Imprecatory prayer is a form of prayer found in the Bible where the speaker calls down judgment, calamity, or curses upon one’s enemies or the enemies of God. Some examples of imprecatory prayers in the Bible include Psalms 35, 55, 59, 69, 79, 109, 137 and 139.
The word “imprecate” means to “invoke evil upon or curse.” Imprecatory prayers invoke judgment, calamity, or curses against one’s enemies. King David, the authors of various Psalms, and even God Himself in the Old Testament directed imprecations toward their enemies.
Imprecatory prayers exhibit an appeal to the justice of God in an attempt to bring justice to the situation rather than to merely supersede justice. The key is that imprecations are always subordinate to God’s perfect will. Sometimes God’s will includes judgment, calamity, and curses when people reject Him. Imprecatory prayers ultimately leave room for God’s mercy if repentance were to occur.
Some of the main characteristics of imprecatory prayers include:
– Calls for judgment or curses against enemies
– Appeals for God’s justice
– Desire for repentance and mercy to be shown if possible
– Seeking vindication for evildoing
– Standing up against ungodly behaviors or sins
– Asking God to repay the wicked for their actions
– Seeking protection from harm caused by enemies
While at first they may seem harsh, imprecatory prayers are not meant to be vindictive. Rather, they appeal to God who is sovereign, holy, and just. Imprecatory prayers recognize it is God’s prerogative to judge, not ours.
Here are some key points to understand about imprecatory prayer:
1. Imprecations invoke judgment, but judiciously. They seek God’s wisdom, not personal vengeance.
2. God’s attributes of holiness, justice and righteousness motivate imprecations. Evil cannot remain unchecked in God’s universe forever.
3. Divine justice is compatible with divine love. The punishments invoked are not about personal animosity but upholding truth.
4. Imprecations give voice to the oppressed and persecuted. The helpless ask God to enact justice.
5. Cursing and blessing both come from God. He sometimes brings judgment to purify His people and bring glory to Himself.
6. Imprecations are God’s prerogative. The imprecator leaves vengeance and judgment to God alone.
7. Repentance can lead to withdrawn judgment. God’s discipline and punishment are remedial, not final.
8. Prophetic imprecations anticipate the end times. They offer a foretaste of God’s final victory over evil.
9. Jesus emphatically denounced personal vengeance but affirmed divine retribution.
10. Praying against evil can foster love for what is good. Imprecations are rooted in a zeal for righteousness.
There are some cautions to consider when praying imprecatory prayers:
– Don’t pray imprecations out of personal revenge
– Guard your heart against self-righteousness
– Don’t imprecate lightly or frivolously
– Be willing to pray blessings if repentance occurs
– Don’t speculate about how and when God may judge
– Recognize prayers do not obligate God to act
Here are some examples of imprecatory prayers in the Bible:
Psalm 35
“Contend, O Lord, with those who contend with me; fight against those who fight against me! Take hold of shield and buckler and rise for my help! Draw the spear and javelin against my pursuers! Say to my soul, ‘I am your salvation!’”
Psalm 55
“Destroy, O Lord, divide their tongues; for I see violence and strife in the city. Day and night they go around it on its walls, and iniquity and trouble are within it; ruin is in its midst; oppression and fraud do not depart from its marketplace.”
Psalm 59
“Deliver me from my enemies, O my God; protect me from those who rise up against me; deliver me from those who work evil, and save me from bloodthirsty men.”
Psalm 69
“Pour out your wrath on them; let your burning anger overtake them. May their place be deserted; let there be no one to dwell in their tents. For they persecute those you wound and talk about the pain of those you hurt.”
Psalm 79
“Pour out your wrath on the nations that do not acknowledge you, on the kingdoms that do not call on your name; for they have devoured Jacob and devastated his homeland.”
Psalm 109
“Appoint someone evil to oppose my enemy; let an accuser stand at his right hand. When he is tried, let him be found guilty, and may his prayers condemn him.”
Psalm 139
“Oh that you would slay the wicked, O God! O men of blood, depart from me! They speak against you with malicious intent; your enemies take your name in vain. Do I not hate those who hate you, O Lord? And do I not loathe those who rise up against you? I hate them with complete hatred; I count them my enemies.”
The imprecatory psalms were prayers praying for the judgment of God against the wicked. This was a righteous desire assuming the Psalmist was beseeching God to carry out judgment rather than seeking personal vendetta.
Jesus Himself pronounced imprecations against whole cities:
“Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the mighty works done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. But I tell you, it will be more bearable on the day of judgment for Tyre and Sidon than for you. And you, Capernaum, will you be exalted to heaven? You will be brought down to Hades. For if the mighty works done in you had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day. But I tell you that it will be more tolerable on the day of judgment for the land of Sodom than for you.” (Matthew 11:21-24)
Jesus exhibits Divine judgment in the cleansing of the temple:
“And Jesus entered the temple and drove out all who sold and bought in the temple, and he overturned the tables of the money-changers and the seats of those who sold pigeons. He said to them, “It is written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer,’ but you make it a den of robbers.” (Matthew 21:12-13)
The key distinction is that imprecations and prayers for judgment must be tenaciously submissive to God’s will. We should yearn for God’s glory over all else – including the destruction of our enemies.
Romans 12:19 says, “Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, ‘Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.’” Our job is to trust God in His sprinkling of blessings and curses.
Ultimately, we don’t know how and when God will bring judgment. Our task is to pray for God’s will above all else, not to speculate about how and when God may judge. Imprecatory prayers are sacred weapons meant to be used carefully, not flippantly.
Imprecatory prayers can be controversial and perplexing. However, they are rooted in desiring the preeminence of righteousness and the honor of God’s name above all else.
Rather than vengeance, imprecatory prayers allow victims of injustice to petition God to enact justice, then leave the means and timing to Him. They appeal to the all-wise, holy and just Judge to make all wrongs right, even if He chooses to have mercy and forego punishment.