Is It Biblical to Pray for Vengeance?

The last couple of wees we have been studying the Psalms in my Old Testament Survey class.  One type of psal we have looked at are "imprecatory psalms," or the psalms in which the author is praying for a God's curse on an enemy.

The subject of our latest discussion board is:

In view of the New Testament teaching of “loving our enemy/neighbor,” discuss the role of imprecatory prayers (psalms) for today?  Can we pray “against” people or things today?  Take a view and defend your position (with love!) and use scripture.  Discuss.

As promised, I am posting my responses here. (Feel free to comment, as it is a discussion question.)

Though I have spent several hours studying this matter, I am still undecided. I have read not only outside of this board, but all of the responses and discussions within it. I believe there are strong arguments both for and against these imprecatory prayers.

Aside from all of the thoughts and information described within the discussion board, I have found another source which has some interesting and important points to consider.

In his sermon, “A Christian Manifesto – A Study of Luke 6,” Alistair Begg challenges us to the agape love Christ commands in both Luke 6 and Matthew 5.  He describes agape love thus:

 “Agape is the ONLY form of love that is not drawn out of the attractiveness of the merit of the one we love.  Jesus is calling for a love of people that is in no way related to the lovability of those whom we are to love.  That is precisely how God in Christ loved us. It was a self-engendered love for those who were His enemies.

“Agape love is not blind to their offenses against us. We see them exactly as they are in all of their ugliness, in all of their spitefulness, in all of their cursing.

“Seeing all that, Jesus says, ‘I want you to love your enemies.’

“This love is intelligent. It is a love that is marked by comprehension and it is a love that is purposeful in its application.”

Further, Begg reminds us:

“This kind of love will not go unrewarded, but the essence of this kind of love is that it must never be the motive for practicing it… because it is an expression of the character of God, who is our Father and kids ought to be like their dads.

“Indeed it is completely incongruous, if not impossible, for those of us who declare ourselves to be the Father’s children not to manifest the mercy of a merciful God and not to display a love for our enemies which is akin to the approach of Jesus that when He was reviled, He did not revile in return, but committed His cause to Him who judges.”

Finally, he makes the point the Jews of the Old Testament had taken out of context Leviticus 19:18 (“Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against one of your people but love your neighbor as yourself for I am the Lord.”).  “They took the phrase ‘one of your people’ and diminished it to define a group who they had to love and if it fell outside of that defined group, it was ok to curse them.”

And so, taken together, a complete picture emerges wherein we are to love as Christ loved us, not because we deserved it when we also were enemies of God, but rather because He loved us enough to suffer and die for us. We are to forgive because we are forgiven.

Yet also, we do see in holy writ examples of godly men praying imprecatory prayers, not only in the Old Testament, but in the New as well.  In addition to the many examples cited throughout this discussion board, we see a prime example in the final book, Revelation. In chapter 6 verses 10 and 11 we read, “¹⁰ And they cried with a loud voice, saying, “How long, O Lord, holy and true, until You judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?” ^{11 ” (NKJV)}Then a white robe was given to each of them; and it was said to them that they should rest a little while longer, until both the number of their fellow servants and their brethren, who would be killed as they were, was completed.

These tribulation martyrs were not chastised for their cry to the throne for vengeance; rather, they were given a white robe and told to wait patiently until the time was right for God to carry out the retribution they desperately sought.

Consequently, I feel it necessary to conclude there are certainly occasions in which the Lord does not condemn imprecation. However, one must call upon the name and the power of God wisely and with great humility. It is wisdom to err on the side of love and forgiveness, for with the measure one uses to judge, one in turn will be judged.  Yet, let each man walk out his own salvation in fear and trembling.

Practical Examples from the Lives of Ezra and Nehemiah

Here is another of my assignments for school. The assignment was to draw from the lives of Ezra and Nehemiah two examples of lessons practical for us today.

I hope you enjoy it...

Both Ezra and Nehemiah offer us practical examples of wisdom for living.  Because both were dedicated in their love for the Living God, they each lived lives that can still serve as ideals for us today.  These models were bred out of lives which were lived each day in the light of the Lord. They were neither haphazard nor accidental, but rather they were habits which were formed in the lives of these men.

Ezra, for example had “devoted himself to studying, obeying, and teaching the Law,” and so “the hand of the Lord was upon him.” (Ezra 7:9-10)  What I find most important for today is that he not only studied and taught, he also obeyed.  In today’s culture, we tend to find those who study God’s Word and teach God’s Word, but all too often dismiss the obedience part by suggesting that we “live in a different time,” or “we are under grace.”

Also, Ezra clearly saw the sin of the people as SIN and mourned over their disobedience. He recognized their sin as “our” sin, acknowledging that we are one body and if one part of the body is sick, then the whole body is sick. He therefore confessed the sin corporately and sought corporate resolution (Ezra 9:6-13)  He sought the holiness of the whole of the body. (Ezra 10:2-4) Even in the New Testament we are instructed not to be unequally yoked with a non-believer. Would we have the courage to urge a brother or sister in Christ to not marry a non-believer?

Nehemiah was a man of prayer, who showed utmost confidence in God. Immediately upon hearing Jerusalem was in ruins, he prayed (Nehemiah 1:4-11).  Before answering Artaxerxes, he prayed (Neh 2:4-5).  He encouraged the people to put their faith in God. (Neh 4:14)

He was thoughtful and thorough before taking any action.  Before answering Artaxerxes he prayed rather than blurt a response. As one who tends to speak first and ask questions later, I take this as a personal exhortation. Also, before approaching the leaders of Jerusalem about rebuilding the wall, he toured the ruins and prayerfully considered a strategy. (Neh 2:11-16)

Finally, Nehemiah was a man of good character.  He did not cower in fear by going to the Holy Place when suggested by Shemaiach. (Neh 6:10-14) Because he was in the habit of prayer, he was able to say “I saw that God had not sent him, but he made this prophecy against me because Tobiah and Sanballat had hired him.” Nehemiah further displayed his good character in that he worked with the men (Neh 5:16) and he was generous; he loaned to needy Jews without charging interest (Neh 5:10) and he fed 150 of his workers.(Neh 5:14)

Encouragement

How easy it is to get discouraged.

As a stay-at-home, home-schooling mother of 4 under 10, most everyday is struggle against discouragement and feelings of being over-whelmed. There are so many people and tasks which all seem to demand my attention every moment.  I feel exhausted before I have even begun the day.

Even as I write this, I wonder how to pull myself up out of the rut. How do I conquer this?

And then... in order to hide from the things that overwhelm, I take a break and check my facebook account. (Don't judge me :)

There, amidst the lovely pictures of all my friends, I see it. There are so many scripture postings and praise postings.  Encouragement.

There in my email box...daily devotionals I have signed up for and rarely get an opportunity to read until my inbox is overwhelmed with unread devotionals.  I read a few. Encouragement.

A few minutes spent in hearing the thoughts of others as they praise God and share beautiful scripture verses that encourage them, there I find encouragement also. 

Could this be what the Bible means when it tells us to encourage one another with psalms, and hymns and spiritual songs? Could this be what it meant that we are to encourage one another while it is yet today?

I believe it is. When we share praise with others, we rarely know how deep in impact we are having on those who are hearing.  And what is truly remarkable is that when we share something to encourage others, we in fact find encouragement ourselves. What a divine paradox!

Dear Lord Jesus, Thank you and praise You that You have equipped us with the ability to be Your hug to someone who needs You. Thank You Lord that You have given us the ability to form friendships and relationships. Help us Lord to find ways to encourage each other. Help us to "encourage one another daily, as long as it is called “Today,” so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness." Praise You, the author and perfector of our faith, the lifter of my head, and the encouragement of my heart! Amen

May the Lord Himself give you sweet and blessed encouragement today!

A Tale of Two Kingdoms

Time has not been my friend as of late. I have been feeling like the proverbial ginea pig on a wheel, always running but never really getting anywhere.

As a result, my postings have been slim to none, and for that I humbly apologize.

As I am now beginning another semester in my study of Theology at Liberty University, I thought I would post here an assignment or two.

We are studying the Old Testament from 1 Kings to Song of Solomon.  It promises to be very interesting, as these contain books that I have previously avoided due to their tedium.  However, upon closer examination, I am finding them quite interesting.  I hope you do as well.

This first paper answers the following question:

"In the Splintered Kingdom, the kings in the North are compared to who? Who are the Southern kings compared to? How does this relate to you today? Discuss"

My response, titled "A Tale of Two Kingdoms:"

"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times..."  The beginning of the reign of Solomon, full of spleandor and glory, was replaced by civil unrest and then civil war, resulting in the "splintering" or dividing of the nation into two separate kingdoms.  This civil war caused nearly 400 years of turmoil and ultimately conquest of both kingdoms.

Throughout the scripture readings for this section, the kings of the splintered kingdoms are repeatedly compared to two figures. For the Northern kingdom, this comparison is to Jeroboam, its first king. In the Southern kingdom, the comparison is to King David, specifically to his heart toward God.

For example, in 1 Kings 15:3, we see Abijam, the second king, beginning his reign over the Southern kingdom, or Judah. His reign is described thus:

“He walked in the sins of his father [Rehoboam] before him and his heart was not blameless with the Lord his God, as the heart of David his father [forefather].” (This and all scripture quoted in this response are from the Amplified version.)

The next king of Judah was Asa, and according to 1 Kings 15:11, “Asa did right in the eyes of the Lord, as did David his father [forefather].” These are merely two examples of many more which followed.

The reason for this comparison is clear from scripture, especially 1 Kings 15:4-5:

“⁴Nevertheless, for David’s sake the Lord his God gave him a lamp in Jerusalem, setting up his son after him and establishing Jerusalem, ⁵Because David did what was right in the eyes of the Lord and turned not aside from anything that He commanded him all the days of his life, except in the matter of Uriah the Hittite.”

The key here is the phrase “for David’s sake…”  Herein lies the reason for even the existence of the Southern kingdom. Were it not “for David’s sake,” the kingdom would have been rent from the hands of David’s family because of the sins of Solomon, as we read in 1 Kings 11:33-39. In these verses, Ahijah the prophet tells Jeroboam the intent of the Lord to take the Kingdom from Rehoboam because of the sins of Solomon in leading the people to sin against Him by worshipping foreign gods and for not keeping His commandments and statutes.  However, in verse 36, “Yet to his son (Rehoboam) I will give one tribe that David My servant may always have a light before Me in Jerusalem, the city where I have chosen to put My Name.” (see also 1 Kings 15:4-5)  So we see that the very existence of the Southern kingdom is for David and for Jerusalem, and therefore ultimately for the Name and glory of God Himself.

In the Northern Kingdom of Israel, we see an entirely different picture. Rather than being compared to a godly man, even a man after God’s own heart, these kings’ reigns are compared to the despicable deeds of the first king of Israel, Jeroboam.

Examples of this comparison are plentiful. Beginning with Nadab, Jeroboam’s son and successor, we see this pattern emerge.  In 1 Kings 15:26, “He (Nadab) did evil in the sight of the Lord and walked in the way of his father and in his sin, with which he made Israel sin.”

Nadab was assassinated and succeeded by Baasha who is described in 16:2, “Because I exalted you out of the dust and made you leader over My people Israel, and you have walked in the way of Jeroboam and have made My people Israel sin, to provoke Me to anger with their sins,…”

The message should be clear to us, even in our day. We are to have a heart for God. We are to walk in His ways and keep His commandments and statutes. We are to guard our hearts from following after foreign gods and worshipping idols, regardless of what form they take. We should not allow our hearts to become adulterous against God. He is a jealous God and will hold us accountable. 

Further, as parents, our children are our progeny. What heritage will we leave them?  Will they be described as following our hearts for the Lord, or will they be described as following in our sins?  Will we cause our families to sin against God? These leaders did not live in a vacuum, nor do we.  Our actions will positively or negatively affect those in our care, possibly for many subsequent generations.

“Choose you this day whom you shall serve, but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” (paraphrase of Joshua 24:15)

Obedience is Key

We all consider the Lord to be our Rock, our Foundation. We all piously embrace the analogy of building our lives upon the foundation of Jesus Christ. We all assume that since we claim Jesus as Lord then we have done all that is required to have the Rock under us that will never allow our house to be washed away by the storm.

However, there is a key component which seems to be overlooked in Jesus' parable as told in Luke 6:46-49.  He is very clear in His introduction, yet we skim past the point. "Why do you call me Lord, Lord and do not do the things I say?" Ouch!

"I will show you what someone is like who comes to Me, hears My words, and ACTS on them:" We are then told that he is like a man who digs down and builds his house on a solid foundation.

In contrast, we are told in verse 49, "But he who merely hears and does not practice doing My words is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation, against which the torrent burst, and immediately it collapsed and fell, and the breaking and ruin of that house was great."

The difference is in the doing.

But, to what is He referring when He says, "My words?" The key is in the previous verses. His analogy immediately follows the "Sermon on the Mount." In it we are given instructions on Holy living. We are instructed to be Holy as He is Holy, and here we are told how.

Many studies could be written on each of His teaching here, but for the sake of this writing it is sufficient to say obedience is the key.

We are further told four times in John 14 that if we love Him we will keep His commands. Clearly, He takes our obedience seriously, as it is an indication to Him of our love for Him.

But why? Because obedience is a sign or marker of our trust in Him or our faith. If we don't trust Him or believe Him, we will not do what He tells us. If we trust Him to be who He says He is and do what He says He can do, then obedience will follow. We will be accutely aware that He desires the best for us and so, even if we do not understand why, we will be obedient to follow His commands.

How frustrating it is to observe in our own children the lack of faith in us required to obey.  Often they stop and consider whether our intentions for them are what they should desire for themselves. However, they are extremely short-sighted and want what they want right now. As their parent, we are more aware of the long-term goals or consequences for them. They may want to eat cake for breakfast, because it is good right now. We as parents know that having cake for breakfast is not healthy and will have consequences later.

So too, our Father in Heaven knows the beginning from the end. He knows what is best for us long-term. Our Father knows not only how our bodies and our spyches work, but also how our spirit works and matures, and He wants the best for us. He desires to grow us and matures us.

Obedience requires submission. He says to us in the Luke account, "Why do you call me Lord, Lord..." He is asking why we consider Him Lord and Master, yet we have not sumitted to Him in obedience. We cannot grow strong and build on a sure foundation without submitting to obedience to His commands.

Ours is a God of "If...then." IF a person loves Me THEN he will keep My commandments; THEN I will reveal Myself to him; THEN he will be loved by the Father; THEN we will come and build our home with you.

Obedience is the key.

Hallel u Jah, Praise to Yahweh! "I shall declare the works and recount the illustrious acts of the Lord."

Before Passover, it is common for Jews to recite Psalms 113 and 114. Following the Seder, they recite Psalms 115-118. Together these Pslams are known as the Hallel, or “the Praise.” (Hallel u Jah - Praise to Yahweh)  In verse 17 of Psalm 118, we read, “I…shall declare the works and recount the illustrious acts of the Lord.”

This Thursday is the 8^th birthday of my eldest child and her story is nothing short of miraculous. I will extol the Lord, and recount his illustrious acts to the Praise and Glory of His Name for all the world to hear!

Very shortly after my marriage to my husband, I became pregnant.  However, In December of 2002, I lost the baby. I remember crying out to a friend and telling her that I could accept it if the Lord told me “No, not this child,” but that I didn’t think I could handle it if He told me, “No children at all.” Although I was a relatively new Christian, I was painfully cognizant that there are among us those who feel that to not have children is a curse from God. I wanted children, but felt judged by Christian women for not yet having children at 33.

In early February of 2003, our local church held its annual Missions Conference. As I was still grieving my loss, I hesitated to go, but decided at the last minute I would attend the ladies’ Missions brunch. It was a lovely affair with bright and colorful decorations and a delicious “Pot Blessing” meal.

After brunch, our host introduced the speaker. Her name was Noelle Dembele and she was from Africa. She began her talk in her African dialect and paused for her interpreter to tell us what she had said.

“In my country the worst thing that can happen to a woman is that she has no children,” she began. The tears welled up and swallowing became impossible. “They consider it a curse. But God’s Word tells us differently. In Luke 1 verse 6 it says, ‘Elizabeth and Zeccariah were righteous before God, AND YET Elizabeth was barren.’” There was no holding back the floodgate of tears. I will never forget her words as long as I live.

When she had finished speaking, her interpreter invited us to come and meet her. My friend said, “You HAVE to go talk to her. Come on, I’ll take you.” And so she led me up and waited in line with me. I explained to her interpreter that I had recently lost a baby and so appreciated what she had said. The interpreter leaned into Noelle for a moment and Noelle’s eye met mine. With that, she reached out and grabbed my stomach and began praying. She got louder and louder and more intense. I was feeling quite conspicuous, but politely held my ground.

Upon finishing, her interpreter told me, “She prayed that by the end of the next Missions Conference, you would have a child so that you would know that the Lord answers prayer.” I thanked her and left.

In my mind I did the math, and realized that in order to have a baby by the following  Febraury, I would need to conceive no later than June. When June came and went, I was devastated and assumed the Lord was telling me “No children at all.” I spent the weeks to follow grieving the loss of hope. I cried to the Lord long and hard, and finally prayed for peace and the ability to accept His decision.

I was reminded of a book I had read with my family when I was young. It was called Hinds’ Feet on High Places. In it the main character, “Much Afraid” wanted desparately to climb to the mountain tops with the Shepherd, however her legs were crippled. The book is an allegory of her journey and the lessons she learned along the way. During her journey, Much Afraid must, on numerous occasions, build an altar and place on it her deepest desires.

Upon remembrance of this, in my mind, I built an altar and placed there my desire for children. For the first time in months, I felt peace. Praise God for answered prayer.

A couple of weeks after this turning, I was speaking with a couple of ladies after church and one of them said something about my children and caught herself, “Oh my!” she said, “You don’t have any children. I’m so sorry!” I replied, “That’s alright, it’s up to the Lord,” or words to that affect. As I said it, I realized that I really was alright with it. There was complete peace.

Little did I know that when I uttered those words, I was already likely expecting. That was in July.

The pregnancy itself could not have gone worse. I began having complications immediately, and spent 7 of the 9 months on complete bedrest. I was able to get out once a week to go to the doctors and once in a while to get to church.

At 21 weeks, I went for a routine ultrasound. I was very excited that my husband was going to be able to see her, as he had taken the afternoon to go with me. Unfortunately, we got stuck in traffic and were late to the appointment. The nurse told us we would have to reschedule. My heart broke. As she could read the anguish in my face, she invited us to wait and, “If the couple scheduled after you doesn’t show up, we can go ahead and do it.” And so we waited, and I prayed.

As God would have it, they did not show up.

We went into the little room and got ready. The nurse began the test, but turned to me and said (or yelled), “Put your feet up and DON’T MOVE!” And out she ran. She came back only a few seconds later with the doctor in tow. He went pale when he looked at the screen. She was already in the process of being born. (Please note, if the other couple had made their appointment, we would NOT have known!)

He sent me to the hospital a block away and they prepared me for surgery. As they were preparing me, I could hear the doctor and nurse arguing because he wanted to go into surgery right away , as it was late in the day. She was telling him that it was protocol to monitor the baby’s heartbeat and they needed to wait for the equipment to hear it. He was adamant and said, “If anything happens to the baby, we aren’t going to try to save her anyway!” And with that I fell asleep.

Before I even opened my eyes, I screamed, ”Where’s my baby?!” The nurse who was wheeling the gurney by my head put her hand on my shoulder and said, “She’s still there.” I praised Jesus aloud all the way down the halls!

Seventeen weeks later on April 12, I bore a very healthy baby girl and named her Rose.

The doctor said in his 35 years of practice, he never gave her a chance. He did not believe until he was holding her that she would survive.

Oh, and in case you thought the Lord was late, I found out DURING my pregnancy that our local congregation has Missions Conference in February. The denomination wide Missions Conference, the one with which Noelle would have been familiar, ended April 19 that year.

Rose was indeed born before the end of the next Missions Conference and I DO know that the Lord answers prayer!  AMEN AND HALLEL-U-JAH!

The Lord Does Provide for Our Every Need

Wow! You are amazing, Lord!


I have been asked to teach a portion of the Bible Study, "Knowing God by Name." I am LOVING it. But wouldn't you know the normal "can't shut me up" me is not finding anything to share on the title Marey Malek or "King of kings."


So I was sitting on the couch doing some research and meditating, waiting for God to speak, when I noticed my four year old walk past me. I didn't think much about it until he came up and handed me my Beth Moore study, "Esther." He said, "I fought you might need dis." And, he walked away.


I had started the study, gosh what...a couple of years ago, maybe. I had left the study in the middle of it.


After he walked away, I sat there with it in my hand thinking, "Oh how cute, he thought he was helping."  Then I heard the Lord tell me, "Open it to where you left off."


Oh my goodness!!! It is truly perfect! Such majesty!

Right there, just exactly where I had left off was precisely what I needed for today! Two years ago He KNEW what I would need TODAY and prepared in advance. He knew on which page I needed to stop then in order to be on the right page now. Can you imagine that? Can you fathom the greatness of a God who is that intimate and that involved in the details of our lives?


I cannot tell you what I read because I don't want to give it away for those who will be in te class on Wednesday night. All I can say is He did it again! He blew my mind with His incredible awesomeness!


Lord God, Father in heaven You amaze me! You delight me! You tickle me! PRAISE You in all Your glory and splendor! I bow the knee and my heart!