"Consume Them in Wrath?" May 10 Readings: 2 Samuel 9-10, Luke 23:26–43, Psalm 59:7–13, Proverbs 12:21-22

Links to Today's Readings

David is a model for us as a man of praise and a man of prayer. When things were good, he thanked God and praised him for his beneficence. When things were rough, he fell on his face before God and called to him for help. Whatever was happening, David talked to God about it and sought his help.

But there are some of his prayers, some of his psalms, that sound a little strange on our modern ears. Look at Psalm 58:11-13.

Kill them not, lest my people forget;

    make them totter by your power and bring them down,

    O Lord, our shield!

For 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,

    consume 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.

That is pretty harsh, isn't it? He asked God to make his enemies homeless wanderers and bring their lives low. The prayer that they would be caught in their pride and in their lies - that doesn't sound too strange, but in verse 13, when he calls on God to consume these people in divine rage until they are completely gone, we recoil a little. 

These are called imprecatory Psalms and this one is fairly mild compared to some of the other such Psalms that David prayed. Check out Psalm 109 for an example. 

It would not be wise to use the imprecatory prayers of David as a template for our own prayer life. Several observations can be made here. 

First, it is right and good to take your anger and hurt to God. When you are injured by someone, tell God about it. He knows already, but you can vent your anger to him. God hears our prayers, but he also hears our laments, our sighs and our tears. Tell God about your pain. 

Second, David is not seeking vengeance here. He knew the biblical principle that vengeance belonged to God. He called out for God's vengeance but he did not seek it on his own. And, in fact, God is one who dispenses justice. If someone has has injured one of the children of God, he will repay. He will deal with those who attack his children. 

Finally, we must respond to the revelation we have. David lived in a different era. He worshiped the same God but did not yet have the revelation of Jesus. Jesus gave us a new ethic, a new way to treat our enemies. We are to love them and pray for them - not imprecatory prayers of destruction, but prayers for God's blessing and his righteous power in their lives. The teachings of Jesus have superseded David's imprecations. We must live by the revelation we have been given in Christ and in the New Testament writings. 

So, we can learn a comforting lesson from David's harsh prayers. God cares about our hurts and will listen to our cries. He will act to protect and preserve us. So it is right that we would carry our hurts to God and call to him for help. But when we pray for our enemies in this era we ought to pray for God's blessings on them, to love our enemies as Christ commanded. 

Father, I thank you that I can bring my hurts to you and that you care about me. Protect me from those who would seek my harm, and transform their lives by the power of your Spirit.