Blessed Curses

Based on Psalm 83

I was talking with my sister yesterday about the difference between Hades and Gehenna and this psalm is relevant to that discussion.
Hades is the Greek equivalent of Sheol - the grave, the state of nothingness, the state of being dead.
Gehenna is not used as a word in the Hebrew Scriptures, but it is used as a concept.
The Psalmist lists the enemies that are persecuting God's people and pleads with God to judge them.


Let them be confounded and troubled for ever; yea, let them be put to shame, and perish: (Psalm 83:17)

The context shows that this passage is talking about bring temporal suffering on the wicked to bring them to repentance. But it should also be remembered that being confounded and troubled "for ever" has an equivalence to being put to shame and made to "perish". Death is the punishment for sin (Rom 6:23) and what a terrible punishment it is, but just.


Do unto them as unto the Midianites; as to Sisera, as to Jabin, at the brook of Kison: (Psalm 83:9)


What place does this kind of cursing have for the Christian? Why is this in the Bible, if we are supposed to bless those that curse us? Let me know if you have a good answer.

That men may know that thou, whose name alone is Jehovah, art the most high over all the earth. (Psalm 83:18)

My thought is that we are being told to boldly pray to God that our enemies will be saved, if necessary through suffering. We have a tendency to complain about our enemies or criticise them, it practice we curse them. But to honestly admit they are our enemies and appeal to God to bring suffering on them for their own salvation, that seems a bit extreme. I think I can take from this that I have no business gossiping about someone if I am not willing to honestly ask God to curse them. If I did have an enemy I wanted God to curse I ought to want this for the sake of their own salvation.

That will be something to go on with.