When we pray for God to tear down those obstacles that hinder the Kingdom from a full advance, we do well. God truly does hate such things. But, at the same time, it may be that one of those sinful enemies of ours who despises God, who we in turn hate with perfect hatred, is one of those elected unto salvation by the eternal love of God before the foundation of the world.

Imprecatory psalms ought not be avoided, but instead utilized. Like the rest of the Scriptures, they are truly the inspired, inerrant, and infallible Word of the Living God. We ought to rejoice over them, rather than act ashamed when we encounter them.

Not too long ago, I encountered a group of gentlemen who were adamant that I had to avoid ever quoting the imprecatory psalms in my sermons, public speaking, or writings. Each of them shared a similar concern: the language of imprecatory psalms is largely confrontational, and they wanted to avoid confrontation at all costs. I was told that my duty was to win sinners over to Christ by my conduct only, and confrontational verses—or words spoken directly against the sinner—could create a barrier in their coming to Christ.

It may come as a surprise, but I understood completely where they were coming from. I also believed they were completely wrong. While it’s true that an imprecatory psalm may make the sinner uncomfortable, that’s actually a good thing. Discomfort over God’s Word and God’s justice may lead them to repentance if that’s what God has sovereignly decreed. But, at the same time, we must be certain that we don’t become so enamored with the world, and with pursuing the world’s love, that we forget we have no reason to be ashamed of any of God’s Word. We ought to be as bold about our faith in the goodness of Psalm 139:19–24 as we are about John 3:16.

In fact, when David claims to hate the enemies of God in Psalm 139, he is entirely justified in doing so. We, also, may be justified in hating God’s enemies, when that hatred is pure as David’s was.

Permit me to explain how this is possible. We, of course, ought to desire that God would be glorified above all else, and anything that stands in the way of His being glorified must be despised and opposed. Consequently, we ought to also seek the continual expanse of His Kingdom over the earth, and so all obstacles standing in the way of Christ’s reign must be torn down and destroyed (2 Cor 10:4). The main way that we oppose and advance against such enemies and obstacles is through the proclamation of the Word of God and prayer. More specifically, we may sometimes oppose, fight, and advance against the enemies of God through imprecatory prayers.

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