This psalm was written after the Israelites had been taken into captivity and exiled to Babylon. Their conquerors plagued them by seeking to remind them of the state into which they had been driven. We struggle with the words as we read them. They are not the type of words that we expect to find within the pages of Holy Scripture, especially the final verse—yet most of us can understand the emotions from whence they sprang, and even the prophetic message that they contain.
In the midst of their torment, while God’s people desired vengeance they also understood the need for justice. They sought to have the wrongdoings that occurred at the hands of the Babylonians rectified. They also knew this would not happen by their own might, but would be tempered by the just hand of the Almighty. Even more, within verses 4-6, we can hear that the Israelites knew that they must remember God. For them, the presence of God was intricately tied to the physical location of Jerusalem, where the Lord dwelt within the Temple. They wished to see justice brought upon the people who had destroyed the dwelling place of the Almighty.
I need the reminder that God is a God who desires justice for all of Creation, yet it is a justice that is tempered with grace. While I have moments when, like the Israelites, I can feel that I want to see destruction come down upon those who have wronged me, our Heavenly Father does not treat us in accordance with our sin. We are all called to extend that same grace on those we might find abhorrent in their actions and words.