Page 9 - Imprecatory Prayer

Jim Hodges
refuse it and accuse the prophet of lying. The word of the Lord was
that if the people stayed in the city, the Lord would favor them and
they would not be invaded again by the Babylonians and taken into
captivity like many of their countrymen. But if they fled to Egypt,
they would be in a place of great danger because Nebuchadnezzar
was going to invade it, burn it, and take many captives. (See 42:18).

Because of their disobedience, the people became an imprecation.
They experienced the curse that results from disobeying the Lord
(See Deuteronomy 29:21). In other words, they would become
disgraced, dishonored, and lessened in the sight of the neighboring
nations. They would lose status and esteem and become a reproach
wherever they were scattered.

Imprecation, simply defined, is the very opposite of blessing!

A sobering observation: In Jeremiah’s day, the imprecation-curse is
released on the people of God. This is a warning for every
generation of believers—if we continually reject the prophetic word
of the Lord and disobey the written Word, the Bible, this can align
us with the enemies of God and the Gospel. (It is God’s unrepentant
enemies who become an imprecation; it ought not to be God’s
people who experience the curse!)

Doctrinally Defining Imprecation

1. Imprecatory prayers are prayers that implore the Lord God
to avenge evil and to release His righteous judgments in the
earth.

The martyrs in Revelation 6 asked the Lord to judge and avenge.
We have confused judgment with condemnation. God’s judgments
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