In Psalms, chapter one hundred and nine, verses one through thirty-one, the psalm appeals to God to judge and punish those who are wicked and deceitful. This prayer reflects a concern that justice prevails on earth through the righteous punishment of serious criminals who hurt others for personal gain. Retribution is the only way to protect the innocent and ensure that lawlessness holds in check in society. God commands Christians to obey the state, for the state as an institution is ordained and established by God. God has instituted governments because, in this fallen world, we need certain restraints to protect ourselves from the chaos and lawlessness that is a natural result of sin.
The civil government, like all of life, is subject to God’s law. God has ordained the state to be an agent of justice, to restrain evil by punishing the wrongdoer, and to protect the good in society, as in Romans thirteen, verses three through four, and First Peter two, verses thirteen to seventeen. The Apostle Paul describes the government as it should be. When it abandons its proper function, it is no longer from God nor operating according to His purpose. For example, when the state requires something contrary to the Word of God, Christians must obey God rather than other humans, as in Acts five, verse twenty-nine, Daniel three, verses sixteen through eighteen, and Daniel six, verses six through ten. All believers must pray for those in authority, as in First Timothy two, verses one through two.
God has made provision for the government to execute dangerous criminals who have committed vicious crimes, as in Genesis nine, verse six, and Numbers thirty-five, verses thirty-one and thirty-three. The psalmist’s prayer will find ultimate fulfillment only when God again sends His Son Jesus to destroy all evil and to reign upon the earth, as in Revelation, chapters nineteen through twenty-two.