Covenant Theology: Blessings, Curses, and Sanctions: The Hallelujah of Confession

The Imprecatory Prayer-1

Transcript: AI Transcript

Professor: John Weaver

Subject: Covenant Theology

Genre: Sermon

Dictation Name:

Date: 2010-03-29

Synopsis: John Weaver introduces the topic of imprecatory praying, arguing that it is biblical and not contrary to New Testament teaching. He defines imprecation as invoking judgment or curses on God's enemies, showing examples from both Testaments. Weaver explains that such prayers align with God's justice and the covenantal sanctions of blessings and curses. He addresses objections by clarifying that imprecatory prayers do not contradict commands to love enemies, as love is defined by obedience to God's law. The lecture emphasizes that believers have a right to cry for justice and must live godly lives to have standing in such prayers.

[John Weaver] I want to welcome everyone to Reedy River Presbyterian Church. We're glad you're here for our spring Bible conference of 2010 on imprecatory praying. I'm Bill Boney, a ruling elder here, and we will have Dr. I mean, Pastor Weaver preach to us tonight through Thursday night on the very common subject we always hear about in preparatory praying, right? If you're like me, you've never heard a lecture or a sermon on that. So I'm hoping this will be an event that will really enrich our prayer lives. I think this is a very misunderstood and a very neglected topic in the Reformed churches today in all churches.

[John Weaver] If you need to use the restrooms, they are down here in the Sunday school wing. While the preaching is going on, you would need to go out the back door and. And go in the door there at the parking lot, and they'll be over here to the left right before you get to the kitchen. Coming through here, the to the door on the right, down the stairs, and then right to the left. That's where the restrooms are located.

[John Weaver] After the service tonight, we will have fellowship and light refreshments for any that wish to stay. And I want to mention, too, that we have a basket in the rear and also one in the fellowship hall for a freewill offering if you Bill so led to give for that for Pastor Weaver, for his labor in the word. And. Pastor Weaver is a native of Georgia, like myself, and a graduate of Bob Jones University, and he also attended graduate school there.

[John Weaver] And since then, he has moved to the Reformed faith. He has a bachelor of arts degree in theology. He's been in the Christian ministry now for over 40 years. So we have a little bit of experience tonight, he's pastored, he's been a church planner. And he's started some Christian schools around the country and he's traveled all over the country, preaching and lecturing in churches, colleges and in conferences like this. He's now engaged in evangelistic and conference ministry. And he travels across the country, expounding the word of God. He's preached in America, Canada and in England, and he's the author of three books, The Christian and Civil Government, The Sovereignty of God and Civil Government and Biblical Truth About God's Righteous Vengeance. And he's now engaged in Well, in addition to all of this, he preaches weekly in Waycross on Sunday and Live Oak, Florida at Reformed Baptist churches.

[John Weaver] His sermons are taken and sent into many areas of the country, as well as into Europe, South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, Scotland and Wales. And his sermons consist of biblical expositions dealing with the following topics. Theology, economics, history, southern history, constitutionalism, civil government and practical Christian obedience. So a wide range of subjects there and. Native of Georgia, he and his wife, Alice, have four children and six grandchildren.

[John Weaver] Before Pastor Weaver comes up here to teach us, instruct us on imprecatory praying, Mark Cochran has a few words to say. Thank you. Thank you all for attending. How many of you, this is the first time you've heard Pastor Weaver? Good. Good. Well, one of the things I just real quickly wanted to say is to thank Brother Bill and Reedy River for allowing us to have this venue. We try to bring Pastor Weaver up at least once a year.

[John Weaver] And it's always a difficult thing trying to find a place that is suitable. And so this fit real well and we appreciate it. For those of you that listen to Pastor Weaver regularly on Sermon Audio, if you're interested in contributing at all to that, there are expenses that go along with that every month. If you want to put something in the basket and note that, that would be very good.

[John Weaver] We occasionally have people that help with that, and we could certainly use some assistance on a fairly regular basis on that. So that's really all I want to say. Just thank you for allowing this, and we hope that you'll be blessed by it. Brother? It is a joy to be here, and I'm thankful for the opportunity. I will say this, that sermon audio goes everywhere. I get emails from Italy, from Korea, South Korea.

[John Weaver] In fact, one day I came home and there was a message like flashing on my phone. And so I pushed the button and the voice said, Hello, mate. Said, I'm wondering if there is a like minded reform church anywhere here in Western Australia. You know how big Australia is. And we do send tapes to Australia, but Lord have mercy, one's over here and one's way over here. So there was no way in the world I would know if a like minded church was anywhere near him in Western Australia.

[John Weaver] But it's certainly a blessing to have those messages go out. I want you to open your Bibles, if you would please, tonight to Psalm 104 and verse 35, Psalm 104, verse 35.

[John Weaver] Now, let me just tell you that normally when I teach, I just ask people to turn with me in the Bible. So if you can keep your fingers nimble, we will turn to a lot of scriptures. Certainly, I believe you should see for yourself what the word of God has to say. The two messages that I preached prior to preaching this series on imprecatory praying, I dealt with Jesus Christ, our divine advocate.

[John Weaver] And the second message on there I showed where David said, plead my cause, O Lord. And that is exactly what an advocate does. And those two messages literally led right into this imprecatory praying. And there is so much about this, not only in the Bible, but it is a hot subject today and we certainly need to understand it. So look in Psalm 104 and let's pray before we read, shall we? Our Father, we are so thankful for the Lord Jesus Christ and for his grace and mercy. We pray that you would teach us, open our eyes, give us understanding, and grant us, Lord, that we may serve thee acceptably with reverence and godly fear. In thy name we pray. Amen. Psalm 104 and verse 35.

[John Weaver] The psalmist writes, let the sinners be consumed out of the earth. and let the wicked be no more. Bless thou the Lord, O my soul. Praise ye the Lord. Now look at that. It's just one simple verse. Let the sinners be consumed out of the earth and let the wicked be no more. All I can say is what a prayer request. Can you imagine just for a moment a modern day politically correct multicultural church member raising his hand in a packed church service with a special prayer request. And when the pastor calls upon him to voice that request, he says, well, I would like for everyone to pray that the sinners would be consumed out of the earth and the wicked will be no more.

[John Weaver] And finally, he would add this. And when that is done, I will bless the Lord and say, praise the Lord.

[John Weaver] Now, can you imagine the scene? Because when someone raised their hand and asked for that prayer request, I would imagine not only is the pastor dumbfounded, but the congregation is almost aghast and silence pervades the auditorium. How in the world does one respond to such a prayer request? I suppose the modernist pastor would simply denounce the prayer request as unloving and unkind. The fundamentalist pastor would probably say that it denies evangelism and it would keep us from reaching the lost. And many so-called Christians would refuse such a prayer request because they would say, well, it seems like that's condemning them to hell and therefore it could not possibly be biblical or possibly be Christian.

[John Weaver] And yet at the same time, you've got to remember this psalm was written by David. the sweet psalmist of Israel, the man who is called in the Bible, the man after God's own heart. And here this sweet psalmist of Israel, the man after God's own heart, prays, let the sinners be consumed out of the earth and let the wicked be no more.

[John Weaver] Now, imprecatory praying is certainly a hot topic today. If you really want to know how hot the topic is, all you need to do is go on the Internet and type in imprecatory prayers or imprecatory praying. And interestingly enough, you will find a lot of hits about two pastors One on the East Coast, one on the West Coast, who has prayed publicly for God to kill certain public officials who are openly rebellious and wicked and sinful. And oh man, these pastors are excoriated, castigated, and slammed on every hand. In fact, there is one man, I believe he is in Texas, One Christian has been praying against him, a pastor has been praying against him, and publicly so. And now the man who is being prayed against is suing the pastor who is praying against him. You know, I find it absolutely amazing that a lot of these people who claim not to believe in God and not to believe the Bible, they surely don't want to take any chances about someone praying against them. And so he's trying to do everything he can to stop this Christian pastor from praying against him.

[John Weaver] So let's ask a question. Is it unchristian or unbiblical to pray the imprecatory prayers that are given to us in the Bible under divine inspiration.

[John Weaver] Now, there are going to be some individuals that say that this type of Old Testament praying conflicts with New Testament teaching. And therefore, in their eyes, they say, well, what we need to do is we just simply need to go by the New Testament. Well, the problem with that thinking is that it presents an unnatural dichotomy between the Old Testament and the New Testament. And moreover then, it implies that the Old Testament is untrustworthy or it's outdated. Moreover, it also presupposes that there is a change of God's from the Old Testament to the New Testament, or at least there is a change in God which would deny His immutability. That is, that God does not change. And when an individual begins to think like that, then they will probably go as far as one modernist preacher said, and I'm quoting, he said, and I quote, the God of the Old Testament is a dirty bully. Why would anyone say that? I'll tell you why.

[John Weaver] Because they have taken it upon themselves to bring God and His Word to their bar of human reasoning, and they are now sitting in judgment against God and against His Word, and they are the one determining what is right and what is wrong. And therefore, One individual can do that. Why not every individual having the right to do that? And pretty soon, none of the Bible applies because there's something in there that everyone hates and everyone despises and everyone detests. And then you end up with absolutely no Bible at all.

[John Weaver] Well, I'm going to try to answer those questions for you and a whole lot more before this series is over. But let me just ask the question, what is imprecatory praying. An imprecation is an invocation of judgment or calamity or curse upon one's enemies or upon the enemies of God. Such curses span the breadth of biblical revelation. I don't care if you begin in the book of Genesis and go to the book of Revelation, you're going to find imprecatory prayers, imprecatory curses literally everywhere. In fact, these imprecatory curses indeed form the integral part of the covenant renewal that is described in Deuteronomy chapter 27 through 30. And I might add that the New Testament ends in the book of Revelation, and when you get to Revelation chapter 6, what in the world are those saints Under the altar crying, How long, O Lord God, holy and true, dost thou not avenge our blood which was shed upon the earth? And so here these souls are indeed crying for divine vengeance.

[John Weaver] Now, some of the most powerful imprecations in Scripture are found in the Psalms. There are no Psalms that only contain imprecations. However, there are songs that contain mostly imprecations. And you will find those songs like Psalm 7, Psalm 35, Psalm 55, Psalm 58, Psalm 59, Psalm 69, Psalm 109, Psalm 137, Psalm 139, and a whole lot others that are there in the Bible.

[John Weaver] Now, remember that an imprecation is a curse. It is a denunciation that conveys a desire or a wish for evil or for someone to have a malediction placed upon them. So you're praying then against some individual or you're praying against some activity and it is an anathema. It is an execration. It is calling down and asking God to curse that individual to destroy that individual or to destroy that activity.

[John Weaver] Now, let me just show you some of these in the New Testament to begin with. We're going to come back to Psalm 104. But if you would turn in your Bibles to First Corinthians, Chapter 16, and look, if you would please, at verse 22. First Corinthians, Chapter 16 and verse 22. I want you to know what the Apostle Paul prays. First Corinthians, Chapter 16 and verse 22.

[John Weaver] He says this, If any man loved not the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be anathema maranatha. Now look closely at that. If any man loved not the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be anathema maranatha.

[John Weaver] Now, the interesting thing is the word anathema is literally a Greek word. And you're going to see how it's translated in just a moment in another portion of the Bible. But the word anathema literally means to be cursed. It means to be doomed. It means to be damned. It means to be set aside for certain and sure destruction. Now, watch this. In 1 Corinthians 16 and verse 22, he says, If any man love not the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be doomed, damned, cursed, set aside and marked out for certain and sure destruction. But notice, if you would please, it's another Maranatha. And the word Maranatha just simply refers to the Lord's coming.

[John Weaver] So here's what Paul is saying. If any man loved not the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be doomed, damned, cursed, marked for certain destruction at the coming of our Lord. Now, if you will turn in your Bibles to the book of Galatians chapter 1, you're going to see how Paul uses the same word again. Galatians chapter 1 and look at verses 8 and 9. Galatians 1 verse 8. Paul writes this, But though we or an angel from heaven preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed. Now note, let him be accursed. Verse 9, Galatians 1 verse 9, As we have said before, so say I now again, if any man preach any other gospel unto you than that you have received, let him be accursed. Now the word accursed in verse 8 And the word accursed, in verse 9, is the word anathema, the same word that is used in 1 Corinthians 16, verse 22, when he said, If any man love not the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be anathema or maranatha.

[John Weaver] Now he says, If anyone, even an angel from heaven, Preaches any other gospel than the gospel of the grace of God through Jesus Christ. Let him be doomed. Let him be damned. Let him be set aside for certain and sure and absolute destruction.

[John Weaver] Now, let's ask a question. We have just seen two passages. Where Paul prays for the man who does not love the Lord Jesus Christ to be doomed, damned, cursed. set aside, marked for certain destruction. And we've also seen now where he prays that if anyone, even an angel, preaches any other gospel than the gospel of Jesus Christ, he too is to be doomed, marked, set aside for certain destruction. Now, you have to ask this question. Was Paul uncharitable and unchristian? when he prayed that God would doom and damn everyone who does not love the Lord Jesus Christ and who would pervert the gospel of the grace of God. So was Paul unchristian and uncharitable? The answer is no. Why?

[John Weaver] Because Paul's prayer was just simply reflecting the teaching of Scripture on the subject. If you would look in your Bibles, the second Thessalonians. Chapter one, second Thessalonians, chapter one, let me show you what is stated very clearly is going to happen when our Lord returns. Second Thessalonians, chapter one, verse seven. We're talking about imprecatory praying and to pray an imprecatory prayers to call down a curse, a malediction and anathema upon someone. Paul has just prayed, if anyone loved not the Lord Jesus Christ, or if anyone perverts the gospel, let him be accursed. Notice what Paul says, 2 Thessalonians 1 verse 7, and to you who are troubled, rest with us. when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with His mighty angels in flaming fire, taking vengeance on them that know not God and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power,

[John Weaver] when He shall come to be glorified in His saints and to be admired in all them that believe, because our testimony among you was believed in that day." Certainly, what Paul prayed In 1 Corinthians 16 and verse 22, and what he prayed in Galatians 1 verses 8 and 9 was certainly right in line with what is going to happen when our Lord comes. You've got to understand that men like to forget one simple truth.

[John Weaver] And that is that the word of God contains sanctions. It contains positive sanctions and negative sanctions as well. When I use the word sanction, you understand it is another word for either a blessing or a cursing. So when the Bible has positive sanctions, it refers to blessings. When we say the Bible has negative sanctions, it refers to curses. There are curses as well as blessings. All you have to do is read Deuteronomy Chapter 28, or Leviticus 26, and you will find all of the curses that are contained right there of those who violate God's law. You must understand there are basically only two kinds of people in the world.

[John Weaver] Covenant keepers and covenant breakers. The covenant keepers receive positive sanctions, that is, they receive blessings. Covenant breakers receive negative sanctions, that is, they receive curses. Let me show you how this is taught throughout Scripture. Turn in your Bibles, if you would please, to Psalm 1, a very beautiful psalm, very simple psalm, and one that is very plain. Notice, if you would, Psalm 1, David is going to describe the godly man, and then he's going to draw a contrast with the ungodly man. And I want you to note, on the godly man, he pronounces positive sanctions. On the ungodly man, he pronounces negative sanctions. So here it is, Psalm 1. David writes, Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.

[John Weaver] Let me just stop there just for a moment. I want to break this down so you can really understand what David is saying. I want to just give you an alliteration. David said, blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly. Let's use the word advice. So he says, blessed is the man that walks not in the advice of the ungodly. That is, he doesn't listen to the advice, to the wisdom, to the counsel of the ungodly, because he understands it's totally contrary against the Word of God. Now, what in the world will happen when a man does listen to the advice of the ungodly? Watch it. He says, blessed is the man that walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners. If you listen to the advice, of the ungodly, the next thing you know you're going to be associating with the ungodly.

[John Weaver] You've heard the old adage, birds of a feather flock together. Watch this. He says, blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. That's agreement. So what started out as advice went to association and ends up in agreement. Now watch what David said. David says, I'm describing the blessed man. I'm describing the godly man. I'm describing the man that receives positive sanctions. So he says, here's the man that does not walk in the counsel of the ungodly. He does not stand in the way of sinners. He does not sit in the seat of the scornful. Watch verse 2.

[John Weaver] But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in his law does he meditate day and night. Here's the positive sanction. And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water that bringeth forth his fruit in his season. His leaf also shall not wither, and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper. Ah, now here's the negative sanction upon the ungodly man. He says the ungodly are not so, but are like the chaff which the wind driveth away. Therefore, the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous. For the Lord knoweth the way of the righteous, but the way of the ungodly shall perish.

[John Weaver] Now, David, the warrior king, wrote Psalm 1. David was a man of the covenant, and he believed and approached civil polity and spiritual worship with a firm understanding of positive and negative sanctions. And so in Psalm 1, then, David extols the righteous man He extols the godly man who meditates in God's law, who obeys God's law, and God says through David, that godly man is like a tree planted by the rivers of water. That is, he gets plenty of nourishment, plenty of nutrients, plenty of water.

[John Weaver] Therefore, he said, he bringeth forth fruit in a season. His leaf doth not wither. Whatever he does prospers. But then he gives the strong contrast But the ungodly are not so. The ungodly are like the chaff driven with the wind, absolutely worthless, dry, stubble. And he says they'll not be able to stand in the day of judgment. Therefore, they shall perish from the earth.

[John Weaver] Now, this covenantal understanding that David had is absolutely necessary for us today. If you and I are going to comprehend embrace and emulate David's imprecatory war psalms and recapture our lawless society. There are grounds in the Bible for using imprecatory prayers and the Bible makes those prayers exceedingly clear. If you would turn in your Bibles to Psalm 112 Let me just give you another illustration of a positive sanction and a negative sanction. Just to show you, Psalm 112, only ten verses. The first nine verses are positive sanctions. That is, they're blessings. The last verse is a negative sanction. It is a curse. So look in Psalm 112. David says, Praise ye the Lord. Blessed is the man that heareth the Lord, that delighteth greatly in his commandments, the same man he described in Psalm 1.

[John Weaver] His seed shall be mighty upon the earth. The generation of the upright shall be blessed. Wealth and riches shall be in his house, and his righteousness endureth forever. Unto the upright there riseth light in the darkness. He is gracious, full of compassion, and righteous. A good man showeth favor and lendeth. He will guide his affairs with discretion. Surely he shall not be moved forever. The righteous shall be in everlasting remembrance. He, that is the righteous man, shall not be afraid of evil tidings.

[John Weaver] His heart is fixed, trusting in the Lord. His heart is established. He shall not be afraid until, look now, until he see his desire upon his enemies. He, the righteous man, hath dispersed He hath given to the poor, his righteousness endureth forever, his horn shall be exalted with honor." Now watch the contrast. The wicked shall see it and be grieved. He shall mash with his teeth and melt away. The desire of the wicked shall perish. Here's a clear picture.

[John Weaver] Those who obey God, those who are covenant keepers, will have positive sanctions. The covenant breakers are going to have negative sanctions.

[John Weaver] Now, let me tell you the background of Psalm 104 before we begin really expounding some of this. In Psalm 104, our text, verse 35, David prayed thusly. He said, Let the sinners be consumed out of the earth and let the wicked be no more. Bless thou the Lord, O my soul. Praise you, the Lord. Now, when you get home tonight, if you will take time to read Psalm 104, you will find that David in this psalm is praising God for His creation, for His providence, and for His redemption. In Psalm 104, David sees the beauty of God's creation, and at the same time, he sees that which is polluting, perverting, and destroying the beauty, harmony, and glory of that creation. And what he sees is sin. And he understands that sin is wreaking havoc everywhere in God's earth. Let me tell you something about sin. Sin is not some abstraction floating around somewhere in the universe. Sin is in man. It is sinners that sin.

[John Weaver] Have you ever thought about this? If there were no sinners, There would not be any sin. Sin is not just some nebulous, abstract thing out there. No. Sin is in man. Man is the sinner. When David realizes what is really messing up God's creation, what is really dishonoring God and vilifying God, David then prays, let the sinners be consumed out of the earth and let the wicked be no more.

[John Weaver] Bless thou the Lord, O my soul. Yes, praise ye the Lord. Now. Some will read that and say, oh, how horrible. How cold, how uncharitable, how uncompassionate. Because very obviously, David is condemning someone to hell when he says, Let the sinners be consumed out of the earth and let the wicked be no more. Well, if you're going to raise that objection, let me ask you a question.

[John Weaver] Don't answer it out loud, but answer it in your mind. Is every single individual that has lived, is living and shall ever will live? Will every single individual be saved? The answer is no, unless you're a universalist. In fact, the Bible teaches Very clearly that there are a great many people that are lost. Many have died unconverted in the past. Many are dying unconverted today, and many will die unconverted in the future.

[John Weaver] Even our Lord Himself in Matthew 25 and verse 46 said, And these shall go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into life eternal. Our Lord said there's going to be a division. Some are going to everlasting punishment. Some are going to life eternal. And it was our Lord Himself who in Matthew 7 verses 13 and 14 said this, Enter ye at the straight gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the way that leadeth to destruction and many there be that go in there at. Because straight is the gate and narrow is the way which leadeth in life and few There be that find it. So what is our Lord teaching? Obviously, he's teaching that not everyone is saved and not everyone is going to be saved.

[John Weaver] So what about these people? Did we pray against if we pray like David, let the sinners be consumed out of the earth and let the wicked be no more? Let me give you two quotes before I show you some scriptures. Martin Luther, the reformer, said this. We should pray that our enemies be converted and become our friends. And if not, that their doing and designing be bound to fail and have no success and that their persons perish rather than the gospel and the kingdom of Christ.

[John Weaver] Now, let me ask you a question, folks, let's be honest. Could you rather see perish the kingdom of Christ? or the humanistic, wicked, satanic kingdom of man. Who do you rather see perish, the wicked or the righteous? It was the Puritan David Dixon who said this, if any of the enemies of God's people belong to God's election, The church's prayer against them giveth way to their conversion and seeketh no more than that the judgment should follow them only until they acknowledge their sin and turn and seek God. So the Puritan pastor David Dixon said, look, if you're praying against a sinner, Who's attacking God and God's people and trying to pervert and destroy his kingdom. And that man happens to be one of God's elect. Well, that curse is only going to follow him until God gives him repentance and God gives him faith and he turns from his sin. So.

[John Weaver] Let me tell you this, and then I'll show it to you from Scripture. When you pray these imprecatory prayers like David did, let the sinners be consumed out of the earth and let the wicked be no more. I can assure you that based upon the scripture, not one for whom our Lord died will perish. How can I say that? Well, look in your Bibles to Isaiah 53. I want you to note very closely with me what the scripture says in this passage. Everyone knows Isaiah 53 speaks of our Lord, the Messiah, and it is a wonderful, wonderful passage.

[John Weaver] In fact, let's begin reading with verse 10. This is a tremendous verse in and of itself. Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise him. He has put him to grief when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin. Watch carefully. He shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in his hands. Verse 11, he shall see the travail of his soul and shall be satisfied.

[John Weaver] By his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many, for he shall bear their iniquities. Now, let's go back to verse 10. Look at what the Bible says now. Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise Him. That is, it pleased the Father to bruise the Son. He, the Father, hath put Him Christ to grief, when thou shalt make His soul an offering for sin. Look what the Bible says.

[John Weaver] He shall see His seed. Not maybe. Not hopefully. shall see his seed. Look in verse 11. He shall see the travail of his soul and be satisfied. Do you realize everyone for whom our Lord died shall be saved? Our Lord shall see his seed. He shall see the travail of his soul and he shall be satisfied. Not one for whom our Lord died is going to be lost. Look in your Bibles, if you would, to John 17. Most of you know that John 17 is the high priestly prayer of our Lord.

[John Weaver] And I want you to note what he said in verses 11 and 12. First, John 17. Look, if you would please, at verse 11. Our Lord, in praying to his Father, says this, that now I am no more in the world, but these are in the world. And I come to thee, Holy Father, keep through thine own name. Those whom thou hast given me, that they may be one as we are. While I was with them in the world, I kept them in thy name. Those that thou gavest me, I have kept, and none of them is lost.

[John Weaver] But the son of perdition, that the scripture might be fulfilled. And Judas was never his to begin with. Judas worked with him. Jesus knew Judas, but Judas was never his in a covenantal relationship. In fact, it's an interesting thing. There are two Greek words for friend. One of them is the word philos, which literally refers to a loved one, a dear, an intimate friend. And the other word just refers to an acquaintance, someone that you might know with whom you work. And you remember when Judas came to betray our Lord. With a kiss. Our Lord did not use the word philos. He used the other word, heteros, friend, acquaintance. Betrayest thou the son of man with a kiss? What was he saying? You're not mine. You're not my friend. You never have been. But notice what the Scripture says. Those that thou have given me, I have lost how many? None. He's never lost one of his. He will never lose one of his. You remember that passage in John chapter 10?

[John Weaver] He said that we are in his hand and he is in the father's hand. And he said, no man can pluck them out of my father's hand. I never will forget, many years ago, I was driving home late at night coming through Atlanta, Georgia. And I was trying to do anything to stay awake. It was probably midnight or after, and I still had three hours to drive.

[John Weaver] I turned the radio on, and here is this old black preacher preaching, and he happened to be preaching on John 10. And he read that passage. He said, you know that we're in Christ's hand, and he is in the Father's hand. And he said, no man can pluck you out of my Father's hand. I never will forget what that old black preacher said. He said, now let me get this straight, Sharon. He said, If you belong to Christ, you in his hand, and he is in the Father's hand. And that means this. It means God the Father won't pluck you out of his hand. God the Son won't pluck you out of his hand. God the Spirit won't pluck you out of his hand.

[John Weaver] And then he paused and he said, and come to think of it, them's the only three that can do any plucking anyhow. And that's the fact. That's the fact. But I want you to note what our Lord prayed also in John 17. Skip down to verse 24. John 17, verse 24. Watch this prayer now. Our Lord says, Father, I will that they also whom thou hast given me be with me where I am. That they may behold my glory, which thou hast given me, for thou lovest me before the foundation of the world. What did our Lord just pray? I will, that those whom thou hast given me be with me where I am, that they may behold my glory." Do you think God the Father is going to deny the request of God the Son? Do you think God the Son can pray a prayer and that prayer not be answered? Well, if you think that, you have no understanding of the eternal covenant.

[John Weaver] Look in your Bibles, Hebrews chapter 13. Hebrews chapter 13 and notice if you would please verses 20 and 21. Hebrews 13 verses 20 and 21. Look what the Bible says. Hebrews 13 verse 20. The apostle says.

[John Weaver] Now, the God of peace that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great shepherd of the sheep through the blood of the everlasting covenant. Make you perfect in every good work to do His will, working in you that which is well-pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen. Now, note if you would, verse 20, Now the God of peace that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant. If an everlasting covenant exists, that means it had no beginning and it has no ending. What is the everlasting covenant? Before the world was ever framed. Before a star was ever slung into space, there was a covenant entered into between God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Ghost, God the Father gave to God the Son a people. God the Son undertook to be our substitute and our sacrifice and to die for us. And God the Spirit then agreed covenantally to convict and convert those whom the Son died for and the Father gave to the Son.

[John Weaver] That's referred to as the eternal covenant. Now, let me just show you again the utter impossibility of one of our Lord's own being lost. Look in your Bibles to the book of Ephesians, chapter two. I want you to see the absurdity of that thought. Look in Ephesians, chapter two. Galatians, Ephesians, look in Ephesians, chapter two. Each of us know that the scripture says that we have We have been buried with Christ. We died with Christ. We're buried with Christ. But the Bible also teaches we have been raised from the dead in Christ. Look in Ephesians 2, beginning there with verse 5. The Bible says, even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, by grace are you saved, and hath raised us up together and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus. that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace and His kindness toward us through Christ Jesus. Now, note the Bible says in verse 6, that He hath raised us up together and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus.

[John Weaver] What does that mean? That means that we have been raised with Christ. We're seated with Christ. Where is Christ now? He's seated at the right hand of God the Father in heavenly places. That means we have been raised with Him. We're seated with Him. You've got to remember something, folks. The Bible teaches that He is our head. We are His body. Is it possible for the head to be in heaven and the body be lost? No. No. We're going to be where Christ is going to be.

[John Weaver] And let me just clear up this one other little thought. imprecatory praying really does not doom or damn anyone to hell that is not already doomed or damned to hell. Do you understand that every man by nature is lost? He is already condemned. He's already sentenced to death. Do you know what our Lord said in John 3 and verse 36? Listen to this. Our Lord said, he that believeth on the Son has everlasting life. He that believeth not on the Son of God shall not see life, but the wrath of God abideth on him. Every man outside of Christ is already lost, already condemned, and the wrath of God abides on him. Therefore, when David prayed, In Psalm 104, verse 35, let the wicked be consumed out of the earth.

[John Weaver] Let sinners be no more. He was not praying anything that was unchristian or unbiblical. No, imprecatory prayers are not contrary to the gospel. They are not unbiblical. They are not unchristian. In fact, I'm going to show you in the Bible how this is plainly taught by our Lord Himself. Turn, if you would, to Matthew chapter 13. Look in Matthew 13. And I want you to look closely at verse 41, then we're going to back up. Because I'm going to emphasize this verse just momentarily, look at Matthew 13 and verse 41.

[John Weaver] Many of you will remember this as the parable of the tares. And I'm not going to read the entire parable, but I'm going to give you our Lord's interpretation of that parable, then verse 41, he says, the son of man shall send forth his angels and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend and then which do iniquity. You remember the parable. The servants came in and said, Master, did you not sow good seed in your field, which then come at these tares?

[John Weaver] Shall we go out and root them up? No, no. He said, don't do that, lest you root up wheat with it. Let them both grow together until the harvest. Then he said, you gather the tares together and bundle them to burn them. And then you get the wheat into my barn.

[John Weaver] Now, here is our Lord's interpretation. Let's begin reading with verse 36. Look, if you would, Matthew 13, verse 36. Then Jesus sent the multitude away and went into the house. And his disciples came unto him, saying, Declare unto us the parable of the tares of the field. And he answered and said unto them, He that soweth the good seed is the son of man, the field is the world. The good seed are the children of the kingdom, but the tares are the children of the wicked one. That is, they're the wicked, they're the evil, they're the ungodly.

[John Weaver] The enemy that sowed them is the devil. Now, look. The harvest is the end of the world, and the reapers are the angels. As therefore the tares are gathered and burned in the fire, so shall it be at the end of the world.

[John Weaver] Now watch, the Son of Man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity, and shall cast them into a furnace of fire, and there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth. Then, Shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their father? Who have ears to hear, let him hear."

[John Weaver] Now let me ask you a question. Based upon our Lord's teaching, our Lord's interpretation of His own parable, when will the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their father? Well, look what He said. Verse 41, the Son of Man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, that sinners, that sin, that's wickedness, and them which do iniquity, and they shall cast them into a furnace of fire.

[John Weaver] There shall be wailing and gnashing teeth. Here is then, then, then, when the wicked are consumed, then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. So when David prayed, let the sinners be consumed out of the earth and let the wicked be no more, it is no different than his prayer request in Psalm 7 and verse 9 when he prayed, O let the wickedness of the wicked come to an end, but establish thou the just. Do you know what he was praying for in Psalm 104 and verse 35? Do you know what he was praying for in Psalm 7 and verse 9? He was praying for the fullness of the kingdom of Jesus Christ. Each one of these prayers is a prayer for the fulfillment of the kingdom of Christ. That's why he said, let the wicked be no more and that sinners be consumed. He said, I want the fullness of the kingdom of my father.

[John Weaver] Now, I want you to turn since you're in Matthew to Matthew chapter five, because inevitably someone is going to come up with this. Look in Matthew five. And let's read verses 44 and 45. You're going to say, now, wait a minute, Brother Weaver, you're talking about imprecatory praying. And you're talking about praying down a curse upon the wicked and upon the ungodly. And you're talking about praying for their destruction.

[John Weaver] And yet we know Paul did so, we know our Lord taught it, we know David prayed that way. But you say, now wait a minute, there's a passage in the Bible that puzzles me. How do you explain Matthew 5, 44 and 45 in light of imprecatory prayers? Well, look in verse 44. Our Lord said, but I say unto you, love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you.

[John Weaver] And pray for them which despitefully use you and persecute you, that you may be the children of your father who is in heaven, for it maketh his thunder rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust." Now, you say, wow, look at verse 44. Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, pray for them which despitefully use you and persecute you.

[John Weaver] Now, how in the world can you explain in preparatory praying with this passage. Well, let me remind you of something. First of all, there is absolutely no contradiction between the law of God and grace. You find grace in the Old Testament, Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord. You find law in the New Testament. Children, obey your parents and the Lord, for this is right.

[John Weaver] Honor thy father and thy mother. That's a law. If you would look very quickly, whole Matthew five, but look very quickly in Romans chapter three, I want you to see what the Apostle Paul says. He is indeed the preeminent expounder of justification by faith alone. Notice, if you would, what he says is he's talking about faith in Romans chapter three. And notice, if you would please, verse.

[John Weaver] Thirty one, I believe it is, yes. Romans 3, verse 31. Look what he says. Do we then make void the law through faith? God forbid. Yea, we establish the law. So marker down, folks, there is no contradiction between law and grace. I'll explain this further tomorrow night. So what I'm trying to tell you is there is no tension between imprecatory praying and what our Lord taught in Matthew chapter 5.

[John Weaver] Well, how do I reconcile those two things? I like what Spurgeon answered a lady one time. She said, how do you reconcile the sovereignty of God and the responsibility of man? Spurgeon said, I don't. They're not enemies. They don't need reconciling. their twin truths. Well, grace and law do not need reconciling. How do we understand in Matthew chapter 5 verses 44 and 45 in light of imprecatory prayer? Well, first of all, if you look at Matthew chapter 5 verses 17 through 19, I want to make something exceedingly clear that in Matthew chapter 5, what our Lord is doing is establishing the law of God. He's establishing it. He's not nullifying it. He's not abrogating it. He's not doing away with it. Look in Matthew 5, beginning there, verse 17. Our Lord says this. Think not that I'm come to destroy the law of the prophets. I'm not come to destroy, but to fulfill.

[John Weaver] In fact, let me tell you this. When our Lord says, think not, here's the impact of that statement. Don't even let it enter into your mind. Don't even let a thought pass through your mind. Don't even begin to think. that I'm coming to destroy the law of the prophets, I'm not coming to destroy but to fulfill. Watch verse 18. For verily I say unto you, till heaven and earth pass one jot or one tittle, shall no wise pass from the law till all be fulfilled. Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven. But whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven." So very obviously our Lord is not abrogating the law.

[John Weaver] He is not doing away with it. That is right in line of Matthew chapter 5. That's right where we have Matthew 5 verses 44 and 45. You have to understand the impetus of Matthew 5. What is our Lord doing in Matthew chapter 5? He is correcting the misinterpretation and the misapplication of the law of God as it was perverted by the Pharisees. For instance, let me just try to give you an illustration.

[John Weaver] Here we have it in, look if you would, in verse 21. He said, you have heard it, heard that it was said by them of old time, verse 22, but I say unto you, verse 27. You've heard that it was said by them of old time, verse 28, but I say unto you, look in verse 31, it hath been said, verse 32, but I say unto you, verse 33, again you've heard that it hath been said by them of old time, verse 34, but I say unto you, skip down if you would please, verse 38, you've heard that it hath been said, verse 39, but I say unto you, Isn't that interesting? Verse 43, You have heard that it had been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbor and hate thine enemy. But I say unto you.

[John Weaver] What is our Lord doing? He's saying here is how God's law has been perverted, misinterpreted and misapplied by the Pharisees. Here's what they teach. They're teaching heresy. They're teaching wickedness. They're teaching wrongly. Here is what I say. This is what God's law really teaches.

[John Weaver] Now I want you to look at it. He said in verse 43, you have heard that it had been said thou shalt love thy neighbor and what? Hate thine enemy. So the Pharisees basically taught that it was all right to hate your enemies. Wow. They were saying if your enemy cussed you, cuss him back. If your enemy stole from you, steal back from him. Our Lord says, no, no, no, no.

[John Weaver] Let me tell you what you do. You love your enemies. Bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, pray for them which despitefully use you and persecute you.

[John Weaver] Now, let me ask a question. How do you love your enemy? I want you to think about this. Is our Lord demanding a gushy, sentimental, emotional, humanistic feeling? The answer is no. A thousand times no. How do we love our enemies? How do we do good toward those who hate us? Well, we may know how to pray for them, but most of us really do not know how to love them and how to do good to those Who hate us? How do we love our enemies? Let me answer that for you. I want you to turn to two passages. I want you to turn, first of all, to Romans 13. And then the first John, chapter five. I want you to see this. Look, if you would, Romans chapter 13. And then we're going to first John, chapter five. Go ahead and find both passages, if you would. We'll read Romans 13, verse 10 first. Look what God says. Romans 13, verse 10. Love worketh no ill to his neighbor. Therefore, love is the fulfilling of the law.

[John Weaver] What is love? It's not sentimentalism. It's not feelings. It's not gushiness. It's not emotions. Love is the fulfilling of the law.

[John Weaver] Now look in your Bibles to 1 John chapter 5 and verse 3. Here it is exceedingly plainly stated. 1 John 5. In fact, let's read verse 2. 1 John 5 verse 2. By this we know that we love the children of God when we love God and keep His commandments. Now watch verse 3. For this is the love of God that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not grievous. Now, what is the love of God? Is it feeling? No. Is it gushiness? No. Is it sentimental? No. What is love? It's obedience.

[John Weaver] To illustrate it, let me show you. Let's suppose after service, I walked over to Brother Bill. I put my arms around him and I started crying, weeping on his shoulder. And I said, oh, Brother Bill, I love you. I love you. I love you. I appreciate you so much. And everybody looks around and says, oh, Look how Brother Weaver loves Brother Bill. Isn't that wonderful? But what you don't see is while I'm crying on his shoulder, telling him how much I love him, I've got my hand in his pocket stealing a hundred dollar bill from him. Now, according to God's law, do I love him? No, because love is the fulfilling of the law.

[John Weaver] What did our Lord say? Very plain. For this is the love of God that we keep his commandments.

[John Weaver] Now, let me show you something else. Let's suppose I never get sentimental. I never get teary eyed. I never hug his neck. Let's suppose I never, ever say to him, I love you. But I always treat him biblically. Always treat him according to God's law. Always honor him, honor his family. Treat him the way God tells me to treat him. Do I love him? Yes. For love is the fulfilling of the law. So when our Lord says, love your enemies, how do I love them? By acting biblically toward them.

[John Weaver] I do not render evil for evil. I don't render hatred for hatred. I obey God's law and do that which is right toward them, even though they do that which is wrong toward me. Look in your Bibles to Romans chapter 12. Here it is spelled out. Romans 12. And let's begin reading there with verse 17, Romans 12, verse 17. Look what God says. Recompense no man evil for evil. You know what the word recompense means? Payback. So God is saying, do not pay back to any man evil for evil.

[John Weaver] Provide things honest in the sight of all men, if it be possible, as much as life in you live peaceably with all men. Now, there's some men you can't live peaceably with, and the Lord knows that. That's why He said, if it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men.

[John Weaver] Now, look what He says, Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath. For it is written, Vengeance is mine, I will repay saith the Lord. Therefore, if thine enemy hunger, feed him. If he thirst, give him drink. For in doing so, thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head. Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good."

[John Weaver] Now, what is God telling us here? He says, first of all, you don't pay back evil for evil. What's that mean? That means if Kevin stands up and cusses me out in front of everybody, I don't cuss him back. I control my spirit and I still act biblically and I still act right. Doesn't matter what he does. I have a responsibility to obey God. So he says, you don't do this now, he said, don't be eaten up with vengeance, avenge not yourself, but rather give place to wrath. In other words, let God work him over.

[John Weaver] Let me ask you, if you've got someone really doing you wrong. Who can clean his plow quicker and better, you or God? Well, the answer is God. So God said, if you want me to take over, you step back and don't try to avenge yourself. If you try to avenge yourself, God said, I'm not going to interfere. God's just. He's not going to execute vengeance twice. No. God said, you better understand something. Vengeance is mine.

[John Weaver] I will repay, saith the Lord. Therefore, he said, here's the application. If your enemy hunger, feed him. If he thirsts, give him water. What does God say? God is not telling us that we're to fawn over our enemy, that we're to spend lavish amounts of money upon him, that we praise his wickedness. He's not telling us that we have to invite him into our house for a meal and act hunky-dory and act like everything is fine. No, what God is saying is this, you do right toward him regardless of how he acts towards you. You obey my law. You obey my word. If he's hungry and all I've got is peas, he can eat peas too. If he's thirsty, I don't have to buy him a milkshake. I'll give him water. Why is God asking me to do that?

[John Weaver] To show that I'm not eating up with bitterness and revenge in my own life. I'm not overcome with evil. I'm willing to do what is right and what is biblical and what is godly. And notice what the Bible says in verse 20. Therefore, if thine enemy hunger, feed him. If he thirst, give him drink. For in so doing, thou shalt heap coals and fire on his own head.

[John Weaver] You know, if you really want to mess with your enemy's mind, when he's really cussing you out and really acting ugly towards you, just kind of smile. And turn around, graciously walk away. That guy didn't cuss me back. No, I didn't cuss him back. And God said, in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire upon his head. I like the story. And by the way, this phrase, in so doing thou shalt heap coals and fires upon his head. He's talking about returning good for evil. In other words, it messes with his mind. It just it tears him up. He can't understand it.

[John Weaver] I heard about one pastor. Who was counseling a woman and she came in and oh, she was belittling her husband, she was just saying all kind of things about him, what he didn't do, what he did do and all this kind of stuff.

[John Weaver] Finally, the pastor kind of smiled and folded his arms and said, well, have you tried heaping coals of fire upon his head? You know, rendering good for evil. She said, no, but I've tried hot water and that don't work either. Well, that's not what God had in mind, using hot water. He's just saying, you render good for evil. Our lives are based upon the Word of God.

[John Weaver] How do I love my enemy? By acting biblically toward him. How do I do good to him? By acting biblically toward him. How do I pray for him? I can pray for God to either convert him or remove him. You know, it's up to God. But there is no contradiction between our Lord's command in Matthew 544 and all of these imprecatory prayers. You've got to remember, we are given these imprecatory prayers under divine inspiration. Do you remember what the Apostle Paul wrote in 2 Timothy 3, verses 16 and 17? Now listen, all Scripture, including the imprecatory prayers, all Scripture is given by inspiration, that is God-breed. All Scripture is given by divine inspiration and is profitable for doctrine, for correction, for reproof, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God must be perfect, thoroughly furnished under every good work. Hmm. Yeah. We are to have doctrine, we're to have correction, we're to have instruction, we're to have reproof even from the imprecatory prayers. Why did God give these imprecatory prayers?

[John Weaver] Why are they divinely revealed in his word? Well, I believe one answer is that we may learn to use them to establish true and biblical justice. I don't have to tell you folks that there are so many injustices in our day and age. I know there have always been injustices because men are depraved. Men are sinners. But it seems the more we allow such, the more open and the more wicked and the more vile and the more unjust our enemies become.

[John Weaver] How in the world can we rectify these things? I was in a church in Mississippi. This was a number of years ago. The pastor was being arrested. Why was he being arrested? For having a children's home without a state license. The pastor had about 10 or 12 kids of his own. And he took in about 20 other kids that the state didn't want and no one else would take. And when he refused to take a license because it was a ministry of the church, they came out to arrest him. I saw the pastor standing there with his hands handcuffed behind his back. And when his little daughter, about four or five years old, realizing they were about to take her daddy away, she ran screaming and crying to him to hug him one last time. And the pastor did like this to bend down so his daughter could hug his neck.

[John Weaver] And as he did so, he brushed against an officer. And then he was charged with assaulting an officer as well. What are we going to do? I want you to stop and think about this. All of these injustices, how can we rectify them? We are so weak and powerless and impotent in and of ourselves. There's no way in the world that you and I as individuals can overturn court decisions. We can't overturn legal precedents. We can't overturn executive orders on our own. I wish I could, but I can't. We may be unable to do that on our own, but dear friend, let me tell you something.

[John Weaver] The Bible teaches there is indeed a judge in all the earth. And Abram said to God in Genesis 18 in verse 25, shall not the judge of all the earth do right? And he recognized God as the judge of all the earth. And you know what this imprecatory praying is doing? It is when the saints When God's children bring a covenantal lawsuit against the wicked who are violating God's law, who are trampling the church under their feet, who are despising the saints of God and despising that which is right and holy, we bring a covenantal lawsuit to our Heavenly Father and we say,

[John Weaver] O Lord, we plead with Thee, we beg of Thee to intervene. You've got to remember. This Psalm 89 and verse 14 tells us that justice and judgment are the habitation of His throne. We're told that one of the reasons that the Lord Jesus Christ came in Jeremiah 23 and verse 5, the Bible says this, Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will raise up unto David a righteous branch and a king shall reign and prosper and shall execute judgment and justice in the earth. Why did our Lord come? Oh yes, to save His people, but more than that, to execute justice and judgment in the earth. You remember that passage in Isaiah 42 and verse 3? Thinking about Christ when it says, a bruised reed shall he not break?

[John Weaver] And the smoking flak shall he not quench? He shall bring forth judgment unto truth. And that passage is applied to Christ in Matthew 12 and verse 20. And in both of those passages, the word refers to justice. In other words, God is telling us that we have a biblical right to cry out for justice.

[John Weaver] Now, I want you to turn to one last passage. I want you to look at Isaiah 59. I want you to see how God condemned Israel for failing to cry for justice. Look in Isaiah 59 and notice verse 4. Isaiah 59, verse 4. Here's what God says. God is condemning them. He says, none calleth for justice, nor any pleaded for truth. They trust in vanity and speak lies.

[John Weaver] They conceive mischief and bring forth iniquity. Look, none calleth for justice, nor any pleaded for the truth. The people of God, the saints of God, have a biblical mandate. We have a biblical right to ask God, the Judge of all the earth, to send forth justice and bring forth His righteousness. in time and in history. Let me make just a couple of applications. The first one is this. It's time we learn to pray these imprecatory prayers.

[John Weaver] And I'm going to tell you, when you get to reading like Psalm 58, Psalm 59, some of these things you and I would think, boy, these are rough. They're not rough. They're biblical. But you've got to understand, if you and I want victory in time and history, We must understand that we are God's people. We are the sheep of His pasture. And when you and I are injured or harmed or treated unjustly, our Heavenly Father is not only concerned, He's involved. There's not a father in this room tonight, not a father in this room, that if I went to your child and began to beat him viciously, you would intervene. You would say, you're not going to do my child like that. And do you realize our heavenly father is not going to allow his people to be beaten up by the wicked?

[John Weaver] He said, he that touches you touches the apple of my eye. The second application is this, if you and I wish to be blessed. And if we wish to have standing with God to prosecute a covenantal lawsuit We must be obedient and we must be godly ourselves. There is that which is known not only in the Bible. But in our law known as the doctrine of clean hands. The doctrine of clean hands just simply refers to this. It means that we must be innocent of the charges that we're pressing against others. Under the clean hands doctrine, a person who has acted wrongly, either morally or legally, that is, one who has unclean hands, he will not be helped by a court when complaining about the actions of someone else who's doing the same thing.

[John Weaver] Now, if this is true in the lower courts in our land, and it is, how much truer is it in the divine court of our Heavenly Father? If we're going to prosecute a covenantal lawsuit, we must have clean hands. We cannot be guilty of the same crimes and the same sins that we're crying to him and asking him to rectify and avenge. Let me give you an example.

[John Weaver] You remember, there's a wicked woman by the name of Jezebel and her wicked King husband Ahab wanted Naboth's vineyard. And Naboth said, God forbid it me. I can't sell it. This is not just my inheritance. This is God's land. I can't sell it. I can't trade it. God forbids me. And Ahab went and turned his face to the wall and cried like a little baby. Jezebel said, are you king in Israel?

[John Weaver] I'll get it for you. And she sent a letter to the elders in Naboth's village and said, you proclaim a feast and you set Naboth on high. And then you get sons of Belial to come in and you say, we have heard Naboth blaspheme God and the king. And then take him out and stone him to death. Well, if you blaspheme God, you deserve to die. If you blaspheme the king, you deserve to have your property confiscated. By the way, Jezebel not only murdered Naboth, she murdered his sons as well. Jezebel was bringing a lawsuit against Naboth and his sons who were totally and completely innocent and she was guilty of the very things she was trying to have Naboth put to death for.

[John Weaver] If you and I want God to hear our prayers, if you and I want God to send justice, If you and I want God to deal with the wicked, we must have clean hands. We must be as biblical, as godly, and as obedient as we can. Because when you and I start praying that the wicked be wiped off the face of the earth and let sinners be no more, if we're wicked and we're sinners, that would include us. In precaratory praying, will make you really want to live holily and godly. Let's pray. Father, in the name of Jesus Christ tonight, we ask that You would teach us to pray. And Lord, teach us to pray these prayers. But Lord, not just teach us to pray, teach us to live godly. Teach us to live in a holy, righteous manner. And we pray, Father, You would indeed give us victory in time and in history. O God, we pray that Thou wouldst indeed teach us to pray, Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

[John Weaver] And Father, we just commit ourselves unto Thee and ask for Your blessings in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

The Imprecatory Prayer-1

John Weaver | SermonAudio

Lecture Metadata	Details
Speaker	John Weaver
Source	SermonAudio
Media ID	312114152131
Subject	Covenant Theology
Course	Covenant Theology: Blessings, Curses, and Sanctions: The Hallelujah of Confession
Genre	Sermon
Date	2010-03-29
Dictation Name
Book	Book 046: The Imprecatory Prayer — Chapter 1
Source Timed Segments	116

Formatted Transcript

Introduction to Imprecatory Praying

Weaver introduces the conference topic, noting it is misunderstood and neglected, and reads Psalm 104:35 as the key text.

I want to welcome everyone to Reedy River Presbyterian Church. We're glad you're here for our spring Bible conference of 2010 on imprecatory praying. I'm Bill Boney, a ruling elder here, and we will have Dr.—I mean, Pastor Weaver preach to us tonight through Thursday night on the very common subject we always hear about in imprecatory praying, right? If you're like me, you've never heard a lecture or a sermon on that. So I'm hoping this will be an event that will really enrich our prayer lives. I think this is a very misunderstood and a very neglected topic in the Reformed churches today—in all churches.

The Shocking Prayer of Psalm 104:35

Weaver imagines a modern church member praying 'Let the sinners be consumed' and the likely negative reactions, contrasting it with David's godly character.

And the second message on there I showed where David said, "Plead my cause, O Lord." And that is exactly what an advocate does. And those two messages literally led right into this imprecatory praying. And there is so much about this, not only in the Bible, but it is a hot subject today and we certainly need to understand it. So look in Psalm 104 and let's pray before we read, shall we? Our Father, we are so thankful for the Lord Jesus Christ and for his grace and mercy. We pray that you would teach us, open our eyes, give us understanding, and grant us, Lord, that we may serve thee acceptably with reverence and godly fear. In thy name we pray. Amen. Psalm 104 and verse 35.

The psalmist writes, "Let the sinners be consumed out of the earth, and let the wicked be no more. Bless thou the Lord, O my soul. Praise ye the Lord." Now look at that. It's just one simple verse. "Let the sinners be consumed out of the earth and let the wicked be no more." All I can say is what a prayer request. Can you imagine just for a moment a modern day politically correct multicultural church member raising his hand in a packed church service with a special prayer request? And when the pastor calls upon him to voice that request, he says, "Well, I would like for everyone to pray that the sinners would be consumed out of the earth and the wicked will be no more."

And finally, he would add this: "And when that is done, I will bless the Lord and say, 'Praise the Lord.'" Now, can you imagine the scene? Because when someone raised their hand and asked for that prayer request, I would imagine not only is the pastor dumbfounded, but the congregation is almost aghast and silence pervades the auditorium. How in the world does one respond to such a prayer request? I suppose the modernist pastor would simply denounce the prayer request as unloving and unkind. The fundamentalist pastor would probably say that it denies evangelism and it would keep us from reaching the lost. And many so-called Christians would refuse such a prayer request because they would say, "Well, it seems like that's condemning them to hell and therefore it could not possibly be biblical or possibly be Christian."

And yet at the same time, you've got to remember this psalm was written by David, the sweet psalmist of Israel, the man who is called in the Bible, the man after God's own heart. And here this sweet psalmist of Israel, the man after God's own heart, prays, "Let the sinners be consumed out of the earth and let the wicked be no more."

Contemporary Controversy over Imprecatory Prayers

Weaver cites recent cases of pastors praying for the death of public officials and the backlash, including a lawsuit, to illustrate the topic's relevance.

Now, imprecatory praying is certainly a hot topic today. If you really want to know how hot the topic is, all you need to do is go on the Internet and type in "imprecatory prayers" or "imprecatory praying." And interestingly enough, you will find a lot of hits about two pastors—one on the East Coast, one on the West Coast—who have prayed publicly for God to kill certain public officials who are openly rebellious and wicked and sinful. And oh man, these pastors are excoriated, castigated, and slammed on every hand. In fact, there is one man, I believe he is in Texas—one Christian has been praying against him, a pastor has been praying against him, and publicly so. And now the man who is being prayed against is suing the pastor who is praying against him. You know, I find it absolutely amazing that a lot of these people who claim not to believe in God and not to believe the Bible, they surely don't want to take any chances about someone praying against them. And so he's trying to do everything he can to stop this Christian pastor from praying against him.

So let's ask a question. Is it unchristian or unbiblical to pray the imprecatory prayers that are given to us in the Bible under divine inspiration?

Biblical Definition and Scope of Imprecation

Imprecation is defined as invoking judgment or curses; Weaver notes its presence throughout Scripture, including the Psalms and Revelation.

Well, I'm going to try to answer those questions for you and a whole lot more before this series is over. But let me just ask the question, what is imprecatory praying? An imprecation is an invocation of judgment or calamity or curse upon one's enemies or upon the enemies of God. Such curses span the breadth of biblical revelation. I don't care if you begin in the book of Genesis and go to the book of Revelation, you're going to find imprecatory prayers, imprecatory curses literally everywhere. In fact, these imprecatory curses indeed form the integral part of the covenant renewal that is described in Deuteronomy chapter 27 through 30. And I might add that the New Testament ends in the book of Revelation, and when you get to Revelation chapter 6, what in the world are those saints under the altar crying, "How long, O Lord God, holy and true, dost thou not avenge our blood which was shed upon the earth?" And so here these souls are indeed crying for divine vengeance.

Now, some of the most powerful imprecations in Scripture are found in the Psalms. There are no Psalms that only contain imprecations. However, there are Psalms that contain mostly imprecations. And you will find those Psalms like Psalm 7, Psalm 35, Psalm 55, Psalm 58, Psalm 59, Psalm 69, Psalm 109, Psalm 137, Psalm 139, and a whole lot others that are there in the Bible.

New Testament Examples of Imprecatory Prayers

Paul's use of 'anathema' in 1 Corinthians 16:22 and Galatians 1:8-9 is examined, showing he prayed for the destruction of those who reject Christ or pervert the gospel.

Now, let me just show you some of these in the New Testament to begin with. We're going to come back to Psalm 104. But if you would turn in your Bibles to 1 Corinthians, chapter 16, and look, if you would please, at verse 22. 1 Corinthians, chapter 16 and verse 22. I want you to know what the Apostle Paul prays. 1 Corinthians, chapter 16 and verse 22. He says this,

Scripture Reading — 1 Corinthians 16:22

"If any man love not the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be anathema maranatha."

Now look closely at that.

Scripture Reading — 1 Corinthians 16:22

"If any man love not the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be anathema maranatha."

Now, the interesting thing is the word "anathema" is literally a Greek word. And you're going to see how it's translated in just a moment in another portion of the Bible. But the word "anathema" literally means to be cursed. It means to be doomed. It means to be damned. It means to be set aside for certain and sure destruction. Now, watch this. In 1 Corinthians 16 and verse 22, he says, "If any man love not the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be doomed, damned, cursed, set aside and marked out for certain and sure destruction." But notice, if you would please, it's "maranatha." And the word "maranatha" just simply refers to the Lord's coming.

So here's what Paul is saying. "If any man love not the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be doomed, damned, cursed, marked for certain destruction at the coming of our Lord." Now, if you will turn in your Bibles to the book of Galatians chapter 1, you're going to see how Paul uses the same word again. Galatians chapter 1 and look at verses 8 and 9. Galatians 1 verse 8. Paul writes this, "But though we or an angel from heaven preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed." Now note, "let him be accursed." Verse 9, Galatians 1 verse 9, "As we have said before, so say I now again, if any man preach any other gospel unto you than that you have received, let him be accursed." Now the word "accursed" in verse 8 and the word "accursed" in verse 9 is the word "anathema," the same word that is used in 1 Corinthians 16, verse 22, when he said, "If any man love not the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be anathema maranatha."

Now he says, "If anyone, even an angel from heaven, preaches any other gospel than the gospel of the grace of God through Jesus Christ, let him be doomed. Let him be damned. Let him be set aside for certain and sure and absolute destruction." Now, let's ask a question. We have just seen two passages where Paul prays for the man who does not love the Lord Jesus Christ to be doomed, damned, cursed, set aside, marked for certain destruction. And we've also seen now where he prays that if anyone, even an angel, preaches any other gospel than the gospel of Jesus Christ, he too is to be doomed, marked, set aside for certain destruction. Now, you have to ask this question. Was Paul uncharitable and unchristian when he prayed that God would doom and damn everyone who does not love the Lord Jesus Christ and who would pervert the gospel of the grace of God? So was Paul unchristian and uncharitable? The answer is no. Why?

Covenantal Sanctions: Blessings and Curses

Weaver explains the biblical pattern of positive sanctions (blessings) for covenant keepers and negative sanctions (curses) for covenant breakers, using Psalm 1 and Psalm 112.

And that is that the word of God contains sanctions. It contains positive sanctions and negative sanctions as well. When I use the word "sanction," you understand it is another word for either a blessing or a cursing. So when the Bible has positive sanctions, it refers to blessings. When we say the Bible has negative sanctions, it refers to curses. There are curses as well as blessings. All you have to do is read Deuteronomy chapter 28, or Leviticus 26, and you will find all of the curses that are contained right there of those who violate God's law. You must understand there are basically only two kinds of people in the world.

Covenant keepers and covenant breakers. The covenant keepers receive positive sanctions, that is, they receive blessings. Covenant breakers receive negative sanctions, that is, they receive curses. Let me show you how this is taught throughout Scripture. Turn in your Bibles, if you would please, to Psalm 1, a very beautiful psalm, very simple psalm, and one that is very plain. Notice, if you would, Psalm 1, David is going to describe the godly man, and then he's going to draw a contrast with the ungodly man. And I want you to note, on the godly man, he pronounces positive sanctions. On the ungodly man, he pronounces negative sanctions. So here it is, Psalm 1. David writes, "Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful."

Let me just stop there just for a moment. I want to break this down so you can really understand what David is saying. I want to just give you an alliteration. David said, "Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly." Let's use the word "advice." So he says, "Blessed is the man that walks not in the advice of the ungodly." That is, he doesn't listen to the advice, to the wisdom, to the counsel of the ungodly, because he understands it's totally contrary against the Word of God. Now, what in the world will happen when a man does listen to the advice of the ungodly? Watch it. He says, "Blessed is the man that walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners." If you listen to the advice of the ungodly, the next thing you know you're going to be associating with the ungodly.

You've heard the old adage, "Birds of a feather flock together." Watch this. He says, "Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful." That's agreement. So what started out as advice went to association and ends up in agreement. Now watch what David said. David says, "I'm describing the blessed man. I'm describing the godly man. I'm describing the man that receives positive sanctions." So he says, "Here's the man that does not walk in the counsel of the ungodly. He does not stand in the way of sinners. He does not sit in the seat of the scornful." Watch verse 2.

"But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in his law does he meditate day and night." Here's the positive sanction. "And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water that bringeth forth his fruit in his season. His leaf also shall not wither, and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper." Ah, now here's the negative sanction upon the ungodly man. He says, "The ungodly are not so, but are like the chaff which the wind driveth away. Therefore, the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous. For the Lord knoweth the way of the righteous, but the way of the ungodly shall perish."

Now, David, the warrior king, wrote Psalm 1. David was a man of the covenant, and he believed and approached civil polity and spiritual worship with a firm understanding of positive and negative sanctions. And so in Psalm 1, then, David extols the righteous man. He extols the godly man who meditates in God's law, who obeys God's law, and God says through David, that godly man is like a tree planted by the rivers of water. That is, he gets plenty of nourishment, plenty of nutrients, plenty of water.

Therefore, he said, he bringeth forth fruit in his season. His leaf doth not wither. Whatever he does prospers. But then he gives the strong contrast: "But the ungodly are not so. The ungodly are like the chaff driven with the wind, absolutely worthless, dry stubble. And he says they'll not be able to stand in the day of judgment. Therefore, they shall perish from the earth."

Now, this covenantal understanding that David had is absolutely necessary for us today. If you and I are going to comprehend, embrace, and emulate David's imprecatory war psalms and recapture our lawless society, there are grounds in the Bible for using imprecatory prayers and the Bible makes those prayers exceedingly clear. If you would turn in your Bibles to Psalm 112, let me just give you another illustration of a positive sanction and a negative sanction. Just to show you, Psalm 112, only ten verses. The first nine verses are positive sanctions. That is, they're blessings. The last verse is a negative sanction. It is a curse. So look in Psalm 112. David says, "Praise ye the Lord. Blessed is the man that feareth the Lord, that delighteth greatly in his commandments," the same man he described in Psalm 1.

"His seed shall be mighty upon the earth. The generation of the upright shall be blessed. Wealth and riches shall be in his house, and his righteousness endureth forever. Unto the upright there riseth light in the darkness. He is gracious, full of compassion, and righteous. A good man showeth favor and lendeth. He will guide his affairs with discretion. Surely he shall not be moved forever. The righteous shall be in everlasting remembrance. He," that is the righteous man, "shall not be afraid of evil tidings."

"His heart is fixed, trusting in the Lord. His heart is established. He shall not be afraid until," look now, "until he see his desire upon his enemies. He, the righteous man, hath dispersed. He hath given to the poor, his righteousness endureth forever, his horn shall be exalted with honor." Now watch the contrast. "The wicked shall see it and be grieved. He shall gnash with his teeth and melt away. The desire of the wicked shall perish." Here's a clear picture.

Those who obey God, those who are covenant keepers, will have positive sanctions. The covenant breakers are going to have negative sanctions.

The Background of Psalm 104:35

David's prayer arises from seeing sin marring God's creation; Weaver clarifies that sin is in sinners, and the prayer is for the removal of wickedness.

Now, let me tell you the background of Psalm 104 before we begin really expounding some of this. In Psalm 104, our text, verse 35, David prayed thusly. He said, "Let the sinners be consumed out of the earth and let the wicked be no more. Bless thou the Lord, O my soul. Praise ye the Lord." Now, when you get home tonight, if you will take time to read Psalm 104, you will find that David in this psalm is praising God for His creation, for His providence, and for His redemption. In Psalm 104, David sees the beauty of God's creation, and at the same time, he sees that which is polluting, perverting, and destroying the beauty, harmony, and glory of that creation. And what he sees is sin. And he understands that sin is wreaking havoc everywhere in God's earth. Let me tell you something about sin. Sin is not some abstraction floating around somewhere in the universe. Sin is in man. It is sinners that sin.

Have you ever thought about this? If there were no sinners, there would not be any sin. Sin is not just some nebulous, abstract thing out there. No. Sin is in man. Man is the sinner. When David realizes what is really messing up God's creation, what is really dishonoring God and vilifying God, David then prays, "Let the sinners be consumed out of the earth and let the wicked be no more."

"Bless thou the Lord, O my soul. Yes, praise ye the Lord." Now, some will read that and say, "Oh, how horrible. How cold, how uncharitable, how uncompassionate." Because very obviously, David is condemning someone to hell when he says, "Let the sinners be consumed out of the earth and let the wicked be no more." Well, if you're going to raise that objection, let me ask you a question.

Theological Justification: The Security of the Elect

Weaver argues that imprecatory prayers do not endanger the elect, citing Isaiah 53, John 17, and the eternal covenant to show that all for whom Christ died will be saved.

Let me tell you this, and then I'll show it to you from Scripture. When you pray these imprecatory prayers like David did, "Let the sinners be consumed out of the earth and let the wicked be no more," I can assure you that based upon the scripture, not one for whom our Lord died will perish. How can I say that? Well, look in your Bibles to Isaiah 53. I want you to note very closely with me what the scripture says in this passage. Everyone knows Isaiah 53 speaks of our Lord, the Messiah, and it is a wonderful, wonderful passage. In fact, let's begin reading with verse 10. This is a tremendous verse in and of itself.

Scripture Reading — Isaiah 53:10-11

"Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise him. He has put him to grief when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin."

Watch carefully.

Scripture Reading — Isaiah 53:10-11

"He shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in his hands."

Verse 11,

Scripture Reading — Isaiah 53:10-11

"He shall see the travail of his soul and shall be satisfied."

"By his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many, for he shall bear their iniquities." Now, let's go back to verse 10. Look at what the Bible says now. "Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise him." That is, it pleased the Father to bruise the Son. "He," the Father, "hath put him," Christ, "to grief, when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin." Look what the Bible says. "He shall see his seed." Not maybe. Not hopefully. "He shall see his seed." Look in verse 11. "He shall see the travail of his soul and be satisfied." Do you realize everyone for whom our Lord died shall be saved? Our Lord shall see his seed. He shall see the travail of his soul and he shall be satisfied. Not one for whom our Lord died is going to be lost. Look in your Bibles, if you would, to John 17. Most of you know that John 17 is the high priestly prayer of our Lord.

And I want you to note what he said in verses 11 and 12. First, John 17. Look, if you would please, at verse 11. Our Lord, in praying to his Father, says this,

Scripture Reading — John 17:11-12

"And now I am no more in the world, but these are in the world. And I come to thee, Holy Father, keep through thine own name those whom thou hast given me, that they may be one as we are. While I was with them in the world, I kept them in thy name. Those that thou gavest me, I have kept, and none of them is lost."

"But the son of perdition, that the scripture might be fulfilled." And Judas was never his to begin with. Judas worked with him. Jesus knew Judas, but Judas was never his in a covenantal relationship. In fact, it's an interesting thing. There are two Greek words for friend. One of them is the word "philos," which literally refers to a loved one, a dear, an intimate friend. And the other word just refers to an acquaintance, someone that you might know with whom you work. And you remember when Judas came to betray our Lord with a kiss. Our Lord did not use the word "philos." He used the other word, "hetairos," friend, acquaintance. "Betrayest thou the Son of man with a kiss?" What was he saying? "You're not mine. You're not my friend. You never have been." But notice what the Scripture says. "Those that thou have given me, I have lost" how many? None. He's never lost one of his. He will never lose one of his. You remember that passage in John chapter 10?

He said that we are in his hand and he is in the Father's hand. And he said, "No man can pluck them out of my Father's hand." I never will forget, many years ago, I was driving home late at night coming through Atlanta, Georgia. And I was trying to do anything to stay awake. It was probably midnight or after, and I still had three hours to drive. I turned the radio on, and here is this old black preacher preaching, and he happened to be preaching on John 10. And he read that passage. He said, "You know that we're in Christ's hand, and he is in the Father's hand. And he said, 'No man can pluck you out of my Father's hand.'" I never will forget what that old black preacher said. He said, "Now let me get this straight, Sharon." He said, "If you belong to Christ, you in his hand, and he is in the Father's hand. And that means this. It means God the Father won't pluck you out of his hand. God the Son won't pluck you out of his hand. God the Spirit won't pluck you out of his hand."

And then he paused and he said, "And come to think of it, them's the only three that can do any plucking anyhow." And that's the fact. That's the fact. But I want you to note what our Lord prayed also in John 17. Skip down to verse 24. John 17, verse 24. Watch this prayer now. Our Lord says, "Father, I will that they also whom thou hast given me be with me where I am, that they may behold my glory, which thou hast given me, for thou lovest me before the foundation of the world." What did our Lord just pray? "I will, that those whom thou hast given me be with me where I am, that they may behold my glory." Do you think God the Father is going to deny the request of God the Son? Do you think God the Son can pray a prayer and that prayer not be answered? Well, if you think that, you have no understanding of the eternal covenant.

Look in your Bibles, Hebrews chapter 13. Hebrews chapter 13 and notice if you would please verses 20 and 21. Hebrews 13 verses 20 and 21. Look what the Bible says. Hebrews 13 verse 20. The apostle says.

Scripture Reading — Hebrews 13:20-21

"Now, the God of peace that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great shepherd of the sheep through the blood of the everlasting covenant, make you perfect in every good work to do His will, working in you that which is well-pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen."

Now, note if you would, verse 20,

Scripture Reading — Hebrews 13:20-21

"Now the God of peace that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant."

If an everlasting covenant exists, that means it had no beginning and it has no ending. What is the everlasting covenant? Before the world was ever framed, before a star was ever slung into space, there was a covenant entered into between God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Ghost. God the Father gave to God the Son a people. God the Son undertook to be our substitute and our sacrifice and to die for us. And God the Spirit then agreed covenantally to convict and convert those whom the Son died for and the Father gave to the Son.

That's referred to as the eternal covenant. Now, let me just show you again the utter impossibility of one of our Lord's own being lost. Look in your Bibles to the book of Ephesians, chapter 2. I want you to see the absurdity of that thought. Look in Ephesians, chapter 2. Galatians, Ephesians, look in Ephesians, chapter 2. Each of us know that the scripture says that we have been buried with Christ. We died with Christ. We're buried with Christ. But the Bible also teaches we have been raised from the dead in Christ. Look in Ephesians 2, beginning there with verse 5. The Bible says, "Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, by grace are you saved, and hath raised us up together and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus, that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace and His kindness toward us through Christ Jesus." Now, note the Bible says in verse 6, "that He hath raised us up together and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus."

Reconciling Imprecation with Love for Enemies

Weaver addresses Matthew 5:44 by defining love as obedience to God's law, not sentimentality, and explains that loving enemies means acting biblically toward them, not seeking personal vengeance.

And yet we know Paul did so, we know our Lord taught it, we know David prayed that way. But you say, "Now wait a minute, there's a passage in the Bible that puzzles me. How do you explain Matthew 5, 44 and 45 in light of imprecatory prayers?" Well, look in verse 44. Our Lord said,

Scripture Reading — Matthew 5:44-45

"But I say unto you, love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you." "And pray for them which despitefully use you and persecute you, that you may be the children of your Father who is in heaven, for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust."

Now, you say,

Scripture Reading — Matthew 5:44-45

"Wow, look at verse 44. Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, pray for them which despitefully use you and persecute you."

Now, how in the world can you explain imprecatory praying with this passage? Well, let me remind you of something. First of all, there is absolutely no contradiction between the law of God and grace. You find grace in the Old Testament—Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord. You find law in the New Testament—"Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right." "Honor thy father and thy mother." That's a law. If you would look very quickly, whole Matthew 5, but look very quickly in Romans chapter 3, I want you to see what the Apostle Paul says. He is indeed the preeminent expounder of justification by faith alone. Notice, if you would, what he says as he's talking about faith in Romans chapter 3. And notice, if you would please, verse

31, I believe it is, yes. Romans 3, verse 31. Look what he says. "Do we then make void the law through faith? God forbid. Yea, we establish the law." So mark her down, folks, there is no contradiction between law and grace. I'll explain this further tomorrow night. So what I'm trying to tell you is there is no tension between imprecatory praying and what our Lord taught in Matthew chapter 5.

Well, how do I reconcile those two things? I like what Spurgeon answered a lady one time. She said, "How do you reconcile the sovereignty of God and the responsibility of man?" Spurgeon said, "I don't. They're not enemies. They don't need reconciling. They're twin truths." Well, grace and law do not need reconciling. How do we understand Matthew chapter 5 verses 44 and 45 in light of imprecatory prayer? Well, first of all, if you look at Matthew chapter 5 verses 17 through 19, I want to make something exceedingly clear that in Matthew chapter 5, what our Lord is doing is establishing the law of God. He's establishing it. He's not nullifying it. He's not abrogating it. He's not doing away with it. Look in Matthew 5, beginning there, verse 17. Our Lord says this. "Think not that I'm come to destroy the law of the prophets. I'm not come to destroy, but to fulfill."

In fact, let me tell you this. When our Lord says, "Think not," here's the impact of that statement. Don't even let it enter into your mind. Don't even let a thought pass through your mind. Don't even begin to think that I'm coming to destroy the law of the prophets. I'm not coming to destroy but to fulfill. Watch verse 18. "For verily I say unto you, till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law till all be fulfilled. Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven. But whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven." So very obviously our Lord is not abrogating the law.

He is not doing away with it. That is right in line of Matthew chapter 5. That's right where we have Matthew 5 verses 44 and 45. You have to understand the impetus of Matthew 5. What is our Lord doing in Matthew chapter 5? He is correcting the misinterpretation and the misapplication of the law of God as it was perverted by the Pharisees. For instance, let me just try to give you an illustration.

Here we have it in, look if you would, in verse 21. He said, "You have heard that it was said by them of old time," verse 22, "but I say unto you." Verse 27, "You've heard that it was said by them of old time," verse 28, "but I say unto you." Look in verse 31, "It hath been said," verse 32, "but I say unto you." Verse 33, "Again you've heard that it hath been said by them of old time," verse 34, "but I say unto you." Skip down if you would please, verse 38, "You've heard that it hath been said," verse 39, "but I say unto you." Isn't that interesting? Verse 43, "You have heard that it hath been said, 'Thou shalt love thy neighbor and hate thine enemy.' But I say unto you." What is our Lord doing? He's saying here is how God's law has been perverted, misinterpreted, and misapplied by the Pharisees. Here's what they teach. They're teaching heresy. They're teaching wickedness. They're teaching wrongly. Here is what I say. This is what God's law really teaches.

Now I want you to look at it. He said in verse 43, "You have heard that it hath been said, 'Thou shalt love thy neighbor and' what? 'Hate thine enemy.'" So the Pharisees basically taught that it was all right to hate your enemies. Wow. They were saying if your enemy cussed you, cuss him back. If your enemy stole from you, steal back from him. Our Lord says, "No, no, no, no."

"Let me tell you what you do. You love your enemies. Bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, pray for them which despitefully use you and persecute you." Now, let me ask a question. How do you love your enemy? I want you to think about this. Is our Lord demanding a gushy, sentimental, emotional, humanistic feeling? The answer is no. A thousand times no. How do we love our enemies? How do we do good toward those who hate us? Well, we may know how to pray for them, but most of us really do not know how to love them and how to do good to those who hate us. How do we love our enemies? Let me answer that for you. I want you to turn to two passages. I want you to turn, first of all, to Romans 13. And then 1 John, chapter 5. I want you to see this. Look, if you would, Romans chapter 13. And then we're going to 1 John, chapter 5. Go ahead and find both passages, if you would. We'll read Romans 13, verse 10 first. Look what God says. Romans 13, verse 10. "Love worketh no ill to his neighbor. Therefore, love is the fulfilling of the law."

What is love? It's not sentimentalism. It's not feelings. It's not gushiness. It's not emotions. Love is the fulfilling of the law.

Now look in your Bibles to 1 John chapter 5 and verse 3. Here it is exceedingly plainly stated. 1 John 5. In fact, let's read verse 2. 1 John 5 verse 2.

Scripture Reading — 1 John 5:2-3

"By this we know that we love the children of God when we love God and keep His commandments."

Now watch verse 3.

Scripture Reading — 1 John 5:2-3

"For this is the love of God that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not grievous."

Now, what is the love of God? Is it feeling? No. Is it gushiness? No. Is it sentimental? No. What is love? It's obedience.

To illustrate it, let me show you. Let's suppose after service, I walked over to Brother Bill. I put my arms around him and I started crying, weeping on his shoulder. And I said, "Oh, Brother Bill, I love you. I love you. I love you. I appreciate you so much." And everybody looks around and says, "Oh, look how Brother Weaver loves Brother Bill. Isn't that wonderful?" But what you don't see is while I'm crying on his shoulder, telling him how much I love him, I've got my hand in his pocket stealing a hundred dollar bill from him. Now, according to God's law, do I love him? No, because love is the fulfilling of the law.

What did our Lord say? Very plain. "For this is the love of God that we keep his commandments." Now, let me show you something else. Let's suppose I never get sentimental. I never get teary eyed. I never hug his neck. Let's suppose I never, ever say to him, "I love you." But I always treat him biblically. Always treat him according to God's law. Always honor him, honor his family. Treat him the way God tells me to treat him. Do I love him? Yes. For love is the fulfilling of the law. So when our Lord says, "Love your enemies," how do I love them? By acting biblically toward them.

I do not render evil for evil. I don't render hatred for hatred. I obey God's law and do that which is right toward them, even though they do that which is wrong toward me. Look in your Bibles to Romans chapter 12. Here it is spelled out. Romans 12. And let's begin reading there with verse 17, Romans 12, verse 17. Look what God says. "Recompense no man evil for evil." You know what the word "recompense" means? Payback. So God is saying, "Do not pay back to any man evil for evil."

"Provide things honest in the sight of all men, if it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men." Now, there's some men you can't live peaceably with, and the Lord knows that. That's why He said, "If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men." Now, look what He says, "Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath. For it is written, 'Vengeance is mine, I will repay,' saith the Lord. Therefore, if thine enemy hunger, feed him. If he thirst, give him drink. For in doing so, thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head. Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good."

Now, what is God telling us here? He says, first of all, you don't pay back evil for evil. What's that mean? That means if Kevin stands up and cusses me out in front of everybody, I don't cuss him back. I control my spirit and I still act biblically and I still act right. Doesn't matter what he does. I have a responsibility to obey God. So he says, you don't do this now, he said, don't be eaten up with vengeance, avenge not yourself, but rather give place to wrath. In other words, let God work him over.

Let me ask you, if you've got someone really doing you wrong, who can clean his plow quicker and better, you or God? Well, the answer is God. So God said, if you want me to take over, you step back and don't try to avenge yourself. If you try to avenge yourself, God said, I'm not going to interfere. God's just. He's not going to execute vengeance twice. No. God said, you better understand something. Vengeance is mine.

I will repay, saith the Lord. Therefore, he said, here's the application. If your enemy hunger, feed him. If he thirsts, give him water. What does God say? God is not telling us that we're to fawn over our enemy, that we're to spend lavish amounts of money upon him, that we praise his wickedness. He's not telling us that we have to invite him into our house for a meal and act hunky-dory and act like everything is fine. No, what God is saying is this, you do right toward him regardless of how he acts towards you. You obey my law. You obey my word. If he's hungry and all I've got is peas, he can eat peas too. If he's thirsty, I don't have to buy him a milkshake. I'll give him water. Why is God asking me to do that?

To show that I'm not eaten up with bitterness and revenge in my own life. I'm not overcome with evil. I'm willing to do what is right and what is biblical and what is godly. And notice what the Bible says in verse 20. "Therefore, if thine enemy hunger, feed him. If he thirst, give him drink. For in so doing, thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head."

You know, if you really want to mess with your enemy's mind, when he's really cussing you out and really acting ugly towards you, just kind of smile. And turn around, graciously walk away. That guy didn't cuss me back. No, I didn't cuss him back. And God said, "In so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire upon his head." I like the story. And by the way, this phrase, "in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire upon his head," he's talking about returning good for evil. In other words, it messes with his mind. It just tears him up. He can't understand it.

I heard about one pastor who was counseling a woman and she came in and oh, she was belittling her husband, she was just saying all kind of things about him, what he didn't do, what he did do and all this kind of stuff. Finally, the pastor kind of smiled and folded his arms and said, "Well, have you tried heaping coals of fire upon his head?" You know, rendering good for evil. She said, "No, but I've tried hot water and that don't work either." Well, that's not what God had in mind, using hot water. He's just saying, you render good for evil. Our lives are based upon the Word of God.

The Call to Pray for Justice and Live Godly

Believers are urged to pray imprecatory prayers as covenantal lawsuits for justice, but must have 'clean hands'—living obediently—to have standing before God.

How in the world can we rectify these things? I was in a church in Mississippi. This was a number of years ago. The pastor was being arrested. Why was he being arrested? For having a children's home without a state license. The pastor had about 10 or 12 kids of his own. And he took in about 20 other kids that the state didn't want and no one else would take. And when he refused to take a license because it was a ministry of the church, they came out to arrest him. I saw the pastor standing there with his hands handcuffed behind his back. And when his little daughter, about four or five years old, realizing they were about to take her daddy away, she ran screaming and crying to him to hug him one last time. And the pastor did like this to bend down so his daughter could hug his neck.

And as he did so, he brushed against an officer. And then he was charged with assaulting an officer as well. What are we going to do? I want you to stop and think about this. All of these injustices, how can we rectify them? We are so weak and powerless and impotent in and of ourselves. There's no way in the world that you and I as individuals can overturn court decisions. We can't overturn legal precedents. We can't overturn executive orders on our own. I wish I could, but I can't. We may be unable to do that on our own, but dear friend, let me tell you something.

Scripture Reading — Psalm 89:14

The Bible teaches there is indeed a judge in all the earth. And Abram said to God in Genesis 18 and verse 25, "Shall not the judge of all the earth do right?" And he recognized God as the judge of all the earth. And you know what this imprecatory praying is doing? It is when the saints, when God's children bring a covenantal lawsuit against the wicked who are violating God's law, who are trampling the church under their feet, who are despising the saints of God and despising that which is right and holy, we bring a covenantal lawsuit to our Heavenly Father and we say, "O Lord, we plead with Thee, we beg of Thee to intervene." You've got to remember. This Psalm 89 and verse 14 tells us that justice and judgment are the habitation of His throne. We're told that one of the reasons that the Lord Jesus Christ came in Jeremiah 23 and verse 5, the Bible says this, "Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will raise up unto David a righteous branch and a king shall reign and prosper and shall execute judgment and justice in the earth." Why did our Lord come? Oh yes, to save His people, but more than that, to execute justice and judgment in the earth. You remember that passage in Isaiah 42 and verse 3? Thinking about Christ when it says, "A bruised reed shall he not break,

and the smoking flax shall he not quench? He shall bring forth judgment unto truth." And that passage is applied to Christ in Matthew 12 and verse 20. And in both of those passages, the word refers to justice. In other words, God is telling us that we have a biblical right to cry out for justice.

Now, I want you to turn to one last passage. I want you to look at Isaiah 59. I want you to see how God condemned Israel for failing to cry for justice. Look in Isaiah 59 and notice verse 4. Isaiah 59, verse 4. Here's what God says. God is condemning them. He says, "None calleth for justice, nor any pleadeth for truth. They trust in vanity and speak lies.

They conceive mischief and bring forth iniquity." Look, "None calleth for justice, nor any pleadeth for the truth." The people of God, the saints of God, have a biblical mandate. We have a biblical right to ask God, the Judge of all the earth, to send forth justice and bring forth His righteousness in time and in history. Let me make just a couple of applications. The first one is this. It's time we learn to pray these imprecatory prayers. And I'm going to tell you, when you get to reading like Psalm 58, Psalm 59, some of these things you and I would think, boy, these are rough. They're not rough. They're biblical. But you've got to understand, if you and I want victory in time and history, we must understand that we are God's people. We are the sheep of His pasture. And when you and I are injured or harmed or treated unjustly, our Heavenly Father is not only concerned, He's involved. There's not a father in this room tonight, not a father in this room, that if I went to your child and began to beat him viciously, you would intervene. You would say, "You're not going to do my child like that." And do you realize our heavenly father is not going to allow his people to be beaten up by the wicked?

He said, "He that touches you touches the apple of my eye." The second application is this, if you and I wish to be blessed, and if we wish to have standing with God to prosecute a covenantal lawsuit, we must be obedient and we must be godly ourselves. There is that which is known not only in the Bible, but in our law known as the doctrine of clean hands. The doctrine of clean hands just simply refers to this. It means that we must be innocent of the charges that we're pressing against others. Under the clean hands doctrine, a person who has acted wrongly, either morally or legally, that is, one who has unclean hands, he will not be helped by a court when complaining about the actions of someone else who's doing the same thing.

Now, if this is true in the lower courts in our land, and it is, how much truer is it in the divine court of our Heavenly Father? If we're going to prosecute a covenantal lawsuit, we must have clean hands. We cannot be guilty of the same crimes and the same sins that we're crying to him and asking him to rectify and avenge. Let me give you an example. You remember, there's a wicked woman by the name of Jezebel and her wicked King husband Ahab wanted Naboth's vineyard. And Naboth said, "God forbid it me. I can't sell it. This is not just my inheritance. This is God's land. I can't sell it. I can't trade it. God forbids me." And Ahab went and turned his face to the wall and cried like a little baby. Jezebel said, "Are you king in Israel?

I'll get it for you." And she sent a letter to the elders in Naboth's village and said, "You proclaim a feast and you set Naboth on high. And then you get sons of Belial to come in and you say, 'We have heard Naboth blaspheme God and the king.' And then take him out and stone him to death." Well, if you blaspheme God, you deserve to die. If you blaspheme the king, you deserve to have your property confiscated. By the way, Jezebel not only murdered Naboth, she murdered his sons as well. Jezebel was bringing a lawsuit against Naboth and his sons who were totally and completely innocent and she was guilty of the very things she was trying to have Naboth put to death for. If you and I want God to hear our prayers, if you and I want God to send justice, if you and I want God to deal with the wicked, we must have clean hands. We must be as biblical, as godly, and as obedient as we can. Because when you and I start praying that the wicked be wiped off the face of the earth and let sinners be no more, if we're wicked and we're sinners, that would include us. Imprecatory praying will make you really want to live holily and godly. Let's pray. Father, in the name of Jesus Christ tonight, we ask that You would teach us to pray. And Lord, teach us to pray these prayers. But Lord, not just teach us to pray, teach us to live godly. Teach us to live in a holy, righteous manner. And we pray, Father, You would indeed give us victory in time and in history. O God, we pray that Thou wouldst indeed teach us to pray, 'Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.'

Study Guide

Major Themes

Biblical Validity of Imprecatory Prayer

Summary: Imprecatory prayers are inspired Scripture and not unchristian; they are found throughout the Bible and reflect God's justice.

Evidence: Weaver states, 'All Scripture, including the imprecatory prayers, all Scripture is given by inspiration...' and cites examples from Psalms, Paul, and Revelation.

Covenantal Sanctions

Summary: God's covenant includes blessings for obedience and curses for disobedience; imprecatory prayers align with this covenantal structure.

Evidence: Weaver explains Psalm 1 and Psalm 112 as showing positive and negative sanctions, and says, 'Covenant keepers receive positive sanctions... Covenant breakers receive negative sanctions.'

Justice and the Character of God

Summary: God is the judge of all the earth who will execute justice; imprecatory prayers are appeals for Him to act justly against wickedness.

Evidence: Weaver cites Genesis 18:25, Psalm 89:14, and Jeremiah 23:5, and says, 'We have a biblical right to cry out for justice.'

Love Defined by Law, Not Sentiment

Summary: Loving enemies means obeying God's law toward them, not having warm feelings; this reconciles imprecation with Matthew 5:44.

Evidence: Weaver says, 'Love is the fulfilling of the law' (Romans 13:10) and 'For this is the love of God that we keep his commandments' (1 John 5:3).

The Security of the Elect

Summary: Imprecatory prayers do not cause the loss of any for whom Christ died; the elect are secure in the eternal covenant.

Evidence: Weaver references Isaiah 53:10-11, John 17:11-12, and the 'everlasting covenant' in Hebrews 13:20 to argue that Christ will see His seed and lose none.

The Necessity of Personal Godliness

Summary: To pray imprecatory prayers effectively, believers must have 'clean hands'—they must not be guilty of the same sins they ask God to judge.

Evidence: Weaver uses the story of Jezebel and Naboth and the legal doctrine of clean hands, warning, 'If we're wicked and we're sinners, that would include us.'

Key Arguments

Imprecatory prayers are not unchristian or unbiblical

Summary: Weaver argues that such prayers are inspired Scripture and consistent with God's character, as seen in both Testaments.

Evidence: He asks, 'Is it unchristian or unbiblical to pray the imprecatory prayers that are given to us in the Bible under divine inspiration?' and later cites 2 Timothy 3:16-17.

There is no contradiction between Old Testament imprecation and New Testament love

Summary: Weaver contends that Matthew 5:44 does not forbid imprecatory prayers because love is defined as law-keeping, and Jesus was correcting Pharisaic misinterpretations.

Evidence: He explains, 'Our Lord is not abrogating the law... He is correcting the misinterpretation and the misapplication of the law of God as it was perverted by the Pharisees.'

Imprecatory prayers are covenantal lawsuits for justice

Summary: Believers appeal to God as the judge to execute justice against covenant breakers, which is a biblical mandate.

Evidence: Weaver says, 'When the saints... bring a covenantal lawsuit against the wicked... we say, O Lord, we plead with Thee, we beg of Thee to intervene.'

The elect cannot be harmed by imprecatory prayers

Summary: Since Christ's atonement secures all the elect, prayers for the destruction of the wicked will not cause any of God's chosen to perish.

Evidence: Weaver states, 'Not one for whom our Lord died will perish' and cites John 17:12, 'Those that thou gavest me, I have kept, and none of them is lost.'

Personal vengeance is forbidden, but divine vengeance is sought

Summary: Romans 12:19 teaches believers not to avenge themselves but to leave room for God's wrath; imprecatory prayers are an appeal for God to act, not personal retaliation.

Evidence: Weaver explains, 'Avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath... Vengeance is mine, I will repay, saith the Lord.'

Imprecatory praying requires personal holiness

Summary: To have standing in God's court, believers must not be guilty of the same sins they are praying against; the doctrine of clean hands applies.

Evidence: Weaver warns, 'If we're going to prosecute a covenantal lawsuit, we must have clean hands. We cannot be guilty of the same crimes and the same sins.'

Scripture References

Psalm 104:35

Context: The key text: 'Let the sinners be consumed out of the earth, and let the wicked be no more.' Weaver uses it to introduce imprecatory praying.

1 Corinthians 16:22

Context: Paul prays 'let him be anathema maranatha' for those who do not love the Lord, showing New Testament imprecation.

Galatians 1:8-9

Context: Paul pronounces a curse on anyone preaching another gospel, using 'anathema,' demonstrating imprecatory prayer.

2 Thessalonians 1:7-10

Context: Describes Christ's return in flaming fire taking vengeance on the disobedient, aligning with Paul's imprecations.

Psalm 1

Context: Illustrates positive sanctions for the righteous and negative sanctions for the wicked, foundational to covenantal understanding.

Psalm 112

Context: Shows blessings for the righteous and the desire of the wicked perishing, reinforcing the theme of sanctions.

Isaiah 53:10-11

Context: Used to argue that Christ will see His seed and be satisfied, proving the security of the elect.

John 17:11-12

Context: Jesus prays that He has kept all given to Him and none is lost, supporting the argument that imprecatory prayers do not endanger the elect.

Matthew 13:41-43

Context: The parable of the tares shows the wicked being gathered and burned at the end of the age, paralleling David's prayer.

Matthew 5:44-45

Context: The command to love enemies; Weaver reconciles it with imprecation by defining love as law-keeping.

Romans 13:10

Context: Love is the fulfilling of the law, used to define love as obedience rather than sentiment.

1 John 5:2-3

Context: The love of God is keeping His commandments, reinforcing the definition of love.

Romans 12:17-21

Context: Commands not to repay evil for evil but to leave vengeance to God, supporting the idea of seeking divine justice.

2 Timothy 3:16-17

Context: All Scripture is inspired and profitable, including imprecatory prayers, for doctrine and instruction.

Genesis 18:25

Context: Abraham's question, 'Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?' affirms God as the just judge.

Psalm 89:14

Context: Justice and judgment are the habitation of God's throne, emphasizing His role as judge.

Jeremiah 23:5

Context: Prophecy of Christ executing judgment and justice in the earth, linking His mission to justice.

Isaiah 59:4

Context: God condemns Israel because 'none calleth for justice,' implying believers should call for justice.

Psalm 7:9

Context: David prays, 'O let the wickedness of the wicked come to an end,' similar to Psalm 104:35.

Hebrews 13:20-21

Context: Mentions the 'blood of the everlasting covenant,' supporting the doctrine of the eternal covenant.

Historical References

Martin Luther

Context: Weaver quotes Luther: 'We should pray that our enemies be converted... and if not, that their persons perish rather than the gospel and the kingdom of Christ.'

David Dickson (Puritan)

Context: Weaver quotes Dickson on imprecatory prayers: if the enemy is elect, the curse follows only until they repent.

Charles Spurgeon

Context: Weaver recounts Spurgeon's response to reconciling sovereignty and responsibility: 'They're not enemies. They don't need reconciling.'

Pastors praying for death of public officials

Context: Weaver mentions two pastors (East and West Coast) who publicly prayed for God to kill certain officials, causing controversy and a lawsuit.

Jezebel and Naboth

Context: Used as an example of bringing a false lawsuit with unclean hands, illustrating the need for personal godliness.

Important Quotes

Let the sinners be consumed out of the earth, and let the wicked be no more. Bless thou the Lord, O my soul. Praise ye the Lord.

Significance: The central text of the lecture, a clear imprecatory prayer from David.

If any man love not the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be anathema maranatha.

Significance: Paul's imprecatory prayer in the New Testament, showing the practice continues.

We should pray that our enemies be converted and become our friends. And if not, that their doing and designing be bound to fail and have no success and that their persons perish rather than the gospel and the kingdom of Christ.

Significance: Martin Luther's balanced view on imprecatory prayer, cited by Weaver.

If any of the enemies of God's people belong to God's election, the church's prayer against them giveth way to their conversion and seeketh no more than that the judgment should follow them only until they acknowledge their sin and turn and seek God.

Significance: Puritan David Dickson's explanation that imprecatory prayers do not harm the elect.

Love worketh no ill to his neighbor. Therefore, love is the fulfilling of the law.

Significance: Key verse used to define love as obedience, not sentiment.

For this is the love of God that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not grievous.

Significance: Reinforces the definition of love as law-keeping.

Vengeance is mine, I will repay, saith the Lord.

Significance: Shows that believers are to leave vengeance to God, which imprecatory prayers request.

None calleth for justice, nor any pleadeth for truth.

Significance: God's condemnation of Israel for not seeking justice, implying believers should.

Discussion Questions

How does the definition of love as obedience to God's law (rather than sentiment) change the way we understand commands to love our enemies?

Context: Weaver argues that love is the fulfilling of the law (Romans 13:10) and that loving enemies means acting biblically toward them.

In what ways can imprecatory prayers be considered 'covenantal lawsuits,' and how does this concept affect our prayer life?

Context: Weaver describes imprecatory praying as bringing a covenantal lawsuit before God the judge.

How do we reconcile the command to 'love your enemies' (Matthew 5:44) with praying for their destruction, as seen in the Psalms?

Context: Weaver addresses this apparent contradiction by explaining Jesus was correcting Pharisaic misinterpretations and that love is law-keeping.

What does the doctrine of 'clean hands' mean for believers who pray imprecatory prayers, and how can we ensure we are not guilty of the same sins?

Context: Weaver uses the story of Jezebel and the legal principle to warn that we must be innocent of the charges we bring against others.

How does the security of the elect (that none for whom Christ died will perish) provide comfort when praying imprecatory prayers?

Context: Weaver argues that imprecatory prayers do not endanger the elect because Christ's atonement is effectual.

Why is it important to recognize that sin is not an abstraction but is located in sinners, and how does this shape our prayers against wickedness?

Context: Weaver emphasizes that 'if there were no sinners, there would not be any sin,' leading David to pray against sinners.

How can we distinguish between personal vengeance (forbidden in Romans 12) and seeking divine justice through imprecatory prayer?

Context: Weaver explains that we are not to avenge ourselves but to give place to God's wrath, which imprecatory prayers request.

What role do the covenantal sanctions of blessings and curses play in understanding God's dealings with humanity, and how should this influence our prayers?

Context: Weaver uses Psalm 1 and Psalm 112 to show that God blesses obedience and curses disobedience.

Applications

Learn to pray imprecatory prayers

Summary: Believers should study and use the imprecatory prayers in Scripture as part of their prayer life, asking God to execute justice.

Evidence: Weaver says, 'It's time we learn to pray these imprecatory prayers' and notes they are given for our instruction.

Pursue personal holiness

Summary: To have standing in praying against wickedness, believers must examine their own lives and repent of sin, ensuring they have 'clean hands.'

Evidence: Weaver warns, 'If we're going to prosecute a covenantal lawsuit, we must have clean hands' and 'Imprecatory praying will make you really want to live holily and godly.'

Trust God's justice, not personal vengeance

Summary: Instead of seeking revenge, believers should entrust justice to God, who will repay, and pray for His intervention.

Evidence: Weaver explains Romans 12:19, 'Vengeance is mine, I will repay, saith the Lord,' and says to 'let God work him over.'

Love enemies through biblical obedience

Summary: Loving enemies means treating them according to God's law—doing good, not repaying evil—while still praying for God's justice.

Evidence: Weaver states, 'How do I love my enemy? By acting biblically toward him' and cites Romans 12:20-21.

Cry out for justice in society

Summary: Believers have a biblical mandate to call for justice against wickedness in the public square, not remaining silent.

Evidence: Weaver cites Isaiah 59:4, 'None calleth for justice,' and urges believers to 'bring a covenantal lawsuit' to God.

Recognize the security of the elect

Summary: When praying imprecatory prayers, believers can have confidence that God will not destroy His own people, as Christ's atonement secures them.

Evidence: Weaver says, 'Not one for whom our Lord died will perish' and points to the eternal covenant.

deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | clean_readable_transcript | 2026-06-06T05:01:59Z

deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | weaver_study | 2026-06-06T17:01:33Z

Clean Transcript

The Imprecatory Prayer-1

Clean readable transcript. This view follows the Commentary.net cleaned segment text while preserving timestamps for audio follow-along.

I want to welcome everyone to Reedy River Presbyterian Church. We're glad you're here for our spring Bible conference of 2010 on imprecatory praying. I'm Bill Boney, a ruling elder here, and we will have Dr.—I mean, Pastor Weaver preach to us tonight through Thursday night on the very common subject we always hear about in imprecatory praying, right? If you're like me, you've never heard a lecture or a sermon on that. So I'm hoping this will be an event that will really enrich our prayer lives. I think this is a very misunderstood and a very neglected topic in the Reformed churches today—in all churches.
#1 | 0:07 to 1:10 | cleaned
If you need to use the restrooms, they are down here in the Sunday school wing. While the preaching is going on, you would need to go out the back door and go in the door there at the parking lot, and they'll be over here to the left right before you get to the kitchen. Coming through here, to the door on the right, down the stairs, and then right to the left. That's where the restrooms are located.
#2 | 1:11 to 1:41 | cleaned
After the service tonight, we will have fellowship and light refreshments for any that wish to stay. And I want to mention, too, that we have a basket in the rear and also one in the fellowship hall for a freewill offering if you be so led to give for that—for Pastor Weaver, for his labor in the word. And Pastor Weaver is a native of Georgia, like myself, and a graduate of Bob Jones University, and he also attended graduate school there.
#3 | 1:43 to 2:22 | cleaned
And since then, he has moved to the Reformed faith. He has a bachelor of arts degree in theology. He's been in the Christian ministry now for over 40 years. So we have a little bit of experience tonight. He's pastored, he's been a church planter, and he's started some Christian schools around the country, and he's traveled all over the country, preaching and lecturing in churches, colleges, and in conferences like this. He's now engaged in evangelistic and conference ministry, and he travels across the country, expounding the word of God. He's preached in America, Canada, and in England, and he's the author of three books: The Christian and Civil Government, The Sovereignty of God and Civil Government, and Biblical Truth About God's Righteous Vengeance. And he's now engaged in—well, in addition to all of this, he preaches weekly in Waycross on Sunday and Live Oak, Florida at Reformed Baptist churches.
#4 | 2:23 to 3:36 | cleaned
His sermons are taken and sent into many areas of the country, as well as into Europe, South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, Scotland, and Wales. And his sermons consist of biblical expositions dealing with the following topics: theology, economics, history, southern history, constitutionalism, civil government, and practical Christian obedience. So a wide range of subjects there. And native of Georgia, he and his wife, Alice, have four children and six grandchildren.
#5 | 3:39 to 4:18 | cleaned
Before Pastor Weaver comes up here to teach us, instruct us on imprecatory praying, Mark Cochran has a few words to say. Thank you. Thank you all for attending. How many of you, this is the first time you've heard Pastor Weaver? Good. Good. Well, one of the things I just real quickly wanted to say is to thank Brother Bill and Reedy River for allowing us to have this venue. We try to bring Pastor Weaver up at least once a year.
#6 | 4:20 to 4:54 | cleaned
And it's always a difficult thing trying to find a place that is suitable. And so this fit real well and we appreciate it. For those of you that listen to Pastor Weaver regularly on Sermon Audio, if you're interested in contributing at all to that, there are expenses that go along with that every month. If you want to put something in the basket and note that, that would be very good.
#7 | 4:55 to 5:22 | cleaned
We occasionally have people that help with that, and we could certainly use some assistance on a fairly regular basis on that. So that's really all I want to say. Just thank you for allowing this, and we hope that you'll be blessed by it. Brother? It is a joy to be here, and I'm thankful for the opportunity. I will say this, that Sermon Audio goes everywhere. I get emails from Italy, from Korea, South Korea.
#8 | 5:22 to 5:56 | cleaned
In fact, one day I came home and there was a message like flashing on my phone. And so I pushed the button and the voice said, "Hello, mate." Said, "I'm wondering if there is a like-minded Reformed church anywhere here in Western Australia." You know how big Australia is. And we do send tapes to Australia, but Lord have mercy, one's over here and one's way over here. So there was no way in the world I would know if a like-minded church was anywhere near him in Western Australia.
#9 | 5:57 to 6:32 | cleaned
But it's certainly a blessing to have those messages go out. I want you to open your Bibles, if you would please, tonight to Psalm 104 and verse 35, Psalm 104, verse 35.
#10 | 6:33 to 6:45 | cleaned
Now, let me just tell you that normally when I teach, I just ask people to turn with me in the Bible. So if you can keep your fingers nimble, we will turn to a lot of scriptures. Certainly, I believe you should see for yourself what the word of God has to say. The two messages that I preached prior to preaching this series on imprecatory praying, I dealt with Jesus Christ, our divine advocate.
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And the second message on there I showed where David said, "Plead my cause, O Lord." And that is exactly what an advocate does. And those two messages literally led right into this imprecatory praying. And there is so much about this, not only in the Bible, but it is a hot subject today and we certainly need to understand it. So look in Psalm 104 and let's pray before we read, shall we? Our Father, we are so thankful for the Lord Jesus Christ and for his grace and mercy. We pray that you would teach us, open our eyes, give us understanding, and grant us, Lord, that we may serve thee acceptably with reverence and godly fear. In thy name we pray. Amen. Psalm 104 and verse 35.
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The psalmist writes, "Let the sinners be consumed out of the earth, and let the wicked be no more. Bless thou the Lord, O my soul. Praise ye the Lord." Now look at that. It's just one simple verse. "Let the sinners be consumed out of the earth and let the wicked be no more." All I can say is what a prayer request. Can you imagine just for a moment a modern day politically correct multicultural church member raising his hand in a packed church service with a special prayer request? And when the pastor calls upon him to voice that request, he says, "Well, I would like for everyone to pray that the sinners would be consumed out of the earth and the wicked will be no more."
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And finally, he would add this: "And when that is done, I will bless the Lord and say, 'Praise the Lord.'"
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Now, can you imagine the scene? Because when someone raised their hand and asked for that prayer request, I would imagine not only is the pastor dumbfounded, but the congregation is almost aghast and silence pervades the auditorium. How in the world does one respond to such a prayer request? I suppose the modernist pastor would simply denounce the prayer request as unloving and unkind. The fundamentalist pastor would probably say that it denies evangelism and it would keep us from reaching the lost. And many so-called Christians would refuse such a prayer request because they would say, "Well, it seems like that's condemning them to hell and therefore it could not possibly be biblical or possibly be Christian."
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And yet at the same time, you've got to remember this psalm was written by David, the sweet psalmist of Israel, the man who is called in the Bible, the man after God's own heart. And here this sweet psalmist of Israel, the man after God's own heart, prays, "Let the sinners be consumed out of the earth and let the wicked be no more."
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Now, imprecatory praying is certainly a hot topic today. If you really want to know how hot the topic is, all you need to do is go on the Internet and type in "imprecatory prayers" or "imprecatory praying." And interestingly enough, you will find a lot of hits about two pastors—one on the East Coast, one on the West Coast—who have prayed publicly for God to kill certain public officials who are openly rebellious and wicked and sinful. And oh man, these pastors are excoriated, castigated, and slammed on every hand. In fact, there is one man, I believe he is in Texas—one Christian has been praying against him, a pastor has been praying against him, and publicly so. And now the man who is being prayed against is suing the pastor who is praying against him. You know, I find it absolutely amazing that a lot of these people who claim not to believe in God and not to believe the Bible, they surely don't want to take any chances about someone praying against them. And so he's trying to do everything he can to stop this Christian pastor from praying against him.
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So let's ask a question. Is it unchristian or unbiblical to pray the imprecatory prayers that are given to us in the Bible under divine inspiration?
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Now, there are going to be some individuals that say that this type of Old Testament praying conflicts with New Testament teaching. And therefore, in their eyes, they say, "Well, what we need to do is we just simply need to go by the New Testament." Well, the problem with that thinking is that it presents an unnatural dichotomy between the Old Testament and the New Testament. And moreover then, it implies that the Old Testament is untrustworthy or it's outdated. Moreover, it also presupposes that there is a change of God from the Old Testament to the New Testament, or at least there is a change in God which would deny His immutability—that is, that God does not change. And when an individual begins to think like that, then they will probably go as far as one modernist preacher said, and I'm quoting, he said, and I quote, "The God of the Old Testament is a dirty bully." Why would anyone say that? I'll tell you why.
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Because they have taken it upon themselves to bring God and His Word to their bar of human reasoning, and they are now sitting in judgment against God and against His Word, and they are the one determining what is right and what is wrong. And therefore, one individual can do that. Why not every individual having the right to do that? And pretty soon, none of the Bible applies because there's something in there that everyone hates and everyone despises and everyone detests. And then you end up with absolutely no Bible at all.
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Well, I'm going to try to answer those questions for you and a whole lot more before this series is over. But let me just ask the question, what is imprecatory praying? An imprecation is an invocation of judgment or calamity or curse upon one's enemies or upon the enemies of God. Such curses span the breadth of biblical revelation. I don't care if you begin in the book of Genesis and go to the book of Revelation, you're going to find imprecatory prayers, imprecatory curses literally everywhere. In fact, these imprecatory curses indeed form the integral part of the covenant renewal that is described in Deuteronomy chapter 27 through 30. And I might add that the New Testament ends in the book of Revelation, and when you get to Revelation chapter 6, what in the world are those saints under the altar crying, "How long, O Lord God, holy and true, dost thou not avenge our blood which was shed upon the earth?" And so here these souls are indeed crying for divine vengeance.
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Now, some of the most powerful imprecations in Scripture are found in the Psalms. There are no Psalms that only contain imprecations. However, there are Psalms that contain mostly imprecations. And you will find those Psalms like Psalm 7, Psalm 35, Psalm 55, Psalm 58, Psalm 59, Psalm 69, Psalm 109, Psalm 137, Psalm 139, and a whole lot others that are there in the Bible.
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Now, remember that an imprecation is a curse. It is a denunciation that conveys a desire or a wish for evil or for someone to have a malediction placed upon them. So you're praying then against some individual or you're praying against some activity and it is an anathema. It is an execration. It is calling down and asking God to curse that individual, to destroy that individual, or to destroy that activity.
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Now, let me just show you some of these in the New Testament to begin with. We're going to come back to Psalm 104. But if you would turn in your Bibles to 1 Corinthians, chapter 16, and look, if you would please, at verse 22. 1 Corinthians, chapter 16 and verse 22. I want you to know what the Apostle Paul prays. 1 Corinthians, chapter 16 and verse 22.
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He says this, "If any man love not the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be anathema maranatha." Now look closely at that. "If any man love not the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be anathema maranatha."
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Now, the interesting thing is the word "anathema" is literally a Greek word. And you're going to see how it's translated in just a moment in another portion of the Bible. But the word "anathema" literally means to be cursed. It means to be doomed. It means to be damned. It means to be set aside for certain and sure destruction. Now, watch this. In 1 Corinthians 16 and verse 22, he says, "If any man love not the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be doomed, damned, cursed, set aside and marked out for certain and sure destruction." But notice, if you would please, it's "maranatha." And the word "maranatha" just simply refers to the Lord's coming.
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So here's what Paul is saying. "If any man love not the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be doomed, damned, cursed, marked for certain destruction at the coming of our Lord." Now, if you will turn in your Bibles to the book of Galatians chapter 1, you're going to see how Paul uses the same word again. Galatians chapter 1 and look at verses 8 and 9. Galatians 1 verse 8. Paul writes this, "But though we or an angel from heaven preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed." Now note, "let him be accursed." Verse 9, Galatians 1 verse 9, "As we have said before, so say I now again, if any man preach any other gospel unto you than that you have received, let him be accursed." Now the word "accursed" in verse 8 and the word "accursed" in verse 9 is the word "anathema," the same word that is used in 1 Corinthians 16, verse 22, when he said, "If any man love not the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be anathema maranatha."
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Now he says, "If anyone, even an angel from heaven, preaches any other gospel than the gospel of the grace of God through Jesus Christ, let him be doomed. Let him be damned. Let him be set aside for certain and sure and absolute destruction."
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Now, let's ask a question. We have just seen two passages where Paul prays for the man who does not love the Lord Jesus Christ to be doomed, damned, cursed, set aside, marked for certain destruction. And we've also seen now where he prays that if anyone, even an angel, preaches any other gospel than the gospel of Jesus Christ, he too is to be doomed, marked, set aside for certain destruction. Now, you have to ask this question. Was Paul uncharitable and unchristian when he prayed that God would doom and damn everyone who does not love the Lord Jesus Christ and who would pervert the gospel of the grace of God? So was Paul unchristian and uncharitable? The answer is no. Why?
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Because Paul's prayer was just simply reflecting the teaching of Scripture on the subject. If you would look in your Bibles, 2 Thessalonians chapter 1, 2 Thessalonians chapter 1, let me show you what is stated very clearly is going to happen when our Lord returns. 2 Thessalonians chapter 1, verse 7. We're talking about imprecatory praying and to pray an imprecatory prayer is to call down a curse, a malediction, an anathema upon someone. Paul has just prayed, if anyone love not the Lord Jesus Christ, or if anyone perverts the gospel, let him be accursed. Notice what Paul says, 2 Thessalonians 1 verse 7, "And to you who are troubled, rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with His mighty angels in flaming fire, taking vengeance on them that know not God and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power,
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when He shall come to be glorified in His saints and to be admired in all them that believe, because our testimony among you was believed in that day." Certainly, what Paul prayed in 1 Corinthians 16 and verse 22, and what he prayed in Galatians 1 verses 8 and 9 was certainly right in line with what is going to happen when our Lord comes. You've got to understand that men like to forget one simple truth.
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And that is that the word of God contains sanctions. It contains positive sanctions and negative sanctions as well. When I use the word "sanction," you understand it is another word for either a blessing or a cursing. So when the Bible has positive sanctions, it refers to blessings. When we say the Bible has negative sanctions, it refers to curses. There are curses as well as blessings. All you have to do is read Deuteronomy chapter 28, or Leviticus 26, and you will find all of the curses that are contained right there of those who violate God's law. You must understand there are basically only two kinds of people in the world.
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Covenant keepers and covenant breakers. The covenant keepers receive positive sanctions, that is, they receive blessings. Covenant breakers receive negative sanctions, that is, they receive curses. Let me show you how this is taught throughout Scripture. Turn in your Bibles, if you would please, to Psalm 1, a very beautiful psalm, very simple psalm, and one that is very plain. Notice, if you would, Psalm 1, David is going to describe the godly man, and then he's going to draw a contrast with the ungodly man. And I want you to note, on the godly man, he pronounces positive sanctions. On the ungodly man, he pronounces negative sanctions. So here it is, Psalm 1. David writes, "Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful."
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Let me just stop there just for a moment. I want to break this down so you can really understand what David is saying. I want to just give you an alliteration. David said, "Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly." Let's use the word "advice." So he says, "Blessed is the man that walks not in the advice of the ungodly." That is, he doesn't listen to the advice, to the wisdom, to the counsel of the ungodly, because he understands it's totally contrary against the Word of God. Now, what in the world will happen when a man does listen to the advice of the ungodly? Watch it. He says, "Blessed is the man that walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners." If you listen to the advice of the ungodly, the next thing you know you're going to be associating with the ungodly.
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You've heard the old adage, "Birds of a feather flock together." Watch this. He says, "Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful." That's agreement. So what started out as advice went to association and ends up in agreement. Now watch what David said. David says, "I'm describing the blessed man. I'm describing the godly man. I'm describing the man that receives positive sanctions." So he says, "Here's the man that does not walk in the counsel of the ungodly. He does not stand in the way of sinners. He does not sit in the seat of the scornful." Watch verse 2.
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"But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in his law does he meditate day and night." Here's the positive sanction. "And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water that bringeth forth his fruit in his season. His leaf also shall not wither, and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper." Ah, now here's the negative sanction upon the ungodly man. He says, "The ungodly are not so, but are like the chaff which the wind driveth away. Therefore, the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous. For the Lord knoweth the way of the righteous, but the way of the ungodly shall perish."
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Now, David, the warrior king, wrote Psalm 1. David was a man of the covenant, and he believed and approached civil polity and spiritual worship with a firm understanding of positive and negative sanctions. And so in Psalm 1, then, David extols the righteous man. He extols the godly man who meditates in God's law, who obeys God's law, and God says through David, that godly man is like a tree planted by the rivers of water. That is, he gets plenty of nourishment, plenty of nutrients, plenty of water.
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Therefore, he said, he bringeth forth fruit in his season. His leaf doth not wither. Whatever he does prospers. But then he gives the strong contrast: "But the ungodly are not so. The ungodly are like the chaff driven with the wind, absolutely worthless, dry stubble. And he says they'll not be able to stand in the day of judgment. Therefore, they shall perish from the earth."
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Now, this covenantal understanding that David had is absolutely necessary for us today. If you and I are going to comprehend, embrace, and emulate David's imprecatory war psalms and recapture our lawless society, there are grounds in the Bible for using imprecatory prayers and the Bible makes those prayers exceedingly clear. If you would turn in your Bibles to Psalm 112, let me just give you another illustration of a positive sanction and a negative sanction. Just to show you, Psalm 112, only ten verses. The first nine verses are positive sanctions. That is, they're blessings. The last verse is a negative sanction. It is a curse. So look in Psalm 112. David says, "Praise ye the Lord. Blessed is the man that feareth the Lord, that delighteth greatly in his commandments," the same man he described in Psalm 1.
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"His seed shall be mighty upon the earth. The generation of the upright shall be blessed. Wealth and riches shall be in his house, and his righteousness endureth forever. Unto the upright there riseth light in the darkness. He is gracious, full of compassion, and righteous. A good man showeth favor and lendeth. He will guide his affairs with discretion. Surely he shall not be moved forever. The righteous shall be in everlasting remembrance. He," that is the righteous man, "shall not be afraid of evil tidings."
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"His heart is fixed, trusting in the Lord. His heart is established. He shall not be afraid until," look now, "until he see his desire upon his enemies. He, the righteous man, hath dispersed. He hath given to the poor, his righteousness endureth forever, his horn shall be exalted with honor." Now watch the contrast. "The wicked shall see it and be grieved. He shall gnash with his teeth and melt away. The desire of the wicked shall perish." Here's a clear picture.
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Those who obey God, those who are covenant keepers, will have positive sanctions. The covenant breakers are going to have negative sanctions.
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Now, let me tell you the background of Psalm 104 before we begin really expounding some of this. In Psalm 104, our text, verse 35, David prayed thusly. He said, "Let the sinners be consumed out of the earth and let the wicked be no more. Bless thou the Lord, O my soul. Praise ye the Lord." Now, when you get home tonight, if you will take time to read Psalm 104, you will find that David in this psalm is praising God for His creation, for His providence, and for His redemption. In Psalm 104, David sees the beauty of God's creation, and at the same time, he sees that which is polluting, perverting, and destroying the beauty, harmony, and glory of that creation. And what he sees is sin. And he understands that sin is wreaking havoc everywhere in God's earth. Let me tell you something about sin. Sin is not some abstraction floating around somewhere in the universe. Sin is in man. It is sinners that sin.
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Have you ever thought about this? If there were no sinners, there would not be any sin. Sin is not just some nebulous, abstract thing out there. No. Sin is in man. Man is the sinner. When David realizes what is really messing up God's creation, what is really dishonoring God and vilifying God, David then prays, "Let the sinners be consumed out of the earth and let the wicked be no more."
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"Bless thou the Lord, O my soul. Yes, praise ye the Lord." Now, some will read that and say, "Oh, how horrible. How cold, how uncharitable, how uncompassionate." Because very obviously, David is condemning someone to hell when he says, "Let the sinners be consumed out of the earth and let the wicked be no more." Well, if you're going to raise that objection, let me ask you a question.
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Don't answer it out loud, but answer it in your mind. Is every single individual that has lived, is living, and shall ever live—will every single individual be saved? The answer is no, unless you're a universalist. In fact, the Bible teaches very clearly that there are a great many people that are lost. Many have died unconverted in the past. Many are dying unconverted today, and many will die unconverted in the future.
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Even our Lord Himself in Matthew 25 and verse 46 said, "And these shall go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into life eternal." Our Lord said there's going to be a division. Some are going to everlasting punishment. Some are going to life eternal. And it was our Lord Himself who in Matthew 7 verses 13 and 14 said this, "Enter ye at the strait gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the way that leadeth to destruction and many there be that go in thereat. Because strait is the gate and narrow is the way which leadeth unto life and few there be that find it." So what is our Lord teaching? Obviously, he's teaching that not everyone is saved and not everyone is going to be saved.
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So what about these people? Did we pray against if we pray like David, "Let the sinners be consumed out of the earth and let the wicked be no more"? Let me give you two quotes before I show you some scriptures. Martin Luther, the reformer, said this: "We should pray that our enemies be converted and become our friends. And if not, that their doing and designing be bound to fail and have no success and that their persons perish rather than the gospel and the kingdom of Christ."
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Now, let me ask you a question, folks, let's be honest. Could you rather see perish the kingdom of Christ or the humanistic, wicked, satanic kingdom of man? Who do you rather see perish, the wicked or the righteous? It was the Puritan David Dickson who said this: "If any of the enemies of God's people belong to God's election, the church's prayer against them giveth way to their conversion and seeketh no more than that the judgment should follow them only until they acknowledge their sin and turn and seek God." So the Puritan pastor David Dickson said, look, if you're praying against a sinner who's attacking God and God's people and trying to pervert and destroy his kingdom, and that man happens to be one of God's elect, well, that curse is only going to follow him until God gives him repentance and God gives him faith and he turns from his sin. So.
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Let me tell you this, and then I'll show it to you from Scripture. When you pray these imprecatory prayers like David did, "Let the sinners be consumed out of the earth and let the wicked be no more," I can assure you that based upon the scripture, not one for whom our Lord died will perish. How can I say that? Well, look in your Bibles to Isaiah 53. I want you to note very closely with me what the scripture says in this passage. Everyone knows Isaiah 53 speaks of our Lord, the Messiah, and it is a wonderful, wonderful passage.
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In fact, let's begin reading with verse 10. This is a tremendous verse in and of itself. "Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise him. He has put him to grief when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin." Watch carefully. "He shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in his hands." Verse 11, "He shall see the travail of his soul and shall be satisfied."
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"By his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many, for he shall bear their iniquities." Now, let's go back to verse 10. Look at what the Bible says now. "Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise him." That is, it pleased the Father to bruise the Son. "He," the Father, "hath put him," Christ, "to grief, when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin." Look what the Bible says.
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"He shall see his seed." Not maybe. Not hopefully. "He shall see his seed." Look in verse 11. "He shall see the travail of his soul and be satisfied." Do you realize everyone for whom our Lord died shall be saved? Our Lord shall see his seed. He shall see the travail of his soul and he shall be satisfied. Not one for whom our Lord died is going to be lost. Look in your Bibles, if you would, to John 17. Most of you know that John 17 is the high priestly prayer of our Lord.
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And I want you to note what he said in verses 11 and 12. First, John 17. Look, if you would please, at verse 11. Our Lord, in praying to his Father, says this, "And now I am no more in the world, but these are in the world. And I come to thee, Holy Father, keep through thine own name those whom thou hast given me, that they may be one as we are. While I was with them in the world, I kept them in thy name. Those that thou gavest me, I have kept, and none of them is lost."
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"But the son of perdition, that the scripture might be fulfilled." And Judas was never his to begin with. Judas worked with him. Jesus knew Judas, but Judas was never his in a covenantal relationship. In fact, it's an interesting thing. There are two Greek words for friend. One of them is the word "philos," which literally refers to a loved one, a dear, an intimate friend. And the other word just refers to an acquaintance, someone that you might know with whom you work. And you remember when Judas came to betray our Lord with a kiss. Our Lord did not use the word "philos." He used the other word, "hetairos," friend, acquaintance. "Betrayest thou the Son of man with a kiss?" What was he saying? "You're not mine. You're not my friend. You never have been." But notice what the Scripture says. "Those that thou have given me, I have lost" how many? None. He's never lost one of his. He will never lose one of his. You remember that passage in John chapter 10?
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He said that we are in his hand and he is in the Father's hand. And he said, "No man can pluck them out of my Father's hand." I never will forget, many years ago, I was driving home late at night coming through Atlanta, Georgia. And I was trying to do anything to stay awake. It was probably midnight or after, and I still had three hours to drive.
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I turned the radio on, and here is this old black preacher preaching, and he happened to be preaching on John 10. And he read that passage. He said, "You know that we're in Christ's hand, and he is in the Father's hand. And he said, 'No man can pluck you out of my Father's hand.'" I never will forget what that old black preacher said. He said, "Now let me get this straight, Sharon." He said, "If you belong to Christ, you in his hand, and he is in the Father's hand. And that means this. It means God the Father won't pluck you out of his hand. God the Son won't pluck you out of his hand. God the Spirit won't pluck you out of his hand."
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And then he paused and he said, "And come to think of it, them's the only three that can do any plucking anyhow." And that's the fact. That's the fact. But I want you to note what our Lord prayed also in John 17. Skip down to verse 24. John 17, verse 24. Watch this prayer now. Our Lord says, "Father, I will that they also whom thou hast given me be with me where I am, that they may behold my glory, which thou hast given me, for thou lovest me before the foundation of the world." What did our Lord just pray? "I will, that those whom thou hast given me be with me where I am, that they may behold my glory." Do you think God the Father is going to deny the request of God the Son? Do you think God the Son can pray a prayer and that prayer not be answered? Well, if you think that, you have no understanding of the eternal covenant.
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Look in your Bibles, Hebrews chapter 13. Hebrews chapter 13 and notice if you would please verses 20 and 21. Hebrews 13 verses 20 and 21. Look what the Bible says. Hebrews 13 verse 20. The apostle says.
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"Now, the God of peace that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great shepherd of the sheep through the blood of the everlasting covenant, make you perfect in every good work to do His will, working in you that which is well-pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen." Now, note if you would, verse 20, "Now the God of peace that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant." If an everlasting covenant exists, that means it had no beginning and it has no ending. What is the everlasting covenant? Before the world was ever framed, before a star was ever slung into space, there was a covenant entered into between God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Ghost. God the Father gave to God the Son a people. God the Son undertook to be our substitute and our sacrifice and to die for us. And God the Spirit then agreed covenantally to convict and convert those whom the Son died for and the Father gave to the Son.
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That's referred to as the eternal covenant. Now, let me just show you again the utter impossibility of one of our Lord's own being lost. Look in your Bibles to the book of Ephesians, chapter 2. I want you to see the absurdity of that thought. Look in Ephesians, chapter 2. Galatians, Ephesians, look in Ephesians, chapter 2. Each of us know that the scripture says that we have been buried with Christ. We died with Christ. We're buried with Christ. But the Bible also teaches we have been raised from the dead in Christ. Look in Ephesians 2, beginning there with verse 5. The Bible says, "Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, by grace are you saved, and hath raised us up together and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus, that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace and His kindness toward us through Christ Jesus." Now, note the Bible says in verse 6, "that He hath raised us up together and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus."
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What does that mean? That means that we have been raised with Christ. We're seated with Christ. Where is Christ now? He's seated at the right hand of God the Father in heavenly places. That means we have been raised with Him. We're seated with Him. You've got to remember something, folks. The Bible teaches that He is our head. We are His body. Is it possible for the head to be in heaven and the body be lost? No. No. We're going to be where Christ is going to be.
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And let me just clear up this one other little thought. Imprecatory praying really does not doom or damn anyone to hell that is not already doomed or damned to hell. Do you understand that every man by nature is lost? He is already condemned. He's already sentenced to death. Do you know what our Lord said in John 3 and verse 36? Listen to this. Our Lord said, "He that believeth on the Son has everlasting life. He that believeth not on the Son of God shall not see life, but the wrath of God abideth on him." Every man outside of Christ is already lost, already condemned, and the wrath of God abides on him. Therefore, when David prayed in Psalm 104, verse 35, "Let the wicked be consumed out of the earth,
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let sinners be no more," he was not praying anything that was unchristian or unbiblical. No, imprecatory prayers are not contrary to the gospel. They are not unbiblical. They are not unchristian. In fact, I'm going to show you in the Bible how this is plainly taught by our Lord Himself. Turn, if you would, to Matthew chapter 13. Look in Matthew 13. And I want you to look closely at verse 41, then we're going to back up. Because I'm going to emphasize this verse just momentarily, look at Matthew 13 and verse 41.
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Many of you will remember this as the parable of the tares. And I'm not going to read the entire parable, but I'm going to give you our Lord's interpretation of that parable, then verse 41, he says, "The Son of man shall send forth his angels and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend and them which do iniquity." You remember the parable. The servants came in and said, "Master, did you not sow good seed in your field, whence then cometh these tares?"
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"Shall we go out and root them up?" "No, no." He said, "Don't do that, lest you root up wheat with it. Let them both grow together until the harvest." Then he said, "You gather the tares together and bundle them to burn them. And then you get the wheat into my barn."
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Now, here is our Lord's interpretation. Let's begin reading with verse 36. Look, if you would, Matthew 13, verse 36. "Then Jesus sent the multitude away and went into the house. And his disciples came unto him, saying, 'Declare unto us the parable of the tares of the field.' And he answered and said unto them, 'He that soweth the good seed is the Son of man, the field is the world. The good seed are the children of the kingdom, but the tares are the children of the wicked one.'" That is, they're the wicked, they're the evil, they're the ungodly.
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"The enemy that sowed them is the devil." Now, look. "The harvest is the end of the world, and the reapers are the angels. As therefore the tares are gathered and burned in the fire, so shall it be at the end of the world."
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Now watch, "The Son of Man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity, and shall cast them into a furnace of fire, and there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth. Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Who hath ears to hear, let him hear."
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Now let me ask you a question. Based upon our Lord's teaching, our Lord's interpretation of His own parable, when will the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father? Well, look what He said. Verse 41, "The Son of Man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend," that sinners, that sin, that's wickedness, "and them which do iniquity, and they shall cast them into a furnace of fire."
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"There shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth." Here is then, then, then, when the wicked are consumed, then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. So when David prayed, "Let the sinners be consumed out of the earth and let the wicked be no more," it is no different than his prayer request in Psalm 7 and verse 9 when he prayed, "O let the wickedness of the wicked come to an end, but establish thou the just." Do you know what he was praying for in Psalm 104 and verse 35? Do you know what he was praying for in Psalm 7 and verse 9? He was praying for the fullness of the kingdom of Jesus Christ. Each one of these prayers is a prayer for the fulfillment of the kingdom of Christ. That's why he said, "Let the wicked be no more and that sinners be consumed." He said, "I want the fullness of the kingdom of my Father."
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Now, I want you to turn since you're in Matthew to Matthew chapter 5, because inevitably someone is going to come up with this. Look in Matthew 5. And let's read verses 44 and 45. You're going to say, "Now, wait a minute, Brother Weaver, you're talking about imprecatory praying. And you're talking about praying down a curse upon the wicked and upon the ungodly. And you're talking about praying for their destruction."
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And yet we know Paul did so, we know our Lord taught it, we know David prayed that way. But you say, "Now wait a minute, there's a passage in the Bible that puzzles me. How do you explain Matthew 5, 44 and 45 in light of imprecatory prayers?" Well, look in verse 44. Our Lord said, "But I say unto you, love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you."
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"And pray for them which despitefully use you and persecute you, that you may be the children of your Father who is in heaven, for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust." Now, you say, "Wow, look at verse 44. Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, pray for them which despitefully use you and persecute you."
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Now, how in the world can you explain imprecatory praying with this passage? Well, let me remind you of something. First of all, there is absolutely no contradiction between the law of God and grace. You find grace in the Old Testament—Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord. You find law in the New Testament—"Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right."
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"Honor thy father and thy mother." That's a law. If you would look very quickly, whole Matthew 5, but look very quickly in Romans chapter 3, I want you to see what the Apostle Paul says. He is indeed the preeminent expounder of justification by faith alone. Notice, if you would, what he says as he's talking about faith in Romans chapter 3. And notice, if you would please, verse
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31, I believe it is, yes. Romans 3, verse 31. Look what he says. "Do we then make void the law through faith? God forbid. Yea, we establish the law." So mark her down, folks, there is no contradiction between law and grace. I'll explain this further tomorrow night. So what I'm trying to tell you is there is no tension between imprecatory praying and what our Lord taught in Matthew chapter 5.
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Well, how do I reconcile those two things? I like what Spurgeon answered a lady one time. She said, "How do you reconcile the sovereignty of God and the responsibility of man?" Spurgeon said, "I don't. They're not enemies. They don't need reconciling. They're twin truths." Well, grace and law do not need reconciling. How do we understand Matthew chapter 5 verses 44 and 45 in light of imprecatory prayer? Well, first of all, if you look at Matthew chapter 5 verses 17 through 19, I want to make something exceedingly clear that in Matthew chapter 5, what our Lord is doing is establishing the law of God. He's establishing it. He's not nullifying it. He's not abrogating it. He's not doing away with it. Look in Matthew 5, beginning there, verse 17. Our Lord says this. "Think not that I'm come to destroy the law of the prophets. I'm not come to destroy, but to fulfill."
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In fact, let me tell you this. When our Lord says, "Think not," here's the impact of that statement. Don't even let it enter into your mind. Don't even let a thought pass through your mind. Don't even begin to think that I'm coming to destroy the law of the prophets. I'm not coming to destroy but to fulfill. Watch verse 18. "For verily I say unto you, till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law till all be fulfilled. Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven. But whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven." So very obviously our Lord is not abrogating the law.
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He is not doing away with it. That is right in line of Matthew chapter 5. That's right where we have Matthew 5 verses 44 and 45. You have to understand the impetus of Matthew 5. What is our Lord doing in Matthew chapter 5? He is correcting the misinterpretation and the misapplication of the law of God as it was perverted by the Pharisees. For instance, let me just try to give you an illustration.
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Here we have it in, look if you would, in verse 21. He said, "You have heard that it was said by them of old time," verse 22, "but I say unto you." Verse 27, "You've heard that it was said by them of old time," verse 28, "but I say unto you." Look in verse 31, "It hath been said," verse 32, "but I say unto you." Verse 33, "Again you've heard that it hath been said by them of old time," verse 34, "but I say unto you." Skip down if you would please, verse 38, "You've heard that it hath been said," verse 39, "but I say unto you." Isn't that interesting? Verse 43, "You have heard that it hath been said, 'Thou shalt love thy neighbor and hate thine enemy.' But I say unto you."
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What is our Lord doing? He's saying here is how God's law has been perverted, misinterpreted, and misapplied by the Pharisees. Here's what they teach. They're teaching heresy. They're teaching wickedness. They're teaching wrongly. Here is what I say. This is what God's law really teaches.
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Now I want you to look at it. He said in verse 43, "You have heard that it hath been said, 'Thou shalt love thy neighbor and' what? 'Hate thine enemy.'" So the Pharisees basically taught that it was all right to hate your enemies. Wow. They were saying if your enemy cussed you, cuss him back. If your enemy stole from you, steal back from him. Our Lord says, "No, no, no, no."
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"Let me tell you what you do. You love your enemies. Bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, pray for them which despitefully use you and persecute you."
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Now, let me ask a question. How do you love your enemy? I want you to think about this. Is our Lord demanding a gushy, sentimental, emotional, humanistic feeling? The answer is no. A thousand times no. How do we love our enemies? How do we do good toward those who hate us? Well, we may know how to pray for them, but most of us really do not know how to love them and how to do good to those who hate us. How do we love our enemies? Let me answer that for you. I want you to turn to two passages. I want you to turn, first of all, to Romans 13. And then 1 John, chapter 5. I want you to see this. Look, if you would, Romans chapter 13. And then we're going to 1 John, chapter 5. Go ahead and find both passages, if you would. We'll read Romans 13, verse 10 first. Look what God says. Romans 13, verse 10. "Love worketh no ill to his neighbor. Therefore, love is the fulfilling of the law."
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What is love? It's not sentimentalism. It's not feelings. It's not gushiness. It's not emotions. Love is the fulfilling of the law.
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Now look in your Bibles to 1 John chapter 5 and verse 3. Here it is exceedingly plainly stated. 1 John 5. In fact, let's read verse 2. 1 John 5 verse 2. "By this we know that we love the children of God when we love God and keep His commandments." Now watch verse 3. "For this is the love of God that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not grievous." Now, what is the love of God? Is it feeling? No. Is it gushiness? No. Is it sentimental? No. What is love? It's obedience.
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To illustrate it, let me show you. Let's suppose after service, I walked over to Brother Bill. I put my arms around him and I started crying, weeping on his shoulder. And I said, "Oh, Brother Bill, I love you. I love you. I love you. I appreciate you so much." And everybody looks around and says, "Oh, look how Brother Weaver loves Brother Bill. Isn't that wonderful?" But what you don't see is while I'm crying on his shoulder, telling him how much I love him, I've got my hand in his pocket stealing a hundred dollar bill from him. Now, according to God's law, do I love him? No, because love is the fulfilling of the law.
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What did our Lord say? Very plain. "For this is the love of God that we keep his commandments."
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Now, let me show you something else. Let's suppose I never get sentimental. I never get teary eyed. I never hug his neck. Let's suppose I never, ever say to him, "I love you." But I always treat him biblically. Always treat him according to God's law. Always honor him, honor his family. Treat him the way God tells me to treat him. Do I love him? Yes. For love is the fulfilling of the law. So when our Lord says, "Love your enemies," how do I love them? By acting biblically toward them.
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I do not render evil for evil. I don't render hatred for hatred. I obey God's law and do that which is right toward them, even though they do that which is wrong toward me. Look in your Bibles to Romans chapter 12. Here it is spelled out. Romans 12. And let's begin reading there with verse 17, Romans 12, verse 17. Look what God says. "Recompense no man evil for evil." You know what the word "recompense" means? Payback. So God is saying, "Do not pay back to any man evil for evil."
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"Provide things honest in the sight of all men, if it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men." Now, there's some men you can't live peaceably with, and the Lord knows that. That's why He said, "If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men."
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Now, look what He says, "Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath. For it is written, 'Vengeance is mine, I will repay,' saith the Lord. Therefore, if thine enemy hunger, feed him. If he thirst, give him drink. For in doing so, thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head. Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good."
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Now, what is God telling us here? He says, first of all, you don't pay back evil for evil. What's that mean? That means if Kevin stands up and cusses me out in front of everybody, I don't cuss him back. I control my spirit and I still act biblically and I still act right. Doesn't matter what he does. I have a responsibility to obey God. So he says, you don't do this now, he said, don't be eaten up with vengeance, avenge not yourself, but rather give place to wrath. In other words, let God work him over.
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Let me ask you, if you've got someone really doing you wrong, who can clean his plow quicker and better, you or God? Well, the answer is God. So God said, if you want me to take over, you step back and don't try to avenge yourself. If you try to avenge yourself, God said, I'm not going to interfere. God's just. He's not going to execute vengeance twice. No. God said, you better understand something. Vengeance is mine.
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I will repay, saith the Lord. Therefore, he said, here's the application. If your enemy hunger, feed him. If he thirsts, give him water. What does God say? God is not telling us that we're to fawn over our enemy, that we're to spend lavish amounts of money upon him, that we praise his wickedness. He's not telling us that we have to invite him into our house for a meal and act hunky-dory and act like everything is fine. No, what God is saying is this, you do right toward him regardless of how he acts towards you. You obey my law. You obey my word. If he's hungry and all I've got is peas, he can eat peas too. If he's thirsty, I don't have to buy him a milkshake. I'll give him water. Why is God asking me to do that?
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To show that I'm not eaten up with bitterness and revenge in my own life. I'm not overcome with evil. I'm willing to do what is right and what is biblical and what is godly. And notice what the Bible says in verse 20. "Therefore, if thine enemy hunger, feed him. If he thirst, give him drink. For in so doing, thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head."
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You know, if you really want to mess with your enemy's mind, when he's really cussing you out and really acting ugly towards you, just kind of smile. And turn around, graciously walk away. That guy didn't cuss me back. No, I didn't cuss him back. And God said, "In so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire upon his head." I like the story. And by the way, this phrase, "in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire upon his head," he's talking about returning good for evil. In other words, it messes with his mind. It just tears him up. He can't understand it.
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I heard about one pastor who was counseling a woman and she came in and oh, she was belittling her husband, she was just saying all kind of things about him, what he didn't do, what he did do and all this kind of stuff.
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Finally, the pastor kind of smiled and folded his arms and said, "Well, have you tried heaping coals of fire upon his head?" You know, rendering good for evil. She said, "No, but I've tried hot water and that don't work either." Well, that's not what God had in mind, using hot water. He's just saying, you render good for evil. Our lives are based upon the Word of God.
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How do I love my enemy? By acting biblically toward him. How do I do good to him? By acting biblically toward him. How do I pray for him? I can pray for God to either convert him or remove him. You know, it's up to God. But there is no contradiction between our Lord's command in Matthew 5:44 and all of these imprecatory prayers. You've got to remember, we are given these imprecatory prayers under divine inspiration. Do you remember what the Apostle Paul wrote in 2 Timothy 3, verses 16 and 17? Now listen, all Scripture, including the imprecatory prayers, all Scripture is given by inspiration, that is God-breathed. All Scripture is given by divine inspiration and is profitable for doctrine, for correction, for reproof, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto every good work. Hmm. Yeah. We are to have doctrine, we're to have correction, we're to have instruction, we're to have reproof even from the imprecatory prayers. Why did God give these imprecatory prayers?
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Why are they divinely revealed in his word? Well, I believe one answer is that we may learn to use them to establish true and biblical justice. I don't have to tell you folks that there are so many injustices in our day and age. I know there have always been injustices because men are depraved. Men are sinners. But it seems the more we allow such, the more open and the more wicked and the more vile and the more unjust our enemies become.
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How in the world can we rectify these things? I was in a church in Mississippi. This was a number of years ago. The pastor was being arrested. Why was he being arrested? For having a children's home without a state license. The pastor had about 10 or 12 kids of his own. And he took in about 20 other kids that the state didn't want and no one else would take. And when he refused to take a license because it was a ministry of the church, they came out to arrest him. I saw the pastor standing there with his hands handcuffed behind his back. And when his little daughter, about four or five years old, realizing they were about to take her daddy away, she ran screaming and crying to him to hug him one last time. And the pastor did like this to bend down so his daughter could hug his neck.
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And as he did so, he brushed against an officer. And then he was charged with assaulting an officer as well. What are we going to do? I want you to stop and think about this. All of these injustices, how can we rectify them? We are so weak and powerless and impotent in and of ourselves. There's no way in the world that you and I as individuals can overturn court decisions. We can't overturn legal precedents. We can't overturn executive orders on our own. I wish I could, but I can't. We may be unable to do that on our own, but dear friend, let me tell you something.
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The Bible teaches there is indeed a judge in all the earth. And Abram said to God in Genesis 18 and verse 25, "Shall not the judge of all the earth do right?" And he recognized God as the judge of all the earth. And you know what this imprecatory praying is doing? It is when the saints, when God's children bring a covenantal lawsuit against the wicked who are violating God's law, who are trampling the church under their feet, who are despising the saints of God and despising that which is right and holy, we bring a covenantal lawsuit to our Heavenly Father and we say,
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"O Lord, we plead with Thee, we beg of Thee to intervene." You've got to remember. This Psalm 89 and verse 14 tells us that justice and judgment are the habitation of His throne. We're told that one of the reasons that the Lord Jesus Christ came in Jeremiah 23 and verse 5, the Bible says this, "Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will raise up unto David a righteous branch and a king shall reign and prosper and shall execute judgment and justice in the earth." Why did our Lord come? Oh yes, to save His people, but more than that, to execute justice and judgment in the earth. You remember that passage in Isaiah 42 and verse 3? Thinking about Christ when it says, "A bruised reed shall he not break,
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and the smoking flax shall he not quench? He shall bring forth judgment unto truth." And that passage is applied to Christ in Matthew 12 and verse 20. And in both of those passages, the word refers to justice. In other words, God is telling us that we have a biblical right to cry out for justice.
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Now, I want you to turn to one last passage. I want you to look at Isaiah 59. I want you to see how God condemned Israel for failing to cry for justice. Look in Isaiah 59 and notice verse 4. Isaiah 59, verse 4. Here's what God says. God is condemning them. He says, "None calleth for justice, nor any pleadeth for truth. They trust in vanity and speak lies.
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They conceive mischief and bring forth iniquity." Look, "None calleth for justice, nor any pleadeth for the truth." The people of God, the saints of God, have a biblical mandate. We have a biblical right to ask God, the Judge of all the earth, to send forth justice and bring forth His righteousness in time and in history. Let me make just a couple of applications. The first one is this. It's time we learn to pray these imprecatory prayers.
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And I'm going to tell you, when you get to reading like Psalm 58, Psalm 59, some of these things you and I would think, boy, these are rough. They're not rough. They're biblical. But you've got to understand, if you and I want victory in time and history, we must understand that we are God's people. We are the sheep of His pasture. And when you and I are injured or harmed or treated unjustly, our Heavenly Father is not only concerned, He's involved. There's not a father in this room tonight, not a father in this room, that if I went to your child and began to beat him viciously, you would intervene. You would say, "You're not going to do my child like that." And do you realize our heavenly father is not going to allow his people to be beaten up by the wicked?
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He said, "He that touches you touches the apple of my eye." The second application is this, if you and I wish to be blessed, and if we wish to have standing with God to prosecute a covenantal lawsuit, we must be obedient and we must be godly ourselves. There is that which is known not only in the Bible, but in our law known as the doctrine of clean hands. The doctrine of clean hands just simply refers to this. It means that we must be innocent of the charges that we're pressing against others. Under the clean hands doctrine, a person who has acted wrongly, either morally or legally, that is, one who has unclean hands, he will not be helped by a court when complaining about the actions of someone else who's doing the same thing.
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Now, if this is true in the lower courts in our land, and it is, how much truer is it in the divine court of our Heavenly Father? If we're going to prosecute a covenantal lawsuit, we must have clean hands. We cannot be guilty of the same crimes and the same sins that we're crying to him and asking him to rectify and avenge. Let me give you an example.
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You remember, there's a wicked woman by the name of Jezebel and her wicked King husband Ahab wanted Naboth's vineyard. And Naboth said, "God forbid it me. I can't sell it. This is not just my inheritance. This is God's land. I can't sell it. I can't trade it. God forbids me." And Ahab went and turned his face to the wall and cried like a little baby. Jezebel said, "Are you king in Israel?
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I'll get it for you." And she sent a letter to the elders in Naboth's village and said, "You proclaim a feast and you set Naboth on high. And then you get sons of Belial to come in and you say, 'We have heard Naboth blaspheme God and the king.' And then take him out and stone him to death." Well, if you blaspheme God, you deserve to die. If you blaspheme the king, you deserve to have your property confiscated. By the way, Jezebel not only murdered Naboth, she murdered his sons as well. Jezebel was bringing a lawsuit against Naboth and his sons who were totally and completely innocent and she was guilty of the very things she was trying to have Naboth put to death for.
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If you and I want God to hear our prayers, if you and I want God to send justice, if you and I want God to deal with the wicked, we must have clean hands. We must be as biblical, as godly, and as obedient as we can. Because when you and I start praying that the wicked be wiped off the face of the earth and let sinners be no more, if we're wicked and we're sinners, that would include us. Imprecatory praying will make you really want to live holily and godly. Let's pray. Father, in the name of Jesus Christ tonight, we ask that You would teach us to pray. And Lord, teach us to pray these prayers. But Lord, not just teach us to pray, teach us to live godly. Teach us to live in a holy, righteous manner. And we pray, Father, You would indeed give us victory in time and in history. O God, we pray that Thou wouldst indeed teach us to pray, 'Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.'
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And Father, we just commit ourselves unto Thee and ask for Your blessings in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
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deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | clean_readable_transcript | 2026-06-06T05:01:59Z

The Imprecatory Prayer-1

John Weaver | Freedom Ministries

John Weaver introduces the topic of imprecatory praying, arguing that it is biblical and not contrary to New Testament teaching. He defines imprecation as invoking judgment or curses on God's enemies, showing examples from both Testaments. Weaver explains that such prayers align with God's justice and the covenantal sanctions of blessings and curses. He addresses objections by clarifying that imprecatory prayers do not contradict commands to love enemies, as love is defined by obedience to God's law. The lecture emphasizes that believers have a right to cry for justice and must live godly lives to have standing in such prayers.

Introduction to Imprecatory Praying

Weaver introduces the conference topic, noting it is misunderstood and neglected, and reads Psalm 104:35 as the key text.

The Shocking Prayer of Psalm 104:35

Weaver imagines a modern church member praying 'Let the sinners be consumed' and the likely negative reactions, contrasting it with David's godly character.

Contemporary Controversy over Imprecatory Prayers

Weaver cites recent cases of pastors praying for the death of public officials and the backlash, including a lawsuit, to illustrate the topic's relevance.

So let's ask a question. Is it unchristian or unbiblical to pray the imprecatory prayers that are given to us in the Bible under divine inspiration?

Biblical Definition and Scope of Imprecation

Imprecation is defined as invoking judgment or curses; Weaver notes its presence throughout Scripture, including the Psalms and Revelation.

New Testament Examples of Imprecatory Prayers

Paul's use of 'anathema' in 1 Corinthians 16:22 and Galatians 1:8-9 is examined, showing he prayed for the destruction of those who reject Christ or pervert the gospel.

Scripture Reading — 1 Corinthians 16:22

"If any man love not the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be anathema maranatha."

Now look closely at that.

Scripture Reading — 1 Corinthians 16:22

"If any man love not the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be anathema maranatha."

Covenantal Sanctions: Blessings and Curses

Weaver explains the biblical pattern of positive sanctions (blessings) for covenant keepers and negative sanctions (curses) for covenant breakers, using Psalm 1 and Psalm 112.

Those who obey God, those who are covenant keepers, will have positive sanctions. The covenant breakers are going to have negative sanctions.

The Background of Psalm 104:35

David's prayer arises from seeing sin marring God's creation; Weaver clarifies that sin is in sinners, and the prayer is for the removal of wickedness.

Theological Justification: The Security of the Elect

Weaver argues that imprecatory prayers do not endanger the elect, citing Isaiah 53, John 17, and the eternal covenant to show that all for whom Christ died will be saved.

Scripture Reading — Isaiah 53:10-11

"Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise him. He has put him to grief when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin."

Watch carefully.

Scripture Reading — Isaiah 53:10-11

"He shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in his hands."

Verse 11,

Scripture Reading — Isaiah 53:10-11

"He shall see the travail of his soul and shall be satisfied."

And I want you to note what he said in verses 11 and 12. First, John 17. Look, if you would please, at verse 11. Our Lord, in praying to his Father, says this,

Scripture Reading — John 17:11-12

"And now I am no more in the world, but these are in the world. And I come to thee, Holy Father, keep through thine own name those whom thou hast given me, that they may be one as we are. While I was with them in the world, I kept them in thy name. Those that thou gavest me, I have kept, and none of them is lost."

Scripture Reading — Hebrews 13:20-21

"Now, the God of peace that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great shepherd of the sheep through the blood of the everlasting covenant, make you perfect in every good work to do His will, working in you that which is well-pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen."

Now, note if you would, verse 20,

Scripture Reading — Hebrews 13:20-21

"Now the God of peace that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant."

Reconciling Imprecation with Love for Enemies

Weaver addresses Matthew 5:44 by defining love as obedience to God's law, not sentimentality, and explains that loving enemies means acting biblically toward them, not seeking personal vengeance.

Scripture Reading — Matthew 5:44-45

"But I say unto you, love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you." "And pray for them which despitefully use you and persecute you, that you may be the children of your Father who is in heaven, for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust."

Now, you say,

Scripture Reading — Matthew 5:44-45

"Wow, look at verse 44. Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, pray for them which despitefully use you and persecute you."

What is love? It's not sentimentalism. It's not feelings. It's not gushiness. It's not emotions. Love is the fulfilling of the law.

Now look in your Bibles to 1 John chapter 5 and verse 3. Here it is exceedingly plainly stated. 1 John 5. In fact, let's read verse 2. 1 John 5 verse 2.

Scripture Reading — 1 John 5:2-3

"By this we know that we love the children of God when we love God and keep His commandments."

Now watch verse 3.

Scripture Reading — 1 John 5:2-3

"For this is the love of God that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not grievous."

Now, what is the love of God? Is it feeling? No. Is it gushiness? No. Is it sentimental? No. What is love? It's obedience.

The Call to Pray for Justice and Live Godly

Believers are urged to pray imprecatory prayers as covenantal lawsuits for justice, but must have 'clean hands'—living obediently—to have standing before God.

Scripture Reading — Psalm 89:14

The Bible teaches there is indeed a judge in all the earth. And Abram said to God in Genesis 18 and verse 25, "Shall not the judge of all the earth do right?" And he recognized God as the judge of all the earth. And you know what this imprecatory praying is doing? It is when the saints, when God's children bring a covenantal lawsuit against the wicked who are violating God's law, who are trampling the church under their feet, who are despising the saints of God and despising that which is right and holy, we bring a covenantal lawsuit to our Heavenly Father and we say, "O Lord, we plead with Thee, we beg of Thee to intervene." You've got to remember. This Psalm 89 and verse 14 tells us that justice and judgment are the habitation of His throne. We're told that one of the reasons that the Lord Jesus Christ came in Jeremiah 23 and verse 5, the Bible says this, "Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will raise up unto David a righteous branch and a king shall reign and prosper and shall execute judgment and justice in the earth." Why did our Lord come? Oh yes, to save His people, but more than that, to execute justice and judgment in the earth. You remember that passage in Isaiah 42 and verse 3? Thinking about Christ when it says, "A bruised reed shall he not break,

The Imprecatory Prayer-1

John Weaver | SermonAudio

Lecture Metadata	Details
Speaker	John Weaver
Source	SermonAudio
Media ID	312114152131
Subject	Covenant Theology
Course	Covenant Theology: Blessings, Curses, and Sanctions: The Hallelujah of Confession
Genre	Sermon
Date	2010-03-29
Dictation Name
Book	Book 046: The Imprecatory Prayer — Chapter 1
Source Timed Segments	116

Lecture Guide

Outline

Introduction to Imprecatory Praying: Weaver introduces the conference topic, noting it is misunderstood and neglected, and reads Psalm 104:35 as the key text.
The Shocking Prayer of Psalm 104:35: Weaver imagines a modern church member praying 'Let the sinners be consumed' and the likely negative reactions, contrasting it with David's godly character.
Contemporary Controversy over Imprecatory Prayers: Weaver cites recent cases of pastors praying for the death of public officials and the backlash, including a lawsuit, to illustrate the topic's relevance.
Biblical Definition and Scope of Imprecation: Imprecation is defined as invoking judgment or curses; Weaver notes its presence throughout Scripture, including the Psalms and Revelation.
New Testament Examples of Imprecatory Prayers: Paul's use of 'anathema' in 1 Corinthians 16:22 and Galatians 1:8-9 is examined, showing he prayed for the destruction of those who reject Christ or pervert the gospel.
Covenantal Sanctions: Blessings and Curses: Weaver explains the biblical pattern of positive sanctions (blessings) for covenant keepers and negative sanctions (curses) for covenant breakers, using Psalm 1 and Psalm 112.
The Background of Psalm 104:35: David's prayer arises from seeing sin marring God's creation; Weaver clarifies that sin is in sinners, and the prayer is for the removal of wickedness.
Theological Justification: The Security of the Elect: Weaver argues that imprecatory prayers do not endanger the elect, citing Isaiah 53, John 17, and the eternal covenant to show that all for whom Christ died will be saved.
Reconciling Imprecation with Love for Enemies: Weaver addresses Matthew 5:44 by defining love as obedience to God's law, not sentimentality, and explains that loving enemies means acting biblically toward them, not seeking personal vengeance.
The Call to Pray for Justice and Live Godly: Believers are urged to pray imprecatory prayers as covenantal lawsuits for justice, but must have 'clean hands'—living obediently—to have standing before God.

Major Themes

Key Arguments

Imprecatory prayers are not unchristian or unbiblical

Weaver argues that such prayers are inspired Scripture and consistent with God's character, as seen in both Testaments.

He asks, 'Is it unchristian or unbiblical to pray the imprecatory prayers that are given to us in the Bible under divine inspiration?' and later cites 2 Timothy 3:16-17.

There is no contradiction between Old Testament imprecation and New Testament love

Weaver contends that Matthew 5:44 does not forbid imprecatory prayers because love is defined as law-keeping, and Jesus was correcting Pharisaic misinterpretations.

He explains, 'Our Lord is not abrogating the law... He is correcting the misinterpretation and the misapplication of the law of God as it was perverted by the Pharisees.'

Imprecatory prayers are covenantal lawsuits for justice

Believers appeal to God as the judge to execute justice against covenant breakers, which is a biblical mandate.

Weaver says, 'When the saints... bring a covenantal lawsuit against the wicked... we say, O Lord, we plead with Thee, we beg of Thee to intervene.'

The elect cannot be harmed by imprecatory prayers

Since Christ's atonement secures all the elect, prayers for the destruction of the wicked will not cause any of God's chosen to perish.

Weaver states, 'Not one for whom our Lord died will perish' and cites John 17:12, 'Those that thou gavest me, I have kept, and none of them is lost.'

Personal vengeance is forbidden, but divine vengeance is sought

Romans 12:19 teaches believers not to avenge themselves but to leave room for God's wrath; imprecatory prayers are an appeal for God to act, not personal retaliation.

Weaver explains, 'Avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath... Vengeance is mine, I will repay, saith the Lord.'

Imprecatory praying requires personal holiness

To have standing in God's court, believers must not be guilty of the same sins they are praying against; the doctrine of clean hands applies.

Weaver warns, 'If we're going to prosecute a covenantal lawsuit, we must have clean hands. We cannot be guilty of the same crimes and the same sins.'

Scripture References

Psalm 104:35: The key text: 'Let the sinners be consumed out of the earth, and let the wicked be no more.' Weaver uses it to introduce imprecatory praying.
1 Corinthians 16:22: Paul prays 'let him be anathema maranatha' for those who do not love the Lord, showing New Testament imprecation.
Galatians 1:8-9: Paul pronounces a curse on anyone preaching another gospel, using 'anathema,' demonstrating imprecatory prayer.
2 Thessalonians 1:7-10: Describes Christ's return in flaming fire taking vengeance on the disobedient, aligning with Paul's imprecations.
Psalm 1: Illustrates positive sanctions for the righteous and negative sanctions for the wicked, foundational to covenantal understanding.
Psalm 112: Shows blessings for the righteous and the desire of the wicked perishing, reinforcing the theme of sanctions.
Isaiah 53:10-11: Used to argue that Christ will see His seed and be satisfied, proving the security of the elect.
John 17:11-12: Jesus prays that He has kept all given to Him and none is lost, supporting the argument that imprecatory prayers do not endanger the elect.
Matthew 13:41-43: The parable of the tares shows the wicked being gathered and burned at the end of the age, paralleling David's prayer.
Matthew 5:44-45: The command to love enemies; Weaver reconciles it with imprecation by defining love as law-keeping.
Romans 13:10: Love is the fulfilling of the law, used to define love as obedience rather than sentiment.
1 John 5:2-3: The love of God is keeping His commandments, reinforcing the definition of love.
Romans 12:17-21: Commands not to repay evil for evil but to leave vengeance to God, supporting the idea of seeking divine justice.
2 Timothy 3:16-17: All Scripture is inspired and profitable, including imprecatory prayers, for doctrine and instruction.
Genesis 18:25: Abraham's question, 'Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?' affirms God as the just judge.
Psalm 89:14: Justice and judgment are the habitation of God's throne, emphasizing His role as judge.
Jeremiah 23:5: Prophecy of Christ executing judgment and justice in the earth, linking His mission to justice.
Isaiah 59:4: God condemns Israel because 'none calleth for justice,' implying believers should call for justice.
Psalm 7:9: David prays, 'O let the wickedness of the wicked come to an end,' similar to Psalm 104:35.
Hebrews 13:20-21: Mentions the 'blood of the everlasting covenant,' supporting the doctrine of the eternal covenant.

Historical References

Martin Luther: Weaver quotes Luther: 'We should pray that our enemies be converted... and if not, that their persons perish rather than the gospel and the kingdom of Christ.'
David Dickson (Puritan): Weaver quotes Dickson on imprecatory prayers: if the enemy is elect, the curse follows only until they repent.
Charles Spurgeon: Weaver recounts Spurgeon's response to reconciling sovereignty and responsibility: 'They're not enemies. They don't need reconciling.'
Pastors praying for death of public officials: Weaver mentions two pastors (East and West Coast) who publicly prayed for God to kill certain officials, causing controversy and a lawsuit.
Jezebel and Naboth: Used as an example of bringing a false lawsuit with unclean hands, illustrating the need for personal godliness.

Important Quotes

Let the sinners be consumed out of the earth, and let the wicked be no more. Bless thou the Lord, O my soul. Praise ye the Lord.

The central text of the lecture, a clear imprecatory prayer from David.

If any man love not the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be anathema maranatha.

Paul's imprecatory prayer in the New Testament, showing the practice continues.

We should pray that our enemies be converted and become our friends. And if not, that their doing and designing be bound to fail and have no success and that their persons perish rather than the gospel and the kingdom of Christ.

Martin Luther's balanced view on imprecatory prayer, cited by Weaver.

If any of the enemies of God's people belong to God's election, the church's prayer against them giveth way to their conversion and seeketh no more than that the judgment should follow them only until they acknowledge their sin and turn and seek God.

Puritan David Dickson's explanation that imprecatory prayers do not harm the elect.

Love worketh no ill to his neighbor. Therefore, love is the fulfilling of the law.

Key verse used to define love as obedience, not sentiment.

For this is the love of God that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not grievous.

Reinforces the definition of love as law-keeping.

Vengeance is mine, I will repay, saith the Lord.

Shows that believers are to leave vengeance to God, which imprecatory prayers request.

None calleth for justice, nor any pleadeth for truth.

God's condemnation of Israel for not seeking justice, implying believers should.

Discussion Questions

[Question]

How does the definition of love as obedience to God's law (rather than sentiment) change the way we understand commands to love our enemies?

[Context]

Weaver argues that love is the fulfilling of the law (Romans 13:10) and that loving enemies means acting biblically toward them.

[Question]

In what ways can imprecatory prayers be considered 'covenantal lawsuits,' and how does this concept affect our prayer life?

[Context]

Weaver describes imprecatory praying as bringing a covenantal lawsuit before God the judge.

[Question]

How do we reconcile the command to 'love your enemies' (Matthew 5:44) with praying for their destruction, as seen in the Psalms?

[Context]

Weaver addresses this apparent contradiction by explaining Jesus was correcting Pharisaic misinterpretations and that love is law-keeping.

[Question]

What does the doctrine of 'clean hands' mean for believers who pray imprecatory prayers, and how can we ensure we are not guilty of the same sins?

[Context]

Weaver uses the story of Jezebel and the legal principle to warn that we must be innocent of the charges we bring against others.

[Question]

How does the security of the elect (that none for whom Christ died will perish) provide comfort when praying imprecatory prayers?

[Context]

Weaver argues that imprecatory prayers do not endanger the elect because Christ's atonement is effectual.

[Question]

Why is it important to recognize that sin is not an abstraction but is located in sinners, and how does this shape our prayers against wickedness?

[Context]

Weaver emphasizes that 'if there were no sinners, there would not be any sin,' leading David to pray against sinners.

[Question]

How can we distinguish between personal vengeance (forbidden in Romans 12) and seeking divine justice through imprecatory prayer?

[Context]

Weaver explains that we are not to avenge ourselves but to give place to God's wrath, which imprecatory prayers request.

[Question]

What role do the covenantal sanctions of blessings and curses play in understanding God's dealings with humanity, and how should this influence our prayers?

[Context]

Weaver uses Psalm 1 and Psalm 112 to show that God blesses obedience and curses disobedience.

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