My dear readers,

1.   When we read or witness the atrocious acts of nations or people, when do we pray the imprecatory prayers found in Psalms 5, 6, 10, 17, 35, 52, etc, or should we follow Matthew 5:44 " love your enemy..." and avoid the imprecatory prayers?

The Book of Psalms contains at least fourteen Imprecatory Psalms. Psalms are prayers transformed into songs, including imprecatory psalms. Most of the imprecatory psalms are personal, with a few of them national (e.g. Psalm 79, 83 and 137). Imprecatory psalms are prayers for God's justice to prevail in the lives of God’s people based on His divine justice. It is not based on man’s justice or vengeance out of a vindictive heart.

In the case of the atrocities committed in the world, is God’s Name undermined or attacked in any manner against God’s people, God's work or God's Name? The contexts of imprecatory psalms are the persecutions that God’s servants faced in the course of doing His holy will, such as David whom God called to be the next king of Israel, and who was severely persecuted by King Saul because of it. David prayed for God's just justice to prevail for the injustice he faced. He refused to lift his hand against King Saul the LORD’s anointed, no matter how unjustly he was treated, and did not want to hurt King Saul. David did not pray imprecatory prayers against his personal enemies if he knew he had sinned against God. He knew God would not answer such wrongful prayers, for God is a holy and just God. David would acknowledge he had sinned and pray for God's strength to endure and bear the consequences of his sinful actions. Imprecatory prayers are always based on God’s justice in an unjust situation that God’s people endure while doing God’s work and will.

Matthew 5:43-48 “Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy. 44 But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; 45 That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust. 46 For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same? 47 And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? do not even the publicans so? 48 Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.” Matthew 5:43-48 is part of the Sermon on the Mount preached by Christ that describes the relationship a believer has with his enemies. A believer must obey what the Lord has taught in Matthew 5:43-48. This truth protects the believer from sin. If he does not forgive and pray for those who persecute him, he will end up getting upset by the injustices he faces for the sake of Christ, and bitterness will begin to form in his heart. Bitterness will lead to sinful anger, which in turn leads to sinful actions such as harsh words and actions that result in sinning against God.

However, that does not mean the believer is opposed to God’s divine and righteous justice. Believers are duty-bound to cry to God for His justice to prevail against those who do not repent and persist in their persecution of believers, like King Saul who hunted David even after David assured him that he meant him no harm.

Imprecatory psalms or prayers should be cries to God for His divine justice without any malice or an ounce of vengeance in the believer’s heart. This kind of biblical imprecatory prayer is possible only when the believer behaves rightly toward God and his enemies, as taught by Christ in Matthew 5:43-48. The believer knows that by his Christ-like response of humility, genuine love and prayer, these sinners who persecute believers will not be judged and condemned by God because persecuting Christians is a means of them becoming believers, like the Apostle Paul. If they do not repent, God’s justice will fall on them, based on the believer’s imprecatory prayer, which is according to God's divine justice. Every believer knows that the ultimate consequence of persecuting Christians is the persecution of Christ. It is a grave sin that God's divine justice will not allow any sinner to escape from. God sent His servants to bring to sinners the gospel on His behalf. Instead of receiving it with joy and experiencing His love for them in Christ, these ungrateful sinners hurt His loving servants.

There is no contradiction between praying an imprecatory prayer before God, i.e. seeking His divine justice to prevail, and the believer responding in a humble and Christ-like manner towards his enemies so that they will see Christ in him and glorify God who is in heaven, i.e. becoming believers. In fact, the basis for praying imprecatory prayers is the believer’s heart of forgiveness and love for Christ’s sake. Seeking no vengeance but God's glory is the context of divine justice. Christ taught believers to pray such a prayer which is part of the Lord’s Prayer in Matthew 6:9-10 “After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. 10 Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.” When God’s kingdom comes, Jesus will return to judge as the King of kings and Lord of Lords; God’s divine justice will fall on all men.

2.   Is there a reason why our church does not sing psalms? Especially since the Bible calls for us to sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs.

The two main passages in the New Testament that teach the singing of psalms are:-

Ephesians 5:16-21 “Redeeming the time, because the days are evil. 17 Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is. 18 And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit; 19 Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord; 20 Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ; 21 Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God.”

Colossians 3:15-17 “And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful. 16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. 17 And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.”

The common thrust of the above two passages is that psalms, hymns and spiritual songs are for mutual edification before the Lord.

What is the distinction?

“psalms” most likely refer to the Book of Psalms, where the psalms were sung with musical accompaniment. Some examples of psalms found in our hymnal include: - The Lord is My Shepherd (RHC 336-Psalm 23); Praise the Lord, Sing Hallelujah (RHC 32 – Psalm 148); O God Our Help in Ages Past (RHC 59 – Psalm 90); Praise My Soul the King of Heaven (RHC 25 – Psalm 103); High in the Heavens, Eternal God (RHC 24 – Psalm 36).

“hymns” are understood as songs of praise. Whereas “spiritual songs” refer to all songs sung based on all other doctrines of the Bible.

It is not true that we do not sing psalms, as the above examples show. If singing psalms means singing them exactly as in the inspired Holy Scriptures, as in Old Testament times, then we need to learn biblical Hebrew to do that. God, in His infinite grace and mercy, has blessed the Christian Church with godly men and women who penned many wonderful hymns based on the Books of the Bible, the Book of Psalms being one of them. When we worship God in psalms, hymns and spiritual songs based on the whole Bible, we worship the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Some churches that limit their worship to only the teaching of the 150 psalms have short-changed themselves by not being able to worship God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit based the entire spectrum of the whole Bible, all sixty-six Books.

Yours faithfully in the Saviour’s Service

Rev Dr Quek Suan Yew, Pastor