The writers of
the Psalms are very transparent about their feelings. In the 150 chapters of the book, one can find
hymns of praise, celebration, wisdom, and anger. Those expressing personal anger are usually
called psalms of lamentation. They are
very candid—beseeching God to regard and deal with the problems of the psalmist
and/or the people. They sometimes sound like they are accusing God for their
problems but they usually come back to acknowledging God’s care.
Most often the
writer strikes a balance as in Psalm 9:13-14, NRSV:
“Be gracious
to me, O Lord.
See what I suffer from those who hate me;
you are the one who lifts me up from the gates of death,
See what I suffer from those who hate me;
you are the one who lifts me up from the gates of death,
so that I may recount all your praises,
and, in the gates of daughter Zion,
rejoice in your deliverance.”
and, in the gates of daughter Zion,
rejoice in your deliverance.”
In this
psalm, the writer also uses the term “enemies” to refer to those who cause the
writer suffering. Too often, we think
that this approach of dividing humankind into two categories—evil and good—is a
manifestation of a judgmental, “fire and brimstone,” Old Testament
manifestation of God. Jesus was not
afraid to recognize, however, that some people would be our enemies or that we
would regard them as such.
Jesus acknowledged
that we will have “enemies” when he said in Matthew 5:43-48:
“You have heard that it
was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But
I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so
that you may be children of your Father in heaven; for he makes his sun rise on
the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the righteous and on the
unrighteous. For if you love those who love you, what reward
do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And
if you greet only your brothers and sisters, what more are you doing than
others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? Be perfect,
therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.”
(NRSV)
We
always have the possibility that someone will oppose us for some reason. It may be a moral issue, a petty
disagreement, or a misunderstanding, but we do not live in a harmonious world
but a fallen world. Walls go up very
quickly.
The
difference in the approach of the psalmist and that of Christ is one of
attitude. The psalmist
is seeking vindication or deliverance from one’s enemies. On the other hand, Jesus taught his disciples
to pray for one’s enemies. What divides
us may be so deep that only the Spirit of God can bring reconciliation or
clarity; therefore, Jesus calls for prayer for those who disagree with us or
attack us. In so doing, we might even
change our own attitude.
I would
suggest another practice when we are burdened by enemies. We can be thankful for those who stand with
us and support us. They may not always
see our point or agree with our position, but they love us and are willing to
accept us as we are! We can be thankful
for those who are friends and not concentrate so much on our enemies.
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