Praying for the War in Israel
I have been asked to write something about the atrocities that have been committed against civilians in Israel in the last few days. What follows is the most difficult article I have ever written. I consider here the tough question if we should consider praying the Imprecatory Psalms.
Read again the opening words of one of those psalms, Psalm 83:
“O God, do not remain at rest; Do not be silent and, O God, do not be quiet. For behold, Your enemies roar, And those who hate You have lifted up their heads. They make shrewd plans against Your people, And conspire together against Your treasured ones. They have said, “Come, and let us wipe them out as a nation, That the name of Israel be remembered no more.”
All loss of life is tragic, whether it is in war or elsewhere. But the tragedy is most painful when it involves the loss of civilian non-combatants in the conflict. My friend, if you would oppose the slaughter of civilians by the Nazis, then know that the same thing is happening today to babies and toddlers in Israel!
Note that the psalmist is not asking if he can kill anyone. He is not asking for personal vengeance. He is leaving these wicked people to the judgment of God. To him the honor and glory of God is at stake if these wicked people go unpunished.
Now read the conclusion of the psalm.
“O my God, make them like the whirling dust, Like chaff before the wind. Like fire that burns the forest And like a flame that burns up the mountains, So pursue them with Your tempest. And dismay them with Your storm. Fill their faces with disgrace, That they may seek Your name, O Yahweh. Let them be ashamed and dismayed forever, And let them be humiliated and perish, That they may know that You alone—Your name is Yahweh—Are the Most High over all the earth.”(Psalm 83:13-18)
I pray the Psalms every day of my life. I have even written a book titled A Handbook for Praying Scripture in which I have incorporated nearly 200 passages from the Psalms. To be quite honest, for years I have struggled with how I, as a Christian, can approach these Imprecatory psalms without conveying personal vengeance which is condemned in the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5:43-48). Even CS Lewis admitted that he had a low view of the Imprecatory Psalms (Reflections on the Psalms).
But this is not a prayer for personal revenge. To the Psalmist, the honor of the Most High God is threatened if the ruthless and wicked terrorists of his day go unpunished!
But Jesus and Paul also prayed for righteous vengeance against the wicked (Matthew 23:34-36; 1 Timothy 1:19-20). Then should I pray that God’s honor also be displayed by the righteous judgment of those who flout His word by their inhuman attacks on others?
I admit that it has been very hard for me to write what I have written, perhaps because I had never personally witnessed what the Psalmists saw in their day and what my parents saw in their day. But now I see the horror with my own eyes. May we have Divine wisdom and pure hearts as we consider how to pray that Divine justice will be displayed in our own day!
©2023 William Varner. Used with permission.
