God is my helper;
the Lord is the sustainer of my life.
He will repay my adversaries for their evil.
Because of your faithfulness, annihilate them.
Psalm 54:4-5
Observation: David writes this psalm at a time he is being hunted by Saul, and the Ziphites have betrayed his location. He prays for his safety, places his full faith and reliance on the Lord for his delivery, and also asks that the Lord "annihilate" those who are against him. This is not a unique ask, for there are several psalms of David where he asks the Lord to destroy, annihilate, curse, and generally severely punish those who do evil against him.
As a result, David becomes a model for many as someone who relies both on the mercy of Yahweh, but also on his judgment ... and in himself being aligned well enough to God's heart to know the difference between who deserves mercy, and who deserves judgment. David is aggressive in this. He knows that people who are out to kill him - and who would enable and assist anyone in killing him - while he is not only fully innocent but even anointed by the Lord's prophet as the future king, are worthy of judgment. They have stepped into a mindset where they are not only sinning, but are living a life actively opposed to the Lord. For this, their destruction is justified.
Application: I know people who live this kind of life ... with every aspect of their life, they not only function outside of the Lord's will, but actively oppose everything about God, even denying his existence, AND they take actions that attack and harm faithful believers. I have prayed for the destruction, annihilation, cursing, and punishment of such people.
However, today I wonder if Jesus has changed this model. Today, living after the resurrection of the Messiah, we are in the new kingdom, where anyone can receive forgiveness and justification through faith in Jesus. Therefore, has the Lord's judgment changed? Yes, eternal judgment still awaits those who fully reject Jesus and have no other means to reconcile their lives with the Lord. However, since justification is now available, perhaps near-term annihilation no longer makes sense.
Surely the Lord wishes for all to come to faith, and is patiently giving them time to do so. Rapid judgment removes the opportunity for a change in heart. Maybe ... maybe ... prayers like David's are no longer applicable.
Prayer: Lord, there are so very many people on earth today who have earned your wrath and judgment. It is therefore amazing to see and understand your love and patience and mercy. I know I am not perfect, and yet you love and forgive me. The earthly part of me may wish to see your judgment poured out on the truly evil people of this world, however I do have enough of your love in my heart to see that it would be better to offer them more chances to know Jesus. Yes, may your judgment still rule, but most importantly may your kingdom come, and your will be done on earth. Amen.
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