Cries of a Conquering King

A Practical Theology of the Imprecatory Psalms

Ryan Swale

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This product will be available on November 17th, 2026

Description

A Bold Call to Recover the Power of Forgotten Psalms

Cries of a Conquering King challenges readers to rediscover one of the most overlooked—and misunderstood—portions of Scripture: the imprecatory psalms. With theological depth and pastoral clarity, this compelling work reveals how these powerful prayers of justice are not relics to avoid, but vital tools for the modern church.

Blending rigorous biblical study with practical application, Ryan Swale equips pastors, leaders, and believers to faithfully understand and use these psalms in preaching, counseling, worship, and personal devotion. Far from contradicting Christ’s command to love our enemies, this book demonstrates how longing for God’s justice is deeply rooted in His character and essential to spiritual maturity.

Why this book matters:

  • Reframes difficult Scripture with clarity, compassion, and conviction 
  • Bridges theology and practice for real-world ministry impact 
  • Equips church leaders to address suffering, injustice, and evil biblically 
  • Restores a neglected spiritual resource for prayer and worship 
  • Strengthens faith by grounding justice in God’s love and sovereignty 

Whether you’re a pastor, student, or thoughtful reader, Cries of a Conquering King will deepen your understanding of Scripture and awaken a renewed passion for God’s justice, glory, and redemptive purposes.

Endorsements

The beauty of this book is that it does not stop short by merely offering a “theology of” imprecations. Instead, it demonstrates how modern preachers can use them – in counseling, in the pulpit, in prayer, and beyond. Every church will benefit from their pastor reading this.

Bryan Murawski
Associate Professor, Cairn University School of Divinity, Langhorne, Pennsylvania

Dr. Swale’s rich pastoral insights into the depth of the imprecatory psalms will bless any reader, especially those who have struggled to understand these psalms in light of Christ’s command to love our enemies. This work convincingly demonstrates that the imprecatory psalms are not only harmonious with the rest of Scripture but essential to the ministry and witness of the church. I highly recommend it.

C. J. Williams
Professor of Old Testament, Reformed Presbyterian Theological Seminary, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

The imprecatory Psalms are among the most controversial passages of scripture. In fact, some Christians ignore them altogether. So how should we view them? In this helpful study, Dr. Swale attempts to answer this question, guiding us through their meaning and pointing the way to their useful application today.

Jonathan Master
President, Greenville Presbyterian Theological Seminary, South Carolina

With the church under the dulling influence of this age’s moral therapeutic deistic worldview, strong medicine is needed to awaken it from its spiritual malaise. Pastor Ryan Swale’s theological development and application of the place of the imprecatory psalms in the pastor’s ministry, from the prayer closet to the pulpit and everywhere between, will greatly assist in revitalizing the church spiritually. Read Cries of a Conquering King and discover the power in these psalms that the church has relied on historically during its seasons of revival and reformation.

Barry York
President and Professor of Pastoral Theology and Homiletics, Reformed Presbyterian Theological Seminary, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Swale is to be commended for his scholarship and compassion in this work, and I believe that it will be of great use to ministers and the broader church in encouraging them of the Lord’s care for the downtrodden and oppressed as we see that so strikingly recognized and given voice in the imprecatory psalms, a type of lament psalm still quite fitting even in Christian times.

Alan Strange
President, Mid-America Reformed Seminary, Dyer, Indiana

 This book should be required reading in pastoral ministry classes, and I pray it finds its way into the hands of pastors around the world who shepherd the hurting and hopeless – that is, all pastors. They will find in its pages a guide for applying the salve of the imprecatory psalms to the wounds that we humans so often inflict on one another.

Russell L. Meek
Associate Professor of Old Testament, William Tennent School of Theology, Woodland Park, Colorado

Author

Ryan Swale

Ryan Swale is a graduate of Mid-America Reformed Seminary and the Reformed Presbyterian Theological Seminary. He and his lovely wife Caroline live in Jordan Station, Ontario with their five children, where he has been pastoring Immanuel United Reformed Church since 2019.

Specifications

ISBN 9781527115125

Author Ryan Swale

Imprint Mentor

Category Bible Study & Commentaries

Release Date 17 November 2026

Format Paperback

Page Count 159

Width 138 mm

Height 216 mm

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