The Bible is the ultimate authority for followers of Jesus. Many times it is likened to a manual or textbook for living a righteous life. These are both helpful, if not woefully inadequate, analogues for what the Bible is and how it is meant to be used. 2 Timothy 3:16-17 reads, “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.” To put it another way, the Bible is the divinely inspired Word from God, and it is useful for those who are seeking to live a life that pleases God.
The task of understanding and applying the truths of Scripture in accurate and appropriate ways is a core Christian discipline.
Before noting the usefulness of Scripture, in 2 Timothy 2:15, Paul challenges his readers to, “Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the Word of truth.” The task of understanding and applying the truths of Scripture in accurate and appropriate ways is a core Christian discipline. It is why churches spend so much time and effort attempting to help people engage, understand, and apply the Bible both individually and corporately.
One of the things we have to discern when dealing with the truth of Scripture is whether a text is descriptive or prescriptive. The difference between the two is essential to proper understanding and application. Scripture that is descriptive is meant to teach us that a thing happened, that people said certain things, or that certain practices were the norm at a certain time. On the other hand, Scripture that is prescriptive is meant to define appropriate action and inspire obedience. To paraphrase the words of Paul, all Scripture is useful in a particular way, some for teaching and some for stopping or encouraging action.
Take for instance the story of King David and Bathsheba. To summarize, King David plays the peeping Tom and watches as Bathsheba bathes across the way. He has her brought to him and engages in an affair and gets her pregnant. He then lures the woman’s husband into a trap to cause his death and cover his tracks. No reasonable person considers this story and comes to the conclusion that we are commanded by God to “go thou and do likewise.” We know that lust, marital infidelity, and murder are wrong. This story is obviously descriptive, not prescriptive.
Let us continue considering the life and words of King David. Within the many Psalms King David composed are what are known as Imprecatory Psalms. These Psalms are typically prayers for God to bring about justice, and they usually contain requests for the Almighty to do harm to one’s enemies. Consider, for example, these excerpts from Psalm 109…
“Appoint someone evil to oppose my enemy… may his prayers condemn him. May his days be few… May his children be fatherless and his wife a widow. May his children be wandering beggars; may they be driven from their ruined homes… May no one take kindness on him or take pity on his fatherless children… May their sins always remain before the Lord, that He may blot out their name from the earth.”
King David provided descriptive prayers to which we can relate; Jesus provided a prescriptive life we should seek to live.
These words are “God-breathed” Scripture, and they are profitable, but they are NOT prescriptive. They are descriptive. They are NOT meant to serve as a model for how we should think of, pray for, and treat our enemies or even “the wicked.” And most of all, they are NOT meant to inspire action on our part. Rather, these words are descriptive; they demonstrate an open and honest relationship between God and man. They show us the reality of raw emotion, but they also demonstrate the importance of leaving judgement and punishment in the hands of our Holy God.
I submit that our understanding of whether a text is descriptive or prescriptive should be determined by the example and words of Jesus. Jesus commanded us to love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us. This runs counter to seeking that their days be few, their wife widowed, and their children fatherless beggars on whom no one takes pity. We may feel like King David, but Jesus calls us to pray and act otherwise.
Interestingly, all the judgement and punishment prayed down upon the wicked by King David and other Old Testament saints were brought to fulfillment upon Jesus. He bore the weight of our sins and shame. He came to bring an end to the hate and anger that so often drives our attitudes and actions. We are no longer to seek harm to end wickedness, and instead we are to offer grace and mercy as we attempt to bring people to repentance and new life in Jesus Christ. King David provided descriptive prayers to which we can relate; Jesus provided a prescriptive life we should seek to live.
The imprecatory Psalms call for God to destroy our enemies. Jesus prayed for the Father to forgive those who were killing Him. The imprecatory Psalms seek judgment and punishment. Jesus took the judgement and punishment others deserved to offer new and eternal life. It is understandable that we relate to the words of the imprecatory Psalms. They describe how we often feel and our skewed view of justice. But, if we are to live as those approved by God for correctly handling the Word of truth, we must live to a higher standard. We must make every effort to understand and apply the prescriptive truth of Scripture found in the sacrificial life and death of our Savior and one true King, Jesus Christ.
