Taunt Psalms

Why do you boast of evil, O mighty man? The steadfast love of God endures all the day. 
Psalm 52:1 

Many people know John Wycliffe as one of the early translators of the Bible into the common tongue of the people. However, there is so much more to his legacy than this. John Wycliffe grew up in a time of deep spiritual tenebras (darkness) where the people were unable to gain access to the Scriptures and were taught that they were to simply submit to the traditions, ceremonies, and practices as taught by the Roman Catholic church. It was in this context that John Wycliffe faithfully stood on the authority of the Scripture over and against the Roman Catholic church and he stands as an example of how to endure through persecution that comes from within.

For the most part, most of the persecution that the church had faced came from those outside of the faith, but in the case of Wycliffe he faced much persecution from those who named Christ as Lord in their lives. He was very vocal against the Roman Catholic Church for several false teachings to include: the belief that Christ’s body was physically present in the communion, the pope having more authority than true believers, and that the Gospel plus the sacraments are required for salvation. They hated Wycliffe so much, that 31 years after his natural death and they burned his carcass and threw his ashes into the river.

John Wycliffe’s story is not unique to him, but can be found throughout the history of the church. There will be enemies of God from within and without the church. All believers are called to feed, care for, love, and pray for their enemies. In the taunt psalms, we find yet an expression of prayer for our enemies in the form of imprecations, curses, and taunts. Although these psalms reproach the godless for their wickedness and call out the impending doom that is at hand for those who do not put their trust in God for their salvation, they also appeal to the steadfast love of God.

An example of this may be found in the 52nd psalm where we read of an imprecation from David on Doeg the Edomite. This wicked man had brought death upon the priests who had assisted David in Nob and David cries out to the Lord to execute his justice on the godless, evil man for his arrogance and lies. The taunt psalms remind us that God will execute His justice upon the earth, on the righteous and the unrighteous. And it teaches us how we may cry out to God to act in a consistent manner with His character and nature. When we sing these psalms, a hatred for sins should be felt, but always with the understanding that ruin will be the end of those who persist in it.

Grace and Peace,
Alex Galvez

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These articles follow the current Bible Reading plan for Overflow Ministries. If you would like to join the reading plan, simply download the plan here: Overflow Reading Plan

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If you would like to read the previous articles in the series, you may find them below:
1. Psalms
2. Hymns
3. Community complaints
4. Individual complaints
5. Individual songs of thanksgiving
6. Royal psalms
7. Torah psalms
8. Oracle psalms
9. Blessing psalms
10. Taunt songs
11. Songs of trust