Conservatives have picked a curious new slogan to oppose President Barack Obama: “Let his days be few; and let another take his office.” It is a quote from Psalm 109:8, but conservatives leave off the full passage: “Let his children be fatherless, and his wife a widow.” It is a damnation or imprecatory prayer.
In this case, conservatives are citing a passage that would seem to advocate Obama’s death. While obviously not the intended meaning, it is an interesting example of how these passages are used with no consideration of their actual meaning.
It is often interesting to see religious people use passages with little understanding of their meaning or to sanitize the passage to omit the violent Biblical message. This was the case recently in the controversy over cheerleaders like Georgia’s Lakeview-Fort Oglethorpe High School who use Biblical verses as part of their cheers, here. They use such passages as Ezra 10:4: “Rise up; this matter is in your hands. We will support you, so take courage and do it.” The only problem is that this Biblical passage describes how Ezra followed the lead of God to banish foreign women and their innocent children for not being pure.
The Psalm is one of David and is an imprecatory prayer for God to destroy his enemies in the most horrible ways. We have seen the use of imprecatory prayers against Obama and others recently, here.
Here is the whole Psalm:
Help Me, O Lord My God
To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David.109:1 Be not silent, O God of my praise!
2 For wicked and deceitful mouths are opened against me,
speaking against me with lying tongues.
3 They encircle me with words of hate,
and attack me without cause.
4 In return for my love they accuse me,
but I give myself to prayer. [1]
5 So they reward me evil for good,
and hatred for my love.6 Appoint a wicked man against him;
let an accuser stand at his right hand.
7 When he is tried, let him come forth guilty;
let his prayer be counted as sin!
8 May his days be few;
may another take his office!
9 May his children be fatherless
and his wife a widow!
10 May his children wander about and beg,
seeking food far from the ruins they inhabit!
11 May the creditor seize all that he has;
may strangers plunder the fruits of his toil!
12 Let there be none to extend kindness to him,
nor any to pity his fatherless children!
13 May his posterity be cut off;
may his name be blotted out in the second generation!
14 May the iniquity of his fathers be remembered before the Lord,
and let not the sin of his mother be blotted out!
15 Let them be before the Lord continually,
that he may cut off the memory of them from the earth!16 For he did not remember to show kindness,
but pursued the poor and needy
and the brokenhearted, to put them to death.
17 He loved to curse; let curses come [2] upon him!
He did not delight in blessing; may it be far [3] from him!
18 He clothed himself with cursing as his coat;
may it soak [4] into his body like water,
like oil into his bones!
19 May it be like a garment that he wraps around him,
like a belt that he puts on every day!
20 May this be the reward of my accusers from the Lord,
of those who speak evil against my life!21 But you, O God my Lord,
deal on my behalf for your name’s sake;
because your steadfast love is good, deliver me!
22 For I am poor and needy,
and my heart is stricken within me.
23 I am gone like a shadow at evening;
I am shaken off like a locust.
24 My knees are weak through fasting;
my body has become gaunt, with no fat.
25 I am an object of scorn to my accusers;
when they see me, they wag their heads.26 Help me, O Lord my God!
Save me according to your steadfast love!
27 Let them know that this is your hand;
you, O Lord, have done it!
28 Let them curse, but you will bless!
They arise and are put to shame, but your servant will be glad!
29 May my accusers be clothed with dishonor;
may they be wrapped in their own shame as in a cloak!30 With my mouth I will give great thanks to the Lord;
I will praise him in the midst of the throng.
31 For he stands at the right hand of the needy one,
to save him from those who condemn his soul to death.
Of course, the part about “May the creditor seize all that he has” appears to be working, at least for the Chinese government holding our debt. It is always nice to see the religious call for “his children wander about and beg, seeking food far from the ruins they inhabit!” After all, there is no vengeance and violence quite like Biblical vengeance and violence.
For the full story, click here.
I wonder if these fundamentalists really know what Jesus was all about. Jesus came to break up the Old Covenant and institute a new one. Thus, it’s actually anti-Christian for a Christian to read Old Testament “literally.” But, then again, American fundamentalism isn’t Christian; it’s a syncretism of nationalism and religious/biblical tenets badly remixed: it’s a Cargo cult!
“Byron, Mike Spindell wants birthers, Rush Limbaugh and Glenn Beck dead. He’s probably willing to admit it.”
Paully,
I don’t wish death on anybody, not even those above who are loathsome human beings. I believe that wishing death on people would make me a person like the people I detest. Why would I want to be racist disturbed people like the birthers? A racist, sexually deviant, drug addicted whore like Rush Limbaugh, or simply a whore like Glenn Beck? To wish their deaths would make me like them, just as approving their beliefs make those who follow them just as vile as they are.
Ilove,
I really have no desire to deny the comfort you find in your religion. However, having led such a busy life as you imply it is quite possible that there are certain historical truths that you might not be aware of.
The first is that there have been many times in history since the advent of Jesus, where people have expected the end of the world due to its’ sin. One was when 1,000 Ad occurred. A second was in 1666. Many others existed. As we age, and I am aged myself, we tend to come to believe that life was somehow better when we were young. The truth is quite different if you think about it and/or read history. This age is no more wicked than previous ages, in fact one can argue that humanity lives a more moral life now. The sad truth is that many of our religious leaders, use our all too human traits to deceive us and make us afraid. They do this for wealth and/or power. Particularly deceiving is the belief that God will withdraw his grace from us.
The teachings of Jesus and they way he led his life are defined by the Gospels, which claim to be the actual retelling of his life by his chosen companions. If Jesus was anything he was a being of love, not hatred. Paul never knew Jesus, but many believe he was inspired by Jesus spirit.
The book you know as the Christian bible was put together by the Council of Nicea in 325 AD, perhaps 300 years after Jesus death.
It was put together by the order of the Roman Emperor Constantine, who was a sun worshipper and edited to make the Romans of Jesus time seem to be good. Included in it was The Book of Revelations, which tells of horror and destruction of most of humanity by Jesus upon his return.
Historians have shown that it was written at leasr 150 to two hundred years after Jesus died on the cross. It was written as a condemnation of Rome itself. Constantine’s minions, he had threatened torture and death to Christian Bishops if they did not go along, included Revelations as a means to scare people into belief and to control them.
Let me ask you, how can a being that was said to be pure love, such as Jesus, be turned into a bloodthirsty avenger as he is portrayed in Revelations? Remember Jesus formulated the “Golden Rule,” which is an indicator of a loving God, not a vengeful one. Martin Luther, the father of Protestantism protested what the “Roman” Catholics had done to the Christian Bible and their interpretation of Jesus.
Today, too many purported Christian Leaders have tried to portray Jesus as a political being, which the Gospels prove he was not. They do this for the purposes of their own ego and selfishness and try to scare pious people into doing their bidding, rather than reading their Gospels (Good News) and making their own religious judgments. Be watchful of those who use Jesus name to promote their own politics, for they are false prophets.
I am glad that you find comfort in God as you age, but please remember that if God created us, He loves us and means us no harm, even thouse who sin through lack of thought.
Byron, Mike Spindell wants birthers, Rush Limbaugh and Glenn Beck dead. He’s probably willing to admit it.
Byron,
Birthers, Glenn Beck and Rush Limbaugh answer the question. They all want the President dead, but lack the guts to admit it.
Off Topic but related.
Iran ex-official gets 6 years in jail for protests
TEHRAN, Iran – An Iranian court sentenced a former vice president to six years in jail as part of a mass trial of opposition figures accused of fomenting the unrest after the disputed June presidential election, the defendant’s lawyer said Sunday.
…….
“Abtahi made televised confessions after his arrest in which he admitted provoking people to riot. But his family and other opposition figures said the statements were coerced and similar claims have been made about other defendants’ confessions during the trial.”
Link: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20091122/ap_on_re_mi_ea/ml_iran_elections
Now, what must we do to go over there and restore democracy. We should know what they should have as we once had what we want them to have. Thats why we are the best.
messpo,
Amen, Brotha.
I don’t know what all the fuss is about. These Bible thumpers never read the damn thing anyway (as evidenced by their utter shock when I quote from it), so I’m sure most think it’s some nice little way to help the President. People who actually read might know it’s an insult or call to action, but we’d probably just pass it off as another squishy mind saturated with religious hate.
Mike S:
““I don’t think you can cherry pick a verse out of a Psalm and disregard the intent of the Psalm. Which in this case is clearly a prayer for a leader’s (David) enemies to be taken care of by God.”
Byron,
Please, do you really believe this?”
I would hope that people don’t actually want ill to befall the president. So I hold out the hope that they don’t mean it like it appears to be how they mean it.
But I am resigned to the fact that there are crazies everywhere who would want those they don’t agree with put up against a wall and shot at dawn or at least by 6 pm.
Mike, sorry if I came off like I hate America. I love this country. God has blessed us sooo much, and so many people have fallen away from Him. It is the sin that I hate. I am afraid that God is just about fed up with it, (sin, not America) and will withdraw His grace from us. Then What?
Unfortunately I am neither a historian or a debater, but I am 75+ yrs. and have lived a long time, and am much more aware of what is going on spiritually than ever before in my life. I am just now having the time to explore these things than I had years ago. Raising children, taking care of my husband, and just the business of daily living have taken a lot of time away from this pursuit.
Thanks for your input.
Lilove
“If I allowed it, the Moral bankruptcy of our nation and all that goes with it would soon get me down.”
ilove,
Why do you hate America?
Linda, who is fooling who other than a fool fooling himself?
wow man still foolin the nation
The wikiman says that Florida the First Election was stolen by the US Supreme Court’s refusal to act appropriately and that Dick Cheney had someone in Ohio steal ballot boxes like LBJ did in Texas thereby stealing a second election.
lilove,
Just what was the reason God put George W. into office? Was it to kill hundred of thousands of innocents? Was it to spy on all Americans? Or did God “put” W. into office in order that he could torture the evildoers? Please explain for me.
I read all the above comments, and there were many very insightful ones, some were angry (with just cause).
A TRUE Christian loves our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, and tries to model themselves to the best of their ability after Him. All of us who try, in our finite limited humanity no doubt try and fail a great deal.
I feel the taking of Ps 109 out of context (or any other scripture) is an extremely dangerous thing to do. The Bible is very explicit about how these people will be dealt with, as I feel that this is either “taking away” from the Word or “adding to it”, as it is certainly not what the scripture means.
The Bible does tell us to pray for our govt. and our officials, and leaders, and I try to do that.
While I have never, and will never support Pres. Obama, I will pray for him for guidance, and a change of heart about the things that I do not agree with, or if the change needs to be in me, then so be it. I will try to change.
I feel that he has made many bad judgements, both in his relationships with various individuals, as well as those concerning our country. However, I also FIRMLY believe that God put him in the office of our Pres., as well as GW Bush, and that there is a reason for that. I think that certain things have to take place for Jesus to come back, and that all the things we are complaining about are a part of that. I also KNOW that Our Lord is Sovereing and that He is in charge, and that brings me so much encouragement. If I allowed it, the Moral bankruptcy of our nation and all that goes with it would soon get me down. When I start to get overwhelmed about things, I just bring that to mind. I believe this is all true as we are living in the end times, and things must get worse before they get better.
All we can do is stay close to our Lord and let him lead and guide and inform us, so that we will get thru anything that we must get thru.
Hope this view helps someone a little bit.
“I don’t think you can cherry pick a verse out of a Psalm and disregard the intent of the Psalm. Which in this case is clearly a prayer for a leader’s (David) enemies to be taken care of by God.”
Byron,
Please, do you really believe this?
Don’t you just love that bit that goes “Appoint a wicked man against him”?! Just about sums up your far right and the previous administration.
It never fails to amuse and disgust me how the religeous right follow this 2000 year old Socialist – you know, the guy who chucked the money lenders out of the temple – and twist his words to suit themselves.
Reminds me of the old Roy Harper line; “And the world that Christ fought is supported by using his name”. It’s from McGoohans Blues – a typical Harper 15 minute rant.
Hypocrisy does not discriminate between religions. Intelligence doesn’t follow either.
As the great George Carlin said in his “10 Commandments”, for the “devout” murder is also “negotiable”.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pkRYaMiP4K8&hl=en_US&fs=1&]
Just imagine what the Right would have done if the Left had used this Psalm and its underlying message on George W. Bush. The Right would have busted a lung screaming about it. I would only ask WWJD?