Psalm Meditation 876
Fifth Sunday in Lent
April 2, 2017
Psalm 66
1 Make a joyful noise to God, all the earth;
2 sing the glory of his name; give to him glorious praise.
3 Say to God, “How awesome are your deeds! Because of your great power, your enemies cringe before you.
4 All the earth worships you; they sing praises to you, sing praises to your name.” Selah
5 Come and see what God has done: he is awesome in his deeds among mortals.
6 He turned the sea into dry land; they passed through the river on foot. There we rejoiced in him,
7 who rules by his might forever, whose eyes keep watch on the nations—
let the rebellious not exalt themselves. Selah
8 Bless our God, O peoples, let the sound of his praise be heard,
9 who has kept us among the living, and has not let our feet slip.
10 For you, O God, have tested us; you have tried us as silver is tried.
11 You brought us into the net; you laid burdens on our backs;
12 you let people ride over our heads; we went through fire and through water;
yet you have brought us out to a spacious place.
13 I will come into your house with burnt offerings; I will pay you my vows,
14 those that my lips uttered and my mouth promised when I was in trouble.
15 I will offer to you burnt offerings of fatlings, with the smoke of the sacrifice of rams; I will make an offering of bulls and goats. Selah
16 Come and hear, all you who fear God, and I will tell what he has done for me.
17 I cried aloud to him, and he was extolled with my tongue.
18 If I had cherished iniquity in my heart, the Lord would not have listened.
19 But truly God has listened; he has given heed to the words of my prayer.
20 Blessed be God, because he has not rejected my prayer or removed his steadfast love from me.
(NRSV)
There are people who are saints in my estimation who find themselves wondering if there is a place in heaven for them. As their story is told an episode comes to light about a particular dark sin committed in the past that, to them, damages their chances of ever getting into heaven. Like many of us they are both repulsed by this action and drawn into it. One of my older relatives discovered that one of her parents had been married and divorced prior to her birth. To her, that made her an illegitimate child. This was a source of great shame to her. At the same time, she refused to let it go. As the psalmist says she, “cherished iniquity in my heart,”
Because she was unable to let go of this sin that affected her, but for which she was not responsible, she was unable to open herself to the listening ear of God. It isn’t so much that God won’t listen to those of us who cherish our sins, it is that we have piled so much stuff between us and God that it is difficult for God to hear us through the jumble of obstacles we have erected between us and God. As we let go, as we dismantle the wall of obstacles we have built up through years and generations we discover God waiting to receive us with open arms and loving heart.
What if we could stop hiding behind all of the events and excuses that clutter that space between ourselves and God? I believe we would find that God has been patiently waiting for us to make ourselves available to the love God has always directed our way. We will discover, “truly God has listened; he has given heed to the words of my prayer. Blessed be God, because he has not rejected my prayer or removed his steadfast love from me.”
March 27, 2017
LCM
Monday, March 27, 2017
Monday, March 20, 2017
Psalm Meditation 875
Fourth Sunday in Lent
March 26, 2017
Psalm 135
1 Praise the LORD! Praise the name of the LORD; give praise, O servants of the LORD,
2 you that stand in the house of the LORD, in the courts of the house of our God.
3 Praise the LORD, for the LORD is good; sing to his name, for he is gracious.
4 For the LORD has chosen Jacob for himself, Israel as his own possession.
5 For I know that the LORD is great; our Lord is above all gods.
6 Whatever the LORD pleases he does, in heaven and on earth, in the seas and all deeps.
7 He it is who makes the clouds rise at the end of the earth; he makes lightnings for the rain and brings out the wind from his storehouses.
8 He it was who struck down the firstborn of Egypt, both human beings and animals;
9 he sent signs and wonders into your midst, O Egypt, against Pharaoh and all his servants.
10 He struck down many nations and killed mighty kings—
11 Sihon, king of the Amorites, and Og, king of Bashan, and all the kingdoms of Canaan—
12 and gave their land as a heritage, a heritage to his people Israel.
13 Your name, O LORD, endures forever, your renown, O LORD, throughout all ages.
14 For the LORD will vindicate his people, and have compassion on his servants.
15 The idols of the nations are silver and gold, the work of human hands.
16 They have mouths, but they do not speak; they have eyes, but they do not see;
17 they have ears, but they do not hear, and there is no breath in their mouths.
18 Those who make them and all who trust them shall become like them.
19 O house of Israel, bless the LORD! O house of Aaron, bless the LORD!
20 O house of Levi, bless the LORD! You that fear the LORD, bless the LORD!
21 Blessed be the LORD from Zion, he who resides in Jerusalem. Praise the LORD!
(NRSV)
In the time this psalm was written it was normal for the supreme ruler of a people to hold unquestioned authority over them. Rulers were able to do as they pleased with all the people, places, and things in their realm. The ability to wield unchecked power and authority is no what set God apart from all the human rulers of whom the psalmist was aware. What set God apart was the scope of the authority. “Whatever the LORD pleases he does, in heaven and on earth, in the seas and all deeps.” While human rulers held sway over as many people, places, and things as they possibly could, God had power and authority over all the parts of earth and beyond.
According to the psalmist, God uses that power and authority to help out a narrowing set of people, depending on the circumstances. In terms of natural phenomena, like weather, God sends wind and rain over all the earth. When it comes to people, God is partial to Jacob/Israel. For the psalmist, God will protect ‘us’ from Pharaoh, Sihon, Og and all the rulers of Canaan, just to name a few. Because we can’t imagine it any other way, we see God as having favorites. Amazingly enough, it just so happens that God’s very most favorite is ’us.’
I don’t know of and can’t imagine a culture that does not see itself as the favorite of God. And that, of course, makes ’us’ special in the eyes of God. The difficulty we run into is that we tend to stop with the part about being special and set apart and forget that in most of Scripture we are set apart for service more than anything else. We are the bearers of God’s love and favor so that we can be the conduit for that love and favor to all people, places, and things.
March 20, 2017
LCM
Fourth Sunday in Lent
March 26, 2017
Psalm 135
1 Praise the LORD! Praise the name of the LORD; give praise, O servants of the LORD,
2 you that stand in the house of the LORD, in the courts of the house of our God.
3 Praise the LORD, for the LORD is good; sing to his name, for he is gracious.
4 For the LORD has chosen Jacob for himself, Israel as his own possession.
5 For I know that the LORD is great; our Lord is above all gods.
6 Whatever the LORD pleases he does, in heaven and on earth, in the seas and all deeps.
7 He it is who makes the clouds rise at the end of the earth; he makes lightnings for the rain and brings out the wind from his storehouses.
8 He it was who struck down the firstborn of Egypt, both human beings and animals;
9 he sent signs and wonders into your midst, O Egypt, against Pharaoh and all his servants.
10 He struck down many nations and killed mighty kings—
11 Sihon, king of the Amorites, and Og, king of Bashan, and all the kingdoms of Canaan—
12 and gave their land as a heritage, a heritage to his people Israel.
13 Your name, O LORD, endures forever, your renown, O LORD, throughout all ages.
14 For the LORD will vindicate his people, and have compassion on his servants.
15 The idols of the nations are silver and gold, the work of human hands.
16 They have mouths, but they do not speak; they have eyes, but they do not see;
17 they have ears, but they do not hear, and there is no breath in their mouths.
18 Those who make them and all who trust them shall become like them.
19 O house of Israel, bless the LORD! O house of Aaron, bless the LORD!
20 O house of Levi, bless the LORD! You that fear the LORD, bless the LORD!
21 Blessed be the LORD from Zion, he who resides in Jerusalem. Praise the LORD!
(NRSV)
In the time this psalm was written it was normal for the supreme ruler of a people to hold unquestioned authority over them. Rulers were able to do as they pleased with all the people, places, and things in their realm. The ability to wield unchecked power and authority is no what set God apart from all the human rulers of whom the psalmist was aware. What set God apart was the scope of the authority. “Whatever the LORD pleases he does, in heaven and on earth, in the seas and all deeps.” While human rulers held sway over as many people, places, and things as they possibly could, God had power and authority over all the parts of earth and beyond.
According to the psalmist, God uses that power and authority to help out a narrowing set of people, depending on the circumstances. In terms of natural phenomena, like weather, God sends wind and rain over all the earth. When it comes to people, God is partial to Jacob/Israel. For the psalmist, God will protect ‘us’ from Pharaoh, Sihon, Og and all the rulers of Canaan, just to name a few. Because we can’t imagine it any other way, we see God as having favorites. Amazingly enough, it just so happens that God’s very most favorite is ’us.’
I don’t know of and can’t imagine a culture that does not see itself as the favorite of God. And that, of course, makes ’us’ special in the eyes of God. The difficulty we run into is that we tend to stop with the part about being special and set apart and forget that in most of Scripture we are set apart for service more than anything else. We are the bearers of God’s love and favor so that we can be the conduit for that love and favor to all people, places, and things.
March 20, 2017
LCM
Monday, March 13, 2017
Psalm Meditation 874
Third Sunday in Lent
March 19, 2017
Psalm 16
1 Protect me, O God, for in you I take refuge.
2 I say to the LORD, “You are my Lord; I have no good apart from you.”
3 As for the holy ones in the land, they are the noble, in whom is all my delight.
4 Those who choose another god multiply their sorrows; their drink offerings of blood I will not pour out or take their names upon my lips.
5 The LORD is my chosen portion and my cup; you hold my lot.
6 The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; I have a goodly heritage.
7 I bless the LORD who gives me counsel; in the night also my heart instructs me.
8 I keep the LORD always before me; because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved.
9 Therefore my heart is glad, and my soul rejoices; my body also rests secure.
10 For you do not give me up to Sheol, or let your faithful one see the Pit.
11 You show me the path of life. In your presence there is fullness of joy; in your right hand are pleasures forevermore.
(NRSV)
There are those who are not content with what they have until they can show everyone else that they have the best. It doesn’t even matter what the category is; these folks need to know that their entry in the category is the winner. Advertisers used to capitalize on this by letting us know that with the right product we could run faster and jump higher. We could set the standard for the neighborhood by having this vehicle parked in our driveway. If only we spent more time and money we could be the best on the block. The drive to have the best still exists though it seems that advertisers may have gotten more subtle through the years.
The psalmist is lifting up Yahweh as the one whose provident care giving is a real blessing. After a one verse dig at all the other religions in the land, the psalmist returns to praise for Yahweh. So, we know that the drive to be and have the best is not something we learned from advertisers. We really do want the best available. And we can’t seem to be content with what makes us happy, we have to compare ourselves to those around us. I made several attempts to read this psalm without the comparison thrown in by verse 4. The psalm reads well without that verse, however I could not bring myself to ignore it. In one verse the psalm goes from a hymn of praise to a sideways-glance-stick-your-tongue-out-at-the-other-folks comparison.
It may well be part of the human condition to compare ourselves to others and find them wanting. What if we could, from time to time, be content. What if we could have a relationship with God that was meaningful, fulfilling and loving in such a way that we didn’t have to look at how my relationship with God compares with yours in a judgy kind of way. What if our comparisons with each other were for the sake of learning from each other rather than gloating over each other.
March 13, 2017
LCM
Third Sunday in Lent
March 19, 2017
Psalm 16
1 Protect me, O God, for in you I take refuge.
2 I say to the LORD, “You are my Lord; I have no good apart from you.”
3 As for the holy ones in the land, they are the noble, in whom is all my delight.
4 Those who choose another god multiply their sorrows; their drink offerings of blood I will not pour out or take their names upon my lips.
5 The LORD is my chosen portion and my cup; you hold my lot.
6 The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; I have a goodly heritage.
7 I bless the LORD who gives me counsel; in the night also my heart instructs me.
8 I keep the LORD always before me; because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved.
9 Therefore my heart is glad, and my soul rejoices; my body also rests secure.
10 For you do not give me up to Sheol, or let your faithful one see the Pit.
11 You show me the path of life. In your presence there is fullness of joy; in your right hand are pleasures forevermore.
(NRSV)
There are those who are not content with what they have until they can show everyone else that they have the best. It doesn’t even matter what the category is; these folks need to know that their entry in the category is the winner. Advertisers used to capitalize on this by letting us know that with the right product we could run faster and jump higher. We could set the standard for the neighborhood by having this vehicle parked in our driveway. If only we spent more time and money we could be the best on the block. The drive to have the best still exists though it seems that advertisers may have gotten more subtle through the years.
The psalmist is lifting up Yahweh as the one whose provident care giving is a real blessing. After a one verse dig at all the other religions in the land, the psalmist returns to praise for Yahweh. So, we know that the drive to be and have the best is not something we learned from advertisers. We really do want the best available. And we can’t seem to be content with what makes us happy, we have to compare ourselves to those around us. I made several attempts to read this psalm without the comparison thrown in by verse 4. The psalm reads well without that verse, however I could not bring myself to ignore it. In one verse the psalm goes from a hymn of praise to a sideways-glance-stick-your-tongue-out-at-the-other-folks comparison.
It may well be part of the human condition to compare ourselves to others and find them wanting. What if we could, from time to time, be content. What if we could have a relationship with God that was meaningful, fulfilling and loving in such a way that we didn’t have to look at how my relationship with God compares with yours in a judgy kind of way. What if our comparisons with each other were for the sake of learning from each other rather than gloating over each other.
March 13, 2017
LCM
Monday, March 6, 2017
Psalm Meditation 873
Second Sunday in Lent
March 12, 2017
Psalm 37
1 Do not fret because of the wicked; do not be envious of wrongdoers,
2 for they will soon fade like the grass, and wither like the green herb.
3 Trust in the LORD, and do good; so you will live in the land, and enjoy security.
4 Take delight in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart.
5 Commit your way to the LORD; trust in him, and he will act.
6 He will make your vindication shine like the light, and the justice of your cause like the noonday.
7 Be still before the LORD, and wait patiently for him; do not fret over those who prosper in their way, over those who carry out evil devices.
8 Refrain from anger, and forsake wrath. Do not fret—it leads only to evil.
9 For the wicked shall be cut off, but those who wait for the LORD shall inherit the land.
10 Yet a little while, and the wicked will be no more; though you look diligently for their place, they will not be there.
11 But the meek shall inherit the land, and delight themselves in abundant prosperity.
12 The wicked plot against the righteous, and gnash their teeth at them;
13 but the LORD laughs at the wicked, for he sees that their day is coming.
14 The wicked draw the sword and bend their bows to bring down the poor and needy, to kill those who walk uprightly;
15 their sword shall enter their own heart, and their bows shall be broken.
16 Better is a little that the righteous person has than the abundance of many wicked.
17 For the arms of the wicked shall be broken, but the LORD upholds the righteous.
18 The LORD knows the days of the blameless, and their heritage will abide forever;
19 they are not put to shame in evil times, in the days of famine they have abundance.
20 But the wicked perish, and the enemies of the LORD are like the glory of the pastures; they vanish—like smoke they vanish away.
21 The wicked borrow, and do not pay back, but the righteous are generous and keep giving;
22 for those blessed by the LORD shall inherit the land, but those cursed by him shall be cut off.
23 Our steps are made firm by the LORD, when he delights in our way;
24 though we stumble, we shall not fall headlong, for the LORD holds us by the hand.
25 I have been young, and now am old, yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken or their children begging bread.
26 They are ever giving liberally and lending, and their children become a blessing.
27 Depart from evil, and do good; so you shall abide forever.
28 For the LORD loves justice; he will not forsake his faithful ones. The righteous shall be kept safe forever, but the children of the wicked shall be cut off.
29 The righteous shall inherit the land, and live in it forever.
30 The mouths of the righteous utter wisdom, and their tongues speak justice.
31 The law of their God is in their hearts; their steps do not slip.
32 The wicked watch for the righteous, and seek to kill them.
33 The LORD will not abandon them to their power, or let them be condemned when they are brought to trial.
34 Wait for the LORD, and keep to his way, and he will exalt you to inherit the land; you will look on the destruction of the wicked.
35 I have seen the wicked oppressing, and towering like a cedar of Lebanon.
36 Again passed by, and they were no more; though I sought them, they could not be found.
37 Mark the blameless, and behold the upright, for there is posterity for the peaceable.
38 But transgressors shall be altogether destroyed; the posterity of the wicked shall be cut off.
39 The salvation of the righteous is from the LORD; he is their refuge in the time of trouble.
40 The LORD helps them and rescues them; he rescues them from the wicked, and saves them, because they take refuge in him.
(NRSV)
It is easy to jealous of those who succeed by worldly standards of wealth, power, and influence. It appears that they have everything a person could possibly want; they lack for nothing. Well, except maybe friends or people they can trust with their lives and deepest, darkest secrets. The folks who have spent their time and energy amassing a fortune have probably not spent much time cultivating friendships or even relationships that are not business based. As I helped a friend move stuff from one place to another someone asked how I had gotten roped into helping. My flippant response was that I had discovered years ago that a truck is cheaper than friends, and once you buy a truck you suddenly have friends. There are folks who believe that with enough of the right resources they can buy friends.
For the most part what they have purchased is sycophants, ’yes folks.’ These are folks who will agree with whatever their rich friend says so that they can stay in the good graces and reap the benefits of this ’friendship.’ Friends are people who will challenge you, question your motives, and help you sort out alternatives prior to, rather than after taking a course of action. In some cases those ’friends’ will simply take a step back and keep silent in the face of a potentially disastrous plan. The ultimate goal of a sycophant is to step into the place of the former ’friend’ as the new rich person.
For people in a relationship with God there is no need to compete for the resources God offers. There may or may not be money, land, treasure as the rest of the world measures it. However, there will be relationships that are worth cultivating, there will be hearts and hands willing to do whatever can be done in times of trial, and there will be people ready and willing to rejoice in times that call for rejoicing. There are people of faith with a lot of material wealth and resources, as well as those with little to nothing. Among the people of God amassing material wealth is a secondary rather than primary consideration. The primary concern is, how can I serve in the name and for the glory of God.
March 6, 2017
LCM
Second Sunday in Lent
March 12, 2017
Psalm 37
1 Do not fret because of the wicked; do not be envious of wrongdoers,
2 for they will soon fade like the grass, and wither like the green herb.
3 Trust in the LORD, and do good; so you will live in the land, and enjoy security.
4 Take delight in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart.
5 Commit your way to the LORD; trust in him, and he will act.
6 He will make your vindication shine like the light, and the justice of your cause like the noonday.
7 Be still before the LORD, and wait patiently for him; do not fret over those who prosper in their way, over those who carry out evil devices.
8 Refrain from anger, and forsake wrath. Do not fret—it leads only to evil.
9 For the wicked shall be cut off, but those who wait for the LORD shall inherit the land.
10 Yet a little while, and the wicked will be no more; though you look diligently for their place, they will not be there.
11 But the meek shall inherit the land, and delight themselves in abundant prosperity.
12 The wicked plot against the righteous, and gnash their teeth at them;
13 but the LORD laughs at the wicked, for he sees that their day is coming.
14 The wicked draw the sword and bend their bows to bring down the poor and needy, to kill those who walk uprightly;
15 their sword shall enter their own heart, and their bows shall be broken.
16 Better is a little that the righteous person has than the abundance of many wicked.
17 For the arms of the wicked shall be broken, but the LORD upholds the righteous.
18 The LORD knows the days of the blameless, and their heritage will abide forever;
19 they are not put to shame in evil times, in the days of famine they have abundance.
20 But the wicked perish, and the enemies of the LORD are like the glory of the pastures; they vanish—like smoke they vanish away.
21 The wicked borrow, and do not pay back, but the righteous are generous and keep giving;
22 for those blessed by the LORD shall inherit the land, but those cursed by him shall be cut off.
23 Our steps are made firm by the LORD, when he delights in our way;
24 though we stumble, we shall not fall headlong, for the LORD holds us by the hand.
25 I have been young, and now am old, yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken or their children begging bread.
26 They are ever giving liberally and lending, and their children become a blessing.
27 Depart from evil, and do good; so you shall abide forever.
28 For the LORD loves justice; he will not forsake his faithful ones. The righteous shall be kept safe forever, but the children of the wicked shall be cut off.
29 The righteous shall inherit the land, and live in it forever.
30 The mouths of the righteous utter wisdom, and their tongues speak justice.
31 The law of their God is in their hearts; their steps do not slip.
32 The wicked watch for the righteous, and seek to kill them.
33 The LORD will not abandon them to their power, or let them be condemned when they are brought to trial.
34 Wait for the LORD, and keep to his way, and he will exalt you to inherit the land; you will look on the destruction of the wicked.
35 I have seen the wicked oppressing, and towering like a cedar of Lebanon.
36 Again passed by, and they were no more; though I sought them, they could not be found.
37 Mark the blameless, and behold the upright, for there is posterity for the peaceable.
38 But transgressors shall be altogether destroyed; the posterity of the wicked shall be cut off.
39 The salvation of the righteous is from the LORD; he is their refuge in the time of trouble.
40 The LORD helps them and rescues them; he rescues them from the wicked, and saves them, because they take refuge in him.
(NRSV)
It is easy to jealous of those who succeed by worldly standards of wealth, power, and influence. It appears that they have everything a person could possibly want; they lack for nothing. Well, except maybe friends or people they can trust with their lives and deepest, darkest secrets. The folks who have spent their time and energy amassing a fortune have probably not spent much time cultivating friendships or even relationships that are not business based. As I helped a friend move stuff from one place to another someone asked how I had gotten roped into helping. My flippant response was that I had discovered years ago that a truck is cheaper than friends, and once you buy a truck you suddenly have friends. There are folks who believe that with enough of the right resources they can buy friends.
For the most part what they have purchased is sycophants, ’yes folks.’ These are folks who will agree with whatever their rich friend says so that they can stay in the good graces and reap the benefits of this ’friendship.’ Friends are people who will challenge you, question your motives, and help you sort out alternatives prior to, rather than after taking a course of action. In some cases those ’friends’ will simply take a step back and keep silent in the face of a potentially disastrous plan. The ultimate goal of a sycophant is to step into the place of the former ’friend’ as the new rich person.
For people in a relationship with God there is no need to compete for the resources God offers. There may or may not be money, land, treasure as the rest of the world measures it. However, there will be relationships that are worth cultivating, there will be hearts and hands willing to do whatever can be done in times of trial, and there will be people ready and willing to rejoice in times that call for rejoicing. There are people of faith with a lot of material wealth and resources, as well as those with little to nothing. Among the people of God amassing material wealth is a secondary rather than primary consideration. The primary concern is, how can I serve in the name and for the glory of God.
March 6, 2017
LCM
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