In my readings today, there were four Psalms written by King David. For reference, the book of Psalms served as both a prayer and songbook to the Hebrews and to us today. They give us a language and a way to both speak and worship – they teach us how to engage with God. However, sometimes when I read them, I am surprised by some of the content that is contained there. The Psalms can sound very different from the kinds of prayers and songs we might have been taught in our churches.

I have really enjoyed reading the Psalms in the Message version translated by Eugene Peterson. There’s something about how he has translated them that ‘feels’ to me more like how they might have sounded in their original intention and language. Peterson writes this about the approach he took to the translation.

In English translation, the Psalms often sound smooth and polished, sonorous with Elizabethan rhythms and diction. As literature, they are beyond compare. But as prayer, as the utterances of men and women passionate for God in moments of anger and praise and lament, these translations miss something. Grammatically, they are accurate. The scholarship undergirding the translations is superb and devout. But as prayers they are not quite right. The Psalms in Hebrew are earthy and rough. They are not genteel. They are not the prayers of nice people, couched in cultured language.

As I said, I was reading some Psalms today. The Psalms I read are written by David around the time where his son Absalom, who he had just welcomed back into the Kingdom after murdering his other son, turns on his dad and claims the throne for his own. Because Abaslom had won the hearts of the people through some shrewd leadership he had garnered a decent bit of support and David is on the run and scared (this has always surprised me given David’s past exploits but that is neither here nor there). The Psalms David wrote at this time reflect where he was. I want to include some of the language he uses which I find both comforting and disturbing to read.

First, there’s the way that he comes to God when referencing God’s intervention or lack of intervention in his current situation.

When I call, give me answers. God, take my side! Psalm 4:1a

Quick, GOD, I need your helping hand! Psalm 12:1a

Long enough, GOD— you’ve ignored me long enough. I’ve looked at the back of your head long enough. Long enough I’ve carried this ton of trouble, lived with a stomach full of pain. Long enough my arrogant enemies have looked down their noses at me. Psalm 13:1-2

Don’t turn a deaf ear when I call you, GOD. If all I get from you is
deafening silence, I’d be better off in the Black Hole. Psalm 28:1

Everyone talks in lie language; Lies slide off their oily lips. They doubletalk with forked tongues. Psalm 12:2

Open your ears, God, to my prayer; don’t pretend you don’t hear me knocking. Psalm 55:1

Then there is how he asks God to deal with his enemies and accusers.

Slice their lips off their faces! Pull the braggart tongues from their mouths! Psalm 12:3

Up, GOD! My God, help me! Slap their faces, First this cheek, then the other, Your fist hard in their teeth! Psalm 3:7

Don’t get me wrong, there are lots of other parts of these Psalms where David addresses God in a way in which I would have expected, lots of occasions where He talks about God’s faithfulness and power, but these ones have caught me off guard. There are some limitations that are worth being aware of when dealing with these verses. Obviously, there are always translation issues, which Peterson highlights, when we are taking both the Hebrew language and literary styles from back then and writing them in our language today. On top of that, we can’t be totally certain of the tone David would have written these words in—ever sent a text that someone totally misinterpreted? We also can’t be fully sure of his heart posture and motivation, but given God’s description of David as being “a man after His heart,” we can presume that while David wasn’t perfect, these postures were most likely good. So, with all of that said, what do we do with how David is addressing God and asking God to deal with his enemies?

Short answer. I really don’t know!

The last thing I’d want to do is to reduce the biblical text to my own experience or understanding but I just don’t feel comfortable with the demanding language of David. I read it like he’s saying it in a slightly huffy tone, like David is telling God off for not acting quickly enough. It nearly sounds like David thinks God should march to his tune on this issue. As I said, I’m not saying that was his tone but it’s how I read it. If I imagine him saying it in a crying out desperate tone I definitely feel more comfortable with it and while this could be a likely interpretation of the moment I’m just not sure. The rest of the language around these phrases suggests that David doesn’t in any way think he is superior to God or that he deserves God’s help. How David talks about his enemies is always crazy to me. When I’ve prayed for those who hurt me I might be bold enough to pray “Lord, give them what they deserve” but it’s very much in the posture of “God knows best so whatever He wants to do is good, even if I don’t like it.” I would never think of praying for their lips to be cut off or for their faces to be slapped! I guess I’m going to have to continue being uncomfortable!!!

What this is teaching me is that I’m more religious than I thought because I’m not going to lie to you – while I might not have prayed those things, I have definitely thought them. I’ve pondered why God hasn’t moved as quickly as I would want, I’ve been frustrated at what I perceive as His lack of desire to act, and there is no doubt that I’ve dreamed up some horrible consequences for those who have done me wrong. Maybe the only difference between David and me is that he doesn’t try to hide it. He’s being way more honest with God than I have been, and of course, as I already know, God sees what I am thinking anyway.

I guess what I love most is that God doesn’t exclude this language from the Scriptures. It would have been very easy to leave out these Psalms, to exclude the ones that bring questions to His sovereignty, His urgency, and His character, but He doesn’t. While I still don’t understand how it all works, I am grateful that I serve a God who has no fear of being questioned. We know that any authority that has a fear of being questioned is, at its core, insecure and demonstrates its lack of true authority. God, the God of all authority, is big enough to handle our questions, our doubts, and our outbursts. I guess the bigger question is: are we big enough to handle His response!

I’ll let that hang there…..