” ‘Greatly have they afflicted me from my youth’ – let Israel now say – ‘Greatly have they afflicted me from my youth, yet they have not prevailed against me. The plowers plowed upon my back; they made long their furrows.’ The Lord is righteous; he has cut the cords of the wicked. May all who hate Zion be put to shame and turned backward! Let them be like the grass on the housetops, which withers before it grows up, with which the reaper does not fill his hand nor the binder of sheaves his arms, nor do those who pass by say, ‘The blessing of the Lord be upon you! We bless you in the name of the Lord!’ ” (v1-8)
At first glance, one may be critical of the unnamed psalmist who desires the wicked to be punished. Jesus said: “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven.” (Mt 5:43-45a) Is the psalmist in the wrong for wanting God to bring shame and guilt upon Israel’s persecutors? No, not exactly.
Upon looking closer, we can discover the author’s heart is simply for the persecutors to not prosper or receive blessing for their evil deeds: “May all who hate Zion be put to shame and turned backward! Let them be like the grass on the housetops, which withers before it grows up…” I think the author wishes their persecutors to be stunted and stalled, to feel shame and guilt for what they have done. The author isn’t asking for punishment for Israel’s persecutors, as it may have seemed at first glance.
Paul tells the church that grieving can be a very good thing, if it’s a “godly grieving” that brings people into repentance: “For even if I made you grieve with my letter, I do not regret it… As it is, I rejoice, not because you were grieved, but because you were grieved into repenting. For you felt a godly grief… For godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret, whereas worldly grief produces death.” (2 Cor 7:8-10 abr)
I think the author praying for guilt and shame upon the wicked is actually a good thing for two reasons – first, they are allowing God the space and authority to do the work of heaping the shame/guilt/grieving upon the persecutors (not taking matters into their own hands); second, the guilt, shame and grieving that God produces in a person can lead to repentance and a God/Jesus encounter.
My challenge for us today is to pray for those who commit wicked acts (watch/read the news for 10 minutes if you need some examples), that God would produce “godly grieving” in their hearts for their wicked deeds. We do this not because we want to see them suffer, but because we want them to repent and become coheirs with us in Christ.
Father God, we are brokenhearted as we look out upon this broken world. Everywhere we look there is violence, offense, pain, suffering, and a lack of justice. We pray for those who commit atrocities against You and Your people – Father please touch their hearts. Please produce in them a grieving spirit, that they would recognize their sin, and feel the guilt and shame of their actions. We don’t ask this out of a desire for them to suffer, but out of a desire for them to acknowledge their need for forgiveness of sin. Jesus please show them Your love, as You have shown it to us. Please exhibit Your love through us, as we interact with those who do not yet call You Savior. In Your name, power and strength we ask this, amen.
~ Conqueror in Training