Christians and Imprecatory Prayers

Wiley S. Drake, pastor of the First Southern Baptist Church of Buena Park, CA has created quite the stir by encouraging members of his congregation to pray imprecatory prayers against two men who threatened the church’s nonprofit status.

The problem originated with Pastor Drake’s writing a letter—on church letterhead—to his congregants making known his support for former Arkansas governor and current presidential candidate Mike Huckabee (Wikipedia).

“I said I personally endorse Mike Huckabee,” he said. “And yes, I used my letterhead. I use it to pay my bills, write my mother, that’s who I am. I am a spokesman for the church, but I was speaking personally. I did encourage my fellow Southern Baptists and fellow Christians to ask God what they could do for Mike Huckabee. And whatever God told them to do, that’s what they should do.”

Americans United for Separation of Church and State caught wind of Drake’s letter and encouraged the IRS to investigate First Southern Baptist Church’s nonprofit status.

Drake’s response was twofold: first, he made it clear that he doesn’t fear the IRS:

“I have never have been worried about the IRS,” he said. “They don’t scare me. I don’t give a rip about the IRS. I don’t believe in the separation of church and state and I believe the IRS should stay out of church business.”

second, he (1) called his people to pray for the deaths of Joe Conn and Jeremy Leaming of Americans United and (2) defended it as obedience to God.

“God says to pray imprecatory prayer against people who attack God’s church,” he said. “The Bible says that if anybody attacks God’s people, David said this is what will happen to them. . . . Children will become orphans and wives will become widows.”

Very few evangelicals would agree with Drake’s application of the Old Testament imprecatory Psalms to today, but not all disagree in the same way.

Prominent NT scholar Ben Witherington (Wikipedia), for example, argues that the imprecatory prayers of the OT reveal nothing more than the sinful heart of David the murderer. Thus, they were as wrong for David to pray as they would be for Christians today.

I don’t know what seminary this pastor went to, but boy has he misunderstood those psalms. They don’t reveal the will of God in such matters, rather they shed God’s light of truth on what is in the wicked heart of human beings, including in David’s heart, that old murderer and adulterer. Praying for someone to bash the Edomite babies’ heads on the rocks ought to even give Brother Dobson the willies.

Later Witherington says,

Our God is the God who sent his Son to die on the cross for everyone’s sins, not the God of jihad and cursing one’s enemies.

I’m in basic agreement with Witherington that Drake’s actions are out of line, and Witherging makes some good points about the NT teaching regarding enemies and cursing (e.g., Matt 5:39, 44; Luke 23:34; Rom 12:14; 1 Cor 4:12; 1 Thess 5:15).

The real disaster in this whole situation is the complete failure to follow the teachings of the NT when it comes to dealing with one’s tormentors or persecutors. You may remember these words from Jesus—”love your enemies, pray for those who persecute you.” Notice it does not say pray against those who persecute or even pray about those who persecute you, but instead pray FOR those who persecute you.

. . .

At the heart of the Gospel is forgiveness, and non retaliation, and even praying for and loving one’s enemies, which is the polar opposite of what this pastor urged his congregation to do. Paul puts it this way “bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them” (Rom. 12.14).

These areas of agreement notwithstanding, I don’t think Witherington is quite on target with his understanding of imprecations in the OT. Without question it is a difficult task to harmonize portions of the OT with the NT. However, a couple of factors suggest that the imprecatory prayers of David were not sinful expressions of vengence, but God-honoring pleas for God to vindicate His people and His name.

1. Imprecatory prayers for God to dash little children against the rocks must be read in conjunction with God’s commands to kill woman and children of unbeliving nations. If David was wrong to pray for it, was God wrong to command it?
2. Imprecatory language appears in the NT. Perhaps one could argue that these imprecations as well are descriptive rather than prescriptive and reflect sinful vengeance rather than holy concern for God’s people and His glory. However, some of these come from glorified saints in heaven, who certainly are not sinning by offering such prayers to God (e.g., Rev 6:10; cf. Gal 1:8–9; 1 Cor 16:22).

What do you think? Were the imprecatory prayers of the OT pleasing to God? Should Christians ever pray them today?

Read coverage at the following sites:

• CNN: Minister: Death To My Tax Status Critics
• LA Times: Buena Park pastor asks followers to pray for the death of his critics
• Ben Witherington: Pastor approves Cursing your Enemies

For a different perspective, see

• Townhall: Imprecatory Prayer: The Intercessor’s Elephant Gun
• Mere Comments: Imprecations & Praying the Psalms

HT: Ben Witherington

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