Christians have a complicated history with imprecatory psalms.
When’s the last time you heard one read in church? Psalm 69:24 reads, “Pour out your indignation upon them, and let your burning anger overtake them. May their camp be a desolation; let no one dwell in their tents.” Psalms like these seem harsh to modern ears, dissonant from the normal tones we hear in public worship.
And they’re exactly what we need.
The Human Cry for Justice
My heart broke this past weekend as I watched the news. One cannot watch footage of injustice and not be moved to outrage. Injustice demands a strong response. We all feel it.
Protests and riots are one expression of this outrage, but so are our tweets and comments, our feeling that those who do wrong must be brought to justice.
I don’t know a person who isn’t outraged at injustice, even if our standards of injustice vary. We all want those who commit horrible acts to be held accountable.
That’s why we need the imprecatory psalms. As much as we long for justice here and now — for charges to be laid, for resignations to take place, and more — we also realize that we’ll never fully be satisfied with human justice. We long for God to take note, for him to sort out what’s wrong and what’s right, and for him to hold those accountable who get off easily here.
The imprecatory psalms are prayers given to God’s people to satisfy this longing. Together we cry out: God, take note of all that’s wrong. Our injustice is imperfect, so we long for your justice. Hold wrongdoers accountable. Bring the justice we so sorely lack in this world.
Justice and Mercy
Sound too harsh? On the contrary, we become too harsh without these psalms. Chris Brauns, author of Unpacking Forgiveness, says, “One of the central ways that Scripture teaches us to avoid bitterness is to rest in the truth that God will see that justice is done.” We can rest a little easier when we know that God will hold evildoers responsible. We don’t have to repay evil with evil, because God will avenge (Romans 12:17-21). Nobody can escape God’s judgment.
“A soft view of hell makes hard people,” Brauns says. When we forget God’s judgment, we become hardened and bitter. God’s judgment satisfies our longing for justice.
God’s judgment can actually lead us to pray that he extends mercy to our enemies. Shortly before Bonhoeffer was executed by the Nazis, he was asked how he could feel love for such evil people. Bonhoeffer replied, “… it is only when God’s wrath and vengeance are hanging as grim realities over the heads of one’s enemies that something of what it means to love and forgive them can touch our hearts.”
In these troubled times, we need to cry out for God to bring justice. Let’s rediscover and use the imprecatory psalms. They are one of God’s gifts to his people. And let’s long for God to bring his perfect justice to this broken world.
