It would be hard to divide the most beloved of the psalms from the curses.Refusing to pray the entire psalter amounts to a rudimentary form of Neo-Marcionism, a heresy condemned by the early church. Because cutting out parts of the Bible is more like Jefferson than Jesus.This is what we are praying for in the imprecatory psalms. Because with social justice, we must acknowledge that the liberation of sex slaves comes at the incarceration of the enslavers, the lifting up of the poor is the bringing down of their oppressors, equality for minorities includes penalty for hate crimes.We are certainly allowed to pray for this. As James Hamilton points out, a central theme in the Bible is God’s glory in salvation through judgement.We are following Jesus’ example who “When he was reviled, he did not revile in return when he suffered, he did not threaten, but continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly” (1 Peter 2:23).We are the inheritors of this promise to bless and curse: “And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to promise” (Gal 3:29). We are simply asking God to keep his covenant promises to Abraham and his offspring: “I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed” (Gen 12:3).We are primarily praying against God’s enemies, not our own personal vendettas.To curse enemies doesn’t necessarily mean hell.Imprecatory psalms are the songs of the oppressed, always prayed from a position of vulnerability and weakness, not dominance or triumphalism.It shows trust that “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” (Romans 12:19).In the same breath, Paul teaches us to “Bless those who persecute you bless and do not curse them”…he also says “never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God” (Romans 12:14,19). Praying the imprecatory psalms leaves vengeance up to God.“Imprecations are appeals to the Judge of the earth to play the part of Judge” (Peter Leithart). Because in a topsy-turvy world of injustice, they recognize where true justice comes from.16:22) “If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you received, let him be accursed” (Gal 1:9). Paul prayed imprecatory prayers: “If anyone has no love for the Lord, let him be accursed.It cannot be an Old Testament problem because there are similar New Testament prayers, like the saints in heaven: “They cried out with a loud voice, “O Sovereign Lord, holy and true, how long before you will judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?” (Rev.We can pray them in self-imprecation, “If by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live” (Romans 8:13), asking the Spirit to carry on his war against the flesh within us, until everything that opposes God is destroyed.In this way the crucified Jesus teaches us to pray the imprecatory psalms correctly” (Bonhoeffer). Jesus bore the vengeance that the Psalms ask for: “The imprecatory psalm leads to the cross of Jesus and to the love of God which forgives enemies.Since “we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but…against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places” (Ephesians 6:12) therefore we can pray them against Satan and his legions.The coming of the Kingdom includes the vanquishing of the King’s enemies (2 Thes. Because the Lord’s Pattern Prayer teaches us to pray similarly: “Your kingdom come, your will be on earth as it is in heaven” (Matthew 6:10). ![]() The imprecatory (or cursing or vengeance) psalms are probably the most difficult obstacle Christians face when taking up the Psalms as their own prayers.
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