Open

I don't know how to start this blog, so I will just state my goals for it. I will use the words pestiferous, sine qua non and abominate in relation to imprecatory Psalms, the latest Nooma film "Open" and probably some personal reflection on all this. I have had it planned out for about a week, but actually writing it seems daunting for some reason and I keep getting stuck. I don't know how this stuff in my head will transfer to the page or if there is anything inspired in my head to transfer to the page in the first place. Seriously, every time I try to make progress with it I'm delayed by something. So either I'm not supposed to write this or I really am supposed to write this. With that promising and auspicious beginning...

Of the 150 psalms in the Bible, there are about 18 imprecatory psalms. Psalms that describe the impending doom of the wicked. Prayers that openly express the psalmist's desire to inflict some kind of pain on his enemies. Some people argue that this conflicts with Christian ethics and the command to love your enemies. However, I believe the Bible would be incomplete without the record of this type of prayer.

Quotes on why the Psalms, as a whole, are important:

"In the Psalms, human beings reach out to God. The initiative is human. The language is human. We make an effort to communicate. He receives; he chooses to respond or not, according to his inscrutable wisdom...The biblical psalms are essentially a record of the human quest for God. Hence, the variety of forms in which the ancient psalmists expressed themselves, reflective of the diverse and changing moods that possessed them as they do all human beings. In short, the psalms constitute a revealing portrayal of the human condition." Nahum M. Sarna

"There is no literature in all the world that is more true to life and more honest than Psalms, for here we have warts-and-all religion. Every skeptical thought, every disappointing veture, every pain, every despair that we can face is lived through and integrated into a personal, saving relationship with God..." Eugene Peterson

For example, Psalm 129:5-8 contains some element of imprecation or cursing.

1-4 "They've kicked me around ever since I was young" —this is how Israel tells it— "They've kicked me around ever since I was young, but they never could keep me down. Their plowmen plowed long furrows up and down my back; Then God ripped the harnesses of the evil plowmen to shreds."
5-8 Oh, let all those who hate Zion grovel in humiliation; Let them be like grass in shallow ground that withers before the harvest, Before the farmhands can gather it in, the harvesters get in the crop, Before the neighbors have a chance to call out, "Congratulations on your wonderful crop! We bless you in God's name!" (The Message)

What's important in these psalms is the fact that David, who is the author in most cases, is venting and communicating all of his anger to God and not acting on this himself. I won't get too technical here, but some theologians have argued that this type of prayer recorded as the inspired word of God conflicts with other verses in Scripture. Just google imprecatory psalms. There are 16,000 entries on the subject. This article describes how these prayers can be included in God's inspired word without causing conflict.

In these psalms of imprecation the psalmist is asking God to unleash some pestiferous plagues on his enemy. He openly abominates his enemies and/or the people who oppose God, which is rarely, if ever, mutually exclusive. But how can this be divinely inspired prayer when we are commanded to do just the opposite? We are commanded to help our enemy with his ailing or lost donkey [or maybe his broken down Jeep] (Exodus 23:4). We are not to laugh or rejoice when our enemy falls (Proverbs 23:17). And above all, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you (Matthew 5:44). I admit this does present a challenge. But I think it's ok to vent your frustration and anger to God, and then go help your enemy with his donkey, or Jeep or whatever it is you least want to do in your human strength. For me, it's one of the few practical ways to cope with troublesome people. If you can't vent your anger to God, than there is no one you can safely vent your anger to. Your anger will take action or it will sit inside of you and make you sick. And, ultimately prayer is about communication, not getting exactly what we asked for. (Thank God) Sometimes we just need to be heard. Jesus prayed this way in the garden of Gethsemane. Even though he knew what he had to do he asked that he might not have to endure the cross and that this cup would be taken from him. In the end, he submits to the Father's will. "My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death," he said to them ... "'Abba, Father," he said, "everything is possible for you. Take this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will."' (Mark 14:34-36)

Brutal honesty is the sine qua non of heartfelt prayer. It's what we find in the Psalms. If you're not being honest, than it's not really prayer. In the latest Nooma film Open, Rob Bell reflects on what prayer is really about. Prayer is communication and connection with the divine and the people around us. And often the purpose is to change our hearts and make us better people, not to simply change the things around us. This is just a short clip from the film.