Psalm Meditation 1024
Fourth Sunday After Epiphany
February 2, 2020
Psalm 83
1 O God, do not keep silence; do not hold your peace or be still, O God!
2 Even now your enemies are in tumult; those who hate you have raised their heads.
3 They lay crafty plans against your people; they consult together against those you protect.
4 They say, “Come, let us wipe them out as a nation; let the name of Israel be remembered no more.”
5 They conspire with one accord; against you they make a covenant—
6 the tents of Edom and the Ishmaelites, Moab and the Hagrites,
7 Gebal and Ammon and Amalek, Philistia with the inhabitants of Tyre;
8 Assyria also has joined them; they are the strong arm of the children of Lot. Selah
9 Do to them as you did to Midian, as to Sisera and Jabin at the Wadi Kishon,
10 who were destroyed at En-dor, who became dung for the ground.
11 Make their nobles like Oreb and Zeeb, all their princes like Zebah and Zalmunna,
12 who said, “Let us take the pastures of God for our own possession.”
13 O my God, make them like whirling dust, like chaff before the wind.
14 As fire consumes the forest, as the flame sets the mountains ablaze,
15 so pursue them with your tempest and terrify them with your hurricane.
16 Fill their faces with shame, so that they may seek your name, O Lord.
17 Let them be put to shame and dismayed forever; let them perish in disgrace.
18 Let them know that you alone, whose name is the Lord, are the Most High over all the earth.
(NRSV)
In a time when each nation was thought to have their own local deity, it was easy to know that when our people and property were attacked it was an affront to our God. When all the surrounding nations have joined forces against us we can call on our God to protect us from those who are coming to get the people and property held as personal possession by YHWH. And while we are at it, we can tell our God how chase and chastise all these folks who see us as pushovers, thus insulting us and YHWH all at the same time.
It all gets more complicated when our concept of God broadens to a monotheistic view. There is only one God, and that one God created all things. God entrusted each one of us with the care of a portion of everything else in the created order. That being the case, it is harder to call on God to protect us from ’those people.’ When there are no people not created by YHWH, and all of creation falls under the power and protection of God, including those who do not acknowledge that power and protection, we can’t expect that our stuff is more important to God than anyone else’s. We can call on God for protection, but not because God cares more about us than those we see as other.
As monotheists we can’t assume that we are more valuable than any other person or group in creation. Our relationship with God may be more in line with what God asks from people, and maybe not. Either way, God does not love us more or less than another group. Recognizing that we are, each and all, in the family of God, needs to give us pause before we define a person or group as outside the love of God. “Let them [and us] know that you alone, whose name is the Lord, are the Most High over all the earth.”
January 27, 2020
LCM lcrsmanifold@att.net
http://psalmmeditations.blogspot.com/
Monday, January 27, 2020
Monday, January 20, 2020
Psalm Meditation 1023
Third Sunday After Epiphany
January 26, 2020
Psalm 57
1 Be merciful to me, O God, be merciful to me, for in you my soul takes refuge; in the shadow of your wings I will take refuge, until the destroying storms pass by.
2 I cry to God Most High, to God who fulfills his purpose for me.
3 He will send from heaven and save me, he will put to shame those who trample on me. Selah
God will send forth his steadfast love and his faithfulness.
4 I lie down among lions that greedily devour human prey; their teeth are spears and arrows, their tongues sharp swords.
5 Be exalted, O God, above the heavens. Let your glory be over all the earth.
6 They set a net for my steps; my soul was bowed down. They dug a pit in my path, but they have fallen into it themselves. Selah
7 My heart is steadfast, O God, my heart is steadfast. I will sing and make melody.
8 Awake, my soul! Awake, O harp and lyre! I will awake the dawn.
9 I will give thanks to you, O Lord, among the peoples; I will sing praises to you among the nations.
10 For your steadfast love is as high as the heavens; your faithfulness extends to the clouds.
11 Be exalted, O God, above the heavens. Let your glory be over all the earth. (NRSV)
Many years ago a classmate asked if our children ever sat on the arm of the couch and leaned back to see if we would catch them before they hit the floor. When those of us whose children were younger said it had not happened, he assured us that it would. I do not recall that ever happening with our children. The issue is trust. Did his children need to know if he could be trusted to be there for them, did our children trust us enough that they felt no need to test us?
The psalmist writes about trusting in God. The psalmist trusts God to be there in times of need. Testing God is not necessary; past experience is sufficient proof of God’s willingness to be present with and for us. In the Gospel accounts of the temptations Jesus reminds us that we do well to refrain from putting God to the test. When the psalmist lies down among lions, it is a reality rather than a test of God’s presence. And because God is a faithful protector, the psalmist is alive to tell of the experience.
There are folks who test God with some regularity. As they wait for a word or sign from God they take things into their own hands by risking their own life and limb as well as the lives of others. God does not watch over us because we deserve it, God watches over us out of love and concern for us. Sometimes that means protecting us from harm, other times it means being with us as we suffer the consequences of our actions or those of others. God loves us and is worthy of the refrain, “Be exalted, O God, above the heavens. Let your glory be over all the earth.”
January 20, 2020
LCM
Third Sunday After Epiphany
January 26, 2020
Psalm 57
1 Be merciful to me, O God, be merciful to me, for in you my soul takes refuge; in the shadow of your wings I will take refuge, until the destroying storms pass by.
2 I cry to God Most High, to God who fulfills his purpose for me.
3 He will send from heaven and save me, he will put to shame those who trample on me. Selah
God will send forth his steadfast love and his faithfulness.
4 I lie down among lions that greedily devour human prey; their teeth are spears and arrows, their tongues sharp swords.
5 Be exalted, O God, above the heavens. Let your glory be over all the earth.
6 They set a net for my steps; my soul was bowed down. They dug a pit in my path, but they have fallen into it themselves. Selah
7 My heart is steadfast, O God, my heart is steadfast. I will sing and make melody.
8 Awake, my soul! Awake, O harp and lyre! I will awake the dawn.
9 I will give thanks to you, O Lord, among the peoples; I will sing praises to you among the nations.
10 For your steadfast love is as high as the heavens; your faithfulness extends to the clouds.
11 Be exalted, O God, above the heavens. Let your glory be over all the earth. (NRSV)
Many years ago a classmate asked if our children ever sat on the arm of the couch and leaned back to see if we would catch them before they hit the floor. When those of us whose children were younger said it had not happened, he assured us that it would. I do not recall that ever happening with our children. The issue is trust. Did his children need to know if he could be trusted to be there for them, did our children trust us enough that they felt no need to test us?
The psalmist writes about trusting in God. The psalmist trusts God to be there in times of need. Testing God is not necessary; past experience is sufficient proof of God’s willingness to be present with and for us. In the Gospel accounts of the temptations Jesus reminds us that we do well to refrain from putting God to the test. When the psalmist lies down among lions, it is a reality rather than a test of God’s presence. And because God is a faithful protector, the psalmist is alive to tell of the experience.
There are folks who test God with some regularity. As they wait for a word or sign from God they take things into their own hands by risking their own life and limb as well as the lives of others. God does not watch over us because we deserve it, God watches over us out of love and concern for us. Sometimes that means protecting us from harm, other times it means being with us as we suffer the consequences of our actions or those of others. God loves us and is worthy of the refrain, “Be exalted, O God, above the heavens. Let your glory be over all the earth.”
January 20, 2020
LCM
Monday, January 13, 2020
Psalm Meditation 1022
Second Sunday After Epiphany
January 19, 2020
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)
In the rush to show ourselves faithful and worthy of God’s attention, we make promises that are beyond our ability to keep. David wanted to provide a place for God to dwell, but had to depend on God to pick that place as well as provide the victory over its inhabitants. It is as a child who wants to get a special gift for a parent and having to get the money for the gift from the parent who is to receive it. Most parents will gladly give the money for the child whose heart is in the right place.
After David promises to find a place for God to dwell, David receives a promise from God that David will receive a house, a dynasty, as long as he and his family remain faithful to God. The Davidic dynasty lasted much longer than the faithfulness of the various rulers of the house of David. The various successors to the throne went back and forth between faithful and tyrannical. God’s promise to the house of David stood firm for many generations.
We continue to make promises to God that are sincere in the moment and turn to dust once we are back on solid footing. God, on the other hand, continues to uphold promises made to us long after we have forgotten to keep our side of the bargain, deal, covenant. God is not only better at keeping promises, God makes broader and deeper promises than we could imagine and ask. We, like David, can’t out-promise God, even as God appreciates our attempts and loves us no matter what.
January 13, 2020
LCM
Second Sunday After Epiphany
January 19, 2020
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)
In the rush to show ourselves faithful and worthy of God’s attention, we make promises that are beyond our ability to keep. David wanted to provide a place for God to dwell, but had to depend on God to pick that place as well as provide the victory over its inhabitants. It is as a child who wants to get a special gift for a parent and having to get the money for the gift from the parent who is to receive it. Most parents will gladly give the money for the child whose heart is in the right place.
After David promises to find a place for God to dwell, David receives a promise from God that David will receive a house, a dynasty, as long as he and his family remain faithful to God. The Davidic dynasty lasted much longer than the faithfulness of the various rulers of the house of David. The various successors to the throne went back and forth between faithful and tyrannical. God’s promise to the house of David stood firm for many generations.
We continue to make promises to God that are sincere in the moment and turn to dust once we are back on solid footing. God, on the other hand, continues to uphold promises made to us long after we have forgotten to keep our side of the bargain, deal, covenant. God is not only better at keeping promises, God makes broader and deeper promises than we could imagine and ask. We, like David, can’t out-promise God, even as God appreciates our attempts and loves us no matter what.
January 13, 2020
LCM
Monday, January 6, 2020
Psalm Meditation 1021
Baptism of the Lord
January 12, 2020
Psalm 32
1 Happy are those whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered.
2 Happy are those to whom the Lord imputes no iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no deceit.
3 While I kept silence, my body wasted away through my groaning all day long.
4 For day and night your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was dried up as by the heat of summer. Selah
5 Then I acknowledged my sin to you, and I did not hide my iniquity; I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord,” and you forgave the guilt of my sin. Selah
6 Therefore let all who are faithful offer prayer to you; at a time of distress, the rush of mighty waters shall not reach them.
7 You are a hiding place for me; you preserve me from trouble; you surround me with glad cries of deliverance. Selah
8 I will instruct you and teach you the way you should go; I will counsel you with my eye upon you.
9 Do not be like a horse or a mule, without understanding, whose temper must be curbed with bit and bridle, else it will not stay near you.
10 Many are the torments of the wicked, but steadfast love surrounds those who trust in the Lord.
11 Be glad in the Lord and rejoice, O righteous, and shout for joy, all you upright in heart.
(NRSV)
Most of us have some experience with the feeling of guilt. It is the feeling of remorse and shame for having done something that is out of character for us, especially if someone else was hurt because of our actions. It is hard to look people in the eye for fear that they will be able to see we have done something bad and wrong. As long as this sin remains hidden we continue to be eaten up by our shame and remorse.
Once we tell someone, confess our sin, we feel part of the weight of wrongdoing slip away. The remorse for our actions remains as the shame is lifted through confession. The psalmist says it, “Then I acknowledged my sin to you, and I did not hide my iniquity; I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord,” and you forgave the guilt of my sin. Then I acknowledged my sin to you, and I did not hide my iniquity; I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord,” and you forgave the guilt of my sin.” Our sin is exposed to the light and we need not fear that we will be found out.
Having confessed, we open ourselves to receive support from those around us, especially from God. Confession does not free us from the consequences of our sin, it frees us from the shame and guilt. As we have been taught by another and our own experience we can teach others the importance of confession. The psalmist tells us that the more we take this teaching to heart the more open we are to the steadfast love of God, and the love and support that comes from those around us.
January 6, 2020
LCM
Baptism of the Lord
January 12, 2020
Psalm 32
1 Happy are those whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered.
2 Happy are those to whom the Lord imputes no iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no deceit.
3 While I kept silence, my body wasted away through my groaning all day long.
4 For day and night your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was dried up as by the heat of summer. Selah
5 Then I acknowledged my sin to you, and I did not hide my iniquity; I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord,” and you forgave the guilt of my sin. Selah
6 Therefore let all who are faithful offer prayer to you; at a time of distress, the rush of mighty waters shall not reach them.
7 You are a hiding place for me; you preserve me from trouble; you surround me with glad cries of deliverance. Selah
8 I will instruct you and teach you the way you should go; I will counsel you with my eye upon you.
9 Do not be like a horse or a mule, without understanding, whose temper must be curbed with bit and bridle, else it will not stay near you.
10 Many are the torments of the wicked, but steadfast love surrounds those who trust in the Lord.
11 Be glad in the Lord and rejoice, O righteous, and shout for joy, all you upright in heart.
(NRSV)
Most of us have some experience with the feeling of guilt. It is the feeling of remorse and shame for having done something that is out of character for us, especially if someone else was hurt because of our actions. It is hard to look people in the eye for fear that they will be able to see we have done something bad and wrong. As long as this sin remains hidden we continue to be eaten up by our shame and remorse.
Once we tell someone, confess our sin, we feel part of the weight of wrongdoing slip away. The remorse for our actions remains as the shame is lifted through confession. The psalmist says it, “Then I acknowledged my sin to you, and I did not hide my iniquity; I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord,” and you forgave the guilt of my sin. Then I acknowledged my sin to you, and I did not hide my iniquity; I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord,” and you forgave the guilt of my sin.” Our sin is exposed to the light and we need not fear that we will be found out.
Having confessed, we open ourselves to receive support from those around us, especially from God. Confession does not free us from the consequences of our sin, it frees us from the shame and guilt. As we have been taught by another and our own experience we can teach others the importance of confession. The psalmist tells us that the more we take this teaching to heart the more open we are to the steadfast love of God, and the love and support that comes from those around us.
January 6, 2020
LCM
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