The Dawn Treader

Lewis writes,

"In some of the Psalms the spirit of hatred which strikes us in the face is like the heat from a furnace mouth.  In others the same spirit ceases to be frightful only by becoming (to a modern mind) almost comic in its naivety"

You think Psalm 109 is a little harsh and vindictive in its tone?  Check out this one.

Lewis even points out something in everyone's favorite Psalm, the 23rd Psalm.   In verse five, it states "You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies;"

Lewis writes,

"The poet's enjoyment of his prosperity would not be complete unless those horrid Joneses (who used to look down there noses at him) were watching it all and hating it.  This may not be so diabolical as the passages I quoted above; but the pettiness and vulgarity of it, especially in such surroundings, are hard to endure."

I have to admit.  In countless readings of the 23rd Psalm, I never once considered verse 5 in this way.

Lewis makes a very astute observation.

"I found these maledictions were in one way extremely interesting.  For here one saw a feeling we all know only too well, Resentment, expressing itself with perfect freedom, without disguise, without self-consciousness, without shame -- as few but children would express it today. ... Hatred did not need to be disguised for the sake of social decorum or for fear anyone would accuse you of a neurosis.  We therefore see it in its "wild" or natural condition."

Unfettered resentment.  The kind that usually lives below the surface.  The poets of the Psalms let it out -- shamelessly.  In our "civilized" suburban settings, perhaps the bloody aspect of some of the Psalms seems a tad over the top.  In the society where bloody melees with the Philistines were a way of life, graphic scenes were more commonplace.  Savagery, sadly, is still present in today's world -- I was especially reminded of that when reading the sickening account of testimony of the BTK killer.

Continuing on.

What Lewis notes, is how the undisguised hatred reminds us of what happens as a natural result of injuring a human being.  Resentment.  Such hatreds as expressed in the cursings are "the kind of thing that cruelty and injustice, by a sort of Natural law, produce."

Lewis never condones hatred as being right because it is natural.  Nor should we.

Lewis sees the intensity and indignation of the Psalmists as a good thing.  It is a sign of taking right and wrong very seriously.  Of taking justice seriously.  Injustice arouses passion with these writers, not casual indifference.  Lewis correctly notes how disquieting it would be to see blatant injustice, outright cruelty, and wanton evil ...  only to respond with a sigh and a yawn of indifference.

Lewis writes,

"For if the Jews cursed more bitterly than the Pagans this was, I think, at least in part because they took right and wrong more seriously.  For if we look at their railings we find they are usually angry not simply because these things have been done to them but because these things are manifestly wrong, are hateful to God and to the victim."

The ferociousness of the Psalms serve as a reminder that there is such a thing as wickedness in this world and it is hateful to God.

There is a second important reminder.  Not only is evil real, it must be punished.  Dennis Rader, the BTK killer, began serving 10 consecutive life sentences today.  I was moved by the pain in words of the families of the victims.

“You are nothing more than a despicable, child murdering, cowardly, impotent eunuch and pervert, masquerading as a human being,” Davis told Rader.

“I’d just like for him to suffer for the rest of his life,” Steve Relford, Shirley Vian’s son, told the court.

“This man needs to be thrown in a deep, dark hole and rot,” said Plapp, “he should never ever see the light of day.”

"I would like the court to give him the maximum sentence he can get," said Kevin Bright, Kathryn Bright's brother, who survived after being shot by Rader.

“There is no sentence you can exact upon him that will satisfy our needs,” said Bill Wegerle, Vicki Wegerle’s husband.

“As of today, you no longer exist,” Davis told Rader, “as of today, the focus finally moves out from under your depraved shadow of darkness and into the light of the victims and their families.”

These people are reeling in pain.  They are letting it out.  Lewis is right.  There is a natural reaction to intense injury.  At rare times like a sentencing, people are permitted to speak what is really in their heart.

There is good news.  With God, forgiveness is possible.  The price of sin has been paid for those who trust in Christ.  There is an answer to pain.  There is forgiveness.  There is restoration.  We can experience relief and deliverance from deep personal injury.  It is through Christ.

The Psalms remind us, however, that sin is real, and the effects of sin are devastating.  They remind us that evil must be dealt with.  The chilling case of Dennis Rader provides one kind of reminder that evil and pain are real.  The cursings in the Psalms also provide a vivid reminder of sin, its effects, and why sin cannot be ignored or minimized.