Imprecatory Psalms

Sermons of Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones

Martyn Lloyd-Jones

Religion & Spirituality, Christianity

4.8 • 603 Ratings

🗓️ 19 February 2026

⏱️ 50 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Why are there imprecatory Psalms in the Bible? This is the question that Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones takes up in this sermon on Romans 11:7–10 titled “Psalms.” He says that Scripture never teaches that God creates evil or sin but He does create the consequences of the sinful actions of humans. When Scripture speaks of God visiting judgement upon evil, one should not think that this is God doing something evil but He is punishing the wicked for their evil deeds. The same thing is true in the case of David when he prays for God to judge the wicked. This is not David being vindictive, but rather it is him asking that God act in accordance with His character to protect the righteous and punish the wicked. For God is holy and just; He cannot even look upon evil doers. This is seen in the highest form when Jesus died upon the cross at Calvary. There, God’s justice was fully manifested in His judgement upon sin in Christ but His mercy also was displayed in saving sinners. This is the great truth that God is both the just and the justifier. There is truly no unrighteousness with God.

Transcript

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0:00.0	We are still considering the words which are to be found in Paul's epistle to the Romans
0:05.5	in chapter 11, reading from verse 7 to the end of verse 10.
0:13.3	What then, Israel hath not obtained that which he seeketh for, but the election hath
0:20.6	obtained it, and the rest were blinded.
0:24.6	According as it is written, God hath given them the spirit of slumber, eyes that they should not see,
0:32.0	and ears that they should not hear, unto this day. And David said, let their table be made a snare and a trap and a stumbling block and a recompense
0:44.3	unto them.
0:46.3	Let their eyes be darkened that they may not see and bow down their back all the way.
0:52.3	Now we've expounded those words and have indicated that there are some four great principles,
1:02.7	four great matters of doctrine, if you like, or four great lessons taught us here,
1:08.1	which we must consider.
1:14.7	They have a relevance to the argument of the apostle, the particular argument that he is applying and opening out before us here,
1:20.3	but over and above that, they have a very great relevance to the whole state and condition
1:26.4	of the church at the present time, as we've already
1:29.6	been seeing.
1:30.7	What the apostle is really showing here is what he was setting out to prove at the beginning
1:36.4	of this chapter in this first section, that though it was true that the majority of the
1:42.1	children of Israel, Jews, were not in the kingdom of God,
1:46.5	were outside the church and rejecting the gospel, that nevertheless it wasn't a total rejection.
1:55.0	And having put his argument before us, he sums it up in the seventh verse by saying,
2:00.1	what then? What's the position?
2:01.8	It is this, that Israel hath not obtained that which he seeketh for.
	...

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