Understanding Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones' Teaching on Imprecatory Psalms

What are imprecatory Psalms and why do they create difficulties for believers?

According to Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones, imprecatory Psalms are those in which there is "a kind of imprecation or desire expressed to God that certain evil consequences should come upon certain sinners." Examples include Psalm 69 (verses 22-28), Psalm 58:6, Psalm 109:10, and Psalm 137:8-9. These Psalms create difficulties because they seem to express vindictiveness and a desire for vengeance, which many people find hard to reconcile with the loving character of God and the teachings of Jesus. Many believers are "unhappy about it and are in trouble with respect to it, and the devil uses it in order to shake their confidence and their assurance."

How does Dr. Lloyd-Jones explain the meaning of Isaiah 45:7 where God says "I create evil"?

Dr. Lloyd-Jones explains that the word translated as "evil" in Isaiah 45:7 is never used in Scripture to convey the sense of sin or moral evil. He demonstrates this by showing how the same Hebrew word is translated differently in other passages: - In Psalm 141:5 as "calamity" - In 1 Samuel 10:19, Psalm 94:13, and Ecclesiastes 7:14 as "adversity" - In Nehemiah 2:10, Proverbs 15:10, Ecclesiastes 2:17 as "grief" - In Numbers 11:11 as "affliction" - In Ecclesiastes 8:6 as "misery" - In Psalm 41:1 as "trouble"

Lloyd-Jones concludes that God creates the consequences of sin, not sin itself, because "God is light, and in him is no darkness at all" and "he neither can be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any men with evil."

What is the correct way to understand David's seemingly vindictive statements in Psalm 69?

Dr. Lloyd-Jones offers six key explanations:

1. David's character was not vindictive: His historical actions toward Saul, Absalom, and others show "a complete absence of any spirit of vindictiveness."

2. These Psalms were inspired by the Holy Spirit: As Peter states in Acts 1:16, "the Holy Ghost by the mouth of David spake."

3. Jesus affirmed the authority of the Psalms: Christ said "the scripture cannot be broken" (John 10:35) when referring to the Psalms.

4. David was speaking judicially, not personally: "David here was not speaking from a personal angle... What he is looking at is what the enemies of God are doing to God."

5. There is a prophetic element: David was looking forward prophetically to the rejection of Christ, not merely expressing personal feelings.

6. The reality of divine punishment: The Bible consistently teaches God's judgment against sin from Genesis to Revelation.

How does Dr. Lloyd-Jones connect the imprecatory Psalms to the cross of Christ?

Dr. Lloyd-Jones concludes that the ultimate proof of God's wrath against sin is found in the cross of Christ. He asks, "Why did the son of God have to endure and suffer?" and answers that it was because of "the wrath of God against sin that demanded that there was no other way of salvation." He states powerfully: "The ultimate proof of the wrath of God upon sin is the death of our Lord upon the cross on Calvary's hill. It is the greatest manifestation of the love of God. It is at the same time the greatest manifestation of the wrath of God."

Why does Dr. Lloyd-Jones caution against rejecting difficult passages of Scripture?

Dr. Lloyd-Jones warns that rejecting difficult passages leads to rejecting: 1. The authority of the Old Testament 2. The doctrine of biblical inspiration 3. The authority of Jesus Christ Himself 4. The character and nature of God

He cautions: "It's a very precarious thing always to talk about God. What do we know about God? He is in heaven and we are on earth. Let our words be few. Let us be careful." Ultimately, he urges humility when approaching Scripture's difficult passages rather than imposing our own ideas about what God should be like.