A Imprecatory Prayers
LIBERTY UNIVERSITY
SHOULD CHRISTIANS PRAY THE IMPRECATORY PSALMS
A RESEARCH PAPER SUBMITTED TO DR.
IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENT FOR
THE COURSE OBST 592
LIBERTY BAPTIST THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY
BY
THERESA NICHOLOSON
TABLE OF CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION…………………………………………………………………………….3
IMPRECATORY PSALMS………………………………………………………………...3
CHALLENGING OF THE OLD TESTATMENT..……………………………………….4
PSALMS OF IMPRECATIONS…………………………………………………………….5 PSALM 55…………………………………………………………………………………..6 Cast Your Burden on the Lord…………………………………………………………….6 PSALM 59…………………………………………………………………………………..6 Deliver Me from Enemies…………………………………………………………………6 PSALM 109…………………………………………………………………………………7 Curse Against a Personal Enemy…………………………………………………………..7
INCONSISTENCIES OF OLD TESTAMENT…………………………………………….8
THERAPEUTIC IMPLICATIONS…………………………………………………………9 Therapy for Christians………………………………………………………………………9
CONCLUSION………………………………………………………………………………..9
BIBLIOGRAPHY…………………………………………………………………………….11
Introduction Imprecatory psalms are prayer melodies labeled due to their precise spirited attitude towards the enemy. In the Old Testament, we find the concept of a curse given very often. The most composite curses are seen throughout the Book of Psalms, where they are considered imprecatory prayers. What does imprecatory mean? The verb imprecate stands for “praying evil against” or “to invoke curse upon another”, henceforth the name for these prayers. These scriptures tend to create numerous concerns amongst preachers and the congregation. Dominant to the issue is the obvious incitation of God’s vengeance and anger to fall upon his enemies. These Psalms prompt hatred, an honorable and upright dilemma, for many Christians disciplined in the Law of Christ. The anger and rage depicted in the Imprecatory Psalms are an integral part of every human being since the fall of Adam. This weighed against the New Testament teaching of “bless and do not curse”1 and “love
SHOULD CHRISTIANS PRAY THE IMPRECATORY PSALMS
A RESEARCH PAPER SUBMITTED TO DR.
IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENT FOR
THE COURSE OBST 592
LIBERTY BAPTIST THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY
BY
THERESA NICHOLOSON
TABLE OF CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION…………………………………………………………………………….3
IMPRECATORY PSALMS………………………………………………………………...3
CHALLENGING OF THE OLD TESTATMENT..……………………………………….4
PSALMS OF IMPRECATIONS…………………………………………………………….5 PSALM 55…………………………………………………………………………………..6 Cast Your Burden on the Lord…………………………………………………………….6 PSALM 59…………………………………………………………………………………..6 Deliver Me from Enemies…………………………………………………………………6 PSALM 109…………………………………………………………………………………7 Curse Against a Personal Enemy…………………………………………………………..7
INCONSISTENCIES OF OLD TESTAMENT…………………………………………….8
THERAPEUTIC IMPLICATIONS…………………………………………………………9 Therapy for Christians………………………………………………………………………9
CONCLUSION………………………………………………………………………………..9
BIBLIOGRAPHY…………………………………………………………………………….11
Introduction Imprecatory psalms are prayer melodies labeled due to their precise spirited attitude towards the enemy. In the Old Testament, we find the concept of a curse given very often. The most composite curses are seen throughout the Book of Psalms, where they are considered imprecatory prayers. What does imprecatory mean? The verb imprecate stands for “praying evil against” or “to invoke curse upon another”, henceforth the name for these prayers. These scriptures tend to create numerous concerns amongst preachers and the congregation. Dominant to the issue is the obvious incitation of God’s vengeance and anger to fall upon his enemies. These Psalms prompt hatred, an honorable and upright dilemma, for many Christians disciplined in the Law of Christ. The anger and rage depicted in the Imprecatory Psalms are an integral part of every human being since the fall of Adam. This weighed against the New Testament teaching of “bless and do not curse”1 and “love
Bibliography: Baylis, Albert H., and Albert H. Baylis. From Creation to the Cross: Understanding the First Half of the Bible. Grand Rapids, Mich.: Zondervan, 1996. Byers, Andrew J. Faith without Illusions: Following Jesus as a Cynic-saint. Downers Grove, Ill.: IVP Books, 2011. Day, John N. “The Imprecatory Psalms and Christian Ethics.” Bibliotheca Sacra 156 (April-June 2002): 166-86. Estes, Daniel J. Handbook on the Wisdom Books and Psalms. Grand Rapids, Mich.: Baker Academic, 2005. Hankle, Dominick D. “The Therapeutic Implication of the Imprecatory Psalms in the Christian Counseling Setting.” Journal of Psychology and Theology 38, no. 4 (2010):275-80. Luc, Alex. “Interpretreting the Curses in the Psalms.” Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society 42, no. 3 (September 1999): 395-410. Merrill, Eugene H., and Mark F. Rooker. The World and the Word: An Introduction to the Old Testament. Nashville, Tenn.: B&H Academic, 2011. Nehrbass, Daniel Michael. Praying Curses: The Therapeutic and Preaching Value of the Imprecatory Psalms. Eugene: Pickwick Publications, 2013. Shows, Wallace B. The Revelation of Jesus Christ: A Comprehensive Study of the Book of Revelation. Phoenix: Xulon Press, 2004.