Many of the Psalms contain imprecations, that is requests for God to bring judgment upon one’s enemies. There are over a dozen Psalms with this as a major theme; and many others that contain such requests somewhere in the Psalm.
The first occurrence is in Psalm 3, and it is a strong statement. Notice the certain confidence in the request in verse 7, “Arise, O LORD! Save me, O my God! For you strike all my enemies on the cheek; you break the teeth of the wicked.”
What place do these Psalms have in our lives and ministries today? We need to resist our urge to be repulsed and reject them as expressions of an outdated Old Testament religion. Rather, how do we honor the Word of God, and value and use these passages of Scripture?
It is by considering the larger story of redemption that such prayers can become our prayers.
The Progress of the History of Redemption
We need to recognize the historical development in God’s plans which modifies our use of the imprecatory Psalms a bit. For example, though we might experience similar situations as David, we still are not completely like David. He was a directly anointed King over God’s people and had the ark of God’s presence in his midst. We live at a different point in redemptive history.
Our Lord Jesus Christ came and established the New Covenant, inaugurated the Kingdom of God, and has given the Holy Spirit to His Church to preach His Gospel to the world in power. We have a different task to perform, and different interests to protect, and different methodologies to employ. The People of God today are a spiritual people united to Christ, and not embodying a political state; not until Christ returns.
We know we are to “love our enemies” and speak the Gospel of Christ to them, and so it doesn’t seem right to pray for opportunity to slaughter them with a sword.
Three Prayer Modulations for Moderation
We have to learn to pray the imprecations in a New Covenant manner, such as “Smite them on the jaw, and shatter their wicked teeth . . . but in a loving way, O Lord.” This may sound strange, but it is not too poor of a way to express the change of tone required in our prayers.
First, we are not to give up on righteousness being upheld, but to pray and work for it earnestly. Justice is a good thing. We certainly must not take our own vengeance, but do pray that God will uphold His glory whatever it takes. And a good test of our own heart is that we must be willing to see this glory and righteousness displayed even in our suffering and growth.
Second, we should enter humble self-examination before, and every time, we pray imprecations; and yet we can and should rejoice at God’s vindication of His holiness and our righteous cause when it comes. Ultimately, we should desire our enemies’ salvation and even relational reconciliation as the best outcome.
Third, sometimes it is best that we pray our imprecation in a more general and eschatological sense, and less specifically upon individuals for the here and now. This lifts our thoughts and sets our minds on the glory of God, and can be a safeguard against thoughts for personal vengeance.
Undoubtedly there are many times in our lives when concerns for justice and righteousness overwhelm us, whether it is a personal situation of ours, or it is the general condition of a society, or it is the suffering of the weak, or often most painfully when it is someone we know.
And the spectrum of injustice in the world is wide, from daily wrongs we endure all the way to the most infamous crimes of humanity. These seemingly uncommon type of Psalms actually address our common concerns in this world.
So, go ahead and use these imprecatory Psalms to pray for glorious victories and blessings from the Lord. Look to God for more than just refuge, but for full deliverance, in such a way that you wake up each morning with confidence, joy, and song in your heart for the Lord’s new day!
(See related blog: When Your Enemy Falls.)
The first occurrence is in Psalm 3, and it is a strong statement. Notice the certain confidence in the request in verse 7, “Arise, O LORD! Save me, O my God! For you strike all my enemies on the cheek; you break the teeth of the wicked.”
What place do these Psalms have in our lives and ministries today? We need to resist our urge to be repulsed and reject them as expressions of an outdated Old Testament religion. Rather, how do we honor the Word of God, and value and use these passages of Scripture?
It is by considering the larger story of redemption that such prayers can become our prayers.
The Progress of the History of Redemption
We need to recognize the historical development in God’s plans which modifies our use of the imprecatory Psalms a bit. For example, though we might experience similar situations as David, we still are not completely like David. He was a directly anointed King over God’s people and had the ark of God’s presence in his midst. We live at a different point in redemptive history.
Our Lord Jesus Christ came and established the New Covenant, inaugurated the Kingdom of God, and has given the Holy Spirit to His Church to preach His Gospel to the world in power. We have a different task to perform, and different interests to protect, and different methodologies to employ. The People of God today are a spiritual people united to Christ, and not embodying a political state; not until Christ returns.
We know we are to “love our enemies” and speak the Gospel of Christ to them, and so it doesn’t seem right to pray for opportunity to slaughter them with a sword.
Three Prayer Modulations for Moderation
We have to learn to pray the imprecations in a New Covenant manner, such as “Smite them on the jaw, and shatter their wicked teeth . . . but in a loving way, O Lord.” This may sound strange, but it is not too poor of a way to express the change of tone required in our prayers.
First, we are not to give up on righteousness being upheld, but to pray and work for it earnestly. Justice is a good thing. We certainly must not take our own vengeance, but do pray that God will uphold His glory whatever it takes. And a good test of our own heart is that we must be willing to see this glory and righteousness displayed even in our suffering and growth.
Second, we should enter humble self-examination before, and every time, we pray imprecations; and yet we can and should rejoice at God’s vindication of His holiness and our righteous cause when it comes. Ultimately, we should desire our enemies’ salvation and even relational reconciliation as the best outcome.
Third, sometimes it is best that we pray our imprecation in a more general and eschatological sense, and less specifically upon individuals for the here and now. This lifts our thoughts and sets our minds on the glory of God, and can be a safeguard against thoughts for personal vengeance.
2 Thessalonians 1:6–10 ESV “since indeed God considers it just to repay with affliction those who afflict you, and to grant relief to you who are afflicted as well as to us, when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with his mighty angels in flaming fire, inflicting vengeance on those who do not know God and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. They will suffer the punishment of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might, when he comes on that day to be glorified in his saints, and to be marveled at among all who have believed, because our testimony to you was believed.”These Psalms Address Our Experiences
Undoubtedly there are many times in our lives when concerns for justice and righteousness overwhelm us, whether it is a personal situation of ours, or it is the general condition of a society, or it is the suffering of the weak, or often most painfully when it is someone we know.
And the spectrum of injustice in the world is wide, from daily wrongs we endure all the way to the most infamous crimes of humanity. These seemingly uncommon type of Psalms actually address our common concerns in this world.
So, go ahead and use these imprecatory Psalms to pray for glorious victories and blessings from the Lord. Look to God for more than just refuge, but for full deliverance, in such a way that you wake up each morning with confidence, joy, and song in your heart for the Lord’s new day!
(See related blog: When Your Enemy Falls.)
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