What are people's views on how we should understand the imprecatory psalms and specifically, whether and how we should use or imitate them? Psalm 109 is one example.

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Scott Roberts
Ruling Elder, Lakeside Presbyterian Church (PCA)
Southlake, Texas

John Brown of Haddington's notes on Psalm 109

"Probably David penned this psalm with a view to Doeg or Ahithophel, and hence it is much like the 41st, 52nd, 55th, 124th, and 140th. But the Holy Ghost herein hath a mediate respect to Jesus, and to Judas the traitor, Acts 1:20. Observe, (1.) The psalmist's bitter complaints of his enemies, as spiteful, deceitful, false, restless, unjust, ungrateful, ver. 1-5. (2.) His fearful denunciations of divine vengeance against his distinguished foe; that he should be delivered into the hand of Satan; should have his prayers rejected, his life shortened, his substance wasted, and his posterity rendered miserable, ver. 6-20. (3.) His lamentation over his inward trouble, his approaching death, his instability of condition, pining sickness, reproach of enemies; and his prayers for mercy to himself, confusion to his enemies, and glory to his God, ver. 21-29. (4.) His triumph in God, as his supporter and deliverer amidst all his troubles, ver. 30-31.

While I sing, let me be affected with the sufferings of my Redeemer, and with the misery of these Jews and others, who abandon themselves to be his obstinate opposers. Let me implore, and by faith foresee the complete ruin of all my spiritual enemies; and the full redemption of my soul, and of the whole mystical body of Christ, notwithstanding all our sinful poverty and plagues. "

http://www.swrb.com/newslett/actualNLs/Psalter6.htm

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*Peter Gray* Elkins Park RPCNA

"Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief. " Mk 9:24
"The greatest thing we can desire, next to the glory of God, is our own salvation; and the sweetest thing we can desire is the assurance of our salvation. In this life we cannot get higher than to be assured of that which in the next life is to be enjoyed. All saints shall enjoy a heaven when they leave this earth; some saints enjoy a heaven while they are here on earth." Joseph Caryl

I think in some cases we Christians don't have a choice. God Himself said that vengeance in mine, whilst in the Book of Revelation, the Saints under the alter asked God how long will He take to avenge their blood. I think these prayers are to be explicitly prayed in situations where God's vindicating you from those that perpetuate evil on you, will gave Him great glory.

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~Keon Garraway~ Brooklyn, NY Member of Franklin Square OPC

Love for God demonstrated by the love for our children in giving them a God centered education is the only hope for our country. by David Morrow
Pslam 71:20 [Thou], which hast shewed me great and sore troubles, shalt quicken me again, and shalt bring me up again from the depths of the earth.

WLC 191 is helpful here: "What do we pray for in the second petition? A. In the second petition (which is, Thy kingdom come,(1)) acknowledging ourselves and all mankind to be by nature under the dominion of sin and Satan,(2) we pray, that the kingdom of sin and Satan may be destroyed,(3) the gospel propagated throughout the world,(4) the Jews called,(5) the fulness of the Gentiles brought in;(6) the church furnished with all gospel-officers and ordinances,(7) purged from corruption,(8) countenanced and maintained by the civil magistrate9) that the ordinances of Christ may be purely dispensed, and made effectual to the converting of those that are yet in their sins, and the confirming, comforting, and building up of those that are already converted10) that Christ would rule in our hearts here,(11) and hasten the time of his second coming, and our reigning with him for ever12) and that he would be pleased so to exercise the kingdom of his power in all the world, as may best conduce to these ends.(13)"

It is helpful to remember that our struggle under the New Covenant is no longer with flesh and blood as Paul says in Eph. 5. When we pray for the coming of the Kingdom, it is, in essence, a New Covenant imprecation. We ar asking God to destroy the kingdom of Satan and advance the gospel.

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Rev. R. Kevin Carroll
Macon Presbyterian Church (PCA)
Macon, MS

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Rev. R. Kevin Carroll
Macon Presbyterian Church (PCA)
Macon, MS

Kevin: I think that this approach to the imprecatory psalms is entirely legitimate. I think we can view the enemies in the psalms as (1) our own internal sin (Augustine, for example, interpreted the infants being dashed in Ps. 137 as fledgling sins deestroyed before they frew and became great enemies against us) or (2) the external demons who ravage the church. I am not sure if it exhausts their uses, though.

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Scott Roberts
Ruling Elder, Lakeside Presbyterian Church (PCA)
Southlake, Texas

Agreed. Plus it avoids the difficulty of us praying God's curses on people under the New Covenant, a thing I believe Ephesians 5 militates against.

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Rev. R. Kevin Carroll
Macon Presbyterian Church (PCA)
Macon, MS

Here is a link to a great book on the subject.

War Psalms of the Prince of Peace

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R. Martin Snyder
1689er
Harmony Baptist Church (Member)
PuritanCovenanter MSN Blog
PuritanCovenanter's MySpace Page

"Our object should not be to have scripture on our side but to be on the side of scripture; and however dear any sentiment may have become by being long entertained, so soon as it is seen to be contrary to the Bible, we must be prepared to abandon it without hesitation."
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Thanks for that link, Randy. I saw this book a long time ago but forgot about it. Thanks for reminding me.

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J. B. Atken
John Knox PCA
Layman, M.A. student at Louisiana College

To pray or sing an imprecatory Psalm is to ask for God's justice to be done. It is not a prayer or song of personal vengeance against our enemies, but a proclamation of the right of God's justice and judgment against sin and sinners. The focus should be on the majesty and glory of God's justice, not the destruction of sinners - something that could very well happen to any of us.

When we sing the Psalm today, they have current relevence to us in the smae way they were relevant for any of God's enemies.

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C. Matthew McMahon, Ph.D.
John 5:39, "...search the Scriptures..."

Dr. C. Matthew McMahon.com, www.apuritansmind.com and www.puritanpublications.com
Member - Christ Presbyterian Church, Professor at WTS for Puritan History & Theology.

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