Are prayers of imprecation a violation of NT teaching Introduction Do not I hate them O Lord that hate thee Let death seize upon them and let them go down quick into hell Love you enemies and pray for them who persecute you ID: 313864
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Slide1
Imprecatory Prayer
Are prayers of imprecation a violation of NT teaching?Slide2
Introduction
“Do not I hate them, O Lord, that hate thee?”
“Let death seize upon them, and let them go down quick into hell.”
“Love you enemies and pray for them who persecute you.”
Are these statements consistent?Slide3
Introduction
There are many questions raised about prayers of imprecation.
How does one reconcile the OT curses upon an enemy with OT laws that forbid personal revenge and the command to love our neighbor?
How do we reconcile this with the teachings of Jesus?Slide4
Definition
An imprecation is a prayer of judgment, calamity, or curse upon one’s enemies or the enemies of God.
Such curses span the breadth of Biblical revelation.
They are part of the covenant with God – Deuteronomy 27 – 30.Slide5
Definition
The NT ends with saints beneath the altar praying, “How long?” till God avenges their blood. (Revelation 6:10)
The most powerful examples are in the Psalms – 7, 35, 55, 58, 59, 69, 79, 109, 137, and 139.
To imprecate means “to invoke evil or curse” upon one’s enemies.Slide6
Examples in Psalms
Oh, let the wickedness of the wicked come to an end, But establish the just; For the righteous God tests the hearts and minds.
Psalms 7:9
Plead
my cause,
O
Lord
, with those who strive with me; Fight against those who fight against me.
Psalms 35:1Slide7
Examples in Psalms
Let their way be dark and slippery, And let the angel of the
Lord
pursue them.
Psalms 35:6
Lord, how long will You look on? Rescue me from their destructions, My precious
life
from the lions.
Psalms 35:17Slide8
Examples in Psalms
Let them not rejoice over me who are wrongfully my enemies; Nor let them wink with the eye who hate me without a cause.
Psalms 35:19
Destroy, O Lord,
and
divide their tongues, For I have seen violence and strife in the city
Psalms 55:9Slide9
Examples in Psalms
Let death seize them; Let them go down alive into hell, For wickedness
is
in their dwellings
and
among them.
Psalms 55:15
But You, O God, shall bring them down to the pit of destruction; Bloodthirsty and deceitful men shall not live out half their days; But I will trust in You.
Psalms 55:23Slide10
Examples in Psalms
6
Break their teeth in their mouth, O God! Break out the fangs of the young lions, O
Lord
!
7
Let them flow away as waters
which
run continually;
When
he bends
his bow,
Let his arrows be as if cut in pieces.
8
Let them be
like a snail which melts away as it goes,
Like
a stillborn child of a woman, that they may not see the sun.
Psalms 58:6-8Slide11
Examples in Psalms
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.
Psalms 59:5
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.
Psalms 59:13Slide12
Examples in Psalms
22
Let their table become a snare before them, And their well-being a trap.
23
Let their eyes be darkened, so that they do not see; And make their loins shake continually.
24
Pour out Your indignation upon them, And let Your wrathful anger take hold of them. 25 Let their dwelling place be desolate; Let no one live in their tents.
Psalms 69:22-25Slide13
Examples in Psalms
26
For they persecute the
ones
You have struck, And talk of the grief of those You have wounded.
27
Add iniquity to their iniquity, And let them not come into Your righteousness.
28
Let them be blotted out of the book of the living, And not be written with the righteous.
Psalms 69:26-28Slide14
Examples in Psalms
Pour out Your wrath on the nations that do not know You, And on the kingdoms that do not call on Your name.
Psalms 79:6
Why should the nations say, "Where
is
their God?" Let there be known among the nations in our sight The avenging of the blood of Your servants
which has been
shed.
Psalms 79:10Slide15
Examples in Psalms
16
Fill their faces with shame, That they may seek Your name, O
Lord
.
17
Let them be confounded and dismayed forever; Yes, let them be put to shame and perish,
18
That they may know that You, whose name alone
is
the
Lord
,
Are
the Most High over all the earth.
Psalms 83:16-18Slide16
Examples in Psalms
7
When he is judged, let him be found guilty, And let his prayer become sin.
8
Let his days be few,
And
let another take his office.
9
Let his children be fatherless, And his wife a widow.
10
Let his children continually be vagabonds, and beg; Let them seek
their bread
also from their desolate places.
Psalms 109:7-10Slide17
Examples in Psalms
11
Let the creditor seize all that he has, And let strangers plunder his labor.
12
Let there be none to extend mercy to him, Nor let there be any to favor his fatherless children.
13
Let his posterity be cut off,
And
in the generation following let their name be blotted out.
Psalms 109:11-13Slide18
Examples in Psalms
5
If I forget you, O Jerusalem, Let my right hand forget
its skill!
6
If I do not remember you, Let my tongue cling to the roof of my mouth-- If I do not exalt Jerusalem Above my chief joy.
7
Remember, O
Lord
, against the sons of Edom The day of Jerusalem, Who said, "Raze
it,
raze
it,
To its very foundation!"
Psalms 137:5-7Slide19
Examples in Psalms
19
Oh, that You would slay the wicked, O God! Depart from me, therefore, you bloodthirsty men.
20
For they speak against You wickedly; Your enemies take
Your name
in vain.
21
Do I not hate them, O
Lord
, who hate You? And do I not loathe those who rise up against You?
22
I hate them with perfect hatred; I count them my enemies.
Psalms 139:19-22Slide20
Examples in the NT
This may surprise many – there are similar statement in the NT.
Then Peter said to her, "How is it that you have agreed together to test the Spirit of the Lord? Look, the feet of those who have buried your husband
are
at the door, and they will carry you out."
Acts 5:9Slide21
Examples in the NT
9
When He opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain for the word of God and for the testimony which they held.
10
And they cried with a loud voice, saying, "How long, O Lord, holy and true, until You judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?"
Revelation 6:9-10Slide22
Examples in the NT
10
and said, "O full of all deceit and all fraud,
you
son of the devil,
you
enemy of all righteousness, will you not cease perverting the straight ways of the Lord?
11
And now, indeed, the hand of the Lord
is
upon you, and you shall be blind, not seeing the sun for a time." And immediately a dark mist fell on him, and he went around seeking someone to lead him by the hand.
Acts 13:10-11Slide23
Examples in the NT
6
I marvel that you are turning away so soon from Him who called you in the grace of Christ, to a different gospel,
7
which is not another; but there are some who trouble you and want to pervert the gospel of Christ.
8
But even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed.
Galatians 1:6-8Slide24
Examples in the NT
I could wish that those who trouble you would even cut themselves off!
Galatians
5:12
19
having faith and a good conscience, which some having rejected, concerning the faith have suffered shipwreck,
20
of whom are
Hymenaeus
and Alexander, whom I delivered to Satan that they may learn not to blaspheme.
1 Timothy 1:19-20Slide25
Examples in the NT
20
But Peter said to him, "Your money perish with you, because you thought that the gift of God could be purchased with money!
21
You have neither part nor portion in this matter, for your heart is not right in the sight of God.
22
Repent therefore of this your wickedness, and pray God if perhaps the thought of your heart may be forgiven you.
23
For I see that you are poisoned by bitterness and bound by iniquity."
Acts 8:20-23Slide26
Examples in the NT
4
In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, when you are gathered together, along with my spirit, with the power of our Lord Jesus Christ,
5
deliver such a one to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus.
1 Corinthians 5:4-5Slide27
Examples in the NT
The final step in church discipline:
Matthew 18:17-20
1 Corinthians 5:5
2 Corinthians 2:5-11
Deliver them to Satan, consider them as a heathen, Slide28
Incorrect Explanations
A prophecy telling of things to come
Expressions of personal feelings – anger, frustration – normal reaction to being hurt
They show the low ethical standard of the OTSlide29
Incorrect Explanations
These should be rejected
They were not written in haste or anger
They were inspired by God
David is not doing any harm – but seeking God’s justice
They ignore the personal character of DavidSlide30
David’s Character
He mourned and fasted for them
13
But as for me, when they were sick, My clothing
was
sackcloth; I humbled myself with fasting; And my prayer would return to my own heart.
14
I paced about as though
he were
my friend
or
brother; I bowed down heavily, as one who mourns
for his
mother.
Psalms 35:13-14Slide31
David’s Character
He put on sackcloth and ashes
I also made sackcloth my garment; I became a byword to them.
Psalms 69:11Slide32
David’s Character
He never took vengeance
5
Now it happened afterward that David's heart troubled him because he had cut Saul's
robe.
6
And he said to his men, "The
Lord
forbid that I should do this thing to my master, the
Lord's
anointed, to stretch out my hand against him, seeing he
is
the anointed of the
Lord
.“
1 Samuel 24:5-6Slide33
David’s Character
14
So David said to him, "How was it you were not afraid to put forth your hand to destroy the
Lord's
anointed?"
15
Then David called one of the young men and said, "Go near,
and
execute him!" And he struck him so that he died.
2 Samuel 1:14-15
David punished those who took revenge in their own hands.Slide34
OT Curse Theology
These prayers reflect the holiness of God
Abraham -
I will bless those who bless you, And I will curse him who curses you; And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed." Gen 12:3
Mount
Ebal
(curses) Mount
Gerizim
(blessings) – Deuteronomy 27 Slide35
Purposes of Imprecation
Seek God’s
Justice
So that men will say, "Surely
there is
a reward for the righteous; Surely He is God who judges in the earth."
Psalms 58:11Slide36
Purposes of Imprecation
Seek God’s
Justice
God’s Sovereignty
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.
Psalms 59:13Slide37
Purposes of Imprecation
Seek God’s
Justice
God’s Sovereignty
Urge wicked to turn to God
16
Fill their faces with shame, That they may seek Your name, O
Lord
.
17
Let them be confounded and dismayed forever; Yes, let them be put to shame and perish,
Psalms 83:16-17Slide38
Purposes of Imprecation
Seek God’s
Justice
God’s Sovereignty
Urge wicked to turn to God
Righteous to be established
Oh, let the wickedness of the wicked come to an end, But establish the just; For the righteous God tests the hearts and minds.
Psalms 7:9Slide39
Purposes of Imprecation
Seek God’s
Justice
God’s Sovereignty
Urge wicked to turn to God
Righteous to be established
An abhorrence of sin
21
Do I not hate them, O
Lord
, who hate You? And do I not loathe those who rise up against You?
22
I hate them with perfect hatred; I count them my enemies.
Psalms 139:21-22Slide40
Applying Imprecation
When Israel was attacked – God was attacked
Samuel was rejected – God was rejected
Goliath was defying God
Israel’s enemies were God’s enemies. Their prayers were seeking God’s justice to be done – not their own vengeance.Slide41
Applying Imprecation
With these factors in mind – There is complete harmony in the OT and the NT
The “kingdom” principles Jesus taught use the same ethic as the kingdom of Israel
Therefore: The prayers of imprecation are still applicable today.
WITH SOME CONDITIONS!Slide42
Conditions to Meet
You must be a Christian
For the eyes of the
Lord
are on the righteous,
And His ears are open to their prayers;
But the face of the
Lord
is against those who do evil."
1 Peter 3:12
Only as a last resort
For protection
For appropriate punishmentSlide43
Conditions to Meet
You must be totally innocent of involvement or participation
3
O
Lord
my God, if I have done this: If there is iniquity in my hands,
4
If I have repaid evil to him who was at peace with me, Or have plundered my enemy without cause,
5
Let the enemy pursue me and overtake
me;
Yes, let him trample my life to the earth, And lay my honor in the dust.
Psalms 7:3-5Slide44
Conditions to Meet
You must be totally innocent of involvement or participation
33
Serpents, brood of vipers! How can you escape the condemnation of hell?
34
Therefore, indeed, I send you prophets, wise men, and scribes:
some
of them you will kill and crucify, and
some
of them you will scourge in your synagogues and persecute from city to city,
Matthew 23:33-34
Legal term – clean handsSlide45
Conditions to Meet
God’s reputation and truth are on the line – not your own
20
But Peter said to him, "Your money perish with you, because you thought that the gift of God could be purchased with money!
21
You have neither part nor portion in this matter, for your heart is not right in the sight of God.
22
Repent therefore of this your wickedness, and pray God if perhaps the thought of your heart may be forgiven you.
Acts 8:20-22Slide46
Conditions to Meet
You can not use imprecatory prayer as manipulation against another
Prayer must not be a form of bribery or coercion
Vengeance belongs to God.
18
If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men.
19
Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but
rather
give place to wrath; for it is written,
"Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,"
says the Lord.
Romans 12:18-19Slide47
The Justice of God
Prayers of imprecation are only a small part of the justice of God.
Legislative Justice – must obey His law
Remunerative Justice – He rewards
Punitive Justice – God punishes
since
it is
a righteous thing with God to repay with tribulation those who trouble you,
2 Thessalonians 1:6Slide48
God Prefers Love over Justice
Example
I love my neighbor – do good – help them
One day they murder a member of my family
I CALL THE POLICE
– WHY?
I have changed from love to justice.
While we live on earth – Love, mercy, grace
At the end of time – Justice will prevailSlide49
CONCLUSION:
Imprecatory prayer is scriptural – so is the love of God
Are you willing to walk in love, suffer the wrong, and pray for the salvation of your enemies?
I believe this is the message of Jesus in the Sermon on the MountSlide50
CONCLUSION:
2 Final Thoughts
Imprecatory prayer must not be personal
Personal hatred is wrong
Seeking, planning, or doing harm is wrong
Vengeance belongs to God
Our prayer must be for God to do what is right, fair, just