“Their throat is an open grave, with their tongues they keep deceiving, the poison of asps is under their lips.”
Romans 3:13
Not a Photoshop. Douglas Wilson posed for this photograph to promote his debates with Christopher Hitchens, who died of esophageal cancer in 2011.
Father of Jesus Christ, our gracious God, we cry out to You in a time of trouble. Our adversaries come at us with lies, lies that they delight to tell, fluent lies, as their father tells them, in their native language.
We pray that You would return to them seven-fold, according to all that they have done or said or hoped for, and all according to the promises of Your holy Word. Grant to them shame of face, so that they might turn back to You and seek Your name. We would not be like Jonah, resentful or afraid of Your grace to other sinners, even to those who have sinned grievously against us.
You have taught us, called us, summoned us, to love our enemies, to bless those who curse us, to rejoice when we are mistreated by them, and to return good for evil. We are not to return evil for evil, but rather to overcome evil with good. We accept this and rejoice in it. We know and understand that this is based on Your holy character and example — You give rain and sunlight to the righteous and unrighteous both — and that this is therefore Your standard of holiness for us, and we gladly submit to it. We therefore seek the grace to continue to love our enemies, asking You to save them. Not only would we be saved from their treachery and lies, but we ask that You would save them from their treachery and lies.
In praying this way, we ask that we would be able to distinguish sharply between those who are our personal enemies, and those who are our enemies for Your name’s sake. We pray that we would extend nothing but wholehearted grace to the former, and that we would commit the terrors of strict justice, with regard to the latter, entirely and only to You. We would not be like the disciples who, caught up in their mistaken zeal, did not know “what spirit they were of.” We would ask nothing from You in this that Your Word does not specifically invite us to ask. You are a God who keeps covenant to a thousand generations, and we are asking You to keep Your covenant word. If justice falling on the heads of our enemies is not a promise of covenant justice, Lord, we don’t want to ask for it. But if it is such a promise, we dare not refuse to ask. How long, Lord, will You leave in sin those who mistreat Your people in this way?
If it is not Your sovereign purpose to destroy them through saving grace, we pray that You would humiliate them and give them shame of face regardless. We pray that they would fall into the pit they have purposefully dug for us. We pray that You would turn all their plans and purposes upside down. Like Haman, we pray that they would be hanged on the gallows they have built for Your people. You are the judge of the whole earth; will You not do right? How long will You delay in bringing justice to the earth? Doesn’t it bother You that Your name and Your people are treated this way? We know that You are everlastingly good; why are You silent in that goodness? We know that You have promised to justify and vindicate Your people; rise up, Lord, and scatter Your enemies!
Father, we pray that You would deal with this situation. If it is Your good pleasure to deal with it through saving them, then that is what we would by far prefer, and it is what we ask for. But if it is not Your good pleasure to save them, we ask that You would cut them off in their course of sinning regardless, and that You would not allow their iniquity to come to its full measure. Set limits to Your judgment on them. We pray that You would set limits to that judgment by setting limits to their lies and treachery. We pray, Father, that You would cut them off in the midst of their sin.
We ask that You would deliver us from their snares in a way that showcases Your final and ultimate vindication and justification of us, together with all Your people. We know that we are sinners, and that many just and righteous accusations could be brought against us. For the sake of Christ, we pray that we would be justified concerning all that we have done that is wrong and wicked. But because Christ is our Protector as well as Savior, we pray that we would be vindicated and justified with regard to all that we have not done wrong. You chastise us for our sins, but that is not why these evil men and women attack us — they attack us because we love what is good, and because we trust in You.
Father, we pray that the angel of the Lord would chase them down. We pray that You would set for them a dark and slippery place, and that the angel of the Lord would persecute them there. They have hated us without any just cause at all, and they have devised all their plots without any good reason. We ask You therefore to rise up and defend us. Stand in the pass behind us, and lower Your spear against them. Turn them back from their wicked attacks. Rout them, we pray. Chase them like chaff in a stiff wind. We pray that You would string Your bow, sharpen Your sword, make ready all the instruments of death. Ordain Your arrows to fly against those who persecute the righteous. Make their mischief to roll back on their own impudent heads.
Those who hate us without cause are more than the hairs of our heads, and yet, Lord, we know that You have all those hairs numbered. You number and name, and note, their hatreds. You know our foolishness; You know our sinfulness, and You also know that our sin is not why we are being attacked. Rather it is for Your sake, and our identification with You. Let their table become poisonous to them, let it become a snare. Let their eyes be darkened, and judicial blindness fall upon them.
We pray that their eyes would be blinded by You; strike them so that they cannot see. Father, we pray that You would make their loins shake continuously, that they would be seized with fear and amazement. Pour out hot indignation all over them; take hold of them tightly in Your wrathful anger. May their dwellings become empty and desolate — for whenever You chastise anyone else, they love to pile on as though You were not there. They persecute the one that You are disciplining, and by their talk they dismay the one who is suffering under Your hand. Add iniquity to their iniquity; make a great heap of their sins. Do not let them enter into Your righteousness. Blot them out of the book of the living. Do not record their names alongside the names of the righteous.
God of our praise, do not hold Your peace. The mouths of the wicked and the mouths of the deceitful have joined in chorus together, and they are speaking against us with lying tongue. They are surrounding us with words of hatred, and they fight against us without good reason. It is because we love You that they are our adversaries, but we still give ourselves to prayer. Not only have we incurred their hostility by loving You, but we have also loved them, and have been treacherously betrayed by them. They returned evil for good, and hatred for love, ingratitude for kindness.
Let these wicked men come under the rule and reign of wicked men. Let Satan be continually at their right hand, accusing them. When they come into judgment, when the trial comes, we pray that the verdict of guilty would be rendered. When they cry out to You, let their prayers be reckoned as sinful. When they pray to You, let the ceiling above them remain silent. Cut short their days. When they have abused offices within Your Church, let other faithful men rise up to take their place.
Let their children be orphaned, cut off without a father. Let their wives be widows, and we pray that their children would be desolate, having to beg their bread in empty places. We pray that the extortioner would come back at them, catching them in their plots, and taking all that they have. May strangers and aliens pillage them and leave them with nothing. We pray that when this happens, and Your hand is evident, that no one would show mercy, and that no kindness would be extended to his fatherless children. Cut off his posterity; may his name and his line come to nothing. Recall how sinful his father was, and call up again the sins of his mother. May their sins come before Your throne continually so that their name may be blotted out, and remembered on the earth no more.
We ask for this because he is merciless. He loved to kick the poor and downtrodden, and sought to kill the broken-hearted. He loved cursing, and so give him that cursing. He detested blessing, so let blessing remain far away from him. He would put on curses like a comfortable coat; let those curses of his seep into him deeply. Tie those curses around him permanently. Let this be the clothing of all our enemies.
Let them curse, so long as You bless. When they get up in the morning, and hear of the blessings You have bestowed on us, let them be greatly ashamed. Let confusion cover over them completely, as though it were a mantle. I pray that You stand at our right hand, and that You would always save us from those who would condemn our souls.
We offer this pray to You in the righteous and holy name of the Lord Jesus Christ, and amen.
Douglas Wilson
“They have sharpened their tongues like a serpent; adders’ poison is under their lips. Selah.”
Psalm 140:3
Csaba updated the session regarding the results of a recent court appearance for Steven Sitler. The next court appointment is set for 2 pm on September 1. The session was encouraged to pray for Steven and Katie and to be prepared to attend this session in support of Steven.
Douglas Wilson
This situation is entirely of Mr. Sitler’s creation. He and his wife and family were put on clear notice back in 2011 that were they to have a child, Mr. Sitler would be expected to leave the family home. And I go back to the transcript of that hearing, which I think the Court has been, umm, referenced to in the past and the Court’s own statements, and this one came from Probation — there was testimony from Probation & Parole, there was acknowledgement from Mr. Wullenwaber that the introduction of a child would have ramifications; ahh, there were State representations by myself — ummm — Mr. Sitler was advised,
“If and when Mr. Sitler and Miss Travis have children, we will cross that bridge when we get to it — or, if we need to address it sooner than that, I am happy to address it sooner than that. But I think it’s a reasonable restriction that he not reside with his wife and child, in the future, if in fact they have children.”
With that knowledge, with that expectation — these are going to be my words, my characterization, not the Department of Correction’s characterization — Mr. Sitler irresponsibly and recklessly brought this child — this innocent child — into this untenable situation. But for him to claim it’s somehow the State’s fault — that we have to solve his problem for him — is not appropriate. He knew what was coming, Judge. And once again, he wants it his way and he will complain until he gets it his way. So the State doesn’t have any sympathy for Mr. Sitler; we certainly have sympathy and concern for his child.
Latah County Prosecutor Bill Thompson (@33:46)
I DENY THAT I SUPPORT CHILD ABUSE IN ANY WAY, SHAPE, OR FORM.
Douglas Wilson
“You know, I can sympathize and appreciate the situation that Mr. Sitler’s parents find themselves in; that his wife finds herself in; that their family and friends and supporters find themselves in; because everybody would love for Mr. Sitler to become a normal person. The fact of the matter is, Your Honor, he is not. He is a serial child sexual abuser, to the point where Your Honor has imposed a life sentence and required that he be under supervision for the rest of his natural life.
He has multiple victims, all of them young — some so young that they would not be in any position to protect themselves. The risk to society is substantial here. The risk to his own child — despite the best wishes and hopes of everybody in this courtroom — is substantial. The actions that he has engaged in that he has disclosed to this point are a compelling basis that he cannot have anything close to a normal parental relationship with this child — certainly at this point in time.
I don’t say that lightly. I think the majority of the people in this room have children; they know how important it is to have a relationship with their own children — counsel, Your Honor, myself. But Mr. Sitler’s situation is unique. And as we stand here today, even though this is not a child-protection case by title, I think the most compelling, pressing issue is ensuring the protection of this child.”
Latah County Prosecutor Bill Thompson (@27:07)
As things stand now, if a thread starts to take off, one troubled person can just pop in and ask why I love child molesters so much. . . .
Douglas Wilson
“By contrast the information this Court now has before it by virtue of the laundry list of materials, reports, interviews — including the DVD of the actual interview and polygraph most recently with Mr. Sitler — shows that that’s not the case here. That we have a record for this Court to show that Mr. Sitler has engaged in physical contact with his child that has resulted in sexual stimulation on his part. That that was disclosed to his wife but not reported to Valley Treatment Specialties. It apparently was disclosed to Dr. Wilson although we don’t know exactly what Dr. Wilson understood to have been disclosed because Your Honor will remember when we were meeting last month on this the disclosure that we were dealing with at that point was merely a physical contact that resulted in a thought. We now have disclosure that says there was physical contact that resulted in actual sexual stimulation — with his own child.”
Latah County Prosecutor Bill Thompson (@24:24)
For those who falsely assume that in matters of sexual justice, I have been assigned a role of protecting predators, a role I continue to refuse, with decreasing politeness, this confrontation of Nassar is how it should be done.
Douglas Wilson
“We can’t forget what the history is here: A diagnosed pedophile; multiple victims; probation for life; and he now has a child who is defenseless.” Latah County Prosecutor Bill Thompson (@52:02)
— TheTruthAboutMoscow (@MoscowIdahoUSA) January 27, 2018
“Love your wife as Christ loves the church by making sure she does ALL her chores.”
Does he have a section on making sure she washes behind her ears and sits still in church?
— Jacob Denhollander (@JJ_Denhollander) March 21, 2018
The first time the dishes are not done, he must sit down with his wife immediately and gently remind her that this is something which has to be done. At no time may he lose his temper, badger her, call her names, etc. He must constantly remember and confess that she is not the problem, he is. By bringing this gently to her attention, he is not to be primarily pointing to her need to repent; rather, he is exhibiting the fruit of his repentance.
He does this, without rancor and without an accusative spirit, until she complies or rebels. If she complies, he must move up one step, now requiring that another of her duties be done. If she continues to rebel after patient effort, he should at some point call the elders of the church and ask them for a pastoral visit. When the government of the home has failed to such an extent and a godly and consistent attempt by the husband to restore the situation has broken down, then the involvement of the elders is fully appropriate.
Douglas Wilson