Psalm Meditation 1085 Easter April 4, 2021 Psalm 18 (selected verses) 1 I love you, O Lord, my strength. 2 The Lord is my rock, my fortress, and my deliverer, my God, my rock in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. 3 I call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised, so I shall be saved from my enemies. 4 The cords of death encompassed me; the torrents of perdition assailed me; 5 the cords of Sheol entangled me; the snares of death confronted me. 6 In my distress I called upon the Lord; to my God I cried for help. From his temple he heard my voice, and my cry to him reached his ears. 7 Then the earth reeled and rocked; the foundations also of the mountains trembled and quaked, because he was angry. 8 Smoke went up from his nostrils, and devouring fire from his mouth; glowing coals flamed forth from him. 9 He bowed the heavens, and came down; thick darkness was under his feet. 10 He rode on a cherub, and flew; he came swiftly upon the wings of the wind. 11 He made darkness his covering around him, his canopy thick clouds dark with water. 12 Out of the brightness before him there broke through his clouds hailstones and coals of fire. 13 The Lord also thundered in the heavens, and the Most High uttered his voice. 14 And he sent out his arrows, and scattered them; he flashed forth lightnings, and routed them. 15 Then the channels of the sea were seen, and the foundations of the world were laid bare at your rebuke, O Lord, at the blast of the breath of your nostrils. 16 He reached down from on high, he took me; he drew me out of mighty waters. 17 He delivered me from my strong enemy, and from those who hated me; for they were too mighty for me. 18 They confronted me in the day of my calamity; but the Lord was my support. 19 He brought me out into a broad place; he delivered me, because he delighted in me. 20 The Lord rewarded me according to my righteousness; according to the cleanness of my hands he recompensed me. 21 For I have kept the ways of the Lord, and have not wickedly departed from my God. 22 For all his ordinances were before me, and his statutes I did not put away from me. 23 I was blameless before him, and I kept myself from guilt. 24 Therefore the Lord has recompensed me according to my righteousness, according to the cleanness of my hands in his sight. 47 the God who gave me vengeance and subdued peoples under me; 48 who delivered me from my enemies; indeed, you exalted me above my adversaries; you delivered me from the violent. 49 For this I will extol you, O Lord, among the nations, and sing praises to your name. 50 Great triumphs he gives to his king, and shows steadfast love to his anointed, to David and his descendants forever. (NRSV) How many of us believe that we can make God do things for us because we are such good people? It is the way this psalm is written. Because we have been good subjects God is bound by honor to do good things for us. It is not about the loving goodness of God, it is about our being obedient subjects. In a sense we can guilt God into doing what we want done. How silly is that? The psalmist’s view is that of a royal subject; it is what the psalmist knows. People are ruled by despotic kings and queens who demand loyalty and obedience. These rulers can also be swayed by the loyal actions of subjects. It is a tit for tat, quid pro quo life for those involved in the ruling of a nation. As times and governments change, so too can our view of God. A current view of God is as one whose overarching love touches each one of us. God acts out of love for us, choosing the most loving course of action rather than reacting to our various acts of obedience and disobedience. The influence we have with God is the power of love at work in our lives, leading us to want the best the world has to offer for all those around us. Rather than being rewarded for our proper actions, we are loved beyond measure. March 30, 2021 LCM