Advent Series: Taking the Long View - 2 Peter 3:8-15a

Snippet of sermon by Rev Tan-Yeo

INTRODUCTION
The media has gone wild over the 2012 craze. This Mayan calendar thing has almost eclipsed the relevance of the Second Coming of Jesus. Are the two events one and the same? Is it possible that the Lord Jesus will use December 21, 2012 as the date of his return to the earth? All speculation is vain, but there are some very important Bible facts that have not changed, even though many are, even as we speak, throwing out any and all Bible beliefs, and swallowing hook line and sinker all the Mayan Myths. Nostradamus, Church prophets, New Age Humanists, New World Order followers, and all the internet websites in the world cannot change the validity of the Bible.

This letter, 2 Peter, was written to young believers to rescue them from spiritual disaster. The seductive influence of new and forceful teachers in the congregations was already destabilizing the faithful. They were attracting a following that was growing with high-sounding promises to bring believers to a hitherto unknown “freedom of experience (2:19). It was Peter’s intention to expose the false teachers and also to alert the congregations about guarding against error less they are deceived from the truth. Today in our text, the Apostle Peter shifts his attention from false teachers (which were in the previous chapter) to Christians in the community. Generations of believers have found in the eternal God alone a true refuge and satisfying dwelling place. By contrast, the new teachers are entirely content with the world as their home, and look for no other. This is because they do not know the Lord, either in his compassion or in his justice.

SERMON PROPER

THE LORD’S COMPASSION: Many times when coming to parts of scripture like this one here, I would not be thinking God’s compassion. When he comes and he presses the red button “delete”, I think of the people who will be left out. BUT again Peter reminds his readers that there is something they must keep in mind when thinking of the parousia of Christ. In vv. 8-9 Peter recall to them the nature of God as different from men. Time and Eternity are two quite different entities, and since God is eternal and man finite, they look at time in different ways. The quote is from Psalm 90:4 where man is pictured as "numbering his days" while God is "from everlasting to everlasting." In eternity there is no time, i.e. past or future, but only the present. Thus "time" and "delay" are virtually meaningless to God, and man must learn to adjust to that. This should help us greatly in facing the centuries that have passed since New Testament times.

3:9 LONGSUFFERING TOWARD US: Moreover Peter was anxious to reverse his opponents who insisted that the seeming delay in the parousia is proof that God is untrustworthy in fulfilling his promises. The Apostle Peter who had witnessed the love of God in Jesus explained that it is not faithlessness or even slowness tardiness which delays the coming of the end, but because God is patient! The word is makrothumeo, "that quality by which God bears with sinners, holds back his wrath, refrains from intervening in judgment as soon as the sinner's deeds deserve it, though not indefinitely" (Bauckham). God’s mercy moves Him to prolong the day of salvation. Instead [Not the usual contrast word but a strong contrast word meant to awaken the hearers] God is patient [Present Active Indicative: He keeps on staying patient. I am learning about patience these days… patience is not about having the offending element taken away. No… patience is an exercise in enduring the troubles, the injuries and offenses of the one who grates us. So Patience is not without sacrifice or value. Imagine the Lord suffering the indifference of man, their cursings, their finger-pointing, their ignorance and arrogance… and not acting to repay them for all of these… that’s patience. He keeps at showing mercy and delays his return for that very reason that someone may turn, repent and be saved. [Alla but]That they may, with that delay, make that once and for all decision to make space for the truths of God for the love of God. 

So when those who do not understand this truth about God go ahead and rant at God, do not join them. Don’t join in all that scoffing. The word for “scoffing” only appears another time in the whole NT in Jude 18. Jude 18-19 reads, ‘They said to you, “In the last times there will be scoffers who will follow their own ungodly desires. These are the people who divide you, who follow mere natural instincts and do not have the Spirit.”’ These mockers were also the false teachers who interpreted God’s mercy and forbearance as betraying divine impotence or negligence. 

Peter reminds us that the non-appearance is because God is still keeping the door open… waiting.

Reflection Question:

1.     What then is left for us to do in view of God’s compassion? Can we share God’s compassion, God’s heart to rescue? We make it our urgent task in life, to ensure that God’s compassion is not “wasted/abused” by our non-action/ indifference. The very fact that you are placed next to someone who does not know Jesus is God’s assignment for you. Let his compassion be rewarded by our diligence to save one more from destruction.

Behind His apparent delay is a heart that is not willing that any should perish. Many scriptures establish that fact, notably 1 Timothy 2:4, Romans 11:32, 2 Corinthians 5:19, and Ezekiel 18:23 (let’s take a look at them). He has made provision for all to come to repentance, but if they exercise their God-given free will to refuse He cannot prevent it, for it is that free will which marks us out as men and not animals or robots.

Many of us have plenty of cool ideas about the end of the world. It is just a separation of the devoted followers and the nominal followers of God… we are mostly also not thinking unbelievers. Then God metes out the punishment to all the different groups. A mild closure… after all how scary can it get. We also secretly hope that there is a safe place to catch all (those who have not professed faith in Jesus)…

THE JUSTICE OF GOD

At least twice in this passage is the description of the end. There is nothing cool there. Jesus will come like a thief in the night and then the destruction of the present heavens and earth will take place. It would be as previously stated, by unceasing fire, totally destructive. Everything as we know it is going to melt or dissolve into nothingness. Think of the expensive homes that we have invested our monies in… all things material will not be preserved. The structure (Gk. stoichea) of the universe would melt and the present civilization of men would disappear. There is no safe place to be. For many of us, it’s like yes, I know but isn’t all this just scare tactics used by the Apostles to control people and exercise power over them.

Chuck Colson is right when he says: Not to believe that there will be a time for the reckoning of all accounts, for the consummation of history as we know it, is not to believe in a just God. For Christians the great eschatological hope is that Christ will return and judgment will be rendered, accounts will be set straight, the scales balanced, wrongs righted, and we will live in the love of God for eternity. This is why most Christians are able to affirm what the apostle Paul said, that to live is Christ, to die is gain.

In view of God’s justice,

Reflection Questions

2.     Examine your priorities, how much of your time is for laying up treasures on earth, only to watch them burn up in the day of the Lord?

3.     How can you re-prioritize your life if the fiery end is a certainty?

4.     Are we asleep basking in the sunshine of God’s Kingdom oblivious to how the day will turn out?

RESPOND WITH THE DAY OF THE LORD IN MIND
Only those who diligently lived out their pilgrimage on earth will be spared. Set against the fearful background of the Day of the Lord, how are we to live? The false teachers lived as men of the world in contrast to those who know the truth. Today, even within the church, there are teachings that promise their listeners that spiritual hunger and heavenly aspirations can find complete satisfaction in the here and now. There is no urgency to long for Jesus’ coming. It will merely be an enhancement of the happiness solely in this world.  Nothing spectacular. The end is going to be a smooth ride out of the turmoil, just like the way we go through the rides at the Universal Studios. After the scary explosions, come the calm. With striking incisiveness Peter returns to his exhortation to godly living.

· 3:14 BE DILIGENT: Peter now returns to his word of 1:5 and 1:10 "be diligent," to urge a practical result of their forward-looking hope. Jesus himself had raised the question: "When the Son of Man comes, will He really find faith on the earth? (Luke 18:8). He left the question hanging in the air, waiting for each hearer to answer in his own heart. Peter suggests a diligent response that seeks to avoid the shame of the false teachers ("spots" and "blemishes"), has dealt biblically and honestly with any personal failure and therefore has found peace that passes understanding. We need to make every effort, hasten to exert yourself  give it due diligence and make that once and for all decision not to waver but be found to be spotless (i.e. unsullied) and blameless (that cannot be censured, blameless, without rebuke) and at peace with Him. Illustration: Talking about spots and blemishes, my girls are growing up and increasingly we notice these on their faces. However, they are still not too conscious or even if they are, they want to appear pretty cool about them. Their resolve to put the cream on their spots each night is weak… they waver and just let them be when they are too tired after a day in school or when they think the spots are improving a little. My husband is particular about them so when he sees them appearing on the faces of my girls, he will run after them with the Daktarin, his miracle cream, and smear it on the blemishes and spots every night. He goes at them with a vengeance.

 Reflection Questions:

5.     What about you when it comes to the spots and blemishes that continue to be in us? Do we decisively work at them with the intention that they are removed for the sake of Christ? Or do we simply let things be or keep wavering in our resolve to deal with the parts that sullies our lives and our witness to Jesus Christ?

Advent is the perfect time to clear and prepare the Way. Advent is a season for training in righteousness for those who desire peace with God. By reflection and prayer, by reading and meditation, we can make our hearts a place where a blessing of peace would desire to abide and where the birth of the Prince of Peace might take place. Check the blemishes and the spots:

Reflection Questions:

6.     "During this season of Advent, let us daily make an Advent examination. Are there any feelings of discrimination toward race, sex, or religion? Is there a lingering resentment, an unforgiven injury living in our hearts? Do we look down upon others of lesser social standing or educational achievement? Are we generous with the gifts that have been given to us, seeing ourselves as their stewards and not their owners? Are we reverent of others, their ideas and needs, and of creation?

These and other questions become Advent lights by which we may search the deep, dark corners of our hearts. 

Many of us believe in God but haven’t come round to believing in God-in-me. Many of us believe in God in heaven, but we haven’t come round to believing in God-on-earth. This is to take the short view about the end. Don’t let this advent season go to waste. Let the Holy Spirit stoke the kind of fire in our worship and devotion that can truly change our hearts.

Peace is the heritage of Christians and its presence indicates one whose expectation of the return of Christ has given a sense of balance and proportion despite whatever chaos the world may present.

Greatest Hits of the Old Psalm 73 & 150 The Psalms in Worship

Snippet of sermon by Rev Dr Andrew Peh

The United Methodist Hymnal includes the Psalter which has been the liturgical source book for Israel. They demonstrate the myriad ways that the people of God worshipped Him. Ps 121 is a Song of Ascent which they often sing going up to Jerusalem for the big festivals. The Psalter also contains songs of laments too, communal praise and laments, individual praise or laments; response and emotions. Israelites ensured that they worship together. They were completely open to the Lord and were not afraid to bare their individual or communal anguish to the Lord, asking for the destruction of their enemies. The Imprecatory Psalms, in particular, invoke evil upon their enemies. Ps 137 e.g. is one of those that has been modernized and sung expressing their anger with the Babylonian. They laid open their emotions to the Lord and allowed Him to change them. They conversed with God and commit seemingly hopeless situations before the Lord. There is another group of Psalms known as the wisdom psalms.  Ps 1 is an example and it serves as the doorway to this hymnbook to keep ourselves with the Lord.

Reflection: How has all this increased your understanding of worship in the community?

Sermon Proper
Ps 73 is attributed to Asaph: The Psalmist looked around and observed that those who opposed God are prospering even though they have only disdain for God. Conversely, the faithful ones are having a tough time. This disquiet was put to rest when he entered the sanctuary of God. Instead of being blinded by the temporal, Asaph interspersed his verses with this word 'Selah'. This is an instruction to the singers/readers to pause and to ponder. In the business of our lives, we need to be still that despite all the injustices, God is still on the throne. Played a song with “selah” that cause us to pause: Whom Have I by Voices of Praise.
·         Devotional Ps 23 a being acquainted of the providential care for us.
·         Doctrinal : Ps 51 anatomy of sin. ps 137 the omnipotence, omnipresence and omniscience of God is made known. Ps 119 reminds us of the primacy of the word of God in our lives. An acrostic Psalm the depth and then riches that we have to understand god through our praise.
·         Doxological: Giving glory to God. Expressions their praise for bim. Simple song of praise of God. psalm 150 is a doxology.

Reflection questions:

Take time to ponder on the presence and the goodness of God... Quiet times are punctuated by snores for some of us. If we take care to ruminate on the word of God the way cows chew on the cud to extract all the goodness on the grass, God draws near and from our hearts will break out a song for him.

 

So offer up your lives

Holy and acceptable

A willing sacrifice

Precious in my sight

But in all that you do

Remember all I want is You

 

From “Praise looks good on you” by Don Moen.

THE GREATEST HITS OF THE OT: WISDOM PSALM (PSALM 37)

Snippet of Sermon by Rev Tan-Yeo Lay Suan

“Life is the sum of all your choices.” – Albert Camus

In life we make choices constantly. You are all choosing what to write down every minute that I am talking. You are making choices constantly. You get up in the morning and you decide how long to brush your teeth or whether or not to brush your teeth--I hope you do not decide not to brush your teeth, and which clothes to wear, you decide what to say to people, you decide where to park. Many of the decisions are small, but life is just full of choices and wisdom literature recognizes this. It says, "Don't be so naïve as to think that you are not also making moral choices; you are." Today we look at wisdom Psalms that are  part of the wisdom tradition in the Bible. We make decisions every day; everything we say and do is the result of a decision, whether we make it consciously or not. For every choice, big or small, there's no easy formula for making the right decision. To most people, the best you can do is to approach it from as many perspectives as possible and then choose a course of action that seems reasonable and balanced.

We live in a day in which Tolerance is god; everything is to be tolerated. Nothing is right or wrong; it is just a question of whether it is right for you. Many people do not believe in any absolute truth. The biblical notion of wisdom, on the other hand, counters that, and if you want to help counter it, just introduce wisdom literature to people and steep them in it and it will help overcome the nonsense of the notion that there is no absolute truth, because wisdom literature says, "This is wrong, this is right and which are you going to choose." It is always offering the paths of choice.

SERMON PROPER

What are Wisdom Psalms and what is the purpose of these Psalms? This type of psalms shares the same thrust as the other Wisdom literature found in the Bible. That thrust is didactic/instructional: to direct the people of God into a godly way of life; to give God’s people concrete examples of how God wants us to live our life. These psalms always talk about two ways: X&Y. There is always the good choice and then by contrast the bad choice. These psalms emphasize the good as opposed to the bad. E.g. Psalm 1. It talks about choices. "Blessed is the person who doesn't walk in the counsel of the wicked, stand in the way of sinners, sit in the seat of mockers." This is the X. “Do not do that; that is a bad choice.” But, by contrast, is Y, "His delight is in the law of the Lord and on his statutes he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of waters, yields its fruit in season," all kinds of good things. Then again, this is bad, that is good, this is bad, that is good, back and forth, back and forth. And throughout such psalms you are always going back and forth. It is almost like watching a tennis match. This is very effective. It actually is a very effective way of giving people basic ethical guidance. The righteous and the wicked are put side by side for contrast and emphasis is given regarding the consequences depending on what we choose.

·         If you live a certain way, say X, then this and this will happen.

·         If you live a different way, the Y,  then something else will happen instead.

It reiterates God’s blessing on the righteous, those who in faith obey the Law, and God’s judgment on the wicked.  As the people of God sang these Psalms, they exalted truth and ensured that this wisdom is passed down from one generation to another through song.

Certainly in Psalms and Proverbs, and I think in the entire Bible, righteousness is a matter of relationship.

·         Righteous people are not perfect. (1)

·         Righteous people are simply people who relate rightly to God.

Likewise, wicked people do not relate rightly to God. The righteous relate rightly to God because the righteous recognize God as God.

The righteous relate rightly to God by seeking to know God and to obey God.

But the wicked reject God and God’s ways.
The wicked reject God because the wicked want to be their own gods.
And the wicked reject God’s ways because the wicked want to do things their own way.

Among other things, the Psalm we are looking at this morning, Psalm 37 recognizes the frustrating reality

·         that the wicked often prosper,

·         and the righteous often suffer.

This seems unfair.

·         The righteous try to live God’s way.

·         The wicked reject God and live their own way.

And yet… the wicked often seem to have it better  than the righteous.

Because of this reality, we are often tempted in 2 ways:

·         [1] The first is the temptation to envy the wicked for their apparent success. All around us, the wicked prosper and succeed in evil schemes. So you might be tempted to ask yourself, "Why bother with the difficulties of righteousness? What good is my righteousness doing me?"

·         The second is like it, and is the temptation to shrink back from God's promises because of the trials we see the righteous going through. The devil whispers to us "Did God really say that He would give you a glorious ending to your story?"

So it is not surprising that that there are people who have turned their backs on God. When pain runs deep and there are no answers or reasons then it turns to anger and then emptiness and the feeling of being forsaken. If YOU have ever been punished for doing the right thing, if you’re a good guy who seems to always finish last… then Psalm 37 is for you. It is Acrostic in the original Hebrew Acrostic meaning that each of its stanzas of double verses begins with a successive letter of the Hebrew Alphabet which makes it easy to remember in Hebrew. But when we look at the English translation, it makes it hard to and somewhat difficult to outline.

Dustin M. Wax, a contributing editor and project manager at lifehack.org; also a freelance writer and university instructor in Las Vegas, NV, wrote and share some strategies how people usually make their choices.

1.    Getting Past Pros and Cons

2.    Analyze outcomes

3.    Ask why – five times The Five Whys are a problem-solving technique invented by Sakichi Toyoda, the founder of Toyota.

4.    Follow your instincts

But over and above these strategies, the Psalmist testifies to the over-arching importance of reckoning with God in every choice that we have to make. Of the many ways of making decisions, the wisdom imparted in this Psalm is to weigh all and everything in the light of our relationship with the Lord. This must become our priority in all instances, particularly when things look so good for those who plan and do evil.

Why should we listen to this Psalmist? Vv 25-26 tells us that the author is in his old age and so what he declares to be wise/foolish had come out of his lifetime of reflection on the ways of the righteous and the wicked and of God’s dealings with each.  

Because God watches and knows the ways of the righteous and the wicked, the Psalmist encourages the righteousness to take these 7 steps:

Step 1: Don’t Fret.

David knew that it is hard to avoid fretting. That’s probably why the words, “Do not fret” are recorded three times in the first eight verses of Psalm 37. David, Paul, and Jesus each command us not to fret, not to be hot, furious, burning with vexation, become angry. Here is the place where you can use the advice to be cool, a recurring theme. To remain unfazed (not worried or upset) by the prosperity of the wicked at the expense of good and honest people.

The best way not to fret is to get our eyes off the wicked and on the Lord.

Steps 2 and 3: Trust in the Lord… and do good.

These 2 steps are inseparable; neither can exist without the other. Trust is literally to throw yourself onto the Lord, hands free and believe that God would catch you. When we cannot trust the Lord, we cannot do the good things that God commands us. Why? Because we will be terrified and cannot afford to not protect ourselves and therefore choose not to do the good we know God wants us to do. V31 The law of their God is in their hearts; their feet do not slip. Faith and trust are a lifestyle, and they involve action. Real faith always includes obedience, and obedience includes doing the “good” things God commands, even if it means sacrifice, I will do without. Continue to live by the law of God inside you, continue to walk the way you’ve always taken, the obedient route. Yes we may stumble (be overthrown, knocked out, lying prostrate; we will not be cast out, hurl down) but the Psalmist is sure that the Lord will uphold (provide the support for) such a man and bless him. That is why trusting God and doing good cannot be separated.

Step 4: delight yourself in the lord.

What do you delight in?  What is your greatest source of gladness? For some of us, when we think of the Lord, we have a sour feeling…  we think that with God is always “no”… so thinking God while it is a must, may be a negative for us. We think that we will not receive what we want if we asked the Lord… he’s just one stern parent in heaven… only favourites get their desires. So it is possible that when we think delight, we think we know best and it is not found in the Lord. But speaking from his own experience, plus the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, (6) the Psalmist says that when we delight in God, God gives us the desires of our hearts. Contrary to what we might think, God desires to bless us if only we take time to understand how God can meet our deepest longings. I remembered looking at this verse and with great excitement penned it down in one of my cards for memory: here is a blank check of sorts… with one condition attached.  If I trust and see God as the source of gladness in my life, he will not disappoint me. He will ensure that my desires are met.

Step 5: Commit your way to the Lord.

This one is tricky. It means more than we may think. Commitment is important.

Deep, satisfying relationships —like marriage, friendship, and discipleship—require commitment. Our commitment to God is important… but, here in Psalm 37.5, being committed to God is not the point.  But the word here has the idea of “rolling something onto something else.” The idea here is that we are "roll" the burdens of life over onto the Lord. The Lord has not asked His children to carry the burdens of life alone. He tells us that bring them to Him, Matt. 11:28; 1 Pet. 5:7. We do not have to bear the heavy burdens of life all by ourselves. We have a God who cares and commands us to bring our burdens to Him! In the middle of the storms of life, let us learn the truth that we are not in them alone! We are to commit our "way" to the Lord and trust Him to take care of us. This was the resolve of Job when he was called upon to suffer, Job 1:20-21, Job 23:10 “10 But he knows the way that I take; when he has tested me, I will come forth as gold.” ; Job 13:15 “¹⁵ Though he slay me, yet will I hope in him; I will surely[a] defend my ways to his face.”. Let this also be the resolve of our hearts this morning!)

Step 6: v 7 Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him.

Again, please trust me when I say that the original Hebrew includes the idea of sitting still with God in silence. David is telling us to tell God about our problems… and then to sit quietly with God and wait. And this waiting patiently means 1) whirling (participle) 2) writhing, suffering torture (participle) 3) to wait longingly. These 2 words are almost direct opposites. It’s easy to be still and silent when there is little that unsettles us. But there is this idea of being twisted in pain, suffering torture waiting for the resolution to our state and we are advised to be still. That means exercising self-control and forbearance/restraint in the face of what is glaringly unfair. There will be hardships for a time while we wait for relief from God.  

Step 7: Refrain from anger (blowing the breath through the nostrils) and turn from wrath (poison/rage/indignation).

Drop/let go of your anger and leave behind your wrath. We all get angry and outraged at receiving the short end of the stick when we had not done wrong. And lest we forget, for the third time, David reminds us, “Do not fret — it leads only to evil.” This reminds us of what God said to Cain in Gen 4:7 “that sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must rule over it.” when we are indignant, we are likely to sin. And sin he did, he killed his brother. The Apostle Paul also gave us two especially helpful commands about dealing with the anger we all feel at times. “‘In your anger do not sin’ “Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry…” (11) Let the Lord vindicate you. If we sincerely desire God to help us to obey these 2 commands, then we can ask for… and receive God’s help.

These steps are not a one-time thing.

Some days we need to go through these steps several times. Remember, the seven steps are right there in Psalm 37. We can review these seven steps whenever necessary. And as we practice these seven steps, we can enjoy God’s presence and God’s peace even in the storms of life.

CONCLUSION

It is easy to make choices from our indignation, our anger. Have you reacted because you felt that God is too slow and you have to take things into your own hands? What has been the outcome of those decisions? Were any of them near what the Lord had promised? Peace, inheriting the and/earth… something that translates to inheriting all things that count and are significant? Or has it been your practice/habit to set aside the law of God when you are making decisions? When you tell yourself, “This thing has very little to do with God… and God’s ways are good to hear in church but not practical, I will just make the most sensible decision.”  How many of us do that all the time?

Which job should you take? What car should you buy? Should you ask him to marry you? Are you ready for another baby? Is this house right for you, or should you keep looking before you make an offer?

Reflection Questions:

1.      Would your Christian life always be a life that is lived only on Sundays? Would your Christian values be put aside when making decisions regarding your children and what you wish for them, for your own career? Or would you hunger and thirst after the God who draws near and show you that the righteous live superbly blessed and upheld lives? What will it be for you?

2.      What is your trouble? Who do you envy? Come to the One who sees and hears and lays them at his feet.

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[1] Introduction by Matthew Hoover

Greatest Hits of the OT: Imprecatory Psalm 59

Snippet of Sermon by Mr Chan Yew Meng
We are held accountable always in this life. Our world is filled with people who play the blame game. Our culture prizes success and control, and we try so very hard to deny – the darkness, self-deception, and overall disorientation that characterises much of life. We are not immune from holding grudges, experiencing anger, depression when persecuted by our enemies.

The superscription in this Psalm informs us that the historical event behind this Psalm is probably the one recorded in 1 Sam 19. After David defeated the Philistines, Saul sent men to keep watch over David's house in order to have him killed. The Psalmist's claim of innocence is found in v 4. Saul had a grudge against David for out-shining him in the last battle with the Philistines. This envy led him to be oppressed by the evil spirit. However, Psalm 59 is about David not Saul. The Psalmist's requests are listed down from v5-13. They are frightful requests, requesting intervention in very drastic measures. He prays for vindictive judgment to fall on enemies. Besides Ps 59, there are many other Psalms e.g. Ps 7, 35 and 137. Some of the ideas we come across in the Psalms are: God will rain fire and brimstone upon the wicked (Psalm 11: 6); if you forget God he will tear you in pieces (Psalm 50: 22 ); if you trust in riches instead of God, he will kill you, and while you're dying the righteous will laugh at you (Psalm 52: 5-6); the righteous will rejoice when they see the wicked being dismembered by God and they will bathe their feet in the blood of the wicked (Psalm 58: 10); God will fill the nations with corpses (Psalm 110:6); God is praised for slaughtering little children in Egypt (Psalm 135: 8; 136:10); and God is asked to burn people to death (Psalm 140: 10). All these are very disturbing to the sensitive conscience. How can we utter such curses? How can Christians utter such petitions in the spirit of vengeance? How can we reconcile these prayers with Jesus’ command to love our enemies in Matt 5:43-44? Some Christians try to explain away these disturbing verses saying that the psalmist wrote before Christ and therefore belong to pre-Christian ethics so we can ignore them. But this creates problem for us. Which parts of Psalm can we then deem as being included as scripture? Such verses are also quoted in the New Testament e.g. Rom 11:9-10.

While these psalms are not positive and pious, like all laments they are honest expressions of pain in the face of grief and endings. We should not attempt to "Christianize" these psalms by pretending they are something they are not. Yet neither can we exclude them as "sub-Christian."  Rather, we need to take them seriously as a valid biblical response to God in prayer from the depths of our humanity. Since we accept these psalms as Scripture for the church, we need to allow them to inform our theology rather than using our theology to change the psalms.

In these Psalms, we are confronted with the realities of life where believers use honest-to-God language with perfect freedom, without disguise. They confront us with true nature of world in which we live.  We discover how the Psalmist deals with fears, hurt, anger and desire to take revenge. The Bible does not pretend that everything recorded in it is holy anger and we cannot use them to justify our anger. What we have here are real responses to evil. It is good then to approach these psalms in faith, recognizing that the language regarding the enemies is directed to God. It is the Psalmist asking God to activate that which will let them reap what they sow. It does not ask God for the ability to retaliate, rather it asks for divine action: “rouse yourself, come to my help and see”. God is urged to become involved and take action regarding their pleas. What we have in this Psalm is a very desperate Psalmist.

V5 incorporates the curses on the community level: Punishment for all the nations, the non-Israelite people. The force of v 5 & v6 is the same as that in v7 & v8. In these places, the Psalmist implores God to holding them in derision, to show no mercy to enemies. No matter how drastic things are, the Psalmist continues to make bold statements of confidence in v 9-10. While these declarations at the crises make them look foolish, the Psalmist believes that he is not alone. He can do something. The Psalmist decides to wait for the divine response and trusts in the saving power of God.  He will laugh and overpower them. In order to appreciate these psalms it is essential to consider how to present the concept of justice.

The Mosaic Law forbids private vengeance. In Deut 32:35 “It is mine to avenge; I will repay. In due time their foot will slip; their day of disaster is near and their doom rushes upon them.”  The Psalmist’s petition to “break their arm” is to be understood as a champion making a righteousness request to God. He expects God to act on his behalf, to function within the divine parameters of the OT law. Yet there is a certain risk involved in reading these Psalms as they are likely to convict us of our own guilt. We are often God’s enemies and our own enemies. Uttering these words, we will come to realize our own violent nature. Most people will not subject themselves to the Messianic promise, the gospel because they want to pick the good bits and ignore the bad bits.

God will not turn away from terror of evil humanity. He is a Comforter of those who mourn. The raw speech of rage can be submitted to the Lord. In order that YHWH will take seriously the issue raised by the victim, he needs to surrender to God and trust in the Lord who will avenge him. He is not to take revenge by himself. Human evil and how God will help his people. Are we confident to pray that prayer?

Believers in the 21st century are faced with a similar fate. What do we wish to say regarding these human evil that surround us? How do we apply the truth about evil in our lives? These Psalms can impact in us at 2 levels. Illustration: There was Bishop who was orphaned as a young child. Both parents were murdered and the murderer was never found. He became an orphan. Once he was called to the death bed of a man. Without emotion, he performed the last rites for the man and assured him that His sin has been forgiven.  In his confession, the dying man had confessed to being the man who had murdered his parents. After absolving him of sin, the bishop walked to the corner, took a gun and shot the dying man in his face. For us forgiveness of our enemies is not easy to achieve. Our anger and hurt makes this even harder. Yet the admonishment in the Bible says in Psalm 37:8 “Refrain from anger and turn from wrath; do not fret—it leads only to evil.”  

Anger is when it possesses a man leading him to inflict pain recklessly. Provoked to works and actions, the angry person will regret them when things are over... the hostile atmosphere spreads doom. But when we are able to bring our anger under control, it can enable a person to fulfil the demanding tasks. It is important to recognize that we have a spiritual task at hand to transcend ordinary enemies. We cannot depend on human strength alone to confront evil, the demonic... the poor, just and sick. If we are not victims, these psalms challenge us to identify with oppressed and suffering, acknowledge wickedness in the world. Could we pray for people trampled down by powers beyond their control like the way Jesus prayed for the enemies?

Entire community can benefit from vast riches of the Psalter when it is used. The great German martyr Dietrich Bonhoeffer prays the Psalter daily in his cell in the Nazi Prison of Tegel. Throughout his life, he not only read the Psalms, but was spiritually formed by them as he became one of the greatest prophets and martyrs of the modern Church. His simple yet rigorous discipline of reading the Psalms daily was instrumental in his spiritual formation and the development of his courageous spirit.

The incarnate son of God that hears the hurts of all human beings before God and prays for us has known torment, death and enemies deeper than any of us. He knows us better for he himself was a true man for our sake, can become our prayer because it was also his prayer. Bonhoeffer writes in Life Together: “A psalm that we cannot utter as a prayer, that makes us falter and horrifies us, is a hint to us that here Someone else is praying, not we; that the One who is here protesting his innocence, who is invoking God’s judgment, who has come to such infinite depths of suffering, is none other than Jesus Christ himself. He it is who is praying here, and not only here but in the whole Psalter … He prayed the Psalter and now it has become his prayer for all time? … Jesus Christ prays the Psalter through his congregation …

Now that Christ is with the Father, the new humanity of Christ, the Body of Christ on earth, continues to pray his prayer to the end of time. This prayer belongs, not to the individual member, but to the whole Body of Christ. Only in the whole Christ does the whole Psalter become a reality, a whole which the individual can never fully comprehend and call his own. That is why the prayer of the psalms belongs in the peculiar way to the fellowship. Even if a verse or a psalm is not one’s own prayer, it is nevertheless the prayer of another member of the fellowship; so it is quite certainly the prayer of the true Man Jesus Christ and his Body on earth.”

Walter Brueggemann, who is one of the most prolific writers in the area of Hebrew Scriptures, has produced two interesting books in this area: Spirituality of the Psalms (2001), which runs to 76 pages, and his longer The Message of the Psalms (1984), which runs to 205 pages. Walter Brueggemann points us to a two-fold movement of faith in these imprecatory pslams. First, we move from a settled orientation to a season of disorientation. Then, we move on to a new orientation that comes to us as a surprise gift of God’s grace. Of course, this cycle continues and repeats itself throughout life. The “stunning fact” for Brueggemann “is that Israel does not purge this unrestrained speech but regards it as genuinely faithful communication” with God. That is no less true today than it was 3,000 years ago when the Psalms were first written.

Reflections:

1.      Bring your bitterness to the presence of God and allow the light of Christ to bring relief so that you can pray, “Father forgive them for they do not know what they are doing."

2.      What are some of our pains that we need to entrust into God’s  gracious hand.