“May his days be few; may another take his office! May his children be fatherless and his wife a widow! May his children wander about and beg, seeking food far from the ruins they inhabit! May the creditor seize all that he has; may strangers plunder the fruits of his toil! Let there be none to extend kindness to him, nor any to pity his fatherless children! May his posterity be cut off; may his name be blotted out in the second generation! May the iniquity of his fathers be remembered before the LORD, and let not the sin of his mother be blotted out! Let them be before the LORD continually, that He may cut off the memory of them from the earth! For he did not remember to show kindness, but pursued the poor and needy and the brokenhearted, to put them to death.” Psalm 109:8-16
Devotional Thought For The Day
It is hard to identify with the anger and vengeance expressed by the psalmist. I have anger. I have at times had “anger issues,” especially when I was younger. I have witnessed atrocious things, I have heard of ridiculously wicked things suffered by others, and I have had a few wretched things done to me – including personal slanders and attacks which lacked any sort of kindness and threatened virtually all that I hold dear. Most of us have had such kinds of hatred directed toward us on occasion. Yes, all of this creates great anger and indignation – and we often judge that people who engage in such violence against others really do not deserve to breathe the air. However, in view of the mercy we have received from God, we are moved and compelled to pray mercy for others rather than the judgment they deserve – and what the psalmist prays for is not unjust, except perhaps what he prays for in regard to the traitor’s ancestors and progeny [although it is possible that the psalmist personally knew these ancestors and the role they played in training his betrayer, and also what his children were like].
It is important for us to understand the horrific nature of sin and what it truly deserves, what the justice that our sin calls for really looks like. Sadly, we often require being the victim to truly understand God’s wrath and anger over human sin, including our own. So He allows us such experiences. What the psalmist writes and reflects upon should drive us to even deeper repentance for our own sins and indiscretions, and to a much greater appreciation of the gracious mercy, clemency, patience, and forgiveness God has provided for us in Christ Jesus. For there are people who have suffered our sin who likely could reasonably pray against us the same things that the psalmist prayed. Perhaps we have not literally murdered anyone, but surely we have had anger, malice, and hatred toward others. Perhaps we have not literally attempted to ruin and destroy another’s life with lies and slander, but we have certainly engaged in gossip and what we consider “benign” slander. Perhaps we have not directly pursued the poor and needy and brokenhearted, but we have often lived selfishly with very careful and effective attention to what benefits us and without regard to the negative effects our selfishness has on others.
So we are stuck between the two excruciating realities – of anger and vengeance and demanding justice against those who hate us and deviously seek our destruction, and the guilt of recognizing that we are just as deserving of the same kind of justice. Thankfully, we are not called upon to balance mercy and justice, patience and punishment. In fact, we are called to just the opposite – to leave all judgment in God’s hands and to allow Him to administer all matters in accord with His wisdom, which is far higher than ours. Personally, we are called upon to rest ourselves in God’s gracious mercy and forgiveness, grasping by faith that He has put away our sin, guilt, and punishment in the sacrifice of His Son – just as He has promised in His Word, the Holy Scripture. And living by faith in God’s grace and mercy, we are to love others just as He has loved us, including our enemies, those who do not mind our destruction and those who actively seek it. And until the day that we die we will have no other proper or God-fearing options; so our own faith and trust in God must obviate our anger and frustration, as we take the mind of Christ and humble ourselves under God’s loving and powerful hand.
There is more to come in this rather lengthy psalm, and also other considerations in regard to God protecting and preserving His own dear children of faith. We will leave off for now, for what we have just thought about deserves our careful and deep contemplation – for a lifetime. We must grow more grateful of God’s gracious forgiveness and mercy toward us. We pray with the psalmist that God would protect and preserve us from those who would utterly destroy us and all that is dear to us, that He would guard all who repent, believe, and are being renewed in His love. We pray that He bring our enemies to repentance and faith, and into peace and goodwill with us. And we also pray for His justice upon the recalcitrant and incorrigible, that good might survive and blossom.
Prayer For The Day
Dear Lord Jesus, help us to see what sorrow and grief exists in Your heart as You look upon the wretchedness of human sin. All over the earth such hatred is expressed in murderous acts. Keep us aware and repentant of the evil and violence that exists in our own hearts and minds, and cover us always with Your gracious forgiveness and mercy. Reform our hearts and minds with Your love, and enable us to be as wise as serpents but as harmless as doves. Amen.