Psalm Meditation 898
Proper 17
September 3, 2017
Psalm 24
1 The earth is the LORD’s and all that is in it, the world, and those who live in it;
2 for he has founded it on the seas, and established it on the rivers.
3 Who shall ascend the hill of the LORD? And who shall stand in his holy place?
4 Those who have clean hands and pure hearts, who do not lift up their souls to what is false, and do not swear deceitfully.
5 They will receive blessing from the LORD, and vindication from the God of their salvation.
6 Such is the company of those who seek him, who seek the face of the God of Jacob. Selah
7 Lift up your heads, O gates! and be lifted up, O ancient doors! that the King of glory may come in.
8 Who is the King of glory? The LORD, strong and mighty, the LORD, mighty in battle.
9 Lift up your heads, O gates! and be lifted up, O ancient doors! that the King of glory may come in.
10 Who is this King of glory? The LORD of hosts, he is the King of glory. Selah
(NRSV)
When we bought a new car several years ago we were told that we were the third family in the county to purchase one of this new model vehicle. On our way home from the dealer we saw six of these cars. It is certainly possible that these other cars were from surrounding counties. However it happened our eyes were able to see something we would have missed if we had not bought that particular make and model of car.
I believe it is the same with those who are able to, “ascend the hill of the LORD” Those who are able/allowed to ascend the heights are those who are particularly tuned to the ways of God. Since we exercise no control over the giving of God’s blessings, we don’t get to decide who gets them and who does not. We can only do what we understand God wants us to do and be open to the gifts and benefits of our actions.
Those six cars of the same model we saw as we drove our home were there for all to see. Most people who drove near those other cars saw them but did not notice them as a new model. They were probably nothing more than one more car in the way of them getting to their destination. God is always there for all to see, for all to receive the gifts that God gives so freely. “Those who have clean hands and pure hearts, who do not lift up their souls to what is false, and do not swear deceitfully” are the ones who will notice the gifts being bestowed upon them.
August 28, 2017
LCM
Monday, August 28, 2017
Monday, August 21, 2017
Psalm Meditation 897
Proper 16
August 27, 2017
Psalm 29
1 Ascribe to the LORD, O heavenly beings, ascribe to the LORD glory and strength.
2 Ascribe to the LORD the glory of his name; worship the LORD in holy splendor.
3 The voice of the LORD is over the waters; the God of glory thunders, the LORD, over mighty waters.
4 The voice of the LORD is powerful; the voice of the LORD is full of majesty.
5 The voice of the LORD breaks the cedars; the LORD breaks the cedars of Lebanon.
6 He makes Lebanon skip like a calf, and Sirion like a young wild ox.
7 The voice of the LORD flashes forth flames of fire.
8 The voice of the LORD shakes the wilderness; the LORD shakes the wilderness of Kadesh.
9 The voice of the LORD causes the oaks to whirl, and strips the forest bare; and in his temple all say, “Glory!”
10 The LORD sits enthroned over the flood; the LORD sits enthroned as king forever.
11 May the LORD give strength to his people! May the LORD bless his people with peace!
(NRSV)
There are times in which it seems important to figure out what event inspired the psalmist to write a psalm and to write it in this particular way. Scholars want to know the context of the psalm so that it can be more easily interpreted. Yes, scholarship is important in looking to the Scriptures for both information and inspiration. Once we know the details, We can more readily figure out what each word and phrase might mean. When we get the original figured out we can ask what it might meant to us today, because of or despite the original intent.
Other times it seems good to let the psalm speak as it will to the situation in which we find ourselves. We might not be concerned about meaning and context, we simply let a verse jump out at us and give us what we need in that moment. As long as we don’t set that moment in concrete and make that verse guide the rest of our lives, we can be touched by a verse in a way that would make a scholar shudder. We can let the Bible reflect who we are in the moment.
The psalmist gives us a number of reasons to give glory to God. We can study what each of those reasons means and how they play together to paint a picture of the atmosphere in which the psalm is written. We can read the psalm as an invitation to give God glory for reasons of our own. One is not better than the other. Each way has its uses and informs and instructs us along the way.
August 21, 2017
LCM
Proper 16
August 27, 2017
Psalm 29
1 Ascribe to the LORD, O heavenly beings, ascribe to the LORD glory and strength.
2 Ascribe to the LORD the glory of his name; worship the LORD in holy splendor.
3 The voice of the LORD is over the waters; the God of glory thunders, the LORD, over mighty waters.
4 The voice of the LORD is powerful; the voice of the LORD is full of majesty.
5 The voice of the LORD breaks the cedars; the LORD breaks the cedars of Lebanon.
6 He makes Lebanon skip like a calf, and Sirion like a young wild ox.
7 The voice of the LORD flashes forth flames of fire.
8 The voice of the LORD shakes the wilderness; the LORD shakes the wilderness of Kadesh.
9 The voice of the LORD causes the oaks to whirl, and strips the forest bare; and in his temple all say, “Glory!”
10 The LORD sits enthroned over the flood; the LORD sits enthroned as king forever.
11 May the LORD give strength to his people! May the LORD bless his people with peace!
(NRSV)
There are times in which it seems important to figure out what event inspired the psalmist to write a psalm and to write it in this particular way. Scholars want to know the context of the psalm so that it can be more easily interpreted. Yes, scholarship is important in looking to the Scriptures for both information and inspiration. Once we know the details, We can more readily figure out what each word and phrase might mean. When we get the original figured out we can ask what it might meant to us today, because of or despite the original intent.
Other times it seems good to let the psalm speak as it will to the situation in which we find ourselves. We might not be concerned about meaning and context, we simply let a verse jump out at us and give us what we need in that moment. As long as we don’t set that moment in concrete and make that verse guide the rest of our lives, we can be touched by a verse in a way that would make a scholar shudder. We can let the Bible reflect who we are in the moment.
The psalmist gives us a number of reasons to give glory to God. We can study what each of those reasons means and how they play together to paint a picture of the atmosphere in which the psalm is written. We can read the psalm as an invitation to give God glory for reasons of our own. One is not better than the other. Each way has its uses and informs and instructs us along the way.
August 21, 2017
LCM
Monday, August 14, 2017
Psalm Meditation 896
Proper 15
August 20, 2017
Psalm 122
1 I was glad when they said to me, “Let us go to the house of the LORD!”
2 Our feet are standing within your gates, O Jerusalem.
3 Jerusalem—built as a city that is bound firmly together.
4 To it the tribes go up, the tribes of the LORD, as was decreed for Israel, to give thanks to the name of the LORD.
5 For there the thrones for judgment were set up, the thrones of the house of David.
6 Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: “May they prosper who love you.
7 Peace be within your walls, and security within your towers.”
8 For the sake of my relatives and friends I will say, “Peace be within you.”
9 For the sake of the house of the LORD our God, I will seek your good.
(NRSV)
With a central place for worship, everyone was expected to make the trip to Jerusalem at least once a year. So it was a great occasion when so many people gathered into one place for the common purpose of worship. There were smaller weekly gatherings in peoples’ homes, the big deal was the annual gathering. It was exciting, it was something anticipated from the time one returned home one year until time to go again the next.
Certainly there were some for whom the annual trip was a burden and a bore, looked forward to as if it were an onerous task. I can imagine that there were some glares and stares exchanged between people of the two groups as they passed each other on the roads and in the streets. No matter the event or occasion there will be those who long for and those who dread it. Worship, birthdays, dental work just to name a few.
There are events that I dread that turn out to be redemptive experiences. There are events to which I look forward that turn out to be everything I had hoped they would be. Of course a few that are disappointing for a variety of reasons. Know this, boring or blessing, cathartic or catatonic, healing or hellish, God is in the midst of us in every event. Sometimes close, sometimes distant; God is in the midst of us.
August 14, 2017
LCM
Proper 15
August 20, 2017
Psalm 122
1 I was glad when they said to me, “Let us go to the house of the LORD!”
2 Our feet are standing within your gates, O Jerusalem.
3 Jerusalem—built as a city that is bound firmly together.
4 To it the tribes go up, the tribes of the LORD, as was decreed for Israel, to give thanks to the name of the LORD.
5 For there the thrones for judgment were set up, the thrones of the house of David.
6 Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: “May they prosper who love you.
7 Peace be within your walls, and security within your towers.”
8 For the sake of my relatives and friends I will say, “Peace be within you.”
9 For the sake of the house of the LORD our God, I will seek your good.
(NRSV)
With a central place for worship, everyone was expected to make the trip to Jerusalem at least once a year. So it was a great occasion when so many people gathered into one place for the common purpose of worship. There were smaller weekly gatherings in peoples’ homes, the big deal was the annual gathering. It was exciting, it was something anticipated from the time one returned home one year until time to go again the next.
Certainly there were some for whom the annual trip was a burden and a bore, looked forward to as if it were an onerous task. I can imagine that there were some glares and stares exchanged between people of the two groups as they passed each other on the roads and in the streets. No matter the event or occasion there will be those who long for and those who dread it. Worship, birthdays, dental work just to name a few.
There are events that I dread that turn out to be redemptive experiences. There are events to which I look forward that turn out to be everything I had hoped they would be. Of course a few that are disappointing for a variety of reasons. Know this, boring or blessing, cathartic or catatonic, healing or hellish, God is in the midst of us in every event. Sometimes close, sometimes distant; God is in the midst of us.
August 14, 2017
LCM
Monday, August 7, 2017
Psalm Meditation 895
Proper 14
August 13, 2017
Psalm 79
1 O God, the nations have come into your inheritance; they have defiled your holy temple; they have laid Jerusalem in ruins.
2 They have given the bodies of your servants to the birds of the air for food, the flesh of your faithful to the wild animals of the earth.
3 They have poured out their blood like water all around Jerusalem, and there was no one to bury them.
4 We have become a taunt to our neighbors, mocked and derided by those around us.
5 How long, O LORD? Will you be angry forever? Will your jealous wrath burn like fire?
6 Pour out your anger on the nations that do not know you, and on the kingdoms that do not call on your name.
7 For they have devoured Jacob and laid waste his habitation.
8 Do not remember against us the iniquities of our ancestors; let your compassion come speedily to meet us, for we are brought very low.
9 Help us, O God of our salvation, for the glory of your name; deliver us, and forgive our sins, for your name’s sake.
10 Why should the nations say, “Where is their God?” Let the avenging of the outpoured blood of your servants be known among the nations before our eyes.
11 Let the groans of the prisoners come before you; according to your great power preserve those doomed to die.
12 Return sevenfold into the bosom of our neighbors the taunts with which they taunted you, O Lord!
13 Then we your people, the flock of your pasture, will give thanks to you forever; from generation to generation we will recount your praise.
(NRSV)
The most widely held view of the presence of God in the time this psalm was written is that God rewards good deeds and punishes sinful deeds. When bad or good happens to a person or a nation, it is because of the actions of the person or group. The psalmist knows that the people of Israel have done things that deserve punishment, in this case having Jerusalem overrun by enemy armies. The psalmist tells God that the city has suffered enough from the hands of adversaries. It is time for God to inflict punishment on those who defiled the city of God in several ways. ‘Yes, we have sinned and paid the price, now punish those who punished us, because they said mean things about you, O God.’
While there will always be those who believe that God punishes sin and rewards good behavior, there is at least one other view. In this other view we are not punished for our sin, we are punished by our sin. In this view God does not give us over to others for punishment while ignoring our cries for help, at least until our punishment is fulfilled. God is with us no matter what comes our way. Holding us up, helping us stand against the adversarial forces that rise against us, perhaps even pointing out a lesson we might learn in the face of the good or bad that comes our way as a part of the choices we make.
Our view of God helps color our perception of what goes on around us. If we see God as angry we will see ourselves and others bearing the brunt of that anger. If we see God as a champion of justice we will see ourselves and others receiving our just deserts at the hand of God. If we see God as loving and merciful we will see ourselves and others benefitting from the presence of God in every situation. God will not cause things to happen but may nudge and prod us to learn something from what does happen to us and others.
August 7, 2017
LCM
Proper 14
August 13, 2017
Psalm 79
1 O God, the nations have come into your inheritance; they have defiled your holy temple; they have laid Jerusalem in ruins.
2 They have given the bodies of your servants to the birds of the air for food, the flesh of your faithful to the wild animals of the earth.
3 They have poured out their blood like water all around Jerusalem, and there was no one to bury them.
4 We have become a taunt to our neighbors, mocked and derided by those around us.
5 How long, O LORD? Will you be angry forever? Will your jealous wrath burn like fire?
6 Pour out your anger on the nations that do not know you, and on the kingdoms that do not call on your name.
7 For they have devoured Jacob and laid waste his habitation.
8 Do not remember against us the iniquities of our ancestors; let your compassion come speedily to meet us, for we are brought very low.
9 Help us, O God of our salvation, for the glory of your name; deliver us, and forgive our sins, for your name’s sake.
10 Why should the nations say, “Where is their God?” Let the avenging of the outpoured blood of your servants be known among the nations before our eyes.
11 Let the groans of the prisoners come before you; according to your great power preserve those doomed to die.
12 Return sevenfold into the bosom of our neighbors the taunts with which they taunted you, O Lord!
13 Then we your people, the flock of your pasture, will give thanks to you forever; from generation to generation we will recount your praise.
(NRSV)
The most widely held view of the presence of God in the time this psalm was written is that God rewards good deeds and punishes sinful deeds. When bad or good happens to a person or a nation, it is because of the actions of the person or group. The psalmist knows that the people of Israel have done things that deserve punishment, in this case having Jerusalem overrun by enemy armies. The psalmist tells God that the city has suffered enough from the hands of adversaries. It is time for God to inflict punishment on those who defiled the city of God in several ways. ‘Yes, we have sinned and paid the price, now punish those who punished us, because they said mean things about you, O God.’
While there will always be those who believe that God punishes sin and rewards good behavior, there is at least one other view. In this other view we are not punished for our sin, we are punished by our sin. In this view God does not give us over to others for punishment while ignoring our cries for help, at least until our punishment is fulfilled. God is with us no matter what comes our way. Holding us up, helping us stand against the adversarial forces that rise against us, perhaps even pointing out a lesson we might learn in the face of the good or bad that comes our way as a part of the choices we make.
Our view of God helps color our perception of what goes on around us. If we see God as angry we will see ourselves and others bearing the brunt of that anger. If we see God as a champion of justice we will see ourselves and others receiving our just deserts at the hand of God. If we see God as loving and merciful we will see ourselves and others benefitting from the presence of God in every situation. God will not cause things to happen but may nudge and prod us to learn something from what does happen to us and others.
August 7, 2017
LCM
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