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Why Do the Psalms Cry Out to God for Vengeance?
The Bible doesn't look the other way when it comes to raw human emotion. How should we preach these Psalms?
Walter Brueggemann is an American Protestant Old Testament scholar and theologian.
Comments
February 21, 2012
4. John E Miller says...
Very theatrical but not particularly enlightening. The truth of this Psalm finds its basis in Exodus 34:6,7. The Psalm is summed up in v.11.
February 15, 2012
3. Myron Heckman says...
Imprecatory Psalms as therapeutic prayer is a post-Freudian interpretation, likely unknown to the psalm writers, at least as their intent, though as a side-benefit they may discharge our anger in God's care. Which still leaves us with the problem of unbridled cries for vengeance. I'll propose they are cries for justice - that they ask for God to do to their enemies what their enemies did to them. The Babylonians smashed our babies against the rocks, so God smash their babies against the rocks. And Jesus Christ satisfied the justice by taking the vengeance on Himself. And so saves us.
February 15, 2012
2. Myron Heckman says...
Imprecatory Psalms as therapeutic prayer is a post-Freudian interpretation, likely unknown to the psalm writers, at least as their intent, though as a side-benefit they may discharge our anger in God's care. Which still leaves us with the problem of unbridled cries for vengeance. I'll propose they are cries for justice - that they ask for God to do to their enemies what their enemies did to them. The Babylonians smashed our babies against the rocks, so God smash their babies against the rocks. And Jesus Christ satisfied the justice by taking the vengeance on Himself. And so saves us.
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