Showing posts with label psalm 45. Show all posts
Showing posts with label psalm 45. Show all posts
Tuesday, September 13, 2022
Psalm Meditation 1161
¶Proper 20
¶September 18, 2022
¶Psalm 45
https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=psalm+45&version=NRSVUE
(NRSV)
¶Of course the king deserves these accolades and compliments, because he is the king. There may be a touch of extravagant flattery, however for the most part the king deserves to hear all of these good things about himself and his bride. Leaders of all ages deserve the acclaim that the people offer, especially if that leader is somehow one of us. Certainly God smiles on leaders who serve God by ruling the people fairly.
¶If these same kinds of compliments are pointed toward us we are quick to deflect them, discount them, and ignore them. Despite our unwillingness to accept those compliments, in the eyes of God we are each special and have our own set of skills and gifts that set us apart from the those around us. Even our uniqueness is not what causes God to love us. God loves us because it is the nature of God to love each of us with the same steadfast love that every other person receives.
¶We deserve the compliments sincerely given to us, because we are beloved children of God. Most of us are not celebrities, known by many beyond our ability to know in return. That does not make us any less special in the eyes of God. The lowliest to the loftiest is known and loved by God as an individual of sacred worth.
¶September 13, 2022
¶LCM
Monday, July 5, 2021
Psalm Meditation 1099
Seventh Sunday of Ordinary Time
July 11, 2021
Psalm 45
1 My heart overflows with a goodly theme; I address my verses to the king; my tongue is like the pen of a ready scribe.
2 You are the most handsome of men; grace is poured upon your lips; therefore God has blessed you forever.
3 Gird your sword on your thigh, O mighty one, in your glory and majesty.
4 In your majesty ride on victoriously for the cause of truth and to defend the right; let your right hand teach you dread deeds.
5 Your arrows are sharp in the heart of the king’s enemies; the peoples fall under you.
6 Your throne, O God, endures forever and ever. Your royal scepter is a scepter of equity;
7 you love righteousness and hate wickedness. Therefore God, your God, has anointed you with the oil of gladness beyond your companions;
8 your robes are all fragrant with myrrh and aloes and cassia. From ivory palaces stringed instruments make you glad;
9 daughters of kings are among your ladies of honor; at your right hand stands the queen in gold of Ophir.
10 Hear, O daughter, consider and incline your ear; forget your people and your father’s house,
11 and the king will desire your beauty. Since he is your lord, bow to him;
12 the people of Tyre will seek your favor with gifts, the richest of the people
13 with all kinds of wealth. The princess is decked in her chamber with gold-woven robes;
14 in many-colored robes she is led to the king; behind her the virgins, her companions, follow.
15 With joy and gladness they are led along as they enter the palace of the king.
16 In the place of ancestors you, O king, shall have sons; you will make them princes in all the earth.
17 I will cause your name to be celebrated in all generations; therefore the peoples will praise you forever and ever.
(NRSV)
This may be a totally random thought sparked by verse 13 of this marriage psalm. I hope it is helpful despite or because of its focus. In early preaching, the habit was to read a verse of Scripture, expound on it, move to the next verse and repeat the process. I believe that the chapters and verses of the Bible are divisions for preaching. The chapters are a text for a given week and the verses are the places to stop in order to expound on that bit of Scripture. To add to the possibility of confusion, early Hebrew was written without punctuation or even spaces between words.
Dividing a text as has been done with verse 13 raises an interesting question. In the NRSV there is not even a comma to separate verse 12 from 13; the verse picks up in the middle of a sentence. Chances are, that at one time people read the sentence as if the princess were decked with all kinds of wealth, and now it makes more sense for the people of Tyre to be the ones with all kinds of wealth as wedding gifts for the king. The punctuation has changed but not the versification. Either way, the reading does not have any effect on our salvation—this time.
So, all of this to remind us that it is important to be careful how we read and comprehend Scripture. Am I correct about how Scripture was divided into chapters and verses? I have never seen any explanation of any kind; so maybe yes, maybe no. Have I seen and heard people take the same verse of Scripture to prove opposing points of view by putting emphasis on the part that proves their point? Yep, I have. As we read Scripture, especially if we are reading to prove ourselves right about something, and ‘those people’ wrong, we do well to keep an eye to God instead of proving our own point of view with Scripture.
July 5, 2021
LCM
Monday, September 19, 2016
Psalm Meditation 849
Proper 21
September 25, 2016
Psalm 45
1 My heart overflows with a goodly theme; I address my verses to the king; my tongue is like the pen of a ready scribe.
2 You are the most handsome of men; grace is poured upon your lips; therefore God has blessed you forever.
3 Gird your sword on your thigh, O mighty one, in your glory and majesty.
4 In your majesty ride on victoriously for the cause of truth and to defend the right; let your right hand teach you dread deeds.
5 Your arrows are sharp in the heart of the king’s enemies; the peoples fall under you.
6 Your throne, O God, endures forever and ever. Your royal scepter is a scepter of equity;
7 you love righteousness and hate wickedness. Therefore God, your God, has anointed you with the oil of gladness beyond your companions;
8 your robes are all fragrant with myrrh and aloes and cassia. From ivory palaces stringed instruments make you glad;
9 daughters of kings are among your ladies of honor; at your right hand stands the queen in gold of Ophir.
10 Hear, O daughter, consider and incline your ear; forget your people and your father’s house,
11 and the king will desire your beauty. Since he is your lord, bow to him;
12 the people of Tyre will seek your favor with gifts, the richest of the people 13 with all kinds of wealth. The princess is decked in her chamber with gold-woven robes;
14 in many-colored robes she is led to the king; behind her the virgins, her companions, follow.
15 With joy and gladness they are led along as they enter the palace of the king.
16 In the place of ancestors you, O king, shall have sons; you will make them princes in all the earth.
17 I will cause your name to be celebrated in all generations; therefore the peoples will praise you forever and ever.
(NRSV)
For those in the biblical age the king was the direct agent of God. In some cultures the king was considered divine during his reign and certainly after his death. For the people of YHWH, the king was God’s agent on earth and could be addressed as God due to the close association of the two. At the same time there was no illusion that the king was anything beyond a human being who served in the name of God. While this psalm is addressed to the king, at the time of a wedding, there are otherwise confusing references to God.
Historical records were not kind to some of the kings. There are stories of kings who were to act as agents of God who acted more as if they were gods, with no one to hold them accountable for their actions. They did what they wanted and felt no responsibility to act according to the rules and laws of YHWH. For some of those kings the biblical/historical record is only long enough to give his name, the number of years he reigned and that he did what was evil in the sight of God.
While most of us will not be named in history books that will be studied in schools across the world, we do well to choose whether we will follow the laws, rules, testimonies and examples of God and those who have gone before us in service to God or not. We may do well to follow the advice given to the bride in this psalm, “Hear, O daughter, consider and incline your ear; forget your people and your father’s house,” By forgetting our people and houses we give ourselves over to God as those who serve God with a wholeness and holiness of heart.
September 19, 2016
LCM
Proper 21
September 25, 2016
Psalm 45
1 My heart overflows with a goodly theme; I address my verses to the king; my tongue is like the pen of a ready scribe.
2 You are the most handsome of men; grace is poured upon your lips; therefore God has blessed you forever.
3 Gird your sword on your thigh, O mighty one, in your glory and majesty.
4 In your majesty ride on victoriously for the cause of truth and to defend the right; let your right hand teach you dread deeds.
5 Your arrows are sharp in the heart of the king’s enemies; the peoples fall under you.
6 Your throne, O God, endures forever and ever. Your royal scepter is a scepter of equity;
7 you love righteousness and hate wickedness. Therefore God, your God, has anointed you with the oil of gladness beyond your companions;
8 your robes are all fragrant with myrrh and aloes and cassia. From ivory palaces stringed instruments make you glad;
9 daughters of kings are among your ladies of honor; at your right hand stands the queen in gold of Ophir.
10 Hear, O daughter, consider and incline your ear; forget your people and your father’s house,
11 and the king will desire your beauty. Since he is your lord, bow to him;
12 the people of Tyre will seek your favor with gifts, the richest of the people 13 with all kinds of wealth. The princess is decked in her chamber with gold-woven robes;
14 in many-colored robes she is led to the king; behind her the virgins, her companions, follow.
15 With joy and gladness they are led along as they enter the palace of the king.
16 In the place of ancestors you, O king, shall have sons; you will make them princes in all the earth.
17 I will cause your name to be celebrated in all generations; therefore the peoples will praise you forever and ever.
(NRSV)
For those in the biblical age the king was the direct agent of God. In some cultures the king was considered divine during his reign and certainly after his death. For the people of YHWH, the king was God’s agent on earth and could be addressed as God due to the close association of the two. At the same time there was no illusion that the king was anything beyond a human being who served in the name of God. While this psalm is addressed to the king, at the time of a wedding, there are otherwise confusing references to God.
Historical records were not kind to some of the kings. There are stories of kings who were to act as agents of God who acted more as if they were gods, with no one to hold them accountable for their actions. They did what they wanted and felt no responsibility to act according to the rules and laws of YHWH. For some of those kings the biblical/historical record is only long enough to give his name, the number of years he reigned and that he did what was evil in the sight of God.
While most of us will not be named in history books that will be studied in schools across the world, we do well to choose whether we will follow the laws, rules, testimonies and examples of God and those who have gone before us in service to God or not. We may do well to follow the advice given to the bride in this psalm, “Hear, O daughter, consider and incline your ear; forget your people and your father’s house,” By forgetting our people and houses we give ourselves over to God as those who serve God with a wholeness and holiness of heart.
September 19, 2016
LCM
Monday, February 17, 2014
Psalm Meditation 714
Seventh Sunday After Epiphany
February 23, 2014
Psalm 45
1 My heart overflows with a goodly theme; I address my verses to the king; my tongue is like the pen of a ready scribe.
2 You are the most handsome of men; grace is poured upon your lips; therefore God has blessed you forever.
3 Gird your sword on your thigh, O mighty one, in your glory and majesty.
4 In your majesty ride on victoriously for the cause of truth and to defend the right; let your right hand teach you dread deeds.
5 Your arrows are sharp in the heart of the king’s enemies; the peoples fall under you.
6 Your throne, O God, endures forever and ever. Your royal scepter is a scepter of equity;
7 you love righteousness and hate wickedness. Therefore God, your God, has anointed you with the oil of gladness beyond your companions;
8 your robes are all fragrant with myrrh and aloes and cassia. From ivory palaces stringed instruments make you glad;
9 daughters of kings are among your ladies of honor; at your right hand stands the queen in gold of Ophir.
10 Hear, O daughter, consider and incline your ear; forget your people and your father’s house,
11 and the king will desire your beauty. Since he is your lord, bow to him;
12 the people of Tyre will seek your favor with gifts, the richest of the people
13 with all kinds of wealth. The princess is decked in her chamber with gold-woven robes;
14 in many-colored robes she is led to the king; behind her the virgins, her companions, follow.
15 With joy and gladness they are led along as they enter the palace of the king.
16 In the place of ancestors you, O king, shall have sons; you will make them princes in all the earth.
17 I will cause your name to be celebrated in all generations; therefore the peoples will praise you forever and ever.
(NRSV)
Is this heartfelt praise of a king, is it flattery in order to get a favor from the king, is it a combination of the two or is it a made to order psalm for a king whose ego needs a boost? Whatever the purpose, it is flowery and far reaching. What if we could bring ourselves to sing the praises of our own leaders in this kind of language, even when we disagree with the policies and politics those leaders follow? I do find it interesting that in the US, in this particular political climate, we see leaders in our party as God chosen, God ordained leaders while the people of the other party, elected by the same process and at the same time, are seen as evil usurpers drawing this country ever deeper into Hell. The same person is described as a hero and a villain, depending on the party of the person speaking.
Would it make a difference in our current political climate if we made it a point to look for positive characteristics in the people with whom we disagree? A friend described looking down from the gallery of the two houses of Congress in Washington and seeing that folks of both parties were intent on doing the best they possibly could for the sake of the people they represented. I am tempted to make all sorts of excuses as to why that is no longer the case, however, I imagine that most of the people who represent us continue to feel that way most of the time. What if we made it a point to look for positive characteristics in the people with whom we disagree?
This psalm is about a king, a person who held absolute power of any and all of the people in the nation. With that being the case, it is easy to see why anyone would sing the praises of that kind of person. One of the great gifts we have in the United States is the freedom of speech, the ability to disagree with anyone, including the nation’s leaders. As long as we don’t threaten the well-being of others we can say almost anything. That does not mean that there are not consequences to our words and actions, only that we can speak freely.
What if we made it a point to disagree with folks with civility and to look for positive points in the views of those with whom we disagree? What if we listened to the views of others rather than running roughshod over them because of party, race, gender or any other point of difference we might have with them? What if we made it a point to honor God with our words and actions rather than feeling as we had to come to God’s defense in every question of policy and politics? What if God is pleased when we learn something from the folks with whom we disagree? What if God loves each one of us, even the folks who are not like us?
February 17, 2014
Seventh Sunday After Epiphany
February 23, 2014
Psalm 45
1 My heart overflows with a goodly theme; I address my verses to the king; my tongue is like the pen of a ready scribe.
2 You are the most handsome of men; grace is poured upon your lips; therefore God has blessed you forever.
3 Gird your sword on your thigh, O mighty one, in your glory and majesty.
4 In your majesty ride on victoriously for the cause of truth and to defend the right; let your right hand teach you dread deeds.
5 Your arrows are sharp in the heart of the king’s enemies; the peoples fall under you.
6 Your throne, O God, endures forever and ever. Your royal scepter is a scepter of equity;
7 you love righteousness and hate wickedness. Therefore God, your God, has anointed you with the oil of gladness beyond your companions;
8 your robes are all fragrant with myrrh and aloes and cassia. From ivory palaces stringed instruments make you glad;
9 daughters of kings are among your ladies of honor; at your right hand stands the queen in gold of Ophir.
10 Hear, O daughter, consider and incline your ear; forget your people and your father’s house,
11 and the king will desire your beauty. Since he is your lord, bow to him;
12 the people of Tyre will seek your favor with gifts, the richest of the people
13 with all kinds of wealth. The princess is decked in her chamber with gold-woven robes;
14 in many-colored robes she is led to the king; behind her the virgins, her companions, follow.
15 With joy and gladness they are led along as they enter the palace of the king.
16 In the place of ancestors you, O king, shall have sons; you will make them princes in all the earth.
17 I will cause your name to be celebrated in all generations; therefore the peoples will praise you forever and ever.
(NRSV)
Is this heartfelt praise of a king, is it flattery in order to get a favor from the king, is it a combination of the two or is it a made to order psalm for a king whose ego needs a boost? Whatever the purpose, it is flowery and far reaching. What if we could bring ourselves to sing the praises of our own leaders in this kind of language, even when we disagree with the policies and politics those leaders follow? I do find it interesting that in the US, in this particular political climate, we see leaders in our party as God chosen, God ordained leaders while the people of the other party, elected by the same process and at the same time, are seen as evil usurpers drawing this country ever deeper into Hell. The same person is described as a hero and a villain, depending on the party of the person speaking.
Would it make a difference in our current political climate if we made it a point to look for positive characteristics in the people with whom we disagree? A friend described looking down from the gallery of the two houses of Congress in Washington and seeing that folks of both parties were intent on doing the best they possibly could for the sake of the people they represented. I am tempted to make all sorts of excuses as to why that is no longer the case, however, I imagine that most of the people who represent us continue to feel that way most of the time. What if we made it a point to look for positive characteristics in the people with whom we disagree?
This psalm is about a king, a person who held absolute power of any and all of the people in the nation. With that being the case, it is easy to see why anyone would sing the praises of that kind of person. One of the great gifts we have in the United States is the freedom of speech, the ability to disagree with anyone, including the nation’s leaders. As long as we don’t threaten the well-being of others we can say almost anything. That does not mean that there are not consequences to our words and actions, only that we can speak freely.
What if we made it a point to disagree with folks with civility and to look for positive points in the views of those with whom we disagree? What if we listened to the views of others rather than running roughshod over them because of party, race, gender or any other point of difference we might have with them? What if we made it a point to honor God with our words and actions rather than feeling as we had to come to God’s defense in every question of policy and politics? What if God is pleased when we learn something from the folks with whom we disagree? What if God loves each one of us, even the folks who are not like us?
February 17, 2014
Monday, January 2, 2012
Psalm Meditation 603
Epiphany Sunday
January 8, 2012
Psalm 45
1 My heart overflows with a goodly theme; I address my verses to the king; my tongue is like the pen of a ready scribe.
2 You are the most handsome of men; grace is poured upon your lips; therefore God has blessed you forever.
3 Gird your sword on your thigh, O mighty one, in your glory and majesty.
4 In your majesty ride on victoriously for the cause of truth and to defend the right; let your right hand teach you dread deeds.
5 Your arrows are sharp in the heart of the king's enemies; the peoples fall under you.
6 Your throne, O God, endures forever and ever. Your royal scepter is a scepter of equity;
7 you love righteousness and hate wickedness. Therefore God, your God, has anointed you with the oil of gladness beyond your companions;
8 your robes are all fragrant with myrrh and aloes and cassia. From ivory palaces stringed instruments make you glad;
9 daughters of kings are among your ladies of honor; at your right hand stands the queen in gold of Ophir.
10 Hear, O daughter, consider and incline your ear; forget your people and your father's house,
11 and the king will desire your beauty. Since he is your lord, bow to him;
12 the people of Tyre will seek your favor with gifts, the richest of the people
13 with all kinds of wealth. The princess is decked in her chamber with gold-woven robes;
14 in many-colored robes she is led to the king; behind her the virgins, her companions, follow.
15 With joy and gladness they are led along as they enter the palace of the king.
16 In the place of ancestors you, O king, shall have sons; you will make them princes in all the earth.
17 I will cause your name to be celebrated in all generations; therefore the peoples will praise you forever and ever.
(NRSV)
Kings were so closely associated with God, that in a sense they became one. The king, as God’s agent, became the personification of God to the people and the rest of the world. A pretty daunting task to those of us not raised with the knowledge that one day folks will treat us as the voice and hand of God. Who really wants that kind of responsibility, to be the representative of the most high God for all the people over whom we have any influence whatsoever?
Um, while we may not have worldwide influence, we do represent God to the folks in our circle of influence. We may do it very well, living our lives with the knowledge that God makes a difference in our lives. As an agent of God we live in such a way that God is honored and glorified in what we do. We will certainly be less representative than we had hoped from time to time, however, in the broad scheme of things we will honor God. We may, like some other kings, live out a personal agenda in the name of God. We will act as if God blesses all we do because we are set apart as those favored by God. People will get an image of who God is by our actions, however it will not convey the image God would like people to have. We may not be royalty or rulers of any kind. We continue to be representatives of God to the world.
Through the years we have emphasized a variety of characteristics of God as being most important. We have seen God as sovereign, standing aloof from us, and we have seen God as relational, sharing the hurts and hopes of people in all walks of life. We have seen God as judgmental and as loving unconditionally. We have seen God as the destroyer of all that is not of God and we have seen God as the great healer who makes us whole. These and other images are found in Scripture as characteristics of God. As agents of God we decide how we can best represent God to others, recognizing we are, at best, painting a partial portrait of God.
© January 2, 2012
Epiphany Sunday
January 8, 2012
Psalm 45
1 My heart overflows with a goodly theme; I address my verses to the king; my tongue is like the pen of a ready scribe.
2 You are the most handsome of men; grace is poured upon your lips; therefore God has blessed you forever.
3 Gird your sword on your thigh, O mighty one, in your glory and majesty.
4 In your majesty ride on victoriously for the cause of truth and to defend the right; let your right hand teach you dread deeds.
5 Your arrows are sharp in the heart of the king's enemies; the peoples fall under you.
6 Your throne, O God, endures forever and ever. Your royal scepter is a scepter of equity;
7 you love righteousness and hate wickedness. Therefore God, your God, has anointed you with the oil of gladness beyond your companions;
8 your robes are all fragrant with myrrh and aloes and cassia. From ivory palaces stringed instruments make you glad;
9 daughters of kings are among your ladies of honor; at your right hand stands the queen in gold of Ophir.
10 Hear, O daughter, consider and incline your ear; forget your people and your father's house,
11 and the king will desire your beauty. Since he is your lord, bow to him;
12 the people of Tyre will seek your favor with gifts, the richest of the people
13 with all kinds of wealth. The princess is decked in her chamber with gold-woven robes;
14 in many-colored robes she is led to the king; behind her the virgins, her companions, follow.
15 With joy and gladness they are led along as they enter the palace of the king.
16 In the place of ancestors you, O king, shall have sons; you will make them princes in all the earth.
17 I will cause your name to be celebrated in all generations; therefore the peoples will praise you forever and ever.
(NRSV)
Kings were so closely associated with God, that in a sense they became one. The king, as God’s agent, became the personification of God to the people and the rest of the world. A pretty daunting task to those of us not raised with the knowledge that one day folks will treat us as the voice and hand of God. Who really wants that kind of responsibility, to be the representative of the most high God for all the people over whom we have any influence whatsoever?
Um, while we may not have worldwide influence, we do represent God to the folks in our circle of influence. We may do it very well, living our lives with the knowledge that God makes a difference in our lives. As an agent of God we live in such a way that God is honored and glorified in what we do. We will certainly be less representative than we had hoped from time to time, however, in the broad scheme of things we will honor God. We may, like some other kings, live out a personal agenda in the name of God. We will act as if God blesses all we do because we are set apart as those favored by God. People will get an image of who God is by our actions, however it will not convey the image God would like people to have. We may not be royalty or rulers of any kind. We continue to be representatives of God to the world.
Through the years we have emphasized a variety of characteristics of God as being most important. We have seen God as sovereign, standing aloof from us, and we have seen God as relational, sharing the hurts and hopes of people in all walks of life. We have seen God as judgmental and as loving unconditionally. We have seen God as the destroyer of all that is not of God and we have seen God as the great healer who makes us whole. These and other images are found in Scripture as characteristics of God. As agents of God we decide how we can best represent God to others, recognizing we are, at best, painting a partial portrait of God.
© January 2, 2012
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