The Imprecatory Psalms (4)
That the Old Testament considers it a task of the people of God to destroy evil is so obvious that it is often made the basis of unfavorable criticisms of its ethics. It is said that it is an evidence of the rudeness and non-Christian spirit of Old Testament ethics that it requires of the people of God that they shall destroy their enemies. Christian apologists all too often practically admit this criticism by giving no better defense of it than that we must figure with the general characteristics of the times….
More important than this is to note the fact that the commands of complete extermination of the enemies of the people of God marks off the Old Testament ethics as being essentially one with the New Testament ethics rather than the contrary. Instead of apologizing for this aspect of Old Testament ethics we should glory in it. It is the best proof of the genuinely theistic character of the Old Testament that one could desire. If God is what the Christian theist says he is, sin must be absolutely destroyed, and it is naturally to be expected that God would order his people to destroy evil. It is equally natural that this should be done in an externalistic way in the Old Testament times when the whole of the divine revelation to man was given in an externalistic way.
It is at all times a part of the task of the people of God to destroy evil. Once we see this we do not, for instance, meanly apologize for the imprecatory psalms but glory in them….
Cornelius Van Til, Christian Theistic Ethics,
(Presbyterian and Reformed Publishing Company, 1980), p. 83-84.
Recommended:
James E. Adams, War Psalms of the Prince of Peace
Vincent Cheung, The Sermon on the Mount