A Prayer For God To Kill

Text: Psalm 109, Title: A Prayer for God To Kill, Date/Place: WHBC, 6.24.18, AM

A. Opening illustration: “In the awfulness of its anathemas, the psalm surpasses everything of the kind in the OT.”

B. Background to passage: The last of the imprecatory psalms, but the most violent. David the King is praying death and continuing curses on an enemy for personal/national injury.

C. Main thought: What do we make of the imprecatory psalms?

A. Old Testament Perspective

1. In the OT there were severe penalties for certain kinds of sin, especially against the king. Remember the king was God appointed, anointed representative for the nation. To attack him was to attack God. Even when Saul was trying to kill David, David would not lay a hand on “God’s anointed,” even after he was rejected by God and assured his kingdom would be stripped away and be given to David. There was, and still is, a place for retributive justice upon enemies. We also know that God inspired David to write these psalms, and therefore are right and good. Thus, we can know that they were not written for a sinfully personal agenda.

2. Ps 7, 35, 69,

3. Illustration: we often hear about our flawed judicial system, whether it is the criminal justice part, or the higher court rulings on policy. Some people are convicted wrongly, and some are not ever charged who are guilty, some are tried, and found not guilty even though they are. Sometime wrongful convictions are overturned, and sometimes criminals are found decades after the crimes they commit. Briberies, corruption, personal agendas and vendettas, and fear play their part as well, but know that justice will be perfect at the eternal judgment bar.

4. Armed with the knowledge that God doesn’t change, we can still rest assured that God blesses the righteous and hates evil. God is still a God who is absolutely just and will meet out justice for his children. Psalms like this push us to deal with hard ideas and truth. They force us to study and pray for guidance. We should be reminded that the OT is just as much a part of the fully inerrant and inspired. Finally, a crossover, and maybe the most important part of the prayer, the NT and the OT come together in the commonality of basing the prayer on the glory of God and his steadfast love. Do whatever you see fit to glorify your name because I trust in your steadfast love.

B. New Testament Legitimacy

1. The NT never apologizes for these psalms, nor is embarrassed by them. In fact, Psalm 69 is used multiple times in the NT for teaching purposes, and our psalm is quoted by Peter with respect to Judas. However, we have some differences in our perspective based on the law we no longer live under, and the fulfillment of Christ and his teaching. Yet, there are still uses and applications of these psalms.

2. We are strictly warned to allow God to do the avenging. He is more aware of the depth of sin and responsibility. He is also more committed to justice than we are, not being swayed by any internal sinful tendencies. Some of the times that these psalms are quoted are in the context of enduring suffering faithfully as a testimony to those persecuting.

3. We are taught by Jesus that we are to love our enemies. Of course, even when Jesus teaches this he acknowledges the fact that previous teaching was to hate enemies. This countercultural teaching is also counter-human. It proves that emotions are commanded, and through this we can be reminded of our own need for grace and forgiveness when we feel extreme anger. We are told that we are not the kind of men who call down fire upon the heads of enemies, except by doing good to them and “heaping” coals of fire on their heads. He gives us the most supreme example that while bearing the most unjust punishment, he prays for his murderers.

4. Illustration: Possibly share about man who fell dead upon hearing of sin.

5. Applications

6. Meditation on the scripture, meaning that we are not given a list of scripture to ignore. Just like there is benefit in the reading of the mosaic law, these psalms are no exception. Possible benefits would be the identification of the raw emotion that certain injustices bring. Many situations we face bring an anger and desire for justice to the forefront of our thoughts. It helps to read, know we are not alone, and feel an intense desire for justice and pain inflicted on another. Some unfathomable things occur in this world every day. Sometimes they happen on a large scale, and sometimes a smaller one. Sometimes they are more personal and painful. This also reminds us of our need for grace to feel the way we ought. We are reminded of our own need for forgiveness for wrongs we may have committed against others.