But whoever causes one of these little ones who believes in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a great millstone fastened around his neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea. --Matthew 18:6
One of my favorite Facebook groups, and a source of many biblical memes that I use on my own page, is called "Imprecatory Psalms for Dads and Malms." It's a play on words, encouraging parents to teach the entire Scripture to their children, even those passages that aren't all warm and fuzzy.
Imprecatory is an adjective that means to curse or invoke evil on someone. Yes, the Bible does that. This week in my daily Bible readings I came upon Psalm 59, which is considered to be one of six or seven Imprecatory Psalms in the Bible.
Before you shut me out or stop reading because this idea offends you, let me point out some things. In the secular world, we use some pretty violent imagery in our daily struggle on this Earth. How do we describe someone who happened to pick some winning stocks or bonds? "He made a killing in the market." How do we encourage a friend who may be going through a divorce? "Hit him where it hurts." What is the first thing a child might think if he has gotten into trouble? "My parents are going to kill me."
I am a fairly decent sports fan. Yesterday was a day for college football, where rivals on the gridiron were encouraged to "knock their heads off" or "cut them into tiny pieces." Former football star Dick Butkus said, "When I played pro football, I never set out to hurt one deliberately--unless, you know, it was important; like a league game or something." Today two of my favorite NFL teams played in nationally televised games. One smashed the other team into submission; the other got beat like a rug.
Not a sports fan? Then how about politics? You can hardly turn on the television or radio without being subjected to the vitriol and spite hurled at the other side in order to convince you to vote for one side or the other. Imprecations are part of the human experience; we are hard-wired to invoke curses on one another. This doesn't stop when one becomes a believer; it is merely tempered with grace.
My enemies try to implicate me
Deliver me from my enemies, O my God; Defend me from those who rise up against me. Deliver me from the workers of iniquity, and save me from bloodthirsty men. For look, they lie in wait for my life; the mighty gather against me, not for my transgression nor for my sin, O Lord. They run and prepare themselves through no fault of mine. Awake to help me, and behold! You therefore, O Lord God of hosts, the God of Israel, awake to punish all the nations; do not be merciful to any wicked transgressors. --Psalm 59:1-5 NKJV
David was running from Saul, because Saul was determined to kill David. Saul want to accuse David of treason, a crime for which David was completely innocent. David's prayer was a cry for justice, not limited to the house of Saul only, but against any nation that came against God's people.
Jesus said in John 15 that His followers would have to endure persecution for His Name's sake.
But all these things they will do to you for My name's sake, because they do not know Him who sent Me. If I had not come and spoken to them, they would have no sin, but now they have no excuse for their sin. He who hates Me hates My Father also. If I had not done among them the world's which no one else did, they would have no sin; but now they have seen and also hated both Me and My Father. But this happened that the word might be fulfilled which is written in their law: "They hated Me without a cause." --John 15:21-25
Jesus quoted Psalm 69:4 and 109:3-5, which by the way are also known as Imprecatory Psalms. They underscore His innocence, and prophesy that evil will one day come upon His accusers. David's words preceded Christ's, but they spoke of the same problem, because the wicked would always accuse the innocent.
My God will vindicate me
I will wait for You, O You his Strength; for God is my defense. My God of mercy shall come to meet me; God shall let me see my desire on my enemies. Do not slay them, lest my people forget; scatter them by Your power, and bring them down, O Lord our shield. For the sin of their mouth and the words of their lips, let them even be taken in their pride, and for the cursing and lying which they speak. Consume them in wrath, consume them, that they may not be; and let them know that God rules in Jacob to the ends of the earth. --Psalm 59:9-13
They say that truth is the best defense, but it is not so in this day and age. I have a friend who posted a meme about the non-government organizations who are providing the most assistance after the devastating hurricanes in Florida: they are churches and faith-based organizations, not political ones--not Planned Parenthood or Black Lives Matter or any other pseudo-political "grass-roots" movements we have seen in the news in recent years. Unfortunately, my friend was beset by internet trolls, who accused him of outright lying. Their argument seemed to be that he did not know who was sending help of contributions to those in need, and therefore he needed to shut up about it. He took down the meme, and said that he would focus instead on his own ministry.
Even as we pray that God would set things right, we do not pray for death and destruction against our enemies. "Do not slay them," David wrote, because of God's tender mercy (long-suffering or steadfast love, as the ESV translates the Hebrew word hesed, which we have written about many times before.) We want God's will to be done, even if that means they come to know Christ and start preaching His word. Remember Paul? As David described his enemies "belching out" lies and corruption (see verse 7), we are reminded that Paul was "breathing out threatenings and slaughter" against believers (see Act 9:1). God showed mercy to Paul; He may also have mercy on our enemies, or not--that is up to Him. If He wants to consume them utterly for their unbelief, He is entitled to do that.
Their sin will imprecate them
And at evening they return, they growl like a dog, and go all around the city. They wander up and down for food, and howl if they are not satisfied. But I will sing of Your power; yes I will sing aloud of Your mercy in the morning; for You have been my defense and refuge in the day of my trouble. To You, O my Strength, I will sing praises; for God is my defense, my God of mercy. --Psalm 59:14-17
It is good to have God on our side. We are sinful, separated from God, but we receive mercy. 1 John 2:1 says, "My little children, these things I write to you, so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous." Isn't it good to have an advocate, a defense attorney who is in the Judge's good graces?
The danger with our message is that it is often too grace focused. Will everyone believe in Jesus, and be saved from God's wrath by His shed blood? Unfortunately, no. Jesus Himself said, "Whoever causes on of these little ones who believes in Me to sin, it would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were drowned in the depths of the sea." (Matthew 18:6). This Imprecatory statement (e.g. curse, wishing evil upon someone) came from Jesus Himself. In John 3:18 Jesus said, "He who believes in Him (God's Son) is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the Name of the only begotten Son of God."
Believe in Him today. Call upon Him for forgiveness and salvation before your eternal soul meets a fate worse than death. Confess your sins, for that is the only way to obtain God's mercy.
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