Clean Transcript

The Imprecatory Prayer-3

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• That air conditioning feels good.

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• Thank you.

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• My grandson said the other night we had a sermon on imprecatory prayer. OK, welcome to Reedy River Presbyterian Church again tonight for most of you, we do have a few new people here tonight, and this is part three of imprecatory prayer presented by Reverend Pastor John Weaver. I'll give an abbreviated bio on him tonight, since most of you have already heard it twice. Pastor Weaver is a pastor and preaches weekly in Waycross, Georgia and Live Oak, Florida.

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• He's a Reformed Baptist graduate of Bob Jones University, and he's been in the ministry for 40 years. He lectures nationally and has been a church planter and a school planter all over the country. He lectures and preaches in churches, colleges and conferences. And he's written three books: "The Christian and Civil Government," "The Sovereignty of God and Civil Government," and "Biblical Truth About God's Righteous Vengeance."

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• His sermons are taped and they're sent all over the world, including places like Europe, South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, Scotland and Wales. They consist of biblical expositions, theology, economics, history, Southern history, constitutionalism, civil government and practical Christian obedience. And he's married to Alice, his wife, and they have four children and six grandchildren. Before we get started, I want to remind you to please silence your cell phones.

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• And a reminder that there is a basket behind the pews here for a free will offering for Pastor John Weaver. He's, my understanding, is doing this at his own expense. So feel free to help him out. And the first two sermons have been fantastic. I wasn't able to make it last night because we moved yesterday. I know the first night was great and I heard the second night was great. And we're expecting the third night to be great, too.

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• And I'm sure it will be. OK, Pastor Weaver, I'll turn it over to you.

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• All right, it's a joy to be here tonight. And since we have a few who have not been here previously, I will take just a few minutes and review tonight. But however, let me remind you that I think the church is making some CDs and you can get those CDs from the church as well. But we're thankful that you're here. I'm thankful for the opportunity to be here as well. So let's open our Bibles, if we would please, tonight to Psalm 109. Psalm 109.

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• Many of you probably have never heard of imprecatory prayers, but they are throughout the Bible. And I trust that you would indeed listen to those two previous messages because I think they will prove very beneficial to you. Psalm 109, and let's begin reading tonight with verse one and we'll read through verse eight, and that is as far as we will get tonight anyhow. Psalm 109, verse one, and let's pray, shall we?

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• Father, thank you for your love and your grace and for the truth of God. We pray for liberty and freedom in preaching that the Holy Spirit of God would illuminate our minds. Grant us understanding and help us to live for thee in Christ's name, we pray. Amen. Psalm 109, verse one: "Hold not thy peace, O God of my praise. For the mouth of the wicked and the mouth of the deceitful are open against me."

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• "They have spoken against me with a lying tongue. They compass me about also with words of hatred and fought against me without a cause. For my love they are my adversaries, but I give myself unto prayer. And they have rewarded me evil for good, and hatred for my love. Set thou a wicked man over him, and let Satan stand at his right hand. When he shall be judged, let him be condemned, and let his prayer become sin."

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• "Let his days be few, and let another take his office." So before we proceed tonight, let me just remind you that imprecatory praying is when you actually call down a curse, a malediction upon the enemies of God, upon your enemies. There are numerous imprecatory prayers in the Bible. We looked at a number of them the last several nights. Many of them are in the Psalms, but they occur throughout Scripture, as you will find just a little bit later today. I pointed out the first night how that these imprecatory prayers are not contrary to the gospel. They're certainly not unbiblical. They're certainly not un-Christian. And very obviously, David, a man after God's own heart, is the man who prayed many of these prayers, as well as Moses, the man of God and numerous others in scriptures as well. So last night I basically covered some general thoughts concerning imprecatory prayers. And then, of course, I gave you some specific purposes of why God gave us these imprecatory prayers. And first of all, I pointed out that whatever problem that anyone has with the imprecatory prayers in the Old Testament, the tension between justice and mercy or love and hate—

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• it is not a matter of Old Testament versus New Testament or of law versus grace. We have one Bible, not two Bibles. And the same God of the Old Testament is the God of the New Testament. There is no change in God, nor is there a change of gods. So whatever problem that anyone may have, very obviously, it cannot be Old Testament versus New Testament or law versus grace.

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• Secondly, I pointed out when David or any other biblical character prays an imprecatory prayer, it should be pointed out that the matter is left entirely with God. In other words, David did the praying. However, God wants to answer that prayer is totally and completely up to God. Thirdly, I pointed out as a whole, however severe those imprecatory prayers were against the enemies of God and against David's enemies, David himself, in his personal actions, was always gracious and kind toward his enemies. And fourthly, I pointed out how church discipline in the New Testament is not very much different between the imprecatory prayers in the Old Testament, because the New Testament, of course, contains many curses and many denunciations as well. And then I pointed out that, fifthly, the imprecatory prayers teach us that God has not appointed His people unto defeat, but unto victory.

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• And we are not to be considered victims, but rather victorious. And then very quickly, I pointed out the specific purposes. And we look at these purposes as we examine some of these imprecatory prayers. But first of all, I point out in imprecatory prayers, one of the purposes is for the establishment of God's righteousness. The imprecatory prayers are very clearly and obviously concerned with righteousness. And happily, there are not very many even New Testament saints today that are concerned with righteousness and justice. But these imprecatory prayers are.

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• Secondly, in these imprecatory prayers, there's a desire to see God praised and honored when these prayers are answered. And very obviously, we looked at these imprecations and David said, "I will praise thee, I will honor thee, I'll give thee all the glory." And thirdly, in imprecatory prayers, there's a purpose and design so that men may know indeed that there is indeed a God in the earth and that he is just and that he rewards the righteous and that he punishes the wicked.

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• We saw that particularly in Psalm 58 and verse 11. And fourthly, in imprecatory prayers, there's a purpose that all may learn that God is the absolute sovereign in heaven and earth. He rules over everything. Nebuchadnezzar found that out, Pharaoh found that out, and many others as well. Fifthly, in the imprecatory prayers, there's also the purpose of causing the wicked to seek the Lord, because oftentimes in judgment, some indeed do seek the Lord. Some learn a lesson. Sixthly, in imprecatory prayers, there's also a purpose in keeping the wicked from enjoying the same blessings as the righteous. And then seventhly, in imprecatory prayers, we learn there to have an abhorrence for sin, disobedience and rebellion, and learn to bring our lives in conformity to his word.

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• Now, I just gave you in five minutes what I preached for two hours the preceding two nights. So if you want to learn more, you need to get the CDs back there as well. Now, let me just say this. Overall, we could say that in imprecatory prayers, there is a purpose to see the justice of God vindicated, His word honored, His kingdom established, His righteousness prevailed, His people delivered, and His name honored and glorified. Now, what I want to do tonight is this. I want to take the most talked about imprecatory psalm and analyze it, and let's see if there is anything in this psalm that cannot be understood or explained in light of the rest of Scripture. The psalm that receives the most vehement denunciation of all of the imprecatory psalms is Psalm 109.

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• You will find that the liberals, sinners, sentimentalists, and humanists attack this psalm viciously. Granted, it is tough, but we have to ask one question. Does the teaching of Psalm 109 fit within the overall teaching of Scripture? And let me point out that the problem that we face in Psalm 109 is one that is far broader than just this one passage, just this one psalm, or even just this one book, because you find imprecations taught throughout the entirety of the Word of God.

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• For instance, Moses, who's known as the meekest man on earth, Numbers 12 and verse 3, is the same one who prayed, "Rise up, O Lord, and let thine enemies be scattered. Let those that hate thee flee before thee." He prayed that in Numbers 10 in verse 35. It was still Moses, the meekest man on earth, who at Numbers 16 prayed, "O Lord, I pray that a new thing will happen. I pray that the earth will open up and these rebels will go down alive into the pit of hell." So here's Moses, the meekest man on earth,

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• praying an imprecation against those who had rebelled and revolted against God Himself. Now, if you look at the psalm, Psalm 109, many of you will have headings in your Bibles, and the heading just simply says this: "To the chief musician, a psalm of David." The word "musician" can also be "to the presenter." So when David then says "to the chief musician," or "to the presenter," it proves that this psalm was designed to be sung in the tabernacle or temple worship. So obviously there was nothing in this psalm that would prevent it from being sung in a worship service when it was written.

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• We have to understand that political correctness had not been invented at that time in history. You also have to remember this: when men begin to condemn this psalm, as well as the other imprecations of the Bible, what they're doing is they're setting themselves above God and they're demanding that God and His word come to the bar of human reasoning and to the bar of their judgment. And once they do that, they are indeed blaspheming the one true and the living God and arrogantly assuming to themselves a right above God, thus they are guilty of idolatry. Now, this psalm is an exceedingly intense psalm.

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• In fact, look if you would down in verse 8. We're not going to get any farther than verse 8 tonight, but notice what he said, talking about this wicked man: "Let his days be few and let another his office take. Let his children be fatherless and his wife a widow." And he goes on. How in the world can you explain the intensity of these imprecations? Well, let me give you a very clear explanation.

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• David, of course, wrote this psalm under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. And David was writing it against one or more of his enemies. However, this psalm is applied to the main enemy of Jesus Christ in the New Testament, that is Judas Iscariot. How do we know that? If you would hold Psalm 109, but look in your Bibles to Acts chapter 1, and let's begin reading there with verse 16. Acts chapter 1 and verse 16.

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• And notice if you would what the Word of God says. Acts chapter 1 verse 16. Luke is writing and he says this, Acts 1 verse 16: "Men and brethren, this scripture must needs have been fulfilled, which the Holy Ghost by the mouth of David spake before concerning Judas, which was guide to them that took Jesus."

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• Now note, if you would please, first of all, in verse 16, he is claiming direct inspiration for Psalm 109. And he's also saying that David wrote Psalm 109. Verse 17: "For he was numbered with us, and had obtained part of this ministry."

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• "Now this man purchased a field with the reward of iniquity; and falling headlong, he burst asunder in the midst, and all his bowels gushed out. And it was known unto all the dwellers at Jerusalem; insomuch as that field is called in their proper tongue, Aceldama, that is to say, The field of blood. For it is written in the book of Psalms, that is Psalm 109, 'Let his habitation be desolate, and let no man dwell therein: and his bishoprick let another take.'" So very obviously, historically speaking, Psalm 109 has been called the Iscariotic Psalm since it refers to Judas Iscariot. However, David, when he wrote this psalm, was not necessarily praying against Judas Iscariot. He was probably praying against Ahithophel, or Saul, or Doeg, or many other of his mortal enemies. But this psalm tells us that whoever David was praying against, this psalm then finds its accomplishment in Judas Iscariot, who was the enemy of the greater son of David, the Lord Jesus Christ.

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• So now if you would look back at this psalm, and let's look first of all at the first five verses, because the first five verses literally set the stage for this psalm. In fact, verse one is indeed a cry for help. It is a cry for vindication and a cry for justice. David begins and he says, "Hold not thy peace, O God of my praise." So David is declaring at the very beginning that he could not find nor would he desire any other one to stand forward in the vindication of his integrity and the vindication of his heart than the one true and the living God Himself. When David says, "Hold not thy peace, O God of my praise," it's almost the same as saying, "Arise, O God. Do something. Show forth your arm. Help me. I need you. Please stand up for me." So he is referring then to God as the God of his praise. He is entrusting God, therefore, with the vindication of his innocence in the face of all the charges and in the face of all the persecution that he's assailed with.

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• So it's a cry and it's a plea for God to do something. It's almost the same as what David wrote in Psalm 68 in verse 1, when he said, "Let God arise, let His enemies be scattered, and let them that hate Him flee before Him." So David is crying to God for help.

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• Now, look very quickly at verses 2 through 5. He says, "For the mouth of the wicked and the mouth of the deceitful are open against me: they have spoken against me with a lying tongue. They compassed me about also with words of hatred; and fought against me without a cause. For my love they are my adversaries: but I give myself unto prayer. And they have rewarded me evil for good, and hatred for my love." So in these four verses, David gives us a description of his enemies, their attitudes and their actions. He describes them as lying and deceitful in verse 2, as using words of hatred in verse 3, as fighting against him without cause in verse 3, as wrongly and wickedly refusing his overtures of love and peace in verse 4, and then, of course, returning evil for good and hatred for love in verse 5. So David now begins his imprecations in verse 6.

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• Now, let me make this exceedingly clear. I said it last night. I want to say it again. Imprecatory prayers do not have their roots in a vengeful heart. Rather, imprecatory prayers stem from a theology that reflects the holiness of God, the righteousness of God, the justice of God, and the faithfulness of God to His covenant. There is a pattern of divine judgment. There is a pattern of divine judgment through curses throughout the Word of God. In fact, Deuteronomy chapter 27 is a very clear demonstration of this truth and curses are pronounced upon all who violate God's word. Curses always rest upon the disobedient and the rebellious. And this clearly indicates to us that sin is primarily against God.

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• Now, you remember David prayed in Psalm 51. When he was confessing and acknowledging his sin, he said, "Against thee, and against thee only, have I sinned and done this evil in thy sight." Well, let me ask you a question. Did not David sin against Bathsheba? Yes, he did. Did he not sin against her husband? Yes, he did. Did he not sin against his own family? Yes, he did. Did he not sin against his own people? Yes, he did. Did he not sin against his own government? Yes, he did. Well, he sinned against all of these people, but he looked at God and he said, "Against thee and against thee only have I sinned." What does he mean? What he was saying is this: my primary sin and my primary rebellion and my primary wickedness was against God.

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• Do you understand you cannot violate any of the Ten Commandments until you violate the first one? "Thou shalt have no other gods before me." And if you begin to steal, if you begin to lie, if you begin to fornicate, if you begin to murder, you can't do those until you first deny the one true and living God, who is a sovereign God of heaven and earth. And when you deny him and you begin to violate the others, you're setting yourself up above God. Thus, you're an idolater.

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• And David is saying, "Against thee and against thee only have I sinned." So in the Psalms, then, especially these imprecatory Psalms, it is this theology that motivates the psalmist to plead for God to fulfill his word in executing judgment upon those whom he said he would execute judgment upon. Now, imprecatory prayers illustrate and exemplify and demonstrate the lex talionis of Scripture. The two words lex talionis are Latin.

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• And they just simply refer to the law of retribution. That's all—the law of retribution. Now, the lex talionis or the law of retribution of Scripture is very simple. Here it is: God always makes the punishment fit the crime. Let me show you. I want you to hold Psalm 109, but go back in your Bibles to the book of Exodus chapter 21. Exodus chapter 21. You're going to find the lex talionis actually is plainly stated three times here in Scripture, Exodus 21.

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• And let's begin reading there with verse 22. Exodus 21, verse 22, God says: "If men strive, and hurt a woman with child, so that her fruit depart from her, and yet no mischief follow: he shall be surely punished, according as the woman's husband will lay upon him; and he shall pay as the judges determine. And if any mischief follow, then thou shalt give life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, burning for burning, wound for wound, stripe for stripe." Now, I want you to note, if you would, in the latter part of verse 22, and there's a reason for me pointing this out, that "he shall pay as the judges determine."

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• Now turn in your Bibles to the book of Leviticus, chapter 24. Leviticus 24, and let's begin reading there with verse 19. Leviticus 24, verse 19. Here's the same lex talionis, the law of retribution. Leviticus 24, verse 19: "And if a man cause a blemish in his neighbour; as he hath done, so shall it be done to him; breach for breach, eye for eye, tooth for tooth: as he hath caused a blemish in a man, so shall it be done to him again."

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• "And he that killeth a beast, he shall restore it: and he that killeth a man, he shall be put to death. Ye shall have one manner of law, as well for the stranger, as for one of your own country: for I am the Lord your God." And then lastly, if you look in Deuteronomy chapter 19, here's the third occurrence of this lex talionis, Deuteronomy 19, beginning there with verse 16. This is the law of retribution, Deuteronomy 19, verse 16: "If a false witness rise up against any man to testify against him that which is wrong; then both the men, between whom the controversy is, shall stand before the Lord, before the priests and the judges, which shall be in those days; and the judges shall make diligent inquisition: and, behold, if the witness be a false witness, and hath testified falsely against his brother; then shall ye do unto him, as he had thought to have done unto his brother."

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• "So shalt thou put the evil away from among you. And those which remain shall hear, and fear, and shall henceforth commit no more any such evil among you. And thine eye shall not pity; but life shall go for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot." Now, if you will examine these passages carefully, you will find in each one of these passages God is speaking about the judges. In other words, according to biblical law, it doesn't matter who we're talking about—civil law—the judge's responsibility is to make the punishment fit the crime.

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• Now, if you would look very quickly in your Bibles to Matthew 5. We discussed this the other night, and I want to just show it to you again. In Matthew chapter 5, I showed you where imprecatory prayers were certainly not against the teaching of our Lord when He tells us to love our enemies and to bless them that curse us and do good to them that hate us. But if you look in verse, beginning there with verse 38, notice what our Lord says. Matthew 5, verse 38.

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• "Ye have heard that it hath been said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth: But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also." And then he goes on down there. Now, what in the world is our Lord talking about when he said, "Ye have heard that it hath been said, An eye for an eye"? You remember our Lord is correcting, in Matthew 5, the misinterpretation and the misapplication of God's law by the Pharisees. The Pharisees taught, well, if a man curses me, I can curse him back. If a man slaps me, I just slap him back. If a man insults me, I insult him back. In other words, what the Pharisees had done, they had taken this lex talionis, the law of retribution, and had taught it to mean personal vengeance. And our Lord says, no, that's not why the law was given. God does not sanction personal vengeance of a bitter, resentful, hate-filled heart.

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• No, he said this was given to the judges so that the judges might execute real justice. But the Pharisees then had taken it and perverted it and taught personal revenge. And our Lord says, no, vengeance belongs to him. He will repay. And so very obviously, God has indeed given us the civil magistrate and he has given him the sword. And in Romans chapter 13, he tells us, "for he beareth not the sword in vain."

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• Now, I want you to look back at Psalm 109 because I'm going to show you that David does not ask anything in this psalm that is contrary to the gospel or contrary to the Christian faith. He does not ask anything in this psalm that is unbiblical. He merely asks God to do what his word already declares that he's going to do. You know, many of us may have never heard of the lex talionis. And we may not really understand all of the implications of the law of retribution as it's plainly taught in the Bible. But all of us understand a similar principle that is very clearly taught in the New Testament. We refer to it as the law of sowing and reaping.

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• Let me just quote it. Galatians 6, 7 and 8. The Bible says, "Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting." So we have the law of sowing and reaping, and it is commensurate with the law of retribution or the lex talionis in Scripture. We just refer to it as the law of sowing and reaping.

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• And I want you to look, if you would, in Psalm 109, and let's begin our study in verse 6 tonight. And I want you to see how every one of these verses fit right in with the law of retribution or the law of sowing and reaping. So let's begin at verse 6, where David is making this imprecatory prayer against this evil, wicked man. And he says, "Set thou a wicked man over him: and let Satan stand at his right hand." Now, the first thing that David asks is that his foe might be subjected to having an evil man placed over him like himself. David wants an evil man placed over his enemy who has absolutely no regard for justice, no regard for truth, no regard for right. He wants a man placed over his enemy who has no character, no propriety. In other words, he has no concern for anyone or anything but himself. "Set thou a wicked man over him."

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• What is David asking? David is asking this: Lord, let his punishment fit the crime. Lord, let him reap what he sows. In other words, let this man be punished in the line of his offenses. As he has done this to me, let someone else do this to him. "Set thou a wicked man over him."

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• Now, it cannot be wrong that a man should be treated as he treats others. It cannot be wrong in itself to desire that a man should be treated as his character deserves. For this is the object of all law. This is what the magistrates are all about, or should be about. They should be interested in giving forth true justice. This is the principle that God deals with us concerning.

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• For instance, hold Psalm 109, but go back in your Bibles to Psalm 18. Let me show you this principle. Psalm 18. And let's begin reading there with verse 25. Psalm 18, verse 25. Look what David writes. Psalm 18, verse 25: "With the merciful thou wilt shew thyself merciful; with an upright man thou wilt shew thyself upright; with the pure thou wilt shew thyself pure; and with the froward thou wilt shew thyself froward."

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• Now what is God saying? God is saying this: I act upon this principle towards you. If you're merciful to others, I'll be merciful to you. If you act purely, I'll act purely with you. If you are upright, I will be upright with you. If you are froward—that is, if you're disobedient, if you're rebellious—I will treat you accordingly. In other words, what God is saying: I will treat you according to your character. I will treat you according to that which you deserve.

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• I will make the punishment fit the crime. If you want to do what's right, God says you're going to be blessed and rewarded. If you want to do what's wrong, then God says I'm going to curse you, and you're going to understand, if you want to be disobedient, then I can hand down curses as easily as I can hand down blessings.

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• Now, everyone in this room understands the golden rule. What is it? Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. That is exactly what our Lord is saying here. And there cannot be anything more just than being treated exactly the way you treat other people.

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• Now, if you'll go back to Psalm 109 and look at verse 6 again, he says this: "Set thou a wicked man over him: and let Satan stand at his right hand." Hmm. David now asks that Satan stand as at right hand as his counselor and advisor. Now, the language that David uses here would be properly applicable to one who happened to be a counselor or an advisor to a king or someone in the administration of government. Undoubtedly, David had many. We know one who was exceedingly wicked and treacherous. That was Ahithophel.

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• But probably there were others as well. And so what David is saying is this: as this man was a malignant counselor, as he was concerned only with himself, as he was willing to forego his master's good that he might serve himself at his master's expense, David says, now let such a counselor be over him. Let such one counsel and advise him. Let there be a wicked counselor.

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• And by the way, the word "Satan" is oftentimes translated as "adversary." So you could read verse six: "Set thou a wicked man over him: and let the adversary or Satan stand at his right hand." In other words, David is saying, let this man begin to reap exactly what he had sown. Charles Haddon Spurgeon quoted Hugo and Hugo said this, and I think this is very, very good. Hugo said: "The devil is on the left hand of those whom he persecutes in temporal things, on the right hand of those whom he rules in spiritual things, before the face of those who are on their guard against his wiles, behind those who are not foreseeing and prudent, above those whom he treads

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• down, below and beneath the feet of those who tread him down." And certainly that is true. But David begins to pray, "Set thou a wicked man over him: and let Satan stand at his right hand." So what is more right? What is more just than to have a man treated exactly the way he treats everyone else? What is more just than to have a man receive counsel that is just as wicked, just as vile, just as malignant as the counsel that he gave others?

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• Surely it's the law of retribution. Surely it's the law of sowing and reaping.

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• Now look in verse seven. He says, "When he shall be judged, let him be condemned: and let his prayer become sin." Now, you've got to remember, David is praying against the man who judged and condemned others in the vilest manner. He suffered not the innocent to escape, and it would be a great shame in the time of his trial, since he really and truly is guilty, should he be allowed to go free. And so David is just simply asking, in verse 7 here, that this man be punished according to justice. That's all he's asking. He says, "When he shall be judged, let him be condemned." And then he makes this statement: "and let his prayer become sin."

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• Now, I don't have time tonight to preach two messages to you, which I would really love to share sometime. One of them is entitled "When Prayer is Sin," and the Bible clearly teaches that. The other message is entitled "When Prayer is Useless," and there is indeed a time when prayer is useless. But now David is praying here that this man, that his prayer might become sin. I want to give you a quote from Albert Barnes, and he's quoting on this verse, "let his prayer become sin." And he says this: "Evidently, his prayer is in reference to his trial, that is for his crime. His prayer is that he might be acquitted and discharged, that it be seen in the result that such a prayer was wrong, that it was, in fact, a prayer for the discharge of a bad man, a man who ought to be punished. Let it be seen to be what a prayer would be if offered for a murderer or a violator of the law, a prayer that he might escape or not be punished.

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• All must see that such a prayer would be wrong or would be a sin. And so in his own case, it would be equally true that a prayer for his own escape would be sin. The psalmist asks, that by the result of the trial, such a prayer might be seen to be, in fact, a prayer for the protection and the escape of a wicked man. A just sentence in this case would demonstrate this, and this is what the psalmist prays for." Now, I find it interesting that he said, "and let his prayer be seen."

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• Has it ever dawned upon you that the prayer of the wicked is already sin? I want you to hold Psalm 109, but look in your Bibles to Proverbs chapter 21. Look in Proverbs 21 and look at verse 4. Proverbs 21 verse 4.

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• You know, the wicked are really in a bad state. You've heard the old expression, "damned if I do, damned if I don't." Well, that equally applies to the wicked. Men have been commanded to pray, and yet if a wicked man prays, it's sin. If a wicked man doesn't pray, it's still sin. Damned if he does, damned if he doesn't. How can that be? Look in Proverbs 21 and verse 4, the Bible says, "An high look, and a proud heart, and the plowing of the wicked, is sin." Think about that. "An high look, and a proud heart, and the plowing of the wicked, is sin."

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• Now, wait a minute, let's back up and try to think this thing through. Do you remember in Genesis 3 when Adam sinned and rebelled against God? What did God tell him? "By the sweat of thy brow thou shalt work and produce your bread." God has commanded man to work and to earn his bread by the sweat of his brow. Now, here's a wicked man who is out plowing his field, trying to earn his bread by the sweat of his brow. And God says he's plowing is sin.

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• Here are two farmers, one a Christian, one not a Christian. They're plowing fields that adjoin each other. One man plowing honors and glorifies God. The other man plowing is sinning against God. How can that be? Well, let me just give you the answer. Romans 14, verse 23. Are you listening? The Apostle Paul wrote, "For whatsoever is not of faith is sin." Why in the world is a wicked man's plowing sin? Because he does not plow in faith. He does not plow for God's honor and God's glory.

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• He only plows for himself. And God says, therefore, his plowing is sin. Now, if his plowing is sin, if his work is sin, how about his prayer? Well, look in your Bibles to Proverbs chapter 15 and verse 8. Let me show you two other things. Two other passages. Proverbs 15 and verse 8. Look what the Bible says. Proverbs 15 verse 8: "The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the Lord: but the prayer of the upright is his delight." Now, the sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the Lord. Wait a minute. The word "abomination" literally means a stench in God's nostrils. So God says the sacrifice, that is, the wicked man who gives to God, even his sacrifice is a stench in God's nostrils. Then he says, "but the prayer of the upright is his delight."

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• The opposite is also true. The prayer of a man who is not upright is still an abomination to God. It's only the prayer of the upright that is his delight. If there is no uprightness, if there's no righteousness, it does not please God. Look in Proverbs 21 and verse 27. Here it is even explained again. Proverbs 21 verse 27: "The sacrifice of the wicked is abomination: how much more, when he bringeth it with a wicked mind?" The sacrifice of the wicked is abomination: how much more, when he bringeth it with a wicked mind? In other words, when the wicked man brings a sacrifice and he doesn't intend anything for God's honor and glory, he doesn't intend it for any benefit to God. No, no, no. He only intends a benefit for himself. God says his sacrifice is already an abomination. How much more is an abomination when he brings it with a wicked heart?

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• Charles Haddon Spurgeon said on this: "And let his prayer become sin. It is sin already, so let it be treated to the injured. It must seem terrible that the black-hearted villain should nonetheless pretend to pray. And very naturally, do they beg that he may not be heard, but that his pleadings may be regarded as an addition to his guilt. He has devoured the widow's house, and yet he prays.

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• He has put Naboth to death by false accusation and taken possession of his vineyard, and then he presents his prayers to the Almighty. He has given up villages to slaughter, and his hands are red with the blood of babes and maidens, and then he pays his vows unto Allah. He must surely be accursed himself who does not wish that such abominable prayers may be loathed of heaven and written down as new sins.

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• He who makes it a sin for others to pray will find his own praying become sin. When he at last sees his need of mercy, mercy herself shall resent his appeal as an insult. Because that he remembered not to show mercy, he shall himself be forgotten by the God of grace, and his bitter cries for deliverance shall be regarded as mockeries of heaven." Isn't that amazing? Isn't that amazing? His prayer is already sin. And what David is saying is, let that prayer become new sin, an addition sin.

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• Do not let him escape. Joseph Carl, an old Puritan, who preached on the book of Job for 40 years—40 years, he took expounding the book of Job—Joseph Carl wrote and he said this: "The prayer of the hypocrite is sin formally and it is sin in the effect that is, instead of getting any good by it, he gets hurt. And the Lord, instead of helping him because he prays, punishes him because of the sinfulness of his prayer. Thus, his prayer becomes sin to him because he receives no more respect from God when he prays than when he sins. And sin doesn't only mingle with his prayer, as it does with the prayers of the holiest, but his prayer is nothing else but a mixture or mingle-mangle, as we speak, of many sins." Wow.

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• So David, in Psalm 109, says this concerning his enemy: "When he shall be judged, let him be condemned: and let his prayer become sin." Has it ever dawned upon you when the wicked pray, it is sin? And God regards it as sin. Unless there is genuine repentance and faith in their hearts, their prayer is sin. So David said, "let it become sin."

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• Now, let's look at verse eight. This is as far as we're going to get tonight. And we're going to be here just a little while. We'll look in verse eight. He's praying against his enemy. He says in verse six, "Set thou a wicked man over him: and let Satan stand at his right hand." Verse seven, "When he shall be judged, let him be condemned: and let his prayer become sin." Now, verse eight: "Let his days be few; and let another take his office."

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• "Let his days be few; and let another take his office."

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• Now, many are aghast at such a prayer request. How in the world could anyone pray that, much less David, who is a man after God's own heart? Let me tell you the unvarnished truth. Here it is, plain and simple. Verse 8 means, which we will see more tomorrow night, David wants his enemy dead. He said, "Let his days be few." That is, let him die and let another take his office. You say, oh, how awful that David, a man after God's own heart, could pray such a request of God.

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• Well, let me turn it around. Let me ask you a question. How many of you would pray for the longevity of life for a murderer, a pervert, a wicked, vile, fraudulent, corrupt, unjust and ungodly man who delights in hurting others? Who would want to pray for a long life for him? I wouldn't. David certainly would not want to. I would not want such a man to continue in office. I would not. That is exactly what David—evidently this man held some post of authority.

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• Maybe he's talking about Saul. I don't know. I'm just simply saying here is a prayer request that the man literally be taken out of the land of the living. Now, here's my question. Is this prayer request in line with the general tenor of Scripture? And the answer is yes. How can I say that? Because long life is promised to the obedient and the faithful. It is not promised to the wicked. We're not going to look there, but Psalm 91:16, Proverbs 3:2 talk about how long life is indeed given to the obedient and Psalm 34. Let's go there.

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• You're in the book of Psalms. Go to Psalm 34. And let me just show you what the Bible says about long life and how it is indeed promised to the righteous, to the obedient, to the godly. Psalm 34, notice verse 12. Psalm 34, verse 12: "What man is he that desireth life, and loveth many days, that he may see good?" Now, how many of you would really love to live a long life and at the same time have quality of life and enjoy life?

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• This is what this question is about. "What man is he that desireth life, and loveth many days, that he may see good?" God says, now if you want long life, if you want to see good, if you want to enjoy life, here's what you need to do: "Keep thy tongue from evil, and thy lips from speaking guile. Depart from evil, and do good; seek peace, and pursue it."

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• "For the eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous, and his ears are open unto their cry." Watch verse 16: "The face of the Lord is against them that do evil, to cut off the remembrance of them from the earth."

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• Now, God said if you want to have long life, then you learn to do good. You learn to do right. You learn to be obedient. You learn to keep your tongue. You learn to depart from evil. You learn to do good. You learn to seek peace and pursue it. In other words, long life is given in obeying the Word of God. If you would turn right over to Proverbs chapter 9. Proverbs 9, and begin there with verse 10. Proverbs 9, verse 10 and 11. Look what God says. Proverbs 9, verse 10.

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• "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the holy is understanding. For by me thy days shall be multiplied, and the years of thy life shall be increased." If we want long life, it's through obedience. Length of days is never, ever promised to the wicked. In fact, I quoted this verse last night, Psalm 55 and verse 23, where the Bible says, "bloody and deceitful men shall not live out half their days." Well, look back in your Bibles to Proverbs 10, if you would please, and verse 27. Proverbs 10 and verse 27. Here it is very clearly taught again, Proverbs 10, verse 27: "The fear of the Lord prolongeth days: but the years of the wicked shall be shortened." Hmm. The years of the wicked shall be shortened and the fear of the Lord prolongeth days. So the general principle is if you and I want to live a long life with quality and see good days and enjoy life, we're only going to do that through obedience to God.

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• If we want our days shortened, if we want to be cut off in the prime of life, then God says simply do evil, do wicked, and I'll cut you off. That's the general principle. Now, notice what David says in Psalm 109 again and verse eight: "Let his days be few." How can David say that? How can that be a prayer request? Because David already knows that the wicked are going to be cut off. He already knows their days are going to be shortened because of their wickedness. He's praying against the man, and he's just simply asking God to fulfill His Word. Now, notice what he said in verse 8: "Let his days be few; and let another take his office." Now, obviously, if a man dies, someone else has to take his office. Judas died. And Matthias was elected to take his office. So David is just simply praying something that's very common sense. "Let his days be few, let him die and let someone else take his office." I want you to look in your Bibles, if you would, to Proverbs 28 and Proverbs 29.

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• And let me show you how this application can be made very lawfully and very legitimately to the corrupt and deceitful politicians that we have in our land today. Let me show you what the Bible teaches. Would it not be a blessing—listen carefully—would it not be a blessing if the days of the wicked rulers were few? And another took their office and the another happened to be a godly, righteous man who feared God and wanted to obey God and His law.

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• Well, look in your Bibles to Proverbs 28 and verse 28. Look what the Bible says: "When the wicked rise, men hide themselves: but when they perish, the righteous increase." When do righteous increase? When the wicked perish. When the wicked rise to power and authority, what do men do? They hide themselves. They have to. Or they're going to be stolen from left and right. Because that's what wicked men do.

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• They could care less about you, your property, or anything else. Remember, I preached this last night. That unjust judge who feared not God nor had regard for man. If you don't fear God, you have no regard for man or his property or anything else. So the Bible says, "When the wicked rise, men hide themselves: but when they perish, the righteous increase."

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• Now look in Proverbs 29 in verse 2. Here's the opposite: "When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice: but when the wicked beareth rule, the people mourn." So what would you rather be doing? Rejoicing or mourning? And that's exactly what David is saying in Psalm 109 in verse 8: "Let his days be few; and let another take his office." In other words, God, get rid of the wicked man and put a godly man in his place. I'd rather rejoice than I had mourn. And that's exactly what this imprecatory prayer is all about. Albert Barnes said this: "Let another take his office. So every man acts and practically prays who seeks to remove a bad and corrupt man from office. And such an office must be filled by someone. All the efforts which he puts forth to remove a wicked tend to bring it about that another should take his office, and for this it is right to labor and to pray.

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• The act does not of itself imply malignity or bad feeling, but is consistent with the purest benevolence, the kindest feelings, the strictest integrity, the sternest patriotism, and the highest form of piety." What did Albert Barnes just say? He said, if you are a true patriot, if you are a true Christian, if you have the kindest feelings, if you have the purest benevolence, if you have the strictest integrity, you will pray that the wicked might be taken from office and that the righteous might be exalted to office.

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• That's exactly what David is praying for in Psalm 109 in verse 8: "Let his days be few; and let another take his office."

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• Now, let me try to make some applications tonight. That's as far as I'm going to go tonight. The rest of the psalm I'm going to deal with tomorrow. But here's the first application. When men will not grant justice, it is perfectly acceptable to cry to the judge of all the earth for justice. It's amazing as you read through the Bible of all the passages where God encourages us and commands us to cry for justice.

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• You remember I told you on Monday night that He charged Israel with this high crime, and what He charged them with in Isaiah 59 verse 4 is, "none calleth for justice." God is the lover of justice. Justice and judgment are the habitation of His throne. God wants justice. God demands justice. And God demands that we be just. In Job 37 and verse 23, the Bible says, "Touching the Almighty, we cannot find him out: he is excellent in power, and in judgment, and in plenty of justice: he will not afflict." Plenty in justice. In Isaiah 45 and verse 23, the Word of God says this, God speaks and He says that He is a just God and Savior and beside Him there is no other. Notice God refers to Himself as a just God and Savior. The Bible says in the book of Deuteronomy, He is the just God. His way is perfect. And certainly God is a God of justice. And we have to learn to cry to God for justice. When you and I cannot correct situations, God can.

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• And God is far more interested in justice than you and I are. If you look back in your Bibles to Psalm 109, let me point this out again in verse one by way of application. And that is this: we must remember that God is for his people when the wicked are against them. You know, we're living in very dangerous times and very interesting times. We're living in those times today.

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• And you realize it is permissible in this day and age to attack Christians any way that you can. If you attack any other religion or any ethnic group, you're condemned, you're looked down. It doesn't matter whether they deserve to be condemned or judged. No, no, no. Immediately, the world calls you a bigot. They call you a racist. They call you anything and everything under the sun. But let anyone attack Christians, and it's fine.

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• The whole news media backs them. And I find it interesting. The militia that was just attacked up in Michigan, Indiana, and Ohio, and I know nothing about them. But I found it interesting that the news media kept saying that it was a Christian militia. Well, what do they call Christian? Christianity is defined by the word of God. It's not defined by the news media. It's not defined by the political pundits of the day. Lord, just because you call something a Christian does not mean it's a Christian. You can call yourself a car just because you're in a garage. That doesn't mean you're a car. I mean, let's be honest. I'm just simply saying, we've got to remember that God is for His people when the wicked are against them.

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• Therefore, in Psalm 109, verse 1, David prays, "Hold not thy peace, O God of my praise." Here's what he's saying: God, all of my enemies may be against me. They're encircling me. They're encompassing me. They're looking to destroy me. But, Lord, You are for me. So, Lord, help me. I cry out to Thee.

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• Thirdly, we find the opposite is also true. That when the wicked are against God's people, then God is for them. That's exactly what we find in verses two through five here in this psalm. And a whole lot of other passages in the Bible.

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• Now, let me point out that these imprecatory prayers give us a door of hope. If I were to ask you tonight, how many of you can correct all of the unconstitutional, unbiblical and ungodly rulings that the Supreme Court has issued, how many of you can correct them? None. How many of you can stop Congress from passing unconstitutional laws? No one in this room. How many of you can correct the president and his executive orders? Nobody.

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• You're helpless in that sense of the word. You're hopeless in that sense of the word. You don't have the power. But the truth of the matter is there is a God in heaven. There is the judge of all the earth. And he is absolutely sovereign. And the Bible tells us in Proverbs 21, "The king's heart is in the hand of the Lord, as the rivers of water: he turneth it whithersoever he will." And we have the absolute right to cry out to God and ask Him for grace and mercy. He is our hope.

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• Let me show you one passage. I want you to turn, if you would, to the book of Exodus chapter 5. This has been a wonderful and yet a constantly amazing passage to me. It's an amazing truth. I want you to see where you and I will really have to be in order to cry out to God. You remember that God has sent Moses down into Egypt to deliver the children of Israel out of Egypt. And Moses has gone up to Pharaoh and said, "Let my people go." And Pharaoh responded.

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• "I know not the Lord, neither will I let Israel go." Hmm, that's interesting. Moses and Aaron have gone to Pharaoh, in fact, they've gone to him several times. And his answer is, "I know not the Lord." Thus saith the Lord unto my people. I don't know who the Lord is. I don't recognize Him. He has no power or authority over me, said Pharaoh. I don't recognize Him. I'm not going to let Israel go. So Moses and Aaron have tried and they failed. Now the elders have gone to Pharaoh.

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• And look in verse 15. "Then the officers of the children of Israel came"—this is Exodus 5 verse 15—"Then the officers of the children of Israel came and cried unto Pharaoh, saying, Wherefore dealest thou thus with thy servants? There is no straw given unto thy servants, and they say to us, Make brick: and, behold, thy servants are beaten; but the fault is in thine own people. But he said, Ye are idle, ye are idle: therefore ye say, Let us go and do sacrifice to the Lord. Go therefore now, and work; for there shall no straw be given you, yet shall ye deliver the tale of bricks. And the officers of the children of Israel did see that they were in evil case, after it was said, Ye shall not minish ought from your bricks of your daily task." Now watch this. "And they met Moses and Aaron, who stood in the way, as they came forth from Pharaoh: And they said unto them, The Lord look upon you, and judge; because ye have made our savour to be abhorred in the eyes of Pharaoh, and in the eyes of his servants, to put a sword in their hand to slay us."

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• Now watch this. They came and looked at Moses and Aaron and said, "Who do you think you are? You came down here and you told us that you were going to deliver us and get us out of here. The only thing you've done is made it worse. There's been no deliverance. You put a sword in their hand to slay us." Watch this, verse 22. "And Moses returned unto the Lord, and said, Lord, wherefore hast thou so evil entreated this people? why is it that thou hast sent me? For since I came to Pharaoh to speak in thy name, he hath done evil to this people; neither hast thou delivered thy people at all."

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• Now, I want you to look carefully at this truth. Moses and Aaron have tried to deliver the people. They can't. The elders have gone up and pleaded with Pharaoh. They failed. And they're so upset, they accuse Moses and Aaron of just creating a sword to slay them. And finally, Moses said, "Oh, God, why did you even send me?" I want you to note God has Moses helpless. He has Aaron helpless. He has all the officers and elders of Israel helpless. Look in chapter six, verse one, when everyone was helpless and realized they couldn't do it. "Then the Lord said unto Moses, Now shalt thou see what I will do to Pharaoh: for with a strong hand shall he let them go, and with a strong hand shall he drive them out of his land." Now shalt thou see what I will do. You know when God's going to deliver us? I'll tell you when. When we get to the end of our rope and we realize we can't do pea doodly squat, we're absolutely helpless and hopeless, and we realize that it's up to God to sovereignly and powerfully deliver us.

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• And He will. Our responsibility is to cry to Him. Our responsibility is to pray these imprecatory prayers. You know what the Bible says in Psalm 66 and verse 9 concerning God? "Who holdeth our soul in life, and suffereth not our feet to be moved." It's God who preserves us. It's God who protects us. It's God who delivers us. And we've got to come to the position that we realize how helpless and powerless we are. And we begin to cry to Him and pray these prayers

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• and ask Him to make bare His arm and demonstrate the power of His hand and save His people and heal His land. Let's pray. Father, in the name of Jesus Christ, we do ask and pray for Your blessing, for Your help, for Your grace. Lord, we are so thankful that we serve an omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent, sovereign, immutable, infinite, eternal God. Thou dost not change. Thou art the same today, yesterday and forever. And, Lord, Thou hast delivered Thy people in times past. Thou wilt deliver them now. And I pray, Father, that Thou wouldst do so in a mighty hand. Teach us to pray. Teach us to cry to Thee.

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• And give us victory in time and in history. In Thy blessed and holy name we pray. Amen. Amen.

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deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | clean_readable_transcript | 2026-06-06T04:12:58Z