The justice of God raised against sinners is a necessary prerequisite to making the grace and mercy of God known. A sinner must not only be made aware of the fact that he is a sinner, but the divine and pure hatred of God must weigh like an albatross around his neck, threatening to pull him into hell.

Christians love to print certain Bible verses on greeting cards. For birthdays, Psalm 91:6 may be chosen, “With long life I will satisfy him and show him my salvation.” For graduations, perhaps Jeremiah 29:11 may be used (contextual relevancy notwithstanding), “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.” Perhaps a “get-well-soon” card may quote from Psalm 23, while an anniversary card may quote from 1 Corinthians 13.

There are other texts, though, that would seem strange for a birthday or anniversary. Imagine little Tommy getting a card on his fifth birthday that reads, “Arise, O Lord! Save me, O my God! For you strike all my enemies on the cheek; you break the teeth of the wicked” (Ps 3:7). Or, for an anniversary, receiving a card that says, “Blessed shall he be who takes your little ones and dashes them against the rock!” (Ps 137:9). The latter may make sense if you really despise the person, but even then, a serious question is raised for modern Christians: What are we to do with the imprecatory language of the Bible? Is it sinful to pray prayers like Psalm 3:7 or Psalm 137:9 against our enemies? Or, is there perhaps a proper time and place for the Christian to employ such language in their prayer life?

The Modern Church’s Apprehension of Imprecatory Prayers

I’d be willing to wager that most of our western evangelical churches hardly, if ever, broach the subject of imprecatory prayers as they appear in Scripture. Judging from the reactions I’ve received in the past when quoting texts like those above, most find these prayers unpleasant at best, and alarming at worst. Even quoting something like Psalm 5:5 (“The boastful shall not stand before your eyes; you hate all evildoers”), has revealed to me that the wrath of God against sin is still somewhat respectable to speak of in certain circles, but the wrath of God against sinners is only whispered about in hushed corners, and only then to be shushed away.

This isn’t to say that the silence is proof of disbelief. On the contrary, the silence is proof enough that these texts are believed, but they are nervously approached with a sense of dread and confusion. We know that God is just and that sin must be judged; consequently, we intuitively understand that for sin to be judged, the sinner who committed the sin must be judged, or else a scapegoat must be given in his place. It’s not enough to simply denounce a particular sin as evil and deserving of wrath; the one who committed the sin must be denounced and condemned.

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