The God of All Comfort: The Psalms for March 6 - 13, 2021 The

There is one genre of psalms most American Christians are uncomfortable with: The Imprecatory Psalms. An “imprecation” is a spoken curse. For example, “Damn you!” would be a classic imprecation. The psalmists, David and others, often employ imprecation in their psalms. Psalms 35, 69, 83, and 109 are primarily imprecatory prayers. Many other psalms, however, have imprecations included in them (Pss. 58, 59, and 140 for example).

C. S. Lewis considered all these imprecations unworthy of God’s Word, and he rejected them as true Scripture. C. S. Lewis did not believe in the inerrancy or infallibility of all Scripture. Those of us who do must deal honestly and reverently with these inspired and sacred texts.

St. Augustine once wrote “Christ is the Singer of the Psalms.” And Dietrich Bonhoeffer said that the human prayers of David and the other psalmists became the Word of God because Christ was in each one (by inspiration) and prayed each one repeatedly, thus giving divine sanction to them all. These psalms call down curses on the psalmists’ enemies not for personal vengeance but rather for the serious wrongs done to God, God’s representative King (His Anointed), and God’s covenant people (the Church).

Therefore, it would be improper to pray an Imprecatory Psalm aimed at someone who ran off with your spouse. But it would not be wrong to pray these psalms in response to the terrorism of Islam against the Church or the persecutors who martyr the saints in China, North Korea or India.

Seen in their historical context, understood through the Person of Christ (of whom David was a type), and considered with reference to the demonic forces set against the Church, they offer us divinely inspired prayers for aiming our righteous anger and sense of indignant horror in the proper direction. We need not be afraid to pray, in right spirit and in proper circumstances, inspired prayers embraced by Jesus Christ.

• Sunday – Psalm 35: A Prayer Against Evil Schemes • Monday – Psalm 58: A Prayer for God’s Vengeance • Tuesday – Psalm 59: A Prayer for Deliverance from Evil • Wednesday – Psalm 79: A Prayer in Time of Persecution • Thursday – Psalm 83: A Prayer for Godly Vindication • Friday – Psalm 109: A Prayer on Behalf of the Oppressed • Saturday – Psalm 140: A Prayer for God to Defend Us

These Imprecatory Psalms remind us of three realities our modern world prefers to deny: evil truly exists, judgment is inevitable for the wicked, and God always takes the side of the oppressed. The psalms look forward to God’s corrective measures, His remedial judgments, and to the final day of reckoning. The psalmist prays for his enemies to turn to God, but if not, then to be thwarted in their evil schemes against God’s people. We pray likewise: for God to redeem the wicked before judgment comes, and in any event to protect his people. The God of All Comfort: Psalms Psalm 59 Resources | March 7, 2021 A Prayer of Deliverance

Psalm 59 1 Deliver me from my enemies, O my God; protect me from those who rise up against me; 2 me from those who work evil, and save me from bloodthirsty men. 3 behold, they lie in wait for my life; fierce men stir up strife against me. For no transgression or sin of mine, O LORD, 4 no fault of mine, they run and make ready. Awake, come to meet me, and see! 5 , LORD God of hosts, are God of Israel. Rouse yourself to punish all the nations; spare none of those who treacherously plot evil. 6 evening they come back, howling like dogs and prowling about the city. 7 they are, bellowing with their mouths with swords in their lips— for “Who,” they think, “will hear us?” 8 you, O LORD, laugh at them; you hold all the nations in derision. 9 my Strength, I will watch for you, for you, O God, are my fortress. 10 God in his steadfast love will meet me; God will let me look in triumph on my enemies. 11 them not, lest my people forget; make them totter by your power and bring them down, O Lord, our shield! 12 the sin of their mouths, the words of their lips, let them be trapped in their pride. For the cursing and lies that they utter, 13 them in wrath; consume them till they are no more, that they may know that God rules over Jacob to the ends of the earth. Selah 14 evening they come back, howling like dogs and prowling about the city. 15 wander about for food and growl if they do not get their fill. and I will sing praise to the name of the LORD, the Most High. 16 I will sing of your strength; I will sing aloud of your steadfast love in the morning. For you have been to me a fortress and a refuge in the day of my distress. 17 my Strength, I will sing praises to you, for you, O God, are my fortress, the God who shows me steadfast love.

Questions for discussion and reflection

• What is an imprecatory psalm? What does “imprecate” mean? • Do you agree with C. S. Lewis’ reflections on the imprecatory psalms? • Pastor Ross mentioned 5 rules for interpreting these psalms. Take a moment to discuss these in the context of Christ’s great warfare against and evil. 1. Historical setting 2. Author of the . Reason for the . The psalm’s relationship to Christ 5. The psalm’s application to the Church • Why are modern people so reluctant to call anything “evil”? Are Americans consistent in their use of that word? • What was the historical context of Psalm 59? • What 4 things does David pray for in verses 9 – 15? How does his pattern of prayer change the way we pray in the face of evil? • What was David’s primary concern in Psalm 59? Hint: the answer is in verse 13. • David ends this psalm on a note of praise. What is the reason for his rejoicing? • Today many sincere but gullible Christians buy into numerous conspiracy theories. How does this psalm help them see things as they really are? • As we pray these imprecatory psalms today, we do so alongside 1 Timothy 2:1-4. Discuss and apply these truths.