Prayer:

[Aquila]

Originally Posted by Esaias

Aquila, I asked about imprecations as prayer against demons, sicknesses, circumstances, etc. You provided examples of imprecations against people, some arguable, some not even prayers but simple curses, and none which met the question. Not trying to be a hard head here, but just pointing that out.

"Is there one Biblical example of praying imprecations, AS PRAYER, against "demons, sickness, sin, satan, or even circumstances"?

I don't mean rebuking unclean spirits or casting out demons, or praying FOR a particular circumstance, I mean asking God to curse the things you listed."

I apologize if the previous post didn't address the fullness of your question. In the examples given, I tried to stay within the boundaries of the New Testament. What I found interesting was that we see plenty of examples of imprecative prayers, decrees, and statements against actual human individuals in the New Testament. Sometimes, as Christians, we assume that to curse one's enemy is in some way "unchristian" based on Christ's admonition to love our enemies, pray for them, bless them, and curse not. Clearly there is some distinction to be made between these enemies, else Jesus, Paul, Peter, and others would be guilty of sin by virtue of their own imprecations. So, with respect to the examples given, I've found my understanding lacking here. I have to dig deeper to find what sets apart the enemies we are to bless vs. the enemies that Christ and the early church clearly cursed. If you have any thoughts or insight on this, please feel free to share them so that I can consider them in addition to my studies.

I'll do some deeper study to see if I can find any biblical precedent for imprecations against demons, sickness, sin, satan, and circumstances. I mentioned these things because (biblical or not) they are common prayers made within churches today. I think we've all heard imprecations such as, "I curse cancer and command it to dry up in the name of Jesus!", from time to time. I've heard curses issued against demons, satan, and their works. For example, "We curse the plans of the enemy. We break every chain and every fetter of satan. We bind his power and release the power of the Holy Spirit to rebuke and contend with him. May satan be brought down, may he be bound to the pit. And allow freedom and mercy to flow into the lives of the precious saints he has oppressed. In the name of Jesus.", and so forth. During the hurricane (Irma) prayers cursing the hurricane, commanding that it be redirected, and that it be blown back out to sea could be heard in many different churches. This would be an example of imprecation against circumstance.

Here are some interesting links that address prayers of imprecation. Some answers to your questions might be found in these links:

D. Imprecatory Psalms (Pss 5, 10, 17, 35, 58, 59, 69, 70, 79, 83, 109, 129, 137, 140)
https://www.biblegateway.com/resourc...ecatory-Psalms

A Prayer of Imprecation
https://dougwils.com/books/a-prayer-of-imprecation.html

Can Christians Pray the Imprecations of Psalm 69?
http://www.ligonier.org/blog/can-chr...ions-psalm-69/

Imprecatory Psalms
http://www.theopedia.com/imprecatory-psalms

[Aquila]

When it comes to prayers of imprecation, evidently love can be a fearsome and terrible thing if provoked. It would seem that imprecatory prayer is warranted with regards to the deliberate enemies of God and God's people. Woe unto the man that unwarily steps between a mother bear and her cubs.

[Aquila]

Here's an imprecatory prayer against Satan. One should note, the prophet Isaiah is writing against "the king of Babylon". No doubt, a human king. However, many of the things said about and attributed to this human king appear to be beyond the scope of a normal human being. It would appear that the prophet is not only rebuking the human king, but also the spirit of Satan that resides within him. And so they are addressed as one and the same, although they are not:

Isaiah 14:4-20 King James Version (KJV)
4 That thou shalt take up this proverb against the king of Babylon, and say, How hath the oppressor ceased! the golden city ceased!
5 The Lord hath broken the staff of the wicked, and the sceptre of the rulers.
6 He who smote the people in wrath with a continual stroke, he that ruled the nations in anger, is persecuted, and none hindereth.
7 The whole earth is at rest, and is quiet: they break forth into singing.
8 Yea, the fir trees rejoice at thee, and the cedars of Lebanon, saying, Since thou art laid down, no feller is come up against us.
9 Hell from beneath is moved for thee to meet thee at thy coming: it stirreth up the dead for thee, even all the chief ones of the earth; it hath raised up from their thrones all the kings of the nations.
10 All they shall speak and say unto thee, Art thou also become weak as we? art thou become like unto us?
11 Thy pomp is brought down to the grave, and the noise of thy viols: the worm is spread under thee, and the worms cover thee.
12 How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations!
13 For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north:
14 I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High.
15 Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit.
16 They that see thee shall narrowly look upon thee, and consider thee, saying, Is this the man that made the earth to tremble, that did shake kingdoms;
17 That made the world as a wilderness, and destroyed the cities thereof; that opened not the house of his prisoners?
18 All the kings of the nations, even all of them, lie in glory, every one in his own house.
19 But thou art cast out of thy grave like an abominable branch, and as the raiment of those that are slain, thrust through with a sword, that go down to the stones of the pit; as a carcase trodden under feet.
20 Thou shalt not be joined with them in burial, because thou hast destroyed thy land, and slain thy people: the seed of evildoers shall never be renowned.

We see a similar prayer of imprecation in the writing of Ezekiel:

Ezekiel 28:12-19 (KJV)
12 Son of man, take up a lamentation upon the king of Tyrus, and say unto him, Thus saith the Lord God; Thou sealest up the sum, full of wisdom, and perfect in beauty.
13 Thou hast been in Eden the garden of God; every precious stone was thy covering, the sardius, topaz, and the diamond, the beryl, the onyx, and the jasper, the sapphire, the emerald, and the carbuncle, and gold: the workmanship of thy tabrets and of thy pipes was prepared in thee in the day that thou wast created.
14 Thou art the anointed cherub that covereth; and I have set thee so: thou wast upon the holy mountain of God; thou hast walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire.
15 Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in thee.
16 By the multitude of thy merchandise they have filled the midst of thee with violence, and thou hast sinned: therefore I will cast thee as profane out of the mountain of God: and I will destroy thee, O covering cherub, from the midst of the stones of fire.
17 Thine heart was lifted up because of thy beauty, thou hast corrupted thy wisdom by reason of thy brightness: I will cast thee to the ground, I will lay thee before kings, that they may behold thee.
18 Thou hast defiled thy sanctuaries by the multitude of thine iniquities, by the iniquity of thy traffick; therefore will I bring forth a fire from the midst of thee, it shall devour thee, and I will bring thee to ashes upon the earth in the sight of all them that behold thee.
19 All they that know thee among the people shall be astonished at thee: thou shalt be a terror, and never shalt thou be any more.

As with the king of Babylon in Isaiah, Ezekiel addresses the king of Tyrus, yet attributes more than what one could attribute to a human being. And so, as with the case of the passage in Isaiah, Ezekiel is clearly praying imprecation upon both the human king of Tyrus and the spirit of Satan that resides within him.