On Tuesday, I posted on the first part of the Friday evening session at WorshipGod08. In the final part of the evening I asked biblical counselor David Powlison to speak on the psalmists’ concern for God’s glory on the earth, expressed in the imprecatory psalms. Those are the prayers in the psalms asking God to punish, restrict, or destroy the wicked. For centuries, Christians have tended to confuse, ignore, or despise them. David’s comment on the imprecatory psalms were wonderfully biblical, insightful, and pastoral. He rephrased the focus to be the psalmists’ concern for what we do with evil. You can download an MP3 here.
David shared that most of the smoke and fog around the imprecatory Psalms comes because we wrench them out of their context. We must read the whole context, the whole Psalm, and the whole of Scripture. When we do that, these Psalms make sense, and have to do with the very heart of our faith. In his message he addressed six points or questions that will help us better understand these psalms and prayers in their context. I’ve listed those points below. If you’re interested, you can download a fuller version of my notes from his message by clicking here.
1. What is an “imprecation”?
It is a plea that God will do what he has promised to do: destroy evil and remove everything that harms others and defames God’s name. For example, God promises ”…the way of the wicked will perish” ( Psalm 1:4-6Psalm 1:4-6
[4]The wicked are not so,
but are like chaff that the wind drives away.
[5]Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment,
nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous;
[6]for the LORD knows the way of the righteous,
but the way of the wicked will perish.
). When evil presses in, prayer pleads for God to make it so.
2. Who is the evildoer in view, when we ask for deliverance?
Ultimately, Satan is the one that that the Psalmists are asking to be destroyed — and the image of Satan expressed in evildoers. When you read the descriptions in, e.g., Psalms 69Psalm 69
[69:1]Save me, O God!
For the waters have come up to my neck.
[2]I sink in deep mire,
where there is no foothold;
I have come into deep waters,
and the flood sweeps over me.
[3]I am weary with my crying out;
my throat is parched.
My eyes grow dim
with waiting for my God.
[4]More in number than the hairs of my head
are those who hate me without cause;
mighty are those who would destroy me,
those who attack me with lies.
What I did not steal
must I now restore?
[5]O God, you know my folly;
the wrongs I have done are not hidden from you.
[6]Let not those who hope in you be put to shame through
me,
O Lord GOD of hosts;
let not those who seek you be brought to dishonor through
me,
O God of Israel.
[7]For it is for your sake that I have borne reproach,
that dishonor has covered my face.
[8]I have become a stranger to my brothers,
an alien to my mother's sons.
[9]For zeal for your house has consumed me,
and the reproaches of those who reproach you have
fallen on me.
[10]When I wept and humbled my soul with fasting,
it became my reproach.
[11]When I made sackcloth my clothing,
I became a byword to them.
[12]I am the talk of those who sit in the gate,
and the drunkards make songs about me.
[13]But as for me, my prayer is to you, O LORD.
At an acceptable time, O God,
in the abundance of your steadfast love answer me in
your saving faithfulness.
[14]Deliver me
from sinking in the mire;
let me be delivered from my enemies
and from the deep waters.
[15]Let not the flood sweep over me,
or the deep swallow me up,
or the pit close its mouth over me.
[16]Answer me, O LORD, for your steadfast love is good;
according to your abundant mercy, turn to me.
[17]Hide not your face from your servant;
for I am in distress; make haste to answer me.
[18]Draw near to my soul, redeem me;
ransom me because of my enemies!
[19]You know my reproach,
and my shame and my dishonor;
my foes are all known to you.
[20]Reproaches have broken my heart,
so that I am in despair.
I looked for pity, but there was none,
and for comforters, but I found none.
[21]They gave me poison for food,
and for my thirst they gave me sour wine to drink.
[22]Let their own table before them become a snare;
and when they are at peace, let it become a trap.
[23]Let their eyes be darkened, so that they cannot see,
and make their loins tremble continually.
[24]Pour out your indignation upon them,
and let your burning anger overtake them.
[25]May their camp be a desolation;
let no one dwell in their tents.
[26]For they persecute him whom you have struck down,
and they recount the pain of those you have wounded.
[27]Add to them punishment upon punishment;
may they have no acquittal from you.
[28]Let them be blotted out of the book of the living;
let them not be enrolled among the righteous.
[29]But I am afflicted and in pain;
let your salvation, O God, set me on high!
[30]I will praise the name of God with a song;
I will magnify him with thanksgiving.
[31]This will please the LORD more than an ox
or a bull with horns and hoofs.
[32]When the humble see it they will be glad;
you who seek God, let your hearts revive.
[33]For the LORD hears the needy
and does not despise his own people who are prisoners.
[34]Let heaven and earth praise him,
the seas and everything that moves in them.
[35]For God will save Zion
and build up the cities of Judah,
and people shall dwell there and possess it;
[36]the offspring of his servants shall inherit it,
and those who love his name shall dwell in it.
and 109, it is the embodiment of evil: the liar, murderer, accuser, killer, deceiver, attacker, mocker, who returns evil for good.
3. Who is the one who prays?
It is the innocent sufferer, the poor, needy, helpless, and victimized who relies on God for protection. Ultimately, Jesus is this sufferer who prays the imprecatory psalms, crying out, “Save me! Help me! Deliver me!” God is the “refuge” of his people and shows steadfast love by destroying those who “cause terror on the earth” ( Psalm 10:18Psalm 10:18
[18]to do justice to the fatherless and the oppressed,
so that man who is of the earth may strike terror no
more.
). The wrath of God is often presented not as something to fear, but as something on which to set your hopes, as the consolation, refuge, and deliverance of God’s suffering people: “Beloved, never avenge yourself, but leave it to the wrath of God” ( Romans 12:19Romans 12:19
[19]Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to
the wrath of God, for it is written, "Vengeance is mine, I
will repay, says the Lord." (ESV)
).
4. In the original psalms, the one praying (e.g., David) is not self-righteous, but has a keen awareness of personal sin.
Those who pray imprecations are aware of their own guilt, that they are participants in the problem of evil. For example, in Psalm 69:5-6Psalm 69:5-6
[5]O God, you know my folly;
the wrongs I have done are not hidden from you.
[6]Let not those who hope in you be put to shame through
me,
O Lord GOD of hosts;
let not those who seek you be brought to dishonor through
me,
O God of Israel.
: “O God, you know my folly; the wrongs I have done are not hidden from you….”
5. God promises that the wicked will drink the cup of just wrath.
“All the wicked of the earth will drink it down to its very dregs” ( Psalm 75:6-8Psalm 75:6-8
[6]For not from the east or from the west
and not from the wilderness comes lifting up,
[7]but it is God who executes judgment,
putting down one and lifting up another.
[8]For in the hand of the LORD there is a cup
with foaming wine, well mixed,
and he pours out from it,
and all the wicked of the earth
shall drain it down to the dregs.
). This cup is the very cup that Jesus drinks down in our place: “If it is possible let this cup pass from me. Nevertheless, not as I will but as you will” ( Matthew 26:38-44Matthew 26:38-44
[38]Then he said to them, "My soul is very sorrowful,
even to death; remain here, and watch with me." [39]And
going a little farther he fell on his face and prayed,
saying, "My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass
from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will."
[40]And he came to the disciples and found them sleeping.
And he said to Peter, "So, could you not watch with me one
hour? [41]Watch and pray that you may not enter into
temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is
weak." [42]Again, for the second time, he went away and
prayed, "My Father, if this cannot pass unless I drink it,
your will be done." [43]And again he came and found them
sleeping, for their eyes were heavy. [44]So, leaving them
again, he went away and prayed for the third time, saying
the same words again. (ESV)
). So we now drink the cup of mercy instead, “my blood of the covenant which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins” ( Matthew 26:27Matthew 26:27
[27]And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he
gave it to them, saying, "Drink of it, all of you, (ESV)
f).
6. The longing for God to deliver us from evil is something Christians often sing and pray.
The Bible closes with the plea, “Come Lord Jesus” ( Revelation 22Revelation 22
[22:1]Then the angel showed me the river of the water of
life, bright as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and
of the Lamb [2]through the middle of the street of the
city; also, on either side of the river, the tree of life
with its twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit each
month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the
nations. [3]No longer will there be anything accursed, but
the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and his
servants will worship him. [4]They will see his face, and
his name will be on their foreheads. [5]And night will be
no more. They will need no light of lamp or sun, for the
Lord God will be their light, and they will reign forever
and ever.
[6]And he said to me, "These words are trustworthy and
true. And the Lord, the God of the spirits of the prophets,
has sent his angel to show his servants what must soon take
place."
[7]"And behold, I am coming soon. Blessed is the one who
keeps the words of the prophecy of this book."
[8]I, John, am the one who heard and saw these things.
And when I heard and saw them, I fell down to worship at
the feet of the angel who showed them to me, [9]but he said
to me, "You must not do that! I am a fellow servant with
you and your brothers the prophets, and with those who keep
the words of this book. Worship God."
[10]And he said to me, "Do not seal up the words of the
prophecy of this book, for the time is near. [11]Let the
evildoer still do evil, and the filthy still be filthy, and
the righteous still do right, and the holy still be holy."
[12]"Behold, I am coming soon, bringing my recompense
with me, to repay everyone for what he has done. [13]I am
the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the
beginning and the end."
[14]Blessed are those who wash their robes, so that they
may have the right to the tree of life and that they may
enter the city by the gates. [15]Outside are the dogs and
sorcerers and the sexually immoral and murderers and
idolaters, and everyone who loves and practices falsehood.
[16]"I, Jesus, have sent my angel to testify to you
about these things for the churches. I am the root and the
descendant of David, the bright morning star."
[17]The Spirit and the Bride say, "Come." And let the
one who hears say, "Come." And let the one who is thirsty
come; let the one who desires take the water of life
without price.
[18]I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy
of this book: if anyone adds to them, God will add to him
the plagues described in this book, [19]and if anyone takes
away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God will
take away his share in the tree of life and in the holy
city, which are described in this book.
[20]He who testifies to these things says, "Surely I am
coming soon." Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!
[21]The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all. Amen. (ESV)
:20). This is a request that the Jesus of Revelation will come to remove all evils, to destroy death, Satan, all causes of tears, and all sin. In the Lord’s prayer, five of the seven requests contain an explicit or implicit plea for all evil to be destroyed: “Hallowed be your name”; “Your kingdom come”; “Your will be done”; “Do not lead us into temptation”; and “Deliver us from evil.” For example, a prayer for God’s kingdom to come is a prayer for all competitor kingdoms to be undone.
I didn’t know that David was going to end with an emphasis on the Lord’s prayer, so it was especially rewarding to already have picked out “Let Your Kingdom Come” to sing. We would have finished with Martin Luther’s “A Mighty Fortress is our God,” based on Ps. 46Psalm 46
[46:1]God is our refuge and strength,
a very present help in trouble.
[2]Therefore we will not fear though the earth gives way,
though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea,
[3]though its waters roar and foam,
though the mountains tremble at its swelling.
Selah
[4]There is a river whose streams make glad the city of
God,
the holy habitation of the Most High.
[5]God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved;
God will help her when morning dawns.
[6]The nations rage, the kingdoms totter;
he utters his voice, the earth melts.
[7]The LORD of hosts is with us;
the God of Jacob is our fortress. Selah
[8]Come, behold the works of the LORD,
how he has brought desolations on the earth.
[9]He makes wars cease to the end of the earth;
he breaks the bow and shatters the spear;
he burns the chariots with fire.
[10]"Be still, and know that I am God.
I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth!"
[11]The LORD of hosts is with us;
the God of Jacob is our fortress. Selah
, but ran out of time. I figured 2 hours and 45 minutes was long enough for an evening meeting…
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On Tuesday, I posted on the first part of the Friday evening session at WorshipGod08. In the final part of the evening I asked biblical counselor David Powlison to speak on the psalmists’ concern for God’s glory on the earth, expressed in the imprecatory psalms. Those are the prayers in the psalms asking God to punish, restrict, or destroy the wicked. For centuries, Christians have tended to confuse, ignore, or despise them. David’s comment on the imprecatory psalms were wonderfully biblical, insightful, and pastoral. He rephrased the focus to be the psalmists’ concern for what we do with evil. You can download an MP3 here.
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Thanks so much for posting these notes, Mr. Kauflin. I took a seminary course on the Psalms that didn’t help me understand these at all - even after reading a book just on the imprecatory Psalms! These notes (and the fuller version) did more to help me understand them than anything else I’ve read.
Comment by Christian — August 22, 2008 @ 10:18 am
Christian,
“I took a seminary course on the Psalms that didn’t help me understand these at all - even after reading a book just on the imprecatory Psalms!”
That’s both encouraging and discouraging…I’ll pass your thoughts on to David. I know he’ll appreciate them.
Comment by Bob Kauflin — August 22, 2008 @ 10:42 am
Dear brother,
thank you for the notes on the Psalms. I am reading through Psalms now and these notes have helped me understand more of how to understand and exegete them.
Praise the Lord for His goodness and for the victory that He will bring!
Comment by Mircea B Ionescu — September 8, 2008 @ 4:20 pm