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Perplexing Psalms

Psalm 58

Bible readers are often shocked to find Jesus calling religious leaders "hypocrites," "blind guides," "fools," "serpents," and "vipers" who are destined for the "condemnation of hell" (Matthew 23:1-36). They are equally shocked to find the apostle Paul calling down curses from heaven on those who misrepresent the Gospel (Galatians 1:8-10). But that's not the worst of it. In Psalm 58, David says the words of the unrighteous are like "the poison of a serpent." He pleads with God to "break their teeth in their mouth," to make them "like a snail which melts away . . . , like a stillborn child of a woman." He longs to "wash his feet in the blood of the wicked" (Psalm 58:1-11).

Jesus and Paul were following in a Jewish literary tradition that used strong language in defending the righteousness of God. That tradition is exemplified by a group of perplexing psalms called "imprecatory psalms"—an "imprecation" being a "spoken curse" (for example, Psalms 2, 37, 58, 69, 79, 109, 139, and 143). How does such harsh language square with those who speak on behalf of the God who is love (1 John 4:8, 16)?

The most important characteristic of imprecatory psalms (and other similar portions of Scripture) is that they are not personally vindictive—speakers of imprecations are not speaking and writing in defense of themselves but in defense of God. In fact, Old Testament ordinances forbade a hostile or vindictive response to ones opponents (Leviticus 19:14-18). The imprecatory psalms are prayers addressed to God concerning God's enemies, not the enemies of the authors. The prayers are for the name of God to be defended, not for the author(s) to be given personal relief or vindication (Psalm 58:11: "So that men will say, '. . . Surely He is God who judges in the earth'").

Both the Old and New Testaments distinguish between anger and sinful anger (Psalm 4:4; Ephesians 4:26). The former focuses on God while the latter focuses on self.

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