall be answered and every secret brought to light.
This verse sets forth the certainty of divine justice and the blessed outcome of righteousness. Therefore, let the heart not envy the wicked, the tongue confess God’s righteous government, and the ear receive patience under trial. As the psalmist declares, “Fret not thyself because of evildoers, neither be thou envious against the workers of iniquity” (Psalm 37:1), and James warns, “Grudge not one against another, brethren, lest ye be condemned: behold, the judge standeth before the door” (James 5:9).