How does Psalm 58:5 illustrate the danger of ignoring God's warnings? Setting the Scene • “Their venom is like the venom of a snake, like a cobra that shuts its ears, • refusing to hear the tune of the charmer who skillfully weaves his spell.” What the Image Means • The cobra represents people determined to rebel. • The “charmer” pictures God’s repeated calls through His Word and His servants. • The snake’s self-imposed deafness shows willful refusal, not inability, to hear. How Psalm 58:5 Warns Us • Ignoring God is deliberate; ears must be “shut.” • The danger is immediate: venom is already in the cobra—sin’s poison is active. • No amount of skillful pleading can break a hardened will once it chooses deafness. • Judgment is certain; the psalm quickly moves to God breaking “teeth” (v. 6). Echoes in the Rest of Scripture • Proverbs 29:1 — stiff-necked after many rebukes, “suddenly broken beyond remedy.” • Jeremiah 6:10 — “their ears are closed so they cannot listen.” • Zechariah 7:11–13 — refusal to listen brings a heaven that “will not listen.” • Hebrews 12:25 — “See that you do not refuse Him who is speaking.” • Romans 2:5 — storing up wrath by unrepentant hardness. Take-Home Truths • Hardening is a choice; soft hearts keep listening (Hebrews 3:7–8). • Every call of Scripture is a rescue line—rejecting it tightens sin’s coils. • God’s patience is great but not endless; persistent deafness invites sure judgment. • The safest life is one lived with open ears, quick repentance, and joyful obedience. |
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