Imprecatory Prayer Rhetorical Analysis

The Implications of the Imprecatory Psalms:
Praying the Imprecatory Prayers.

War is imminent, facing the enemy of one-hundred thousand screaming warriors who is geared up and mocking the God of Abraham, the one true God. In the midst of war while bending to one knee on the battlefield, the godly soldiers shouting imprecations that God will wipe out all the adversaries. Unbridled, fervent, and intense is this prayer: Let their table become a snare before them, And their well-being a trap. Let their eyes be darkened, so that they do not see; And make their loins shake continually. Pour out your indignation upon them, And let your wrathful anger take hold of them. Let their dwelling place
Praying the imprecatory prayers ethically, meaning: to apply the prayers with moral standards according to God’s word. For example, David is the one praying the imprecatory psalm while clearly understanding the holiness of God and his covenant with the nation of Israel. Pastor John Piper in his sermon, Pour Out Your Indignation Upon Them exclaims: “This is a reliable expression of what happens to the adversaries of Gods anointed, David is Gods anointed and Jesus is Gods anointed.” They Love God with the total embodiment of the person, therefore asking God to eliminate the enemy who is causing others to fall, which in turn will keep others upright. David surly prayed these imprecatory prayers against King Saul. However, David could have taken Saul’s life; nonetheless, David showed his understanding of God and gave grace by cutting off a piece of Saul’s garment. Thus, a resemblance of New Testament scripture “Let love be without dissimulation. Abhor that which is evil; cleave to that which is good” (Rom.12:9 KJV). At the same time, according to Robert Plummer, professor of the New Testament Interpretation and author of 40 Questions of Interpreting the Bible also reciprocates claims in imprecatory prayers “the speaker calls God to enact His divine justice against the Psalmist enemies” In essence the Psalmist enemies are enemies of God. Plummer gives the example of David and Saul, “David who pronounced sharp an imprecatory prayer against Saul (Ps 18; 52) David is able to exhibit amazing restraint and grace towards his enemy in daily life.” Moreover, David understands the covenant and Saul is one of Gods anointed. Therefore, if David would have killed Saul that would be directly against one of Gods anointed. Furthermore, David is showing discernment of God’s love, will and