Last year, 4,476 Christians across the world were murdered for their faith. Although persecution comes from different sources at different points in history, it remains a feature of Christian experience perennially. Currently, the vast majority of attacks on Christians are made by individuals or organisations motivated by Islam. Islamic inspired terrorism attacks were reported across the world at the end of December. Forty-six people were killed in various attacks across Nigeria and the Democratic Republic of Congo, some on their way home from church. A congregation of 177 Christians in Sudan was attacked during a prayer service. In Bangladesh, there were death threats for those attending Christian services. In Turkey, there was an armed attack on a church on New Year’s Eve. In Syria, Christian symbols were burned down and a church was attacked. Certain times of year may provoke more prominent attacks, but for the majority of Christians in the world, violence and intimidation such as imprisonment are daily occurrences. In Covenanting times, the blind Edinburgh preacher Alexander Skeldie dissected the motivations of those who were then active in persecution. As the following excerpt from his sermon shows, he acknowledges God’s involvement in sending and restraining and repurposing cruel persecution, and encourages Christians in a Christ-like response even to the experience of persecution. David’s desperation as again and again he had to evade violent and cruel attackers expressed itself in an appeal to the Lord as “a God full of compassion, and gracious …” (Psalm 86:14–15). The nature of his God, for whose sake he was being persecuted, was the polar opposite of the nature of his persecutors. This both sharply underlines their wickedness and strengthens David’s determination to trust the Lord. David, unique in some ways, provides a template for the suffering people of God in all times.

The enemies are cruel

In Psalm 86, David calls his enemies “violent and cruel men that seek after his soul.”

They may be described in this way, first, for the hatred they bear to the saints of God. It is unjust in its basis: Cain slew his brother Abel, because his own works were evil and his brother’s good. It is deadly in its aim: these wicked ones desire the utter ruin of not only a number of the godly, but all the godly without exception, that the saints of God would perish from the earth. It is, equally, implacable in its continuance: like Amalek, they are irreconcilable.

Second, in their words they express how they despise the saints of God. Sometimes they threaten to execute the extremity of their rage and fury, and sometimes they burden the saints of God with slanders and reproaches. Their words are compared to sharp arrows, burning coals, and the venom of asps, for as any of these things can grievously hurt the body, so the cruel words of violent men greatly grieve and afflict the hearts of the saints of God.

Third, their acts of cruelty are seen by some, and felt by others. When they are permitted by the Lord to afflict His saints, they carry out all manner of cruelty that can be devised, without regard to people’s sex, or age, or quality. This is why Holy Scripture calls them “troublers” (because they do not allow the saints of God to live in peace and quietness), “oppressors” (by reason of the manifold injuries which they do to the saints of God, without any cause or occasion), and “persecutors” (partly because they diligently seek opportunity to harm the people of God, and wait till they find it, and partly because they treat the saints of God as savage beasts set upon their prey).

The enemies are seeking maximum harm

We should not lightly pass over David’s words “seeking after my soul” in the text.

The hurt and damage which they wished him is not a light harm, which you may easily live with, and is soon repaired. Cruel Nahash threatened to put out the right eyes of the citizens of Jabesh (1 Samuel 11), but the enemies of David “seek after his soul.” They want not only to spoil him of his wealth and honour, but likewise of his life.

David’s life was sought both by secret plots and open violence, making him not only say that his enemies would “swallow him up,” but also to compare them to savage animals, which when they attack someone, do not simply bite him until he bleeds, nor take away just one of his limbs, but they do not leave him until he is dead, and they have eaten what they want of his carcase.

It was not enough for Christ’s enemies that Christ should die, unless He was crucified, because so they thought His soul would perish, by dying a cursed death.

David’s enemies not only banished him from the house of God, where he was most desirous to dwell, but they bid him go and serve the gods of the Gentiles, so that by committing idolatry he would perish eternally (2 Sam. 26), which is why David magnifies the mercy of God, who in this way “delivered his soul from the lowest hell.”

Christians should never show signs of cruelty

Christians should have a singular care not only to look to their words and ways, that they show no signs of cruelty, but likewise that the spirit of cruelty would be not harboured in their hearts. Rather they should pursue meekness, and the exercise of mercy.

Mercy is taught in the Word of God

Christians are taught by the Word of God to flee cruelty, and follow mercy, and that by no less example than God their Creator, and Christ their Redeemer. “Be merciful, as your heavenly Father is merciful,” “And learn of me, that I am meek and lowly in heart:”

We rightly think that both the religion of Romanists, and the religion of Islam, cannot be good, seeing their religion teaches them to practice cruelty, and to force people with fire and sword to embrace it, when they cannot persuade them by their arguments. That is likewise how Ambrose described the behaviour of the Arians in his time towards the orthodox Christians in the 4th century.

But the Christian religion, which is grounded in the Word of God, is known to be a good religion because it instructs us to hatred of cruelty and love of mercy, and wants no one to be forced by violent compulsion, but rather persuaded by powerful preaching and clear explanations from divine truth.

As Tertullian said, “It is no part of religion to constrain religion.” Those who think to win converts by rigorous persecution rather than by right information, by doing so declare to the world the cruelty and falsehood of their religion. Anyone therefore who is delighted with the exercise of cruelty, and is averse from the works of mercy, whatever profession he makes, he has not found the converting power of the gospel of Christ.

Mercy is like God

Those who are meek and merciful are most like God, who glories in His mercy. Those who are fierce and cruel are most like Satan, who delights in cruelty.

Mercy keeps us close to God

Our happiness consists in union with God, our blessedness corresponds to the nearness of our access to God. The psalmist says, “Blessed is the man whom thou choosest, and whom thou causeth to come to thee.” Cruel people can have no society nor fellowship with God, who abhors the bloodthirsty. Amongst all things that can be presented to the mind or sense, no two things are so contradictory to each other as the merciful Creator and a cruel creature.

Mercilessness will not escape God’s vengeance

Although those who are cruel and malicious may get liberty for a time, yet in the end they shall not escape the vengeance of God, the just reward of their cruelty.

Sometimes the Lord executes this vengeance by some human hand, even though it often comes about that those whom God uses as instruments of His justice are not interested in the glory of God, but are out to satisfy their own vindictiveness. Other times, the Lord plagues the cruel by His own hand directly, with visible judgements in the sight of the world, to the glory of His power and justice. The cruel and bloody Attila, king of the Huns, was never moved by the tears of anyone to show mercy or pity, but just as he delighted to shed human blood, he choked to death on his own blood, when he was overtaken by the vengeance of divine justice.

Cyprian put it well when he said, “We are sure and confident that what we suffer shall not be unrevenged, and the greater the wrong of the persecution, so much more just and grievous shall be the vengeance which God shall take on the persecutors.”

Christians under threat should pray to the Lord

Whenever we hear of the cruelty of the wicked against the saints of God in any place of the world, and when we ourselves are threatened with their cruel hostility, then we should put up our humble prayer to the Lord our God that, if He will chastise us for our sins and offences, He would do it with His own hand, and not give us up to the will of our enemies. David wisely chose to fall into the hand of God, rather than into the hand of men.

We have no hope elsewhere

For no favour to the people of God, but rather extreme cruelty, may be expected at the hands of the enemies of God and His people. Persecution is not like an ordinary war between two nations, that can give and take reasonable quarters as may be. Persecution passes the bounds of humanity, and breaks the bonds of nature, and commits outrageous cruelty, abhorrent and inhumane. Not to mention the ancient examples of cruelty in church history, remember the Spanish Inquisition, and what happened in the prison houses and pillories of England.

All this should make us draw near to God, by humble prayer, praying that we would not be exposed to the cruelty of our enemies. As Solomon said, “The very mercies of the wicked are cruel.” Whatever favour cruel persecutors offer to the people of God, it always comes with conditions attached that are worse than death. Cruel Antiochus not only offered to spare the mother and her seven sons, but would have advanced them to wealth and honour — but on condition that they would forsake the law of their God, and become idolaters. In our times, the Malignants offer the Covenanters both peace and promotions if they will break the covenant they have sworn. But that would only be to join with them in their unlawful ways and wicked proceedings, which merely tend to overthrow the true religion, and set up idolatry and superstition.

God however is able to help

Our Lord to whom we pray is not like Baal, who neither could hear nor help his worshippers. Our Lord is willing to hear, and able to help, and, as He hears us when we pray, so He is able to grant our requests.

For truly the case and condition of the saints of God would be miserable, if the mightiness of our enemies matched their malice, and their power their purposes. But as our Saviour almost said, “They have no power over God’s saints but what is given them from above.” Chrysostom was right to say that “wicked men cannot hurt the saints of God any time they please, but only when the Lord grants them a time to hurt them, in order that He may provide a crown of glory for His saints and servants.”

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