Spot On Psalms - Psalm 58: Praying for Political Enemies - Reformed Journal

I thought of Psalm 58 as I listened to now former Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem testifying before the House Judiciary Committee this past week. When Representative Jamie Raskin (D-MD) gave her the opportunity to correct her claim that Renée Good and Alex Pretti were “domestic terrorists,” Noem doubled down. “Based on what you know today….” Raskin repeated. Still, Noem refused to apologize for what strikes me as a cruel and twisted example of victim blaming. Not to mention a demonstrable lie.

I continue to think of Psalm 58 when I hear the president throwing reasons for going to war with Iran against the walls of the Offal Office like so many strands of spaghetti. I find myself wondering if the war is, as some pundits have put it, another “weapon of mass distraction.”

So, why does Psalm 58 keep elbowing into my consciousness in these moments of consternation and incredulity? The opening verses offer some important clues, although the meaning becomes clearer if we opt for a more literal translation of the phrase, “you gods.”

Do you indeed decree what is right, you [mighty lords]?Do you judge people fairly?No, in your hearts you devise wrongs,

our hands deal out violence on earth.The wicked go astray from the womb;

they err from their birth, speaking lies.*

Warming to his topic–namely, wicked political leaders–the psalmist goes on to muster several vivid metaphors. They are like snakes. No, worse! They are like snakes deaf to the voice of snake charmers. In other words, there is no stopping them.

A sense of utter helplessness leads the psalmist to come out cursing.

O God, break the teeth in their mouths;

tear out the fangs of the young lions, O LORD!

This kind of negative petition is essentially a prayer that something really bad will happen to someone. And this psalmist is just getting started. Upon further consideration, he decides that it’s not enough to ask God to “defang” the wicked. No, he goes on to ask that these wicked leaders “vanish like water that runs away,” or “be like the snail that dissolves into slime; like the untimely birth that never sees the sun.”

Ouch. That last one hurts even to read it. Enough already.

So, is it really OK for Christians to pray that their enemies dissolve into slime?

That is a fair question, especially for those of us who want to take Jesus seriously when he commands us to ** love** our enemies (Matthew 5:44). I’m pretty sure Psalm 58 wasn’t what Jesus had in mind when he told us to “pray for those who persecute you.”

And yet. . . I am not ready to consign Psalm 58 to Marcion’s ash heap.

I got a little help with the “imprecatory” psalms from a student who suggested that it’s important to remember that even the wicked are beloved children of God. It’s just that sin has obscured that identity and placed a “false self” between them and their Creator. Perhaps, the student suggested, we could still pray such psalms if we were to pray that our enemies’ false self would dissolve into slime.

I decided it was worth a try. And I have to say, it’s made it much easier to pray for Kristi Noem and Donald Trump.

Of course, any time we start to talk about “sin” and a “false self,” it begs the question: Can/must I also pray that ** my** false self would dissolve into slime? It’s Lent, so I pretty much have to say “yes.”

Et tu, Brute. We are often our own worst enemies.

Even when I turn this psalm on myself, I’m reminded that my enemies may also be using it to pray against me. I heard the other day that at least 40% of us have lost friends in recent years over conflicting political views. Indeed, that seems to be the goal of those whose motto is “divide and conquer.” Fault lines are widening into chasms.

While I worry about whether these wounds can ever heal, I’ve decided not to worry about whether my political enemies are praying against me. This is decidedly above my pay grade. God, I believe, will sort it out. And indeed, that seems to be where Psalm 58 leaves it as well:

The righteous will rejoice when they see vengeance done;

they will bathe their feet in the blood of the wicked.People will say: “Surely there is a reward for the righteous;

surely there is a God who judges on earth.”

I’m still not looking forward to bathing my feet in the blood of the wicked–especially when I remember that I am among them. But I am confident that God will judge–and judge wisely.

*All biblical quotes are from the NRSVUE unless otherwise indicated.

Lion photo by ismail brairi on Unsplash