"A love for truth will inevitably lead to a hatred of error. A love for righteousness will direct us to have a hatred for wickedness. All the while, we must love the enemy, while we hate the enmity." - Jason Jackson
How do you explain such prayers as found in Psalm 35:1,4-6, and 8 -
"Plead my cause, O LORD, with them that strive with me: fight against them that fight against me...Let them be confounded and put to shame that seek after my soul: let them be turned back and brought to confusion that devise my hurt. Let them be as chaff before the wind: and let the angel of the LORD chase them. Let their way be dark and slippery: and let the angel of the LORD persecute them...Let destruction come upon him at unawares; and let his net that he hath hid catch himself: into that very destruction let him fall."?
David was pleading with God to intervene and stand up for him. He was praying that God would exert His power - manifest Himself both for him and to him. He was asking God to fight against his enemy - to disable him so that he could not hurt David.
He asked for the Lord's interposition on his behalf whereby his enemy would be so entirely overcome and subdued...covered with confusion...and put to shame.
He asked that his enemy would be unable to stand before the judgments of God and would be driven away by them.
He asked that his enemy's "way" would be "dark and slippery" whereby he would be unable to see where he was going, what was before him, and what danger he incurred - causing him to be in danger every moment of sliding down a precipice where he would be destroyed.
He prayed that the "angel of the LORD" - the minister of justice and avenging agent employed by God in bringing punishment on wicked people - would pursue his enemy in this "dark and slippery" way.
He prayed that "destruction" would come upon him when he was least expecting it.
And, lastly, he prayed that the same thing would occur to his enemy which he designed for David - that is, to fall into his own trap and let his fall prove his own destruction.
David was not the only one in the Bible to pray such prayers of cursing or malediction.
In Matthew 11:23-24, Jesus spoke a curse over Capernaum when He said - "And thou, Capernaum, which art exalted unto heaven, shalt be brought down to hell: for if the mighty works, which have been done in thee, had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day. But I say unto you, That it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment, than for thee."
In Galatians 1:8-9, the Apostle Paul prayed a prayer of anathema upon the false teachers with these words - "But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed. As we said before, so say I now again, If any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed."
Then, in 2 Timothy 4:14, Paul denounced Alexander the coppersmith by saying - "Alexander the coppersmith did me much evil: the Lord reward him according to his works."
Finally, in Revelation 6:10, we find the prayer of the martyrs under the altar of God asking for vengeance on their persecutors - "And they cried with a loud voice, saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost Thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth?"
But, in reading this, how do you reconcile these Scriptures with Jesus' call to Christians in Luke 6:27-28 which says - "But I say unto you which hear, Love your enemies, do good to them which hate you, Bless them that curse you, and pray for them which despitefully use you."
How do you reconcile Jesus' call to love your enemies with prayers that desire their ruin?
The Scripture passage mentioned at the start of this message - Psalm 35 - is an example of an imprecatory psalm.
An imprecatory psalm is one that invokes judgment upon one's enemies or those perceived as the enemies of God. It contains prayers for the punishment of the psalmist's enemies. Such examples would be - Psalms 5, 7, 10, 17, 35, 55, 58, 59, 69, 70, 79, 83, 109, 137, and 139.
These imprecations coming from the Psalmist were not dealing with personal matters of ill-will and revenge. Rather, they were referring to matters of the honor of God and zeal for His glory against those in rebellion against Him. These prayers of imprecation looked to God as the One to exact vengeance...to defend His people...and to seek His glory as a just God.
R.L. Dabney said this on the matter - "Righteous retribution is one of the glories of divine character. If it is right that God should desire to exercise it, then it cannot be wrong for His people to desire Him to exercise it."
Do you understand what is being said here?
We, as Christians, are not allowed to take vengeance or to take pleasure in revenge. We are to commit all to God and trust Him to do what He says He will do to the honor of His name.
Deuteronomy 32:35 says - "To Me belongeth vengeance, and recompense; their foot shall slide in due time: for the day of their calamity is at hand, and the things that shall come upon them make haste."
Romans 12:19 adds - "Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord."
Since this is very unfamiliar "ground" to most Christians, let's consider more closely the imprecatory psalms to see if we can understand further their purpose.
Simply said, imprecatory psalms are prayers for deliverance from injustice, crime, and oppression. They are appeals to God to administer justice and send penalties on the wicked for their crimes.
The ultimate goal of the imprecatory prayer is to see injustice and cruelty come to an end. Along with that, its purpose is to see evil destroyed... Satan defeated...godliness exalted...righteousness established...and God's kingdom realized.
Knowing this, how does the believer keep all of this in balance?
There are basically two (2) Biblical principles that he must always keep in mind.
He must have the desire to see all people come to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. Along with that, he must also have a desire to see evil destroyed and God's kingdom victorious.
He is instructed in the Word of God to forgive his enemies and to pray for their salvation. However, he must also pray for evil to cease and for justice to be done for the innocent - considering that if just retribution for the evil done is not undertaken by government or by God, then violence and chaos will reign in the society.
William Holloday said it in this way - "The call to love one's enemies must be exercised within the context of the claims of justice: if an injustice has been done, then it needs to be made right."
As a believer, you are to love your enemies and to desire their salvation. At the same time, you are to be zealous in seeing the vindication of God's justice to the glory of His name.
Always remember - imprecations reflect the character of God. They give a taste of His judgments. They emphasize His abhorrence of evil ...His sovereignty over all mankind...and His divine protection of His people. They remind us that He is not only a Loving Father but a terrifying Judge.
God's righteousness will never be established in a nation until evil is conquered and Satan and his followers are put down.
For too long, the Church has simply prayed for the salvation of the lost. However, it is time - like never before - to pray that God will bring judgment on her enemies and overthrow the wicked so that evil will cease and justice will be done for the innocent.
2 Chronicles 20:12 says - "O our God, wilt Thou not judge them? for we have no might against this great company that cometh against us; neither know we what to do: but our eyes are upon Thee."
Psalm 7:9 says - "Oh let the wickedness of the wicked come to an end..."
Psalm 7:11-13 informs us that - "...God is angry with the wicked every day. If he turn not, He will whet His sword; He hath bent His bow, and made it ready. He hath also prepared for him the instruments of death; He ordaineth His arrows against the persecutors."
O God, bring corruption to an end!
May God Bless His Word,
Connie
No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. (Isaiah 54:17)
© COPYRIGHT Connie Giordano - All Rights Reserved