God's Might (smite?)

Ethics are defined as "the principals of right and wrong that are accepted by an individual or group". Within the psalms the ethical stance takes on a uneasy, harsh tone. Many passages ask God to use his power against the enemies of His followers. For example, psalm 69 states "May their eyes grow too dark to see, make their lions perpetually shake. Pour out upon them Your wrath, and Your blazing fury overtake them." The consistent call to God to invoke punishment on ones enemies and forgive His followers is in clear contradiction to many parts of the Bible, from which the psalms came.

Jesus is depicted as a peaceful man who would never think of hurting an enemy, even after one had struck him directly. He says in that situation to simply turn your cheek and allow for another punch. A large majority of the psalms directly apposes this ethic and rather than being peaceful, asks God to smite their enemies so that they may prevail. There is a definite distinction between those God will save and those he will condemn, and the psalms describe the right ethics as those of the followers of God.

Living by these ethical standards makes for chaos. If your enemies were bothering you, all you had to do is call upon God and he would punish them accordingly. One must wonder, if you are taught in Sunday School to love thy neighbor, then why ask for things such as in psalm 55 where the author pleas to God "May death come upon them. May they go down to Sheol alive."?

It is difficult to understand why so much anger and punishment are embedded in the psalms when in comparison to ethics associated with Christianity or Judaism. One would think that these religions were peaceful but the psalms shows desires of individuals for warth and punishment. I feel as though there should have been more psalms on the harmony of enemies, and not the distruction of those who do not follow in Gods path.