Psalm Meditation 591
Eighteenth Sunday of Ordinary Time
October 16, 2011

Psalm 132
1 O LORD, remember in David's favor all the hardships he endured;
2 how he swore to the LORD and vowed to the Mighty One of Jacob,
3 "I will not enter my house or get into my bed;
4 I will not give sleep to my eyes or slumber to my eyelids,
5 until I find a place for the LORD, a dwelling place for the Mighty One of Jacob."
6 We heard of it in Ephrathah; we found it in the fields of Jaar.
7 "Let us go to his dwelling place; let us worship at his footstool. "
8 Rise up, O LORD, and go to your resting place, you and the ark of your might.
9 Let your priests be clothed with righteousness, and let your faithful shout for joy.
10 For your servant David's sake do not turn away the face of your anointed one.
11 The LORD swore to David a sure oath from which he will not turn back: "One of the sons of your body I will set on your throne.
12 If your sons keep my covenant and my decrees that I shall teach them, their sons also, forevermore, shall sit on your throne."
13 For the LORD has chosen Zion; he has desired it for his habitation:
14 "This is my resting place forever; here I will reside, for I have desired it.
15 I will abundantly bless its provisions; I will satisfy its poor with bread.
16 Its priests I will clothe with salvation, and its faithful will shout for joy.
17 There I will cause a horn to sprout up for David; I have prepared a lamp for my anointed one.
18 His enemies I will clothe with disgrace, but on him, his crown will gleam."
(NRSV)

If, as it appears, this is a psalm for the dedication of the Temple, it was written by or for Solomon. At the same time folks are rejoicing in the covenant faithfulness of God there is a statement of faithfulness on the side of the king as well. Was there bragging involved on the part of Solomon or was it a recognition of the awareness that we have conditions placed on our relationship with God?

God loves us all the time. That is beyond question as far as I am concerned. God is also aware that relationships are always two sided. God tells us that we can always expect unconditional love. That is not up for negotiation or debate. If we want to have the deepest possible awareness of that love we do well to hold and share that love in our hearts and lives in these certain ways. From our historical, biblical perspective we know that after David and Solomon kings began to take the love of God for granted and drifted or ran away from the human side of the covenant with God. God continued to love the kings and the people even as practices of justice and righteousness were replaced with practices of oppression and hunger for power. God loves us continually as well, whether we live out the call for justice and righteousness or follow another path.

From a Christian perspective, even though folks, kings, waxed and waned in the pursuit of justice and righteousness, God kept the promise to keep an heir of David on the throne forever. As we are able to keep ourselves tuned to the invitation to do justice, love kindness and walk humbly with God offered by God through the prophets we will more easily, readily, willingly see the gleaming crown on the brow of the heir of David.

October 10, 2011
LCM