Reflection For a Dark Day

There is a category of Scripture known as the imprecatory psalms. The label comes from the word imprecate, which means literally to curse or to call down judgement. Depending on how you count, there are around 14 Psalms that fit this description. They are identifiable by the rawness of emotion they express and by the call for divine retribution against one’s enemies. Consider these two examples: 

May those who seek my life be disgraced and put to shame; 

May those who plot my ruin be turned back in dismay. (Psalm 35:4) 

Daughter Babylon, doomed to destruction, happy is the one who repays you according to what you have done to us. 

Happy is the one who seizes your infants and dashes them against the rocks. (Psalm 137:8-9) 

Christians sometimes aren’t sure what to do with verses like these. Christ called us to love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us. Given that we are taught to read all Scripture through the lens of his cross, is it appropriate for believers to utter such visceral, angry words? On a day like this, the answer is, “Absolutely!” We should pray these words with every fiber of our being. 

I imagine the same is true for many this morning, but I did not sleep much last night. The news of Charlie Kirk’s murder is so disturbing and disgusting that even now my stomach is churning. To be clear, any act of violent death is evil. When a young woman is slashed to death on a train in Charlotte, it is evil. When children are gunned down in a prayer service to mark the beginning of their school year, it is evil. It is not lost on me that I am writing these words on the 24th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks. It is all pure evil. Yet, something about Mr. Kirk’s death feels different, because it was clearly a deliberate attack on him, almost certainly because of his beliefs and convictions. He was killed because someone did not like what he was saying. That is heinous and vile and, well, I run out of appropriate descriptive words at this point. 

Honestly, I did not follow Mr. Kirk’s work closely. I never attended any of his events, and I never watched one of his videos all the way through. My awareness of him is primarily the result of short snippets that popped up occasionally on my social media feed. In that limited amount of engagement, I heard him say things with which I agreed wholeheartedly. I also heard him say things with which I might be inclined to disagree, or at least which I would probably state in a more nuanced way, if I were to have the chance to have a conversation with him. However, two things were clear. One, Charlie Kirk was an outspoken Christian. He was passionate about Jesus. Two, he never said or did anything to promote or advocate violence. In fact, I once heard him say (and I am paraphrasing him from a vague memory) that he did what he did because he believed dialogue around points of disagreement was the best way to avoid violence. He believed the open exchange of ideas was a better alternative than bloodshed. Oh, the bitter irony! Tragically, some weak-minded and evil-hearted soul could no longer tolerate hearing those ideas, so Charlie Kirk’s life was brought to violent end in front of a live audience. 

As I tossed and turned in my bed last night, I tried to think of some insight or word of perspective that could help make sense out of all this, but none came. In the face of sheer evil, human words fall short. That is why I find myself today thrown back onto the imprecatory words of the Psalmist. I do not believe God is blessing our desire to take our enemies’ infants and dash their heads against a rock. I do believe God is giving us the freedom to express the rage and the righteous anger contained within those words. Even more importantly, I believe God is calling us to realize that nothing less an outpouring of his wrath and judgment will bring an end to the evil of this world. At the heart of our faith is the hope that God will one day put the world to rights. That cannot happen without a full measure his righteousness and zeal coming down to consume and destroy all that is evil, once and for all.  

The irony of our faith is that the clearest expression of this is seen in the cross, an instrument of death, upon which our Lord was crucified as the atonement for sin. In so doing, he has set his followers free from the power of evil. As Paul writes in Colossians 2:15, “And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.” This means that even while we continue to suffer the effects of evil in this world, sometimes in heinous and barbaric ways, we have the assurance that by the death and resurrection of Jesus, the power of Satan and his demonic league has already been assured. 

In the meantime, while we wait on the day when that promise is brought to final completion, I will lean in the words of the one of those imprecatory Psalms. May the words of David give expression to the cry of our hearts on this dark day. 

Psalm 5 

For the director of music. For pipes. A psalm of David. 

1 Listen to my words, Lord, 
    consider my lament. 
2 Hear my cry for help, 
    my King and my God, 
    for to you I pray. 

3 In the morning, Lord, you hear my voice; 
    in the morning I lay my requests before you 
    and wait expectantly. 
4 For you are not a God who is pleased with wickedness; 
    with you, evil people are not welcome. 
5 The arrogant cannot stand 
    in your presence. 
You hate all who do wrong; 
6     you destroy those who tell lies. 
The bloodthirsty and deceitful 
    you, Lord, detest. 
7 But I, by your great love, 
    can come into your house; 
in reverence I bow down 
    toward your holy temple. 

8 Lead me, Lord, in your righteousness 
    because of my enemies— 
    make your way straight before me. 
9 Not a word from their mouth can be trusted; 
    their heart is filled with malice. 
Their throat is an open grave; 
    with their tongues they tell lies. 
10 Declare them guilty, O God! 
    Let their intrigues be their downfall. 
Banish them for their many sins, 
    for they have rebelled against you. 
11 But let all who take refuge in you be glad; 
    let them ever sing for joy. 
Spread your protection over them, 
    that those who love your name may rejoice in you. 

12 Surely, Lord, you bless the righteous; 
    you surround them with your favor as with a shield.