The prophet Jeremiah spoke stinging words of imprecation which parallel the prayers of David and others in the psalms:ĭo give heed to me, O Lord, and listen to what my opponents are saying! Should good be repaid with evil? For they have dug a pit for me. 12:3) prayed, “Rise up, O Lord! And let Thine enemies be scattered, and let those who hate Thee flee before Thee” (Num. Moses (the “meekest man on the face of the earth,” Num. Prayers of imprecation for the destruction of the wicked are to be found throughout the entire Word of God. The problem we face in Psalm 109 is one that is far broader than just one passage, or even one book of the Bible. How blessed will be the one who seizes and dashes your little ones against the rock (Ps. Remember, O Lord, against the sons of Edom the day of Jerusalem, who said, “Raze it, raze it, to its very foundation.” O daughter of Babylon, you devastated one, how blessed will be the one who repays you with the recompense with which you have repaid us. In Psalm 137 we find a cry of vengeance against the Babylonians: Do I not hate those who hate Thee, O Lord? And do I not loathe those who rise up against Thee? I hate them with the utmost hatred they have become my enemies (Ps. For they speak against Thee wickedly, and Thine enemies take Thy name in vain. O that Thou wouldst slay the wicked, O God depart from me, therefore, men of bloodshed. To some the beauty of Psalm 139 is shattered by these words: May they be blotted out of the book of life, and may they not be recorded with the righteous” (Ps.

Other Psalms contain similar prayers for the punishment of evildoers: “Do Thou add iniquity to their iniquity, and may they not come into Thy righteousness. The problem we face in Psalm 109 is not restricted to this psalm, however. Let his children wander about and beg and let them seek sustenance far from their ruined homes” (vv. 184 David not only seeks the punishment of his enemy but also the painful consequences brought on his family: “Let his children be fatherless, and his wife a widow. According to Perowne, there are no less than 30 anathemas pronounced upon David’s enemies in this one psalm. David, the author of the psalm as indicated in the superscription, calls upon God to destroy his enemies in the most horrible ways. Psalm 109 is very troubling to most because it is perhaps the strongest imprecatory 183 psalm in the psalter. There are soul-stirring psalms which inspire us to worship and praise such as Psalm 103.

Some psalms are soothing, such as Psalm 23. If classified as movies are today, it would hardly receive a “G” rating.

Psalm 109 is a similarly unpleasant passage for many. The one who did consent asked to pray before the text was read rather than afterward as was our custom! Several who were asked to read this scripture passage in our teaching hour declined. A very difficult text from Judges 19 which I preached several years ago describes the gruesome account of the attempted homosexual rape of a Levite, the brutal rape of his concubine, and the dismembering of her body into twelve pieces, which were sent to the twelve tribes of Israel by her husband.

Those who conspire against you