Unethical Psalms?

It seems strange to call into question the ethics provided by the Psalms that make up a pillar of both christian and jewish holy scripture, but it is an interesting question. What really is the ethical stance of the Psalms? In reading the Psalms I see one main example of the ethics of the psalms. The ethic seems to be that your are acting ethically if you are following the will of god. This stance has a couple of different outcomes, following the will of God can mean violently destroying your enemies or helping the poor. Both happen in the Psalms.

Psalm 41 states, "Happy who looks to the poor, on the day of evil may the lord make him safe." In this quote its evident that its the will of the lord to help the poor, and as a result its an example of strong moral fiber to help the poor. Today, this is still a good ethical move and one that we see echoed strongly in modern christianity.

On the other hand Psalm 18 states, "I pursued my enemies, caught them, turned not back till I wiped them out." The violent language continues throughout the rest of the Psalm, and all violence is carried out with the consent and/or help of God. This seems to state that violence is ok if God is on your side. This ethic lives on today, but modern society and law have certainly tempered the violence. We see today "Holy War" taking place across the globe. Christian Americans still pray for victory against whatever foe the US is fighting, believing that our nation has the God given right to win.

In the end, the Psalms have presented a livable ethic that has lasted for thousands of years. although it may be a livable ethic, its one that personally I would like to see changed because in the course of history people have done terrible things in the name of God. On the other hand, like Psalm 41 would like us to do, a lot of good has been done too.