by Frank Luke
FCF: The world is so broken that only God can bring true justice.
The book of Psalms, beloved by both Christians and Jews, served as the hymnbook for the Jews. Even though the whole book is called “praises,” many psalms are not what we would consider praises. They are thanksgiving, worship, teaching, and many other types. However, all are considered praises.
When studying the Psalms, they fall naturally into different categories. We have looked at two types of psalms so far: wisdom and laments. We will look at a third type, imprecatory psalms. Last time, we spoke of how Christians are so uncomfortable with laments. We do not sing them because we feel the need to put on a happy face. Since Jesus has taken our sins, what do we have to feel sad about?
We are even more uncomfortable with the imprecatory Psalm. Even more than laments, these are raw emotions. Before anything else, let’s define the term. Imprecatory means “to call forth evil upon or curse on your enemies.”
As you turn with me to one of the most famous imprecatory Psalms, Psalm 109, remember that these are God inspired. Working through David’s rawest emotions, this is what the Holy Spirit inspired to be written. The justice David seeks is God’s justice.
Psalm 109:1 For the choir director. A Psalm of David. O God of my praise, Do not be silent! 2 For they have opened the wicked and deceitful mouth against me; They have spoken against me with a lying tongue. 3 They have also surrounded me with words of hatred, And fought against me without cause. 4 In return for my love they act as my accusers; But I am in prayer. 5 Thus they have repaid me evil for good And hatred for my love. 6 Appoint a wicked man over him, And let an accuser stand at his right hand. 7 When he is judged, let him come forth guilty, And let his prayer become sin. 8 Let his days be few; Let another take his office. 9 Let his children be fatherless And his wife a widow. 10 Let his children wander about and beg; And let them seek sustenance far from their ruined homes. 11 Let the creditor seize all that he has, And let strangers plunder the product of his labor. 12 Let there be none to extend lovingkindness to him, Nor any to be gracious to his fatherless children. 13 Let his posterity be cut off; In a following generation let their name be blotted out. 14 Let the iniquity of his fathers be remembered before the LORD, And do not let the sin of his mother be blotted out. 15Let them be before the LORD continually, That He may cut off their memory from the earth; 16 Because he did not remember to show lovingkindness, But persecuted the afflicted and needy man, And the despondent in heart, to put them to death. 17 He also loved cursing, so it came to him; And he did not delight in blessing, so it was far from him. 18 But he clothed himself with cursing as with his garment, And it entered into his body like water And like oil into his bones. 19Let it be to him as a garment with which he covers himself, And for a belt with which he constantly girds himself. 20 Let this be the reward of my accusers from the LORD, And of those who speak evil against my soul. 21 But You, O GOD, the Lord, deal kindly with me for Your name’s sake; Because Your lovingkindness is good, deliver me; 22 For I am afflicted and needy, And my heart is wounded within me. 23 I am passing like a shadow when it lengthens; I am shaken off like the locust. 24 My knees are weak from fasting, And my flesh has grown lean, without fatness. 25 I also have become a reproach to them; When they see me, they wag their head. 26 Help me, O LORD my God; Save me according to Your lovingkindness. 27 And let them know that this is Your hand; You, LORD, have done it. 28 Let them curse, but You bless; When they arise, they shall be ashamed, But Your servant shall be glad. 29 Let my accusers be clothed with dishonor, And let them cover themselves with their own shame as with a robe. 30 With my mouth I will give thanks abundantly to the LORD; And in the midst of many I will praise Him. 31 For He stands at the right hand of the needy, To save him from those who judge his soul.
What has been Done:
O God of my praise, Do not be silent! 2 For they have opened the wicked and deceitful mouth against me; They have spoken against me with a lying tongue. 3 They have also surrounded me with words of hatred, And fought against me without cause. 4 In return for my love they act as my accusers; But I am in prayer. 5 Thus they have repaid me evil for good And hatred for my love.
David begins by recounting what has been done to him. They have lied with wickedness. They have not been mistaken; they knew the truth yet spoke differently. They hated and fought without cause. David was innocent of what they accused. Even as he tried to offer them love, they turned against him. David then begins to lay out what God should do to them.
6 Appoint a wicked man over him, And let an accuser stand at his right hand. 7 When he is judged, let him come forth guilty, And let his prayer become sin. 8 Let his days be few; Let another take his office. 9 Let his children be fatherless And his wife a widow. 10 Let his children wander about and beg; And let them seek sustenance far from their ruined homes. 11 Let the creditor seize all that he has, And let strangers plunder the product of his labor. 12 Let there be none to extend lovingkindness to him, Nor any to be gracious to his fatherless children. 13 Let his posterity be cut off; In a following generation let their name be blotted out. 14 Let the iniquity of his fathers be remembered before the LORD, And do not let the sin of his mother be blotted out. 15 Let them be before the LORD continually, That He may cut off their memory from the earth;
We Christians really do not know how to handle these psalms. To us, they appear mean and vindictive. The psalm writers beg for God to pour out His wrath on unbelievers. Why would they write this? We think let God handle it, that’s exactly what the psalm writers wanted. They just went into great detail about how He should handle it.
Obviously, the complete revelation of God had not come. So were these written wrongly? No. They saw through a glass darkly. We should not see these as degenerate and sub Christian. They are heartfelt emotions of believers who lived before the statement of love your enemies, bless those who curse you. At this time, God is still revealing Himself to the Hebrews. It is unfolding. Yes, they comprehend it better than we do, and the desire for God’s revenge was more relevant to them. Very importantly, note that all of Scripture is timely and timeless. It had meaning when it was written, and it still teaches us today. Some books written by believers, even those near the time of Christ, were not inspired, and though they give good teachings about living the Christian life, were not kept in the Bible, but the imprecatory psalms were.
Remember that the world the Hebrews lived in was one of physical distress and danger. Their enemies of the flesh were on all sides, hammering away at them. Even with all their differences in religion, all the surrounding empires had one concept they understood and agreed on: the stronger god wins. As long as Ba’al reigned supreme in heaven, so did Babylon. When Babylon fell, it was because the gods of Media and Persia had ousted Ba’al. For an unbeliever to see disaster meant his god was weaker. These were prayers for the Lord to show His strength among the nations.
Just like Christians, the Hebrews wanted to fully identify with God. For them, this meant seeing God’s enemies as their own. They wanted God to show Himself mighty and uphold His honor among the Heavens. God would show the righteous cause by crushing His enemies. These prayers are for God to glorify Himself against those who deny His law.
Why David Wants It:
16 Because he did not remember to show lovingkindness, But persecuted the afflicted and needy man, And the despondent in heart, to put them to death. 17 He also loved cursing, so it came to him; And he did not delight in blessing, so it was far from him. 18 But he clothed himself with cursing as with his garment, And it entered into his body like water And like oil into his bones. 19 Let it be to him as a garment with which he covers himself, And for a belt with which he constantly girds himself. 20 Let this be the reward of my accusers from the LORD, And of those who speak evil against my soul.
When he wrote this, David was surrounded by implacable enemies. It was a fight he could not win on his own. It was also not a fight he got into for bad reasons. When he wrote this, calling on God to save him, he was in the right and in danger. God will not answer a prayer like this when you are in the wrong. It must be for a righteous cause when the danger is great. It is not for when annoyed or irritated, it must be danger to self or others.
Some will quote how both testaments state “Vengeance is mine, saith the Lord, I will repay.” That’s exactly what these psalms ask. David is not going to go and make war himself. He is asking God to bring justice.
We do not see much justice these days. Wherever you turn, you can hear about someone getting away with great evil because of their connections and power. I’m sure each of us could name ten people who should be in jail without thinking too hard. We often cry out for mercy for ourselves and sometimes even think that mercy should be first and foremost offered to all.
But God delivers justice, also. The two must be in balance. Mercy and justice met at the cross. God’s justice made mercy possible. We concentrate so much on mercy that we ignore justice.
It all comes to glorifying God. It doesn’t stop at a cry for vengeance. The Hebrew sees that as how God will glorify Himself against those who deny His sovereignty and law. Two things need to be remembered when reading these Psalms: 1) God’s displeasure at sin would be demonstrated at the cross, and 2) God’s longsuffering allowed the wicked to enjoy temporary success because the final victory had been achieved.
Scripture reminds us that you reap what you sow and that he who sows to the wind will reap the whirlwind. These enemies of David are about to find that out! Their actions will return to them.
They loved cursing, so they will receive curses. They despised blessing, so they will not be blessed. What the enemies have done will come back to them! They cursed others so often, they wore curses like a cloak, that the curses soaked into them. Let this be a reminder to us to seek blessings and not be free with our curses.
What David Wants for Himself:
21 But You, O GOD, the Lord, deal kindly with me for Your name’s sake; Because Your lovingkindness is good, deliver me; 22 For I am afflicted and needy, And my heart is wounded within me. 23 I am passing like a shadow when it lengthens; I am shaken off like the locust. 24 My knees are weak from fasting, And my flesh has grown lean, without fatness. 25 I also have become a reproach to them; When they see me, they wag their head. 26 Help me, O LORD my God; Save me according to Your lovingkindness. 27 And let them know that this is Your hand; You, LORD, have done it. 28 Let them curse, but You bless; When they arise, they shall be ashamed, But Your servant shall be glad. 29 Let my accusers be clothed with dishonor, And let them cover themselves with their own shame as with a robe. 30 With my mouth I will give thanks abundantly to the LORD; And in the midst of many I will praise Him. 31 For He stands at the right hand of the needy, To save him from those who judge his soul.
David admits his need for God. He is shaken, he is passing away, he is weak, and appears shameful. Only God can save him. With lovingkindness, God will save David and return shame to the enemies. In all of this, David will keep praising the Lord. And it doesn’t end with David. All of the needy will be helped by God.
David’s cry for justice doesn’t end with himself. He sees beyond. He knows that his enemies fought not only him but others whom God loved. He knows that what God does is right. When God brings justice, He makes everything right. Those the enemies curse, God will bless. The enemies go forth in pride but come back shamed.
This is God’s justice! He breaks the prideful and raises the lowly!
Conclusion: The question remains can a Christian pray the imprecatory prayers? Can we ask God to curse others? I say yes, and in this manner. First, we pray them against Satan as he comes against you to lure you to sin and wickedness. Secondly, pray it against your own sinful nature. I guarantee, thinking of how God can crush you puts your actions in a new light. Thirdly, pray it against those who work for the evil powers seeking to ruin the world.
What situations are you in that might move you to pray like this? It must be a cause that God will support, a threat of terrible harm or suffering, and help cannot come from any other source. It cannot come from a heart of vengeance. It must come from a hurting heart. A heart directly wronged. It wants to see God stop evil. When evil is stopped, joy is refreshed. When we see God’s righteousness poured out like this, we should praise all day long.
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