I am taking an Exegesis of Selected Psalms class. This class has been, to say the least, challenging, not only in the Hebrew, but also in my own understanding of the Psalms.
One such case has been, Psalm 69. This song of the psalter is an imprecatory Psalm, that is a psalm in which the writer is asking God to judge his enemies. Here is a sampling:
22 May the table set before them become a snare;
may it become retribution and [a] a trap.
23 May their eyes be darkened so they cannot see,
and their backs be bent forever.
24 Pour out your wrath on them;
let your fierce anger overtake them.
25 May their place be deserted;
let there be no one to dwell in their tents.
26 For they persecute those you wound
and talk about the pain of those you hurt.
27 Charge them with crime upon crime;
do not let them share in your salvation.
28 May they be blotted out of the book of life
and not be listed with the righteous.
David is at his wit's end and he is asking God to judge his enemies in a rather colorful and poetic fashion.
Now the question is how can we apply that to us today in the 21st century? Also how can we reconcile this with Jesus' teaching of loving those who persecute us and our enemies?
I read the great article on this issue where the author suggested that David is not praying this out of malice, rather to see justice done. We are even called by Paul to "abhor what is evil and to cling to what is good." (Rom 12.9)
We need to be aware that God will judge the earth and every human will stand before Him; thus we need to pray with our Lord, "Thy Kingdom Come, Thy Will be Done in earth as it is in heaven."
This is probably the best way to pray for God's judgment, and not do it out of a self-righteous way, rather one that longs to see the Eternal King reign forever and his justice be established.
