Psalm 109

"he did not think to show kindness"

Psalm 109 is one of those infamous imprecatory psalms. Curses--quite a lot of them and very detailed!--are called down upon a wicked person.

Not surprisingly, I find reading through the litany of curses in Psalm 109 uncomfortable. The most famous imprecatory psalm is Psalm 137. Psalm 137 cuts like a knife, slapping you across the face with its final line. Psalm 109 is different. Rather than a sudden punch to the gut, Psalm 109 is a slow cumulative build up. Woe is piled on top of woe, and you find yourself wincing as it goes on and on.

I do find it helpful, though, to bring the wicked person into view. Here's the description:

For he did not think to show kindness,
but pursued the suffering, needy, and brokenhearted
in order to put them to death.
He loved cursing—let it fall on him;
he took no delight in blessing—let it be far from him.
He wore cursing like his coat—
let it enter his body like water
and go into his bones like oil.

So, not a nice person. And we've encountered people like this. People like this hold influence in the world, from corporations to politics. And as we've witnessed their impact upon our lives and the world, we curse.

Well, I curse. I don't know about you, but that's what I do.

I should unpack what I mean by cursing. Cursing is different from profanity. Profanity is uncouth, inappropriate, and vulgar talk. The f-word is an example of profanity. Cursing, by contrast, is an imprecation. Like "Go to hell" or "God damn you." That's what Psalm 109 does, it curses.

But while we are emotionally sympathetic to Psalm 109, we have some moral anxieties. Progressive Christians, especially, love to concern troll the Psalms. Which is ironic, this pearl clutching, given their own rage against those who perpetrate oppression and injustice Apparently, modern victims are allowed to curse. But ancient victims? Not so much.

The point here is that the Bible is exquisitely attuned to the impact of evil on the world. Noteworthy and particular in this regard, revolutionary and unprecedented in its time and place, the Bible cares what victims experience and feel.

And most importantly, the Bible lets those victims speak.