War Psalms of the Prince of Peace: Lessons from the Imprecatory Psalms

Although the Psalms are much beloved by readers of the Bible, some hostile language in individual psalms may be disconcerting. Are these seemingly vindictive prayers acceptable in the mouths of Christians? How is a pastor supposed to preach these texts?

James E. Adams wants us to embrace God’s Word in its entirety, and that means examining the parts that make us uncomfortable. In short, helpful chapters, Adams answers a number of questions: Are these psalms from God? Who is the speaker in the psalms? May we pray these psalms today? It turns out that the Prince of Peace has much to teach us about war, and even the imprecatory psalms may be prayed with the merciful goal of conversion.

Twenty-fifth anniversary edition—includes a new epilogue and additional chapter.

• Table of Contents
• Foreword
• Preface
• 1. Those Puzzling Prayers from the Psalms
• 2. Are These Prayers the Oracles of God?
• 3. Who Is Praying These Psalms?
• 4. Are Jesus’ Prayers Contradictory?
• 5. May We Pray the Imprecatory Psalms?
• 6. How Can We Preach These Prayers?
• 7. Marching to War in God’s Kingdom!
• Epilogue
• The Psalms—Christ’s Prayer Book
• Appendices
  • 1. The Christian’s Duty Towards His Enemies
  • 2. Two Sermon Summaries
  • 3. The Messianic Cup of Wrath and Joy
  • 4. Index to Psalm Imprecations
  • 5. New Testament References to the Psalms
• Notes
• Bibliography—Help from Good Books
• Gratitude