I just had a chance to watch this video, which details a new anti-Obama merchandising campaign featuring Psalm 109:8. The campaign features bumper stickers, coffee mugs, t-shirts (like the one pictured here) and other items that say “Prayer for Obama” and then refer to Psalm 109:8.
Psalm 109:8 reads as follows:
May his days be few; may another seize his position (or office).
A great deal of hysteria has been generated as a result of this campaign. One commentator has even accused Obama’s opponents of trawling for assassins by suggesting that we pray for his demise.
I don’t think that most conservatives (and I know quite a few) wish for Obama’s death – and I think that, for the most part, even those who wear these shirts do so with tongue-in-cheek, thinking of it as light-hearted hyperbole in the midst of the heated debate over health care. I can also guarantee you that no conservative that I know will argue that Obama’s children should end up penniless, begging in the streets with no one to help them, as the subsequent verses in the Psalm suggest.
Still, we live in an era in which political violence seems to be spilling over in almost every corner of the globe, and – particularly in light of the emerging stories about the way Islamic fundamentalist rhetoric motivated Nidal Hasan’s actions at Ft. Hood – it seems imprudent, even foolish to further rhetoric that may unintentionally encourage extreme right-wing activists to undertake similar actions in the name of Christianity.
Having said all of that, I thought it might be interesting to have a look at Psalm 109 as a whole to see what it is actually saying, and then to consider the ways in which it might inform Christians in the debate over health care.
You can read the entirety of Psalm 109 here. It is a Psalm attributed to David. In it, the Psalmist finds himself “under attack” by an enemy. The Psalmist claims that he loves, and has even prayed for his attackers (v. 4), but that – in turn – his attackers have spoken against him with lies and hatred (v.2) and have called down curses on the Psalmist (v. 18). As a result, the Psalmist finds that his “heart is pierced” and he has become weakened as others look upon him with scorn. (v. 25).
The request of the Psalmist is for God to bring upon his accusers the curses that the accusers seem so willing to denounce on others. In the center part of the Psalm comes the disturbing images that are suggested above – he wishes that the accusers should be tried for their crimes, that they should die, along with their children, and even their children’s mothers, so that no one even remembers them in generations to come. (vv. 8-15).
Of what crimes are the accusers guilty to deserve such a fate? Simple. They were unkind, pursuing “the poor and needy and the brokenhearted” to their demise. (v. 16). Thus, the Psalmist can confidently conclude that he will ultimately be vindicated – and his accusers put to shame – because God “stands at the right hand of the needy, to save them from those who would condemn them to death.” (v. 31). In other words, God stands on the side of the poor and needy, and he will bring to a demise those who use deceptions and “curses” to preserve their positions of privilege and power over the broken
While the “Prayer for Obama” t-shirts miss the mark in terms of the applicability of Psalm 109 to the health care debate, it turns out that – in many ways - it is a perfect text for Christians to consider in the midst of the debate. Two points, in particular, stand out to me.
First, it is important that we learn to speak truth about our opponents. The “curse” of Psalm 109 centers on those who use lies and deception to bring scorn on their opponents. Thus, I think it is important that Christians prayerfully consider whether their characterizations of their opponents (and their opponents’ proposed policies) are truly fair, honest assessments.
Second, it is important for Christians to keep in mind the issue of how the policies that are being implemented will affect the poor and needy. Again, the “curse” of Psalm 109 is pronounced on those who seek to trample on the disenfranchised to their own benefit. Politics that are self-interested, to the point of disregard for the less privileged, should be avoided.
What other lessons might Psalm 109 bring to this debate?
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