By referring to formal or informal theological education, I was thinking entirely of the church as the location for such teaching and even the worship service itself as the its most immediate instance. In fact, on the most informal level, I think using the Psalms of lament in worship could be made far more productive simply if the worship leader/pastor would put the Psalm in its context and briefly reflect on its function. Even something that simple and informal would go a long way toward an increased appreciation and use of these Psalms in corporate worship. It should be said, on the other hand, that in order for the pastor/worship leader to do this, some study and intentionality will need to take place.

I am happy to keep this discussion going if you have more thoughts or want to push this around a little more.

Second, it might be helpful to remind ourselves that all of the psalms were not primarily composed for hymns, but were latter added to meter. Seen as such, imprecatory becomes a highly personal and authentic experience that might not find a place in the corporate church life but one that finds a place in the activity of the shepherd when he/she is tending to the sheep. Similarly, lament finds a home in the personal and interpersonal where transparency and authenticity find their outlet. I have sung many a hymn in which the words and meter demand a specific heart reaction, however, I have lacked the experiential context in which to engage the hymn. Saying that, I recognize the value in singing hymns in which my heart does not engage in, but I question the level of value with it. As a disclaimer, I am writing about some of the more extreme hymns that engage in significant levels of lament rather than more of the simply hymns. Any thoughts on this?

Finally, the composers which Noll highlight according to the post were those for the most part – I could be wrong here- trained theologically thinkers already in a church context where catachistic education was highly utilized and the norm for most to all children. It would have been totally appropriate for certain themes to be used because, by and large, the church community would have a context for understanding the theology that was being used. Are our lay people theologically and biblically trained enough to adequately respond to the use of high theology?

As a final note, it should be noted that these authors were not simply mass produces of hymns (I guess one could suggest that Charles Wesley was!), so the hymns that were written were composed out of much meditation and thought and not simply to produce another album. I fear that many of the songs sung today have fallen pray to the American evil of efficiency and expediency over meditation, solemnity, and silence. As we all know, to be exposed to the presence of God for too long demands a total unraveling of all that we hold dear to. However it is here where we are confronted with the “dark night of the soul” (John of the Cross suggests), from where the deep truths of the psalmists spring forth to challenge, mystify, and call us to an authentic experience with the Divine.

Perhaps the imprecatory Psalms functioned for Israel as they should function for believers today: A vehicle for bringing our rage before God in the movement toward forgiveness. Rather than keeping anger within or taking revenge on those who wronged us, the imprecatory Psalms serve our relinquishment of rage, our handing-over of that rage to the ultimate arbiter of justice. Rather than hurting those who hurt him, the Psalmist doesn’t so much threaten his enemies with his own revenge, but asks God to do so, and in so doing, he gives his rage and desire for revenge over to God.

Consider John Swinton on this:

“[W]ithin the imprecatory psalms we find the psalmist expressing torrents of real rage; but this rage is contained within the context of conversation with God. In a strange way, the imprecatory psalms may point to a way out of the slavery of revenge and into the freedom of forgiveness. In enabling us both to express and hand over our rage to the crucified God, as Bonhoeffer puts it: ‘The psalms of revenge lead to the cross of Jesus and to the love of God that forgives enemies.” The victim cannot forgive. But by handing over his rage and unforgiveness to God, who offers forgiveness to all, the victim makes a first move toward the possibility of forgiveness. For the followers of the crucified Messiah, the main message of the imprecatory psalms is this: rage belongs before God (Raging with Compassion (Eerdmans, 2007) 174).

If we interpret the imprecatory Psalms in this manner, then surely hymns or worship songs that lead believers to deal with their anger along these lines would be appropriate. But do we really want to deal with our rage in a way that leads to forgiveness?

As far as why no imprecation nowadays…My guess would be something to the effect the theocratic nation in which Israel lived in based on much of the old covenant promises in which the Psalmist(s) wrote. In the NT we find Jesus offering a different perspective to love our enemies; give them something to eat; pray for them. Therefore it would imply a different action and reaction toward our enemies.

If that is the case, I wonder why our hymnody doesn’t reflect the same diversity found in the Psalms. Off the top of my head, I can’t think of any hymns that have the imprecatory character of some Psalms and only a handful that give voice to our lament. Any ideas for why that is the case?