Imprecetory
The Psalms • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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I believe when going through the Psalms, the type of Psalm we are going through today tends to be largely ignored. They are hard to go through. The reason being is the harsh language in it. This is what is called an imprecatory Psalm.
When studying the imprecatory psalms, it is important to note that these psalms were not written out of vindictiveness or a need for personal vengeance. Instead, they are prayers that keep God’s justice, sovereignty, and protection in mind. God’s people had suffered much at the hands of those who opposed them, including the Hittites, Amorites, Philistines, and Babylonians . These groups were not only enemies of Israel, but they were also enemies of God; they were degenerate and ruthless conquerors who had repeatedly tried and failed to destroy the Lord’s chosen people. In writing the imprecatory psalms, the authors sought vindication on God’s behalf as much as they sought their own.
The Psalmist here could be angry, and it is something I think that we all struggle with. How do we deal with the feelings inside of us against those people we feel have wronged us. We may play through scenarios in our minds of what it would b like if we got even with people. We may just want to punch them and get it over with. But whatever the case it is hard to deal with when God says that vengeance is not ours.
While Jesus Himself quoted some imprecatory psalms (John 2:17; 15:25), He also instructed us to love our enemies and pray for them (Matthew 5:44–48; Luke 6:27–38). The New Testament makes it clear that our enemy is spiritual, not physical. It is not sinful to pray the imprecatory psalms against our spiritual enemies, but we should also pray with compassion and love and even thanksgiving for people who are under the devil’s influence. We should desire their salvation.
But how do we reconcile the idea that we are to love our neighbor and our enemies while at the same time praying for God’s justice and wrath on His enemies? How do we reconcile what we are going to read with what Jesus taught?
Be Exultant Lord, Do Something! (vv. 1–5)
Lord, Do Something! (vv. 1–5)
First of all we go through a bit of the language of the Psalm and how to reconcile loving others and the wrath of the Lord. Had we been in situations like David had, maybe we would pray the same way that He did as well. This first passage sets the tone for the rest of the Psalm.
God of my praise, do not be silent.
We start out with getting a glimpse into how David was likely feeling when He wrote this Psalm.
It is not that God was silent, or that God was refusing to talk to David, but due to the situation that He was in likely it felt as if the Lord God was silent. We feel that way sometimes as well. We can understand what David was thinking when He was going through this.
Sometimes due to what we have been doing, it feels like God is silent and is ignoring us. I believe that wen this happens it is due to our own taking our eye off of God and on ourselves. This is a prayer we need to remember for ourselves as well. Oh Lord do not forget me, do not be silent, speak to me through your word, guide me in where I need to go. But then we need to go through the work ourselves of drawing closer to God. It cant be one sided.
That being said sometimes we still cry out God where are you, and we need to remember that He is where He has always been, on the throne
For wicked and deceitful mouths open against me; they speak against me with lying tongues. They surround me with hateful words and attack me without cause.
The tone of the rest of the Psalm is as follows. God feels far away, feels like He abandoned us and we cry out to Him in distress. We do this because a wicked mouth, a mouth of a deceiver and a lying tongue have opened up against us from the world around us.
Wickedness lying and deceiving seem to be the way of the world and they throw hateful words at us. They say it is okay to believe what you want to believe but when we try and tell people what it is we believe and we do not line up with the world, the amount of hate and vitriol that comes are way is somewhat amazing. Sure we are not completely innocent all the time, and churches give the rest of us a bad name sometimes, but it makes it hard to want to live a life for God when this type of attitude comes up against us.
In return for my love they accuse me, but I continue to pray. They repay me evil for good, and hatred for my love.
This part kind of hurts to see, but we see it happen all the time What we are called to do is love them and pray for them.
This can be hard to do. How is it that we can love and pray for people in the midst of hate and lying and deceit. We love, and stand on the truth, which we are called to do. They hate and revile us because of what we believe. It is okay to ask God why, and How long but in the end we need to remember that our goal is to show them the love of Jesus no matter what they might do to us.
Be Exultant Lord, Judge the Enemy! (vv. 6–20)
Lord, Judge the Enemy! (vv. 6–20)
The next few verses are a cry out for vengeance against the enemies of the Lord God. This is what we have a hard time reconciling with the love we are to show our enemies, the grace and peace we are to live out.
Words of Imprecation, that is spoken curses, are piled on here. How Angry the Psalmist must have been. There have been some arguments over whether these are the words of the Psalmist in His prayers to God or whether they are a direct quote of the Psalmists foes that He is lifting up to God. Either way it does not really matter for the end of the passage tells us that He is praying htat thjis be done to those accusing Him.
Set a wicked person over him; let an accuser stand at his right hand. When he is judged, let him be found guilty, and let his prayer be counted as sin. Let his days be few; let another take over his position.
It is hard to read these verses and reconcile them with love and prayer. First of all, one of the things that stood out to me here that I find interesting is the word accuser.
Some versions translate it Adversary and the original Hebrew word is Satan. The word is used throughout the OT and it is used to mean Human adversaries and Satan himself. Only in the NT does it seem to be used as a proper name for the adversary of God. Not Lucifer’s actual name, but the name adversary is used as a name and to describe who Lucifer is and what He has done in relation to How the enemies of god have treated His children.
We have a case of injustice against the people of God, How unfair it seems that this will happen to God’s children. to read through the rest is not necessary. But we will go throuigh a bit more to get the point of what is being said.
Let their sins always remain before the Lord, and let him remove all memory of them from the earth. For he did not think to show kindness, but pursued the suffering, needy, and brokenhearted in order to put them to death. He loved cursing—let it fall on him; he took no delight in blessing—let it be far from him.
He wore cursing like his coat— let it enter his body like water and go into his bones like oil. Let it be like a robe he wraps around himself, like a belt he always wears. Let this be the Lord’s payment to my accusers, to those who speak evil against me.
The last verse, Let this be the repayment of those who come against the Lord God and His children. SO whether this is a quote of the enemies of God against the psalmist being lifted up to God, or the Psalmists prayers, it doesn't matter it all equals out to the same thing in the end. The question that keeps coming back to me is this okay?
Is it okay for language like this to be used in prayer? Is it okay to ask God to condemn our foes and be angry at what they have done to the children of God? It is in the Bible so the answer is yes. But with a but in there. I like to go back to the book of Acts to help explain this as we see it there as well. Paul went to the city of Athens on one of His ministry journeys and His reaction to the people who weren't living for God is what I want to focus on.
While Paul was waiting for them in Athens, he was deeply distressed when he saw that the city was full of idols. So he reasoned in the synagogue with the Jews and with those who worshiped God, as well as in the marketplace every day with those who happened to be there.
Paul encountered a city that was full of idols and people worshipping the idols. Most translations use the words troubled or deeply distressed. Paul was angry. In Greek that is what the word could mean but it is a little stronger then that.
Think of all of the preaching that Paul had done, People all around the world had started to hear of Jesus and what he had done, and here were people worshiping idols. He was angry. He likely brought His anger to God, a His response to the people was different. Though He didn't like what they where doing, His response to the people was not one of the distress or anger that He felt but one of love and the sharing of the gospel.
The children of God are accused unjustly, hated, fought against, rewarded with bad and then how should we respond.
Anger in our hearts but we give it up to God is what we can take from this. Evil and injustice can be confronted or hated because God hates them. That is natural for children of God. He despises sin and so do we. Even anger at what people have done against the Lord God and His children
Anger is expressed but the only way to express anger like this is to give it up to God. We need to give it up to God, to bring these things to God in prayer. and we keep this in mind as we go into the last bit of the Psalm.
Be Exultant Lord, Help Me! (vv. 21–31)
Lord, Help Me! (vv. 21–31)
Though it angers us, we praise God and spread His gospel.
Help me, Lord my God; save me according to your faithful love so they may know that this is your hand and that you, Lord, have done it. Though they curse, you will bless. When they rise up, they will be put to shame, but your servant will rejoice.
what we need to be reminded of through it all though, even through the anger and injustice we might be dealing with is prayer that God will come to help. This is a promise that God is the one who takes us by the hand and says do not fear.
Our goal needs to be, as it says in Verse 27, so that all may see that it is the Lord God who saves. Our prayers, even through giving the anger up to God is to point the to the glory of God. This is why we need to give it all up to God. When they curse we will bless and glorify God. That is to be our response.
My accusers will be clothed with disgrace; they will wear their shame like a cloak. I will fervently thank the Lord with my mouth; I will praise him in the presence of many. For he stands at the right hand of the needy to save him from those who would condemn him.
With our mouths though, we will thank the Lord. With our minds too for that matter. We can be encouraged with the fact that the Lord God wins in the end but in the meantime we need to glorify God with our lives an spread the gospel. God will save, though it might just be in heaven that He saves.
So What?
From here remember a few things.
Do not be surprised at adversity
Do not be surprised at adversity
This is something we are reminded of again and again. Adversity will come our way that should not be a surprise. But what we can learn is what our response to the evil that comes our way needs to be.
It is okay to be angry at the injustice and evil in the world but to dwell on it is a mistake. In an act of non-violence we must take our anger in prayer to the Lord. This is what David was doing here in the scriptures. He is taking His anger, all that he felt about the evil of those who oppose God and took it to the Lord in prayer to ask for the vengeance of the Lord to reign.
In prayer when adversity comes your way, bring it to God, it is God that will have vengeance at the end of time, not us.
Our response is still this.
In spite of adversity, love others
In spite of adversity, love others
Though they curse, you will bless. Though they accuse we will bless, and we continue to pray for them. Our goal remember is to see that it i the Lord God who saves. Our goal in it all is to see the world turn to Jesus before they see the wrath of God.
Are you angered by the sin and the evil in the world, or maybe saddened and concerned, that is normal. But you must bring it to the Lord in Prayer and not dwell on it for our response needs to be to point people to Jesus in all that we do.