May his days be few; may another seize his goods!
May his children be fatherless, and his wife a widow!
May his children wander about and beg; may they be driven out of the ruins they inhabit!
May the creditor seize all that he has; may strangers plunder the fruits of his toil!
Let there be none to extend kindness to him, nor any to pity his fatherless children! (Psa. 109:8-12)

If someone had wronged you, would you pray this prayer from Psalm 109? Probably not. These words would strike most Christians as vindictive, unforgiving, mean spirited. They seem unworthy of Jesus, who taught us to love our enemies and pray for those who treat us badly (Matt. 5:44). Such expressions in the psalms have perplexed Christians across the centuries. When John Wesley prepared a collection of psalms for the use of American Methodists, he removed many with similar wording, regarding them as unfit for the lips of Christian worshipers.

We might have the same response to these psalms. But Psalm 109 and others like it — scholars call them psalms of imprecation, or cursing — won't just go away. They are part of the Word of God. When the risen Christ told his disciples, "Everything written about me in the law of Moses and the prophets and the psalms must be fulfilled" (Luke 24:44), he didn't add a disclaimer excluding the psalms of imprecation. And when the apostles chose another to take the place of Judas, Peter quoted from two of the psalms of imprecation to describe the destiny of Jesus' betrayer (Acts 1:15-20).

Christ told us to "turn the other cheek" toward our enemies, and Peter reminds us that "when he was reviled, he did not revile in return" (1 Pet. 2:23). How might we, as Jesus' followers, still make use of these psalms that seem to call down the vengeance of heaven upon our enemies? Can they serve, like other psalms, as a devotional model?

Honesty About Life

At least the psalms of imprecation are honest about life. Most of us know what it means to experience rejection, to be falsely accused, to have someone take unfair advantage of us, or to be wounded in other ways by the actions and attitudes of others when we meant them no harm.

Deliver me, O Lord from lying lips, from a deceitful tongue. . . .
Too long have I had my dwelling among those who hate peace.
I am for peace; but when I speak, they are for war! (Psa. 120:2, 6-7)

We've gotten a raw deal, and we're angry. We may pretend to ourselves, and others, that we love even those who have wronged us. But the human heart is deceitful, as Jeremiah warns (Jer. 17:9-10). Bringing our resentment into our prayers might just be dealing honestly with God about where we're coming from, and a step towards getting past our anger to a healthier outlook.

The Voice of the Faithful

But the psalms aren't just about our personal hurts. They took shape in the context of the worship of Israel, a people who had made a covenant to serve the Lord together. The voice we hear in them speaks for the whole community. Traditionally that voice is that of the king, David, the warrior.

Draw the spear and javelin against my pursuers! Say to my soul, "I am your deliverance!"
Let them be put to shame and dishonor who seek after my life! Let them be turned back and confounded who devise evil against me! (Psa. 35:3-4)

The pursuer is not the speaker's personal enemy, but the enemy of the Lord and all his faithful ones.

Do I not hate them that hate thee, O Lord?
And do I not loathe them that rise up against thee?
I hate them with perfect hatred; I count them my enemies. (Psa. 139:21-22)

The adversary is proud, self-sufficient. God is not on his radar screen.

O Lord, how long shall the wicked, how long shall the wicked exult?
They pour out their arrogant words, they boast, all the evildoers.
They crush thy people, O Lord, and afflict thy heritage.
They slay the widow and the sojourner, and murder the fatherless;
and they say, "The Lord does not see; the God of Jacob does not perceive." (Psa. 94:3-7)

But the worshiper is submitted to the Lord in a trusting relationship. Unlike the adversary, he is the servant of the Lord. The servant has experienced a vicious attack that even makes him wonder whether God knows, or cares, about his plight.

Hide not thy face from thy servant; for I am in distress, make haste to answer me.
Draw near to me, redeem me, set me free because of my enemies! (Psa. 69:17-18)

How long, O Lord? Wilt thou forget me for ever? How long wilt thou hide thy face from me? (Psa. 13:1)

Now we understand how Jesus can tell his followers, "Everything written about me in the psalms must be fulfilled." For Jesus, like David, is called the Servant — another title of Messiah, or the anointed one (Acts 4:24-20). And, like the servant in the psalms of imprecation, Christ on the cross cries out with the words of another psalm.

My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? (Psa. 22:1)

Jesus had powerful enemies with an interest in maintaining their status as the authorized spokesmen for their tradition. Jesus threatened them, for he sought to redirect that tradition to its original purpose, to bring the blessing of God's presence to all peoples. And he paid the price in his own humiliating death — a death that, paradoxically, would open the way for the fulfillment of God's purpose. For "in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself" (2 Cor. 5:19).

Christians Have Enemies

If Jesus had enemies, it comes as no surprise that his followers also have enemies, not just personal enemies but enemies of our faith. The psalms of imprecation can be useful reminders — if we need them — that there are many prepared to accuse and attack the followers of Jesus. The twentieth century saw persecution of Christians around the world on a scale greater than ever, and it continues.

Even recent terrorist acts may be seen as attacks on our faith. In the mind of the terrorists there is no difference between the influence of Western culture, which they see as a threat to their way of life, and the Christian faith associated with the West. They might be surprised to learn that Christians, too, are often dismayed by the trends of Western culture. Like the speaker in the psalms, faithful Christians can be falsely accused of complicity in the injustices of their society.

And, of course, there are those who understand perfectly well what the Christian faith teaches, but who oppose it because its norms do not allow for their personal ambitions or lifestyle choices. Of these, the apostle Paul wrote words that remind us of the psalms of imprecation:

For many, of whom I have often told you and now tell you even with tears, live as enemies of the cross of Christ. Their end is destruction, their god is the belly, and they glory in their shame, with minds set on earthly things. (Phil. 3:18-19)

But while we, as Christians, may be attacked from outside, the attack may come from the inside as well. Sadly, our accuser sometimes turns out to be a member of our own worshiping community.

It is not an enemy who taunts me — then I could bear it;
it is not an adversary who deals insolently with me — then I could hide from him.
But it is you, my equal, my companion, my familiar friend.
We used to hold sweet converse together;
within God's house we walked in fellowship. (Psa. 55:12-14)

Personal jealousies, disputes over nuances of doctrine, and slights real or imagined can destroy the unity of the body. We may become alienated from some of our fellow worshipers, or even from the whole congregation. At such times we may feel like praying this way:

They beset me with words of hate, and attack me without cause.
In return for my love they accuse me, even as I make prayer for them.
So they reward me evil for good, and hatred for my love. (Psa. 109:3-5)

Identifying the Enemy

When we experience an attack, we need to know the real source of the accusation. Sometimes we can be our own worst enemy by giving in to negative and vindictive thoughts, as the psalmist admits when he realizes what he has been thinking.

All in vain have I kept my heart clean and washed my hands in innocence.
For all the day long I have been stricken, and chastened every morning.
If I had said, "I will speak thus," I would have been untrue to the generation of thy children. (Psa. 73:13-15)

Our accuser can be our own insecurity or self-condemnation. Before we lash out at others, tarnishing our Christian identity, we might recall the words of the cartoon character Pogo: "We have met the enemy, and they is us."

When we believe we have been wronged, we face an emotional battle. But, whatever the human source of our trouble, the real battle is a spiritual one. Ultimately we are not contending with people but "against the spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places" (Eph. 6:12). The "accuser of our brethren" does his best to undermine our Christian testimony. Our attackers may be in unwitting bondage to a hostile power, and the evil one may be using both their actions and our emotions to try to undo the work of God. Jesus taught us to pray for deliverance from this evil one, and his brother James echoed our Lord's prayer when he encouraged us, "Resist the devil and he will flee from you" (James 4:7).

God’s Answer

In the heat of emotion there is always the temptation to take matters into our own hands, to seek vengeance against those who have attacked or wrongly accused us. From the psalms of imprecation we can learn a different response. For, however menacing the enemy, the speaker never threatens to go after his accusers. He always appeals to the Lord to execute justice. His defensive weapon is not the sword, but prayer.

Bestir thyself, and awake for my right, for my cause, my God and my Lord!
Vindicate me, O Lord, my God, according to thy righteousness; and let them not rejoice over me! (Psa. 35:23-24)

And the worshiper is sure of the Lord's answer. Things may look bleak at the moment. But in the end, if we leave justice to the Lord it will be done. And we will have cause to be thankful.

With my mouth I will give great thanks to the Lord; I will praise him in the midst of the throng.
For he stands at the right hand of the needy, to save him from those who condemn him to death. (Psa. 109:30-31)

Christians are called to live peaceably with all, whenever possible, and even to make peace with their accusers. Ideally we would like to make them our friends. But it doesn't always work out that way. Do we then appeal to the Lord for their undoing?

Historically, Christian theologians have said that the proper use of the psalms of imprecation is to pray not for the punishment of our enemies but for their conversion. If they are outside the faith, pray that the light of Christ will break through to them. If they are part of our own community, pray that the causes for their attack upon us can be dealt with. They may also be hurting, in need of the embracing love of the body of Christ. And maybe there are things about us, after all, that could be corrected. Focusing at last on God's own greater glory and our devotion to him may be the best lesson we can learn from the psalms of imprecation.

I was stupid and ignorant, I was like a beast toward thee.
Nevertheless I am continually with thee; thou dost hold my right hand.
Thou dost guide me with thy counsel, and afterward thou wilt receive me to glory.
Whom have I in heaven but thee? And there is nothing upon earth that I desire besides thee. (Psa. 73:22-25)

Scripture quotations from the Revised Standard Version