War is imminent for the Christian soldier who is facing the enemy of one-hundred thousand screaming warriors who are mocking the God of Abraham. As a result of the impending war, bending to one knee on the battlefield, and praying that God will wipe out all the adversaries––– a wartime necessity. “Let their table become a snare before them: and that which should have been for their welfare, let it become a trap. Let their eyes be darkened, that they see not; and make their loins continually to shake. Pour out thine indignation upon them, and let thy wrathful anger take hold of them. Let their habitation be desolate; and let none dwell in their tents. For they persecute him whom thou hast smitten; and they talk to the grief of those whom thou
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Lewis, is one scholar who says the imprecatory prayers are full of hate and should be left alone, “ The hatred is there – festering, gloating, undisguised – and also we should be wicked if we in any way condoned or approved it, or (worse still) used it to justify similar passions in ourselves.” However, when reading these prayers, they show a deep love for God and praise the Lord. For example, Asaph writes in his Imprecatory Prayer, “O my God, make them like a wheel; as the stubble before the wind. As the fire burneth a wood, and as the flame setteth the mountains on fire; So persecute them with thy tempest, and make them afraid with thy storm. Fill their faces with shame; that they may seek thy name, O LORD” (Psalm 83:13-16 KJV). Asaph wants God to take action against his adversaries, leaving vengeance to God and Asaph not raising his hand against the enemy. Thus, a resemblance of New Testament scripture “Let love be without dissimulation. Abhor that which is evil; cleave to that which is good” (Romans12:9 KJV). Moreover, Asaph wants his enemy to repent and to seek the …show more content…
Comparatively, in Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s Meditations on Psalms, Dietrich timidly speaks out about the imprecatory prayers saying, “In our Psalm, that terrible prayer that begins, which we dread, which we repeat only with trembling and deep inner resistance’ when we read it.” Here Bonhoeffer is resisting, and teaching to resist reading parts of the Holy Scripture that God revealed. The Word of God takes a stand on such utterances, “Therefore, whoever resists the authority resists the ordinance of God, and those who resist will bring judgment on themselves” (Romans 13:2 NKJV). Moreover, this scripture says God is the ultimate and sovereign ruler of all and that includes His word as well. It is also written, “He who does not love Me does not keep My words; and the word which you hear is not Mine but the Father’s who sent Me” (John 14:24 NKJV). Jesus is saying that the word is from God, and if we Love him we should guard his word, just as the authors of the prayers
Lewis, is one scholar who says the imprecatory prayers are full of hate and should be left alone, “ The hatred is there – festering, gloating, undisguised – and also we should be wicked if we in any way condoned or approved it, or (worse still) used it to justify similar passions in ourselves.” However, when reading these prayers, they show a deep love for God and praise the Lord. For example, Asaph writes in his Imprecatory Prayer, “O my God, make them like a wheel; as the stubble before the wind. As the fire burneth a wood, and as the flame setteth the mountains on fire; So persecute them with thy tempest, and make them afraid with thy storm. Fill their faces with shame; that they may seek thy name, O LORD” (Psalm 83:13-16 KJV). Asaph wants God to take action against his adversaries, leaving vengeance to God and Asaph not raising his hand against the enemy. Thus, a resemblance of New Testament scripture “Let love be without dissimulation. Abhor that which is evil; cleave to that which is good” (Romans12:9 KJV). Moreover, Asaph wants his enemy to repent and to seek the …show more content…
Comparatively, in Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s Meditations on Psalms, Dietrich timidly speaks out about the imprecatory prayers saying, “In our Psalm, that terrible prayer that begins, which we dread, which we repeat only with trembling and deep inner resistance’ when we read it.” Here Bonhoeffer is resisting, and teaching to resist reading parts of the Holy Scripture that God revealed. The Word of God takes a stand on such utterances, “Therefore, whoever resists the authority resists the ordinance of God, and those who resist will bring judgment on themselves” (Romans 13:2 NKJV). Moreover, this scripture says God is the ultimate and sovereign ruler of all and that includes His word as well. It is also written, “He who does not love Me does not keep My words; and the word which you hear is not Mine but the Father’s who sent Me” (John 14:24 NKJV). Jesus is saying that the word is from God, and if we Love him we should guard his word, just as the authors of the prayers