There are two major difficulties associated with this psalm. There is a translation difficulty with verse one. There is a perceived doctrinal or attitudinal difficulty with the call for retribution.
The translation difficulty is unlikely to ever be settled. It seems the reading found in most of the manuscripts is unintelligible to the translators. This might be the result of an error by an early scribe or incorrect vowel pointing. It seems impossible to know one of the words originally written in this verse.
This kind of problem is extremely rare with the text of the Bible. The rare occasions when it does occur should not alarm us — our salvation is not affected by these passages. Since the reading is so difficult, the translators try to determine the sense on the basis of the ancient versions and from similar passages. The translations they come up with sound very different, but in the root idea they are not so different as they sound. The ESV and the NASV has the verse addressed to “gods.” This parallels the idea expressed in other scriptures (Psalm 82:1; Col 1:16; Eph 6:12). The NIV and the REB has the verse addressed to “rulers.” The KJV has “congregation.” Other translations say “mighty ones” (JPS; NAB). The ASV & NKJV make an attempt to translate the Hebrew, “Do ye indeed in silence speak righteousness?” and “Do you indeed speak righteousness you silent ones?”
The root idea is clear, although the specifics being addressed are not clear. Someone who is supposed to judge is unjust, perhaps by keeping silent when they ought to speak.
The other difficulty, that of the call for retribution, is also not one that we will completely settle. But note these considerations.
The call for retribution
We have, unfortunately, a seriously diminished concern for justice in this generation. That is part of why these calls for retribution shock us. We also have an incomplete knowledge of the New Testament, for there are several examples of such language there (Romans 13:3-4, 2 Tim 4:14, and Revelation 6:10 being notable examples).
The psalmists could not see how God could be just and let any of this go unpunished, so they had to either demand justice or give up on the idea of a just God.
We must also consider the important function of hyperbole in expressing shock or disgust at unacceptable behaviour. We all use hyperbole, and tend to criticize it in others. Hyperbole is over-used at times, but it has a legitimate function. “I have told you a thousand times” is, of course, literally an untruth. But it is not meant literally. It is meant as a colourful way of saying, “I have made this clear to you, and you are therefore without excuse.”
It is a shameful waste of words to use hyperbole all the time, or to use it regarding trivial matters. But hyperbole is a language tool meant to be used to colourfully and powerfully express outrage. We are not always wrong to use hyperbole in the face of inexcusable injustice or neglect. If God’s people are never to be allowed to use such powerful language tools, then the battle for justice is over. False morals will win if those who promote them are the only ones allowed to speak powerfully.
Having troubled ourselves more than enough over the difficulties, what can we gain from the agreed words of this psalm?
Rebuke
As we have opportunity, we are to rebuke tyrants.
“Do you indeed decree what is right, you gods? Do you judge the children of man uprightly? 2 No, in your hearts you devise wrongs; your hands deal out violence on earth” (1-2).
Nathan (2 Sam 12), John the Baptist (Mt 14:3-4), and Paul (Acts 24:24-25) are all examples of such rebuking of rulers. Rebuking tyrants is not our main job. We should not allow it to distract us from areas of service where we can be more useful. Not everyone in the church is equally suited to this role. But a church that has no moral voice is not a biblical church.
In saying this, we would not want to define tyrants narrowly. Anyone who has a realm of authority, and who fails to act justly within that realm, is a tyrant. It is not only government figures who can become tyrannical. Church leaders, teachers, parents, and others may become guilty within their given spheres.
Describe
We are to describe tyrants.
No, in your hearts you devise wrongs; your hands deal out violence on earth. The wicked are estranged from the womb; they go astray from birth, speaking lies. 4 They have venom like the venom of a serpent, like the deaf adder that stops its ear, 5 so that it does not hear the voice of charmers or of the cunning enchanter” (2-5).
Even if we never get the chance to rebuke a government tyrant, or even a small scale one, we need to be plain, colourful, and clear in our language about such behaviour. People need to know that justice matters. People need to know that justice is the first consideration when evaluating leaders of any kind.
When we look at this descriptionof bad behaviour, I hope that we all feel that we are, at times, looking in the mirror. Knowing that should keep us humble.
Appeal to God
We are to appeal to God to deal with tyrants.
“O God, break the teeth in their mouths; tear out the fangs of the young lions, O Lord! 7 Let them vanish like water that runs away; when he aims his arrows, let them be blunted. 8 Let them be like the snail that dissolves into slime, like the stillborn child who never sees the sun” (6-8).
It is our job to rebuke those within our influence, and to describe tyrants, it is rarely our task to take action against them with our own hands. Instead, we should appeal to God for their punishment.
Bonhoeffer supposedly said, “whoever entrusts revenge to God dismisses any thought of ever taking revenge himself.” Yet, strangely, he tried to kill Hitler.
There may be a time when God’s people must help enforce justice. We should not claim that it can never be right. But our participation in the use of force to enforce justice, if it is ever right, would be a rare occurrence.
Faith
We are instead, by faith, to expect the ultimate overthrow of tyrants.
“Sooner than your pots can feel the heat of thorns, whether green or ablaze, may he sweep them away! 10 The righteous will rejoice when he sees the vengeance; he will bathe his feet in the blood of the wicked. 11 Mankind will say, ‘Surely there is a reward for the righteous; surely there is a God who judges on earth’” (9-11).
One of the reasons that Christians have been able to restrain their hands from attempts at vigilante justice, is their confidence that ultimately God will make it all right. Because we know that He will right every wrong, we do not have to take matters into our own hands. That is a liberating side effect of faith.
The hard part
Now for a hard question. Have we been perfect supporters of justice within our realm of influence? If not, then we have been siding with tyrants.
If we cannot right the wrongs within our own little sphere of influence, then we ought to be able to see that we must turn to God for ultimate justice, and for the correcting of the wrongs of this world. Even that starts at home, with ourselves. Until we have really given all aspects of our lives to God, we should be careful how we call on others to do so. The neglectful parent, the lazy worker, the citizen who is not completely honest, should be careful of calling the Prime Minister too many names. Awareness of our own imperfections should moderate our language when rebuking others and make us depend on God for ultimate justice.