I gotta question…

cartoon-1300894_1280

What’s up with Psalm 109?  Here is this guy who is obviously being treated unfairly (welcome to life) and he’s asking God to not merely rescue him, but to lay it on thick to his enemy and their families. Seems a bit harsh. I’m addressing this specifically to some folks whose opins I respect, but welcome any other comments.  (Be nice.) If you feel your comment is too lengthy for this platform, please feel free to leave a link if you already have thoughts on this somewhere in your blog.  No obligation and not offended if you don’t have time.

Much obliged.

(PS, if you haven’t checked out these blog sites, please do.  Good stuff.)

To:

From the Inside Out

Truth in Palmyra

Learning to be Full of Grace and Truth

The Recovering Legalist

Mustard Seed Budget

Sweet Aroma

Domain for Truth

The True Light

Author: dawnlizjones

Tends toward TMI, so here's the short list: guitar and banjo (both of which have been much neglected as of late), bicycling (ibid), dogs, very black tea, and contemplating and commenting on deep philosophical thoughts about which I have had no academic or professional training. Oh, also reading, writing, but I shy away from arithmetic.

22 thoughts on “I gotta question…”

  1. Well, I think David is wounded in body and spirit and pouring out his complaints to God. He is being persecuted and he is crying out for justice. One thing I really like about psalm 109 is that it’s very real. Yes, love your enemies, pray for them that hate you, but the very human response is actually to curse them in creative ways and to beg God to curse them too. Why do we suffer when we do the right thing while our enemies prosper? How come God doesn’t intervene and prove Himself? So it’s like a lamentation, a complaint, David is pouring out his heart.

    Liked by 4 people

    Reply

  2. Interesting question my friend. Imprecatory prayers. Should Christians pray them? Hmm.

    Let’s put the imprecatory Psalms in context, perhaps that would help us. It may seem on the surface that they are prayers of revenge against enemies, but I don’t think that is really so. I think if we take them in the context of a just, righteous, and Holy God exacting judgment against those who reject Him, and the enemies of His people, we can see that personal revenge was far from the motive David(primarily) prayed with.

    Should we pray them? Well, just me talking, I would say that prayers against spiritual enemies might be perfectly ok and justified.

    Ephesians 6:12
    ” For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.”

    I would say that to pray for the literal destruction of human enemies is not Biblically supported, and that in fact we are to pray FOR our enemies, that they might quit rejecting God, turn to Him and be saved.

    Matthew 5:44-48
    “44 But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet only your brothers,what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.”

    Just my two cents

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

  4. My personal opinion is that he is doing a little bit of Habbakuk. Remember how Habbakuk was complaining in the beginning but by the end he was praising?

    In the beginning of the Psalm, David is wanting justice for himself. He is wanting God to show no mercy on his accusers. Well, from Psalm 89:14 we know that justice and judgment are the habitation of God’s throne but MERCY and TRUTH shall go before His face. In James chapter 2, (I think) we are told “Judgment is without mercy to those who show no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment.”

    Notice that towards the middle, verse 21, David’s attitude changes from praying against his accusers to praying for himself. He is pouring his heart out to his Father. This pouring out to God produces another change in attitude which we see in verse 26.

    By the end, he is still wanting his accusers to face judgment for their sins against him, but now his focus has turned to God receiving the glory for rescuing him. Also, he is no longer asking God to directly attack his accusers, but to open their eyes to their own shame.

    Notice that it was not until the emptying of himself before God that David was able to have forward progress with his prayer. Oh well, that is my two cents. Sorry to be so long winded.

    Liked by 5 people

    Reply

      1. LOL! I like you comment. Now I have a name for it, “I’m just doing a little bit of Habbakuk.” Prayers really can be like that sometimes, you may begin with murmuring, but before you know it, you’re actually praising Him. 🙂

        Liked by 2 people

        Reply

  5. I think David had an amazing relationship with God. So much so that he could really pour out all his complaints about his enemies and feeling secure enough to ask for God’s intervention we can learn a lot from him. Never fear approaching God with every care. His shoulders are big enough to handle it.

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

  7. I’m late. But glad to be in on reading the thread. A couple of thoughts: First: David was living under God’s promise to curse those who cursed him. He was very sensitive to not do harm to Saul; he depended on God to retaliate in his behalf. Sounds awful to NT Christians who have Jesus as their pattern of behavior, and his words “love your enemy” as a principle of behavior. There are OT scriptures regarding God forgiving, but I can’t think of many (or any) where we have scriptures or stories of people forgiving others in the sense that Jesus teaches. David did take it upon himself to retaliate harshly against the enemies of the nation of Israel, but not often on personal enemies. Ziklag was pretty personal, however. His action against Uriah was horrible but does not fit the “enemy” category. His psalm there was after the fact (51). Too bad he didn’t take that problem to the Lord. Second point: Where else should one turn when he/she has had it? Gotta have somebody to listen and it would be a sin to talk to anyone else like that. Have you never talked to God in prayer about something that you would never acknowledge to anyone else. If God didn’t hold it against David, I guess I can say about anything to him. As atimetoshare said above, “God can take it.”

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

Leave a comment