When I tell people that I use the Psalms as a prayerbook, their first question always has to do with the imprecatory psalms — the ones that ask God for vengeance. People doubt that we should pray them considering what Jesus says about loving our enemies. They also wonder if our prayers shouldn’t rise above the conflict that marks our age.
I believe the imprecatory psalms are exactly what we need to love this fallen world. In fact, I suggest that these angry prayers might just hold the key to living out the teachings of Jesus. If we are going to love like God, then we need all the prayers that he’s given.
To best understand this, we simply need to look at the author of some of those angry prayers. David’s life story is a masterclass in forgiveness, but his prayers often called for God’s judgment. We can hardly reconcile his angry prayers and his forgiving spirit; therefore, we must conclude that one enabled the other.
David and the Imprecatory Psalms
Many of David’s imprecatory psalms come from the time he spent on the run. His enemies chased him, tried to kill him, and stole his crown. Those were lonely times, when his closest friends either betrayed him or were used as bait. His greatest friend in those darkest moments wasn’t Jonathan or Joab; it was God. He told God everything. He could be honest with God, more honest than with any other person. That’s why the imprecatory psalms are so brazen and raw, because they are the unvarnished truth.
First Samuel 19 describes just how precarious David’s life was. After Saul tried to pin him to the wall with his spear, Saul sent men to see where David would flee. They staked out David’s home so they could catch him when he visited his wife (1 Samuel 19:11). From our vantage point, the story sounds almost comical, because David always seems one step ahead of Saul. However, it was different for David. He was pushed to the brink, and his prayers reflect that. In that moment, he prayed,
For the cursing and lies that they utter,
consume them in wrath;
consume them till they are no more,
that they may know that God rules over Jacob
to the ends of the earth.
Each evening they come back,
howling like dogs
and prowling about the city.
— Psalm 59:12b-14 (ESV)
The first thing to notice is that David prayed this prayer against his fellow Israelites. When people object to praying the imprecatory psalms, they sometimes say that these are Old Testament prayers against other nations. The thinking is that Christians live in a different time, one marked by God’s love for everyone. But David prays Psalm 59 against God’s chosen people. In other words, these prayers didn’t spring from some Old Testament attitude towards evil, but the timeless experience of fear, anger, and pain.
Another thing to notice is that David’s attitude in prayer didn’t keep him from loving those very same people. Saul’s commander, Abner, was one of David’s primary enemies. Abner probably directed Saul’s men to stake out David’s house and he accompanied Saul when he went hunting for David (1 Samuel 26:7). Once David finally took the throne, Abner staged a coup and started a civil war (2 Samuel 2:8f). He simply wouldn’t acknowledge David as king. Abner was probably a target of several imprecatory prayers, not just Psalm 59.
Yet, when Abner finally came around, David welcomed him with open arms. He even threw a banquet in his honor. In fact, there is never a point where David went after all those people who tried to kill him. He prayed for judgment, but didn’t seek it. David’s men weren’t so forgiving. David’s commander killed Abner. David, in turn, cursed his own commander and wept at Abner’s grave (2 Samuel 3:32).
David prayed one way but acted another. He didn’t have to keep his anger burning, because his prayers had cleaned the slate. He had asked God to destroy people like Abner, so judgment was now God’s business. Because of the imprecatory psalms, David was free.
Vengeance is the Lord’s
David’s experience foreshadows the words of Paul, who tells us not to avenge ourselves. “But leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, ‘Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord’” (Romans 12:19 ESV). Vengeance isn’t our job. We know that, of course, but what do we do with all those vengeful thoughts? I’ve found no better way to identify and release them than praying the imprecatory psalms.
David did this all the time. Ahithophel was David’s trusted counselor who betrayed him when Absalom rose to power. David didn’t send someone to kill Ahithophel, he only sent a friend to defeat his counsel to Absalom (2 Samuel 15:34). David showed restraint, but he prayed like a killer. Many scholars believe Psalm 55 had to do with Ahithophel.
Let death steal over them;
let them go down to Sheol alive;
for evil is in their dwelling place and in their heart.
— Psalm 55:15 (ESV)
The same goes for Shimei, who hurled curses and rocks at David. Shimei was from the same tribe as Saul and loved seeing David humiliated. David’s men could hardly bear it. One offered, “Let me go over and take off his head” (2 Samuel 16:10). Again, David showed mercy. He even pardoned Shimei when he got the chance (2 Samuel 19:23). That’s the kind of thing Jesus would do, right? But David’s angriest prayer possibly had to do with Shimei.
He loved to curse; let curses come upon him!
He did not delight in blessing; may it be far from him!
He clothed himself with cursing as his coat;
may it soak into his body like water,
like oil into his bones!
— Psalm 109:17-18 (ESV)
David hurled as many curses as Shimei, but the difference is that David did it in prayer. That’s the proper place to deal with our anger and our resentment. Meanwhile, David’s kindness bewildered his companions. At one point they complain, saying, “you love those who hate you and hate those who love you” (2 Samuel 19:6). Again, that sounds like Jesus. The imprecatory psalms are not contrary to the New Testament ethic, they simply ask for vengeance from the one who has the right to perform it.
The Most Honest Prayer
Then there’s Absalom. He ran David out of Jerusalem and slept with all his concubines (2 Samuel 16). It’s easy to imagine David’s pain at watching his son rebel. Every parent can imagine loving a lost child. But can you imagine praying against them like David did? Psalm 63 is a prayer he prayed while on the run from Absalom. It’s beautiful, but it strikes an imprecatory note at the end.
But those who seek to destroy my life
shall go down into the depths of the earth;
they shall be given over to the power of the sword;
they shall be a portion for jackals.
— Psalm 63:9-10 (ESV)
Let’s make this extra clear: David prayed an imprecatory psalm against his very own son. He told his men to deal gently with Absalom (2 Samuel 18:5), but asked God to drag him into the depths of the earth. And here we come to the heart of the matter: David asked God to do things to Absalom that he didn’t really want to happen.
This is honest prayer. It’s the kind of prayer you can only pray if you know that God is forgiving, and that he will act with justice and mercy. It’s the kind of request that a child would make to his father, when that child feels completely safe.
We might sneer at the imprecatory psalms because they seem primitive and unrefined, but I believe they are some of the most sophisticated prayers in the Bible. They are also the most gracious. These angry prayers coax out our deepest, unspeakable feelings. God provided them to help us articulate our most private thoughts.
Using the Imprecatory Psalms
I started praying the Psalms because I was sick of my normal, shallow prayers. On a whim, I thought the Psalms could provide some depth. I had no idea how things would change — how I would change.
The imprecatory psalms recruited me to join the cosmic fight between good and evil. They reshaped how I perceived the world and engaged my heart in the struggle. Before praying the Psalms, I enjoyed my spot on the sidelines, observing the war that Christ waged. The imprecatory psalms got me off the sidelines and put me right in the middle of the action.
First, the imprecatory psalms have taught me how to pray against sin. I regularly use these prayers to pray against my sinful flesh. My flesh whispers lies, tries to control me, and seeks to destroy the work of God in me. It acts just like the evil people in the psalter. The New Testament is clear that we are at war with our flesh (Gal 5:17-18; 1Pet 2:7), and the imprecatory psalms may be our greatest ammunition. But it doesn’t stop there. We can actually use these prayers as intercession. I sometimes pray the imprecatory psalms against the sinful flesh of the people that I love. As strange as that sounds, it helps me love them more.
Imagine your friend or spouse is spiraling. Intercede for them with the imprecatory psalms and your perspective will change. You will see them as the victim of their sinful flesh. You will pray against their flesh that lies and controls, and you will help them fight with your prayer. I’ve seen these prayers be part of what heals a broken marriage.
Second, I pray these prayers against people who are doing evil things, whether it be world powers or a neighbor down the street. These prayers give words to those thoughts we are already thinking, but they lay the problem at the feet of the very one who can do something about it.
Lastly, and most obviously, I pray these psalms against the devil. If you are like me, you forget how evil true evil is. These prayers remind us that we aren’t just here to make a decent living and have a nice family. God is on the move and his church has a role in the fight (Revelation 12:11).
Grace and Anger
Praying the Psalms is an ancient practice that the modern Protestant Church has largely forgotten. Praying the Psalms means praying words that were designed by the very hand of God. He gave us these words to shape our spirituality. It’s no surprise, then, that neglecting them leaves us lacking. Too many times, we pray gentle prayers, while struggling with violent thoughts. Too many times, we use social media to let off steam, believing our prayers should be “godly.”
We live in an angry, combative time. Thankfully, God has given us prayers that are just as angry, and just as combative. Let’s use them. Let’s cry out to the Lord while the rest of the world shouts at each other.
The imprecatory psalms show us that prayer is the proper place to scream. If the imprecatory psalms teach us anything, they teach us that God can handle everything we can throw at him. They teach grace at a guttural level. There is nothing we need to hide, and nothing we need to clean. We can pray things we aren’t even sure we want to happen!
For that reason, the imprecatory psalms are liberating. Grace always is.
With the Psalms, We Always Have Words to Pray
God wants to hear from us. So he gave us the Psalms.
In When You Don’t Have the Words: Praying the Psalms, Reed S. Dunn shows how the Psalms enrich our prayer lives. Dunn gives a deeply practical guide, relating to the challenges we face with praying the Psalms, and highlighting how they can reshape and enliven our prayer.
Reed Dunn is the pastor of Redeemer Hudson in Union City, New Jersey, and the author ofWhen YouDon’tHave the Words: Praying the Psalms. He and his wife have three daughters and live in Weehawken, New Jersey.
