Finally Some Good News: Another look at Psalm 109:8

By DR. MARK ROSS/Columnist

“Psalm 109:8.” I was at a dinner party when a friend came up behind me and said that. Some ministers have large parts of the Bible memorized, but I am lucky to remember my Social Security number. I was embarrassed to admit, but I did not know Psalm 109:8.
My friend had to explain. “It is a prayer for the president, you know, for Barack Obama.” We talked long enough for me to learn it was not a “run of the mill” prayer.
“Let his days be few;
And let another take his office.”
—Psalm 109:8 KJV
Praying for the president is nothing new. The apostle Paul called upon us to pray for our leaders, and persons in authority. Citizens have prayed for presidents for as long as we have had presidents. Yet, the prayer in Psalm 109 is not what Paul had in mind.
My friend joins a number of people who are unhappy with the President of the United States as with some of his policies and decisions. That is nothing new. Lacking training in politics or public policy, I can barely muster a measly uninformed opinion on the subject. However, I do know something about the Bible.
Psalm 109 is an Imprecatory Psalm. Imprecatory Psalms are prayers that invoke pain, tragedy and curses upon the enemies of the psalmist or in some cases, the enemies of God. The Hebrew Bible contains approximately 20 Imprecatory Psalms. Psalm 137 is probably the most famous. Verse 9 reads, “Happy shall they be who take your little ones and dash them against the rock!” In the light of Psalm 137, Psalm 109 is a lightweight.
Not all of the imprecatory passages are in the Psalms. In Deuteronomy, Moses offers a litany of curses upon the nation of Israel if it fails to be obedient to God. A number of the prophets include a variety of warnings and curses against those who oppose the prophet and the nation.
What is surprising is that imprecations are not restricted to the Old Testament. Paul, at least twice, quoted from Imprecatory Psalms in his letters. Once he wrote to the Galatians, “As we have said before, so now I repeat, if anyone proclaims to you a gospel contrary to what you received, let him be accursed.”
What should we make of Psalm 109 concerning the President? First, Imprecatory Psalms are not the height of biblical inspiration. They hardly compare to the Sermon on the Mount or the Saint Paul’s love chapter. Second, as negative as they sound, we should see the imprecatory passages in the context of the full biblical message of hope and redemption. Finally, scholars refer to the imprecatory passages as cathartic. That is, they do more for the curser than against the cursed. Their bark is worse than their bite.
WJDI, would Jesus do imprecations? On the two occasions Jesus quoted from the Imprecatory Psalms, he was not placing a curse on anyone else but bearing the curse himself. Saint John recorded one of those quotes when Jesus said, “It was to fulfill the word that is written in their law, and ‘They hated me without a cause.’”
His best word on the treatment of one’s enemies is “Love your enemies and pray for those who despitefully use you.” Yet, if the advice of Jesus is not forceful enough, there is always Saint Paul who said we should do good things for our enemies. Then he added, “It is like putting hot coals on their heads.” However, quoting an Imprecatory Psalm is a lot more fun than doing good for my enemies, and as Paul’s own life and death illustrated, a lot easier.

Dr. Mark Ross is the pastor of Marion Baptist Church. To learn more about MBC, visit http://www.marionbaptistchurchva.com/.