Thanks for this, Mark. As for me, I don't need a lot of encouragement or practice in "hating what God hates," if we're talking about people. I need a lot of encouragement and practice in "loving my enemies," and I need to constant reminders to "love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous."
I have often waited for Michael W. Smith or Hillsong to release a song based on Psalm 109, particularly verses 8-13. Let's get Biblical in our worship services, huh? 😎
Excellent. I particularly liked the honesty before God where praying the imprecatory Psalms are concerned. Indeed: He knows us through and through. We might deceive ourselves, but we're not deceiving the Lord. This was a great blog.
One thing I'd like to say about this though: it's not that the wicked don't deserve punishment and that maybe we should pray for that - it's that sin is not unique to the wicked and praying for their punishment also implies praying for my own. Mercy triumphs over judgment. James 2:13. And I'd much prefer to pray for His mercy to me than my enemy's judgment. Worse, Jesus has told us to pray for our enemies - and I don't think He meant praying for hellfire judgment. But I also don't want to imply that God is some sort of Pollyanna, for He is Holy, Righteous and True - and we are not.
So for example, while I consider Putin to be an evil and horrible man - I pray for the Lord's mercy to me, and to learn to be more merciful - and leave the judgment of Putin to God. Judgment is above my pay grade. This doesn't mean I wouldn't be thrilled to see him escorted to a very long dirt nap and a complete reversal of the situation in Ukraine - gotta be honest as above - but I recognize I have my own fish to fry. I have personally learned to be very very careful in negative judgments of my fellow human beings. Too many times, it's boomeranged back on me.
Esau McCaulley in his book Reading While Black, gives a helpful African-American perspective on such Psalms in Chapter 6 "What Shall We Do With This Rage?"
I have to say I'm very weary of reading screeds against the evils of this or that human institution. You could go through the article and make minor changes to have it demonstrating how socialists, communist, Catholics or any other human "evil" is destroying everything we hold near and dear.
I have to agree that capitalism needs a healthy dose of spiritual and moral foundation to truly be an effective good for mankind, but the same can be said of every human institution ever devised.
Yes, society unmoored from solid spiritual faith quickly becomes a cesspool of disaster. But to blame it all on "capitalism" misses the point. It's the lack of foundation that's the problem. The institutional structure is just the expression of that lack.
"They called out in a loud voice, “How long, Sovereign Lord, holy and true, until you judge the inhabitants of the earth and avenge our blood?” Rev 6:10.
We are allowed to pray along with the Saints in Heaven for vengeance against shedding innocent blood, especially abortion.
Good commentary Mark!
Thank you.
Thanks for this, Mark. As for me, I don't need a lot of encouragement or practice in "hating what God hates," if we're talking about people. I need a lot of encouragement and practice in "loving my enemies," and I need to constant reminders to "love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous."
I have often waited for Michael W. Smith or Hillsong to release a song based on Psalm 109, particularly verses 8-13. Let's get Biblical in our worship services, huh? 😎
Excellent. I particularly liked the honesty before God where praying the imprecatory Psalms are concerned. Indeed: He knows us through and through. We might deceive ourselves, but we're not deceiving the Lord. This was a great blog.
One thing I'd like to say about this though: it's not that the wicked don't deserve punishment and that maybe we should pray for that - it's that sin is not unique to the wicked and praying for their punishment also implies praying for my own. Mercy triumphs over judgment. James 2:13. And I'd much prefer to pray for His mercy to me than my enemy's judgment. Worse, Jesus has told us to pray for our enemies - and I don't think He meant praying for hellfire judgment. But I also don't want to imply that God is some sort of Pollyanna, for He is Holy, Righteous and True - and we are not.
So for example, while I consider Putin to be an evil and horrible man - I pray for the Lord's mercy to me, and to learn to be more merciful - and leave the judgment of Putin to God. Judgment is above my pay grade. This doesn't mean I wouldn't be thrilled to see him escorted to a very long dirt nap and a complete reversal of the situation in Ukraine - gotta be honest as above - but I recognize I have my own fish to fry. I have personally learned to be very very careful in negative judgments of my fellow human beings. Too many times, it's boomeranged back on me.
Esau McCaulley in his book Reading While Black, gives a helpful African-American perspective on such Psalms in Chapter 6 "What Shall We Do With This Rage?"
I have to say I'm very weary of reading screeds against the evils of this or that human institution. You could go through the article and make minor changes to have it demonstrating how socialists, communist, Catholics or any other human "evil" is destroying everything we hold near and dear.
I have to agree that capitalism needs a healthy dose of spiritual and moral foundation to truly be an effective good for mankind, but the same can be said of every human institution ever devised.
Yes, society unmoored from solid spiritual faith quickly becomes a cesspool of disaster. But to blame it all on "capitalism" misses the point. It's the lack of foundation that's the problem. The institutional structure is just the expression of that lack.
If you don't like the fruit, check out the root.
Wondering…is there a difference in loving my enemies and hating God’s enemies?
"They called out in a loud voice, “How long, Sovereign Lord, holy and true, until you judge the inhabitants of the earth and avenge our blood?” Rev 6:10.
We are allowed to pray along with the Saints in Heaven for vengeance against shedding innocent blood, especially abortion.