Psalm 35:1-10 - Asking God Crazy Things

Listen along as we do an overview of the imprecatory Psalms.

Notes//Quotes:

Psalm 35:1-10 

NGRAM Picture (attached)

Psalm 69:22-25 
Psalm 58:6-9
Psalm 137:8-9

“In the ancient Near East in general, life was dominated by the need to cope with the terrifying threat of curses and omens” New Dictionary of Biblical Theology

The Psalms explore the full gamut of human experience from rage to hope. Indeed, it would be very strange if such a robust spirituality lacked such a dimension of vengeance, for we would conclude that just at the crucial point, robustness had turned to cowardice and propriety” Walter Brueggemann, Praying the Psalms

“Imprecations are appeals to the Judge of the earth to play the part of Judge” Peter Leithart

We must not either try to explain them away or to yield for one moment to the idea that, because it comes in the Bible, all this vindictive hatred must somehow be good and pious. We must face both facts squarely. The hatred is there – festering, gloating, undisguised – and also we should be wicked if we in any way condoned or approved it. These prayers of the psalmists "are indeed devilish”- CS Lewis

1 Sam 24:12-15

“The New Testament appears not in the least embarrassed with the Old Testament imprecations; on the contrary, it quotes freely from them as authoritative statements with which to support an argument. The New Testament not only quotes passages which, though themselves not imprecations, are found in a Psalm with an imprecatory section; but also, and this is more remarkable, it quotes with approval the imprecations themselves” Harry Mennega

“To pray “Thy kingdom come” is to invoke divine judgment on all other kingdoms and all those who oppose the reign of God. "When we pray as Jesus taught us, we cry out to God for His blessings upon His church and for His curses upon the kingdom of the evil one" James Adams, War Psalms of the Prince of Peace

When you approach God in prayer, don’t think of a majestic, almighty old man in the clouds. Picture a man with scars of suffering, eyes that have wept, ears that have heard hate, a mouth that’s hungered, a heart that’s bled. There is no more sympathetic listener than Christ. - Chad Bird