Jeremiah 18:19-23 – Praying for our adversaries

The genre of Jeremiah 18:19-23 poses some application difficulties. Collectively, these verses formed what is termed an imprecatory prayer. What is an imprecatory prayer?  It’s a prayer where a person implores God’s judgment and pronounces curses on his adversaries or on people who are his cruel nemesis. Here Jeremiah was asking God to pour out his judgment on the people who came against him.  

Notice Jeremiah had been faithful in delivering God’s tough message to them. He had even upheld them in prayer seeking God to turn His fierce anger and wrath from them. Instead of appreciating him, the people now turned against him and were repaying his good deeds for them with evil. Verses 22-23 indicate that they connived and set a deadly trap to ensnare him and to have him executed.  

So he prayed that God would avenge him. He pronounced a series of curses on the rebellious people. Here we see imprecatory elements in his prayer in verses 21-23. He pronounced curses that would affect every class of people - from children to adults to wives and families. He pronounced famine, invasion, and even death that would turn many wives into widows. He even asked God to make his enemies’ wives barren and childless. Besides, he implored God not to forgive their sins nor to blot out their transgressions and to overthrow them in the time of His wrath.   

 

Our difficulty with these verses lies in the application. Should such a prayer be prayed? Was Jeremiah justified in praying this imprecatory prayer? Didn’t Jesus our Lord say that we should love our enemies and pray for them? To pronounce a curse and pray for God to judge them seems to contradict our Lord’s instruction.

 

Remember that Jeremiah prayed out of the anguish of his soul. On deeper reflection, we will realize that his prayer was in line with the curses God had stipulated in the law of Moses in Deuteronomy 28. God Himself said that they would be cursed if they walk in rebellion and disobedience. Jeremiah prayed this prayer after his plea for them to change fell on dead ears and they were threatening to endanger his life. One thing is sure, God knew Jeremiah’s exact state of mind.    

 

For us Christians how do we reconcile Jeremiah’s prayer here and the call of the Lord to love and pray for our enemies? New Testament tells us to leave vengeance to God. He said, “Vengeance is mine and I will repay it.” Today, we have the privilege and advantage of revelation which Jeremiah did not have because revelation to us is progressive.  We should always pray for our enemies and leave the vengeance to our all-compassionate God.