Week 17 Psalm 109
The middle (grisly) section of this psalm (verses 6-15) is a prayer-list of bad things that David hopes will happen to the people who are attacking him. He’s basically praying they’ll be cursed with calamity.
This looks like an actual prayer (praying is communicating with the Lord and that’s what David is doing here). But it would have to be classed as a pretty intemperate unrestrained excessive prayer. Let’s face it – it’s a pretty vengeful and hateful prayer. A bible reader instinctively knows that something bad is going on.
And another thing a reader gets tipped-off about is that hateful prayers are possible. 109 shows that I can basically say whatever I want in prayer – for example, if I can pray that the Lord will let my enemy’s children wander about and beg then that opens the door to other possibilities. 109 shows me a couple of things that might develop:
a) I can be really angry with people kicking me around
b) I can pray while I’m angry
c) My angry prayers might mutate into murderous prayers.
I think the real question is whether this is a model prayer for me to imitate or whether it’s an example of a substandard prayer – a prayer that’s definitely possible and definitely understandable…but a prayer that’s not recommended.
Since I’ve read what Jesus says about what my reaction should be when I’m faced with violence I figure 109 isn’t a model prayer.
Note: quote from Psalm 109:10 (NIV)