Showing posts with label psalm 75. Show all posts
Showing posts with label psalm 75. Show all posts
Monday, April 10, 2023
Psalm Meditation 1191
¶Second Sunday of Easter
¶April 16, 2023
¶Psalm 75
https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=psalm+75&version=NRSVUE
(NRSV)
¶Sometimes we pass judgment on others based on something besides what is just, right, and fair. We let our opinions be swayed by how well we know those on one side or another, how much we agree with one side or the other, or some arbitrary characteristic of those on one side or the other. I know that it is a good idea to make the best impression possible when going to court. I was part of a court case to determine fault in an automobile wreck in which I was involved. I wore a suit, the folks on the other side wore torn jeans. The other driver was found at fault, not just because of how we were each dressed. I don’t believe it hurt to be well dressed and polite to the judge.
¶God is not as influenced by our looks and behavior. God sees much more deeply than surface appearance and our behavior in a given moment. Also, God is not out to punish us when we slip or jump off the ‘straight and narrow.’ God is much more interested in teachable moments that help us get back on track than berating us for each and every misstep along the way. The psalmist uses the examples of the boastful and wicked to let us know that neither is a good choice for those who wish to follow God. In these cases in particular, boasting and wickedness contain their own punishment as folks discover that those who boast rarely have room to do so, and the wicked will be caught up in their wickedness eventually.
¶We are free to judge each other in whatever way we see fit. However, ours is not the final judgment. It is God who has the last word; the word that puts down or lifts up. It is God’s intent to lift us up as much as possible.
¶April 10, 2023
¶LCM lcmanifold@gmail.com
http://psalmmeditations.blogspot.com/
Monday, February 14, 2022
Psalm Meditation 1131
¶Seventh Sunday After Epiphany
¶February 20, 2022
¶Psalm 75
1 We give thanks to you, O God; we give thanks; your name is near. People tell of your wondrous deeds.
2 At the set time that I appoint I will judge with equity.
3 When the earth totters, with all its inhabitants, it is I who keep its pillars steady. Selah
4 I say to the boastful, “Do not boast,” and to the wicked, “Do not lift up your horn;
5 do not lift up your horn on high, or speak with insolent neck.”
6 For not from the east or from the west and not from the wilderness comes lifting up;
7 but it is God who executes judgment, putting down one and lifting up another.
8 For in the hand of the Lord there is a cup with foaming wine, well mixed; he will pour a draught from it, and all the wicked of the earth shall drain it down to the dregs.
9 But I will rejoice forever; I will sing praises to the God of Jacob.
10 All the horns of the wicked I will cut off, but the horns of the righteous shall be exalted
(NRSV)
¶We do judge each other, it is part of the fun of being human. We judge by looks, actions, wealth, family ties, neighborhood, skin color, and any other criteria we might use to set ourselves apart from each other. We might judge someone to be better, worse, or equal to us. However, none of these categories are at issue with the judgment that God executes. The judgment of God concerns our fitness for living in the presence of God.
¶While we might decide that one person is going to Hell and another is going to Heaven, it is not we who have the final say in that question. God is the one who determines and decides where each of us is bound. The psalmist gives us the clue that those who see themselves as having earned their place and boast of it, are likely mistaken. God is inclined to honor those who see themselves as a part of something beyond themselves, rather than those who see the rest of us as their servants and inferiors.
¶The psalmist, using God’s voice, urges us to righteousness rather than wicked boastfulness. I am pretty sure we will not stop judging each other in any number of ways, however it does seem good to keep ourselves from judging for ourselves who has God’s favor and who does not. Doing that keeps us out of God’s favor according to the psalmist, and that is not where any of us wants to be. “...I will rejoice forever; I will sing praises to the God of Jacob.”
¶February 14, 2022
¶LCM
Monday, October 30, 2017
Psalm Meditation 907
All Saints Sunday
November 5, 2017
Psalm 75
1 We give thanks to you, O God; we give thanks; your name is near. People tell of your wondrous deeds.
2 At the set time that I appoint I will judge with equity.
3 When the earth totters, with all its inhabitants, it is I who keep its pillars steady. Selah
4 I say to the boastful, “Do not boast,” and to the wicked, “Do not lift up your horn;
5 do not lift up your horn on high, or speak with insolent neck.”
6 For not from the east or from the west and not from the wilderness comes lifting up;
7 but it is God who executes judgment, putting down one and lifting up another.
8 For in the hand of the LORD there is a cup with foaming wine, well mixed; he will pour a draught from it, and all the wicked of the earth shall drain it down to the dregs.
9 But I will rejoice forever; I will sing praises to the God of Jacob.
10 All the horns of the wicked I will cut off, but the horns of the righteous shall be exalted.
(NRSV)
As we participate in arguments based in religious doctrine and practice we are quick to judge those with whom we disagree. People on every side are willing to cast insults at those in opposing camps. We may be accurate in our assessments without them being helpful. We have drawn our battle lines, formed our alliances, and gathered our arsenals of weapons and ammunition to volley back and forth among ourselves. We have demonized and dehumanized our opponents and enemies to make it easier to do battle against ’them.’
Through it all we each know that God is on the side of right and goodness and justice; you know, ‘my side.’ I have watched myself go ballistic on people at the first hint of a long standing disagreement, even if the fireworks are only internal. I shut out their arguments without even hearing them anymore, just as I assume they do to me. “God and I are right and the rest of you are wrong. You will stand in the presence of God to drink the foaming/poison wine while I stand by and watch.” If only we could be so sure.
Our history proves that all sides have faults and flaws in argument and practice. We hate some people with a stunning self-righteousness and exploit others with amazing condescension. Likely as not we each hold a piece of the truth. Once the flame dies down to ash we will discover that the flame has refined a nugget of truth from our respective arguments. We will also find that God has a word of judgment for those on every side. Each of us will be required to stand before God to drink the foaming wine in order to kill off that which is belligerent and evil within us. We will continue to burn hot with controversy on every side as God watches over this human family with a mix of pride and sadness.
October 30, 2017
LCM
All Saints Sunday
November 5, 2017
Psalm 75
1 We give thanks to you, O God; we give thanks; your name is near. People tell of your wondrous deeds.
2 At the set time that I appoint I will judge with equity.
3 When the earth totters, with all its inhabitants, it is I who keep its pillars steady. Selah
4 I say to the boastful, “Do not boast,” and to the wicked, “Do not lift up your horn;
5 do not lift up your horn on high, or speak with insolent neck.”
6 For not from the east or from the west and not from the wilderness comes lifting up;
7 but it is God who executes judgment, putting down one and lifting up another.
8 For in the hand of the LORD there is a cup with foaming wine, well mixed; he will pour a draught from it, and all the wicked of the earth shall drain it down to the dregs.
9 But I will rejoice forever; I will sing praises to the God of Jacob.
10 All the horns of the wicked I will cut off, but the horns of the righteous shall be exalted.
(NRSV)
As we participate in arguments based in religious doctrine and practice we are quick to judge those with whom we disagree. People on every side are willing to cast insults at those in opposing camps. We may be accurate in our assessments without them being helpful. We have drawn our battle lines, formed our alliances, and gathered our arsenals of weapons and ammunition to volley back and forth among ourselves. We have demonized and dehumanized our opponents and enemies to make it easier to do battle against ’them.’
Through it all we each know that God is on the side of right and goodness and justice; you know, ‘my side.’ I have watched myself go ballistic on people at the first hint of a long standing disagreement, even if the fireworks are only internal. I shut out their arguments without even hearing them anymore, just as I assume they do to me. “God and I are right and the rest of you are wrong. You will stand in the presence of God to drink the foaming/poison wine while I stand by and watch.” If only we could be so sure.
Our history proves that all sides have faults and flaws in argument and practice. We hate some people with a stunning self-righteousness and exploit others with amazing condescension. Likely as not we each hold a piece of the truth. Once the flame dies down to ash we will discover that the flame has refined a nugget of truth from our respective arguments. We will also find that God has a word of judgment for those on every side. Each of us will be required to stand before God to drink the foaming wine in order to kill off that which is belligerent and evil within us. We will continue to burn hot with controversy on every side as God watches over this human family with a mix of pride and sadness.
October 30, 2017
LCM
Monday, May 9, 2016
Psalm Meditation 830
Pentecost
May 15, 2016
Psalm 75
1 We give thanks to you, O God; we give thanks; your name is near. People tell of your wondrous deeds.
2 At the set time that I appoint I will judge with equity.
3 When the earth totters, with all its inhabitants, it is I who keep its pillars steady .Selah
4 I say to the boastful, “Do not boast,” and to the wicked, “Do not lift up your horn;
5 do not lift up your horn on high, or speak with insolent neck.”
6 For not from the east or from the west and not from the wilderness comes lifting up;
7 but it is God who executes judgment, putting down one and lifting up another.
8 For in the hand of the LORD there is a cup with foaming wine, well mixed;
he will pour a draught from it, and all the wicked of the earth shall drain it down to the dregs.
9 But I will rejoice forever; I will sing praises to the God of Jacob.
10 All the horns of the wicked I will cut off, but the horns of the righteous shall be exalted.
(NRSV)
In some areas we judge ourselves much more harshly than we do those around us and in other areas we are more brutal with those around us than with ourselves. Whether we are easy on ourselves and ruthless with those around us or the other way around, it has to do with the information available to us. We know our own motivation and we hear the voices in our own heads in a way that we cannot know for those around us. Depending on motives vs. results is never going to give us a fair reading of how we stack up against those with whom we compare ourselves.
While we may see ourselves and those around us as sinners we may give ourselves the benefit of the doubt because our intentions were good in a particular situation. Everyone else is guilty of sin because we see their actions without knowing what they may have intended the outcome to be. On one side of the equation we know too much and on the other side we know too little. In the event that the categories are reversed, that we are more cruel to ourselves than to others, it is still a matter of knowing too much about ourselves and not enough about the others.
It is good that the psalmist reminds us that it is God who executes judgment. We will continue to judge each other as to our actions, motivations and results. We will continue to give too much credit to one side or the other due to faulty and incomplete information. The final word comes from God who sees the whole picture of action, motive and result for each one of us. Despite our best efforts, our judgments do not sway the heart of God. Fortunately for us, the judgment of God is swayed more by love than by our ideas of who is good and who is not.
May 9, 2016
LCM
Pentecost
May 15, 2016
Psalm 75
1 We give thanks to you, O God; we give thanks; your name is near. People tell of your wondrous deeds.
2 At the set time that I appoint I will judge with equity.
3 When the earth totters, with all its inhabitants, it is I who keep its pillars steady .Selah
4 I say to the boastful, “Do not boast,” and to the wicked, “Do not lift up your horn;
5 do not lift up your horn on high, or speak with insolent neck.”
6 For not from the east or from the west and not from the wilderness comes lifting up;
7 but it is God who executes judgment, putting down one and lifting up another.
8 For in the hand of the LORD there is a cup with foaming wine, well mixed;
he will pour a draught from it, and all the wicked of the earth shall drain it down to the dregs.
9 But I will rejoice forever; I will sing praises to the God of Jacob.
10 All the horns of the wicked I will cut off, but the horns of the righteous shall be exalted.
(NRSV)
In some areas we judge ourselves much more harshly than we do those around us and in other areas we are more brutal with those around us than with ourselves. Whether we are easy on ourselves and ruthless with those around us or the other way around, it has to do with the information available to us. We know our own motivation and we hear the voices in our own heads in a way that we cannot know for those around us. Depending on motives vs. results is never going to give us a fair reading of how we stack up against those with whom we compare ourselves.
While we may see ourselves and those around us as sinners we may give ourselves the benefit of the doubt because our intentions were good in a particular situation. Everyone else is guilty of sin because we see their actions without knowing what they may have intended the outcome to be. On one side of the equation we know too much and on the other side we know too little. In the event that the categories are reversed, that we are more cruel to ourselves than to others, it is still a matter of knowing too much about ourselves and not enough about the others.
It is good that the psalmist reminds us that it is God who executes judgment. We will continue to judge each other as to our actions, motivations and results. We will continue to give too much credit to one side or the other due to faulty and incomplete information. The final word comes from God who sees the whole picture of action, motive and result for each one of us. Despite our best efforts, our judgments do not sway the heart of God. Fortunately for us, the judgment of God is swayed more by love than by our ideas of who is good and who is not.
May 9, 2016
LCM
Monday, January 9, 2012
Psalm Meditation 604
Second Sunday after Epiphany
January 15, 2012
Psalm 75
1 We give thanks to you, O God; we give thanks; your name is near. People tell of your wondrous deeds.
2 At the set time that I appoint I will judge with equity.
3 When the earth totters, with all its inhabitants, it is I who keep its pillars steady. (Selah)
4 I say to the boastful, "Do not boast," and to the wicked, "Do not lift up your horn;
5 do not lift up your horn on high, or speak with insolent neck."
6 For not from the east or from the west and not from the wilderness comes lifting up;
7 but it is God who executes judgment, putting down one and lifting up another.
8 For in the hand of the Lord there is a cup with foaming wine, well mixed; he will pour a draught from it, and all the wicked of the earth shall drain it down to the dregs.
9 But I will rejoice forever; I will sing praises to the God of Jacob.
10 All the horns of the wicked I will cut off, but the horns of the righteous shall be exalted.
(NRSV)
I was reminded recently of the saying, “if you have to say it out loud, it probably isn’t true.” It is a reminder that many of our protestations, justifications and boastings don’t hold up under outside investigation. In the psalm, God, through the psalmist, reminds us that all of our boasting and tooting our own horns does not make others look at us through the same lens we see ourselves. It is more often a way to get them to want to avoid seeing us at all. It is in serving rather than bragging that we align ourselves with God.
This doesn’t mean we don’t take pride in our work and service or that we let others run us down because we live by a standard other than theirs. It means we are at least as interested in what God thinks of us as we are in what others think. Folks who are running for office or vying for awards in their work need to point out the reasons they warrant the attention they seek. The rest of us can be content knowing that we serve God as people of justice and righteousness, to the best of our ability.
The folks who live too much of their lives vying for the attention of the largest number of people possible will find themselves drinking the foaming wine God offers. Foaming wine was probably poisoned. Folks who spend too much time and energy at the center of their own lives, aching for the attention of others, will find their lives poisoned with meaninglessness in the end. Imagine coming to the end of your life with nothing to show but selfishness, greed and ego.
God points us to lives of justice, righteousness and service. Yes, there are those who put on the show of these three so that we will see how wonderful they are. There are just as many, if not more, who spend their lives serving for the sake of justice and righteousness in a way that a limited number even know the extent of their serving. At some point, in God’s good time, these folks will be exalted.
© January 9, 2012
Second Sunday after Epiphany
January 15, 2012
Psalm 75
1 We give thanks to you, O God; we give thanks; your name is near. People tell of your wondrous deeds.
2 At the set time that I appoint I will judge with equity.
3 When the earth totters, with all its inhabitants, it is I who keep its pillars steady. (Selah)
4 I say to the boastful, "Do not boast," and to the wicked, "Do not lift up your horn;
5 do not lift up your horn on high, or speak with insolent neck."
6 For not from the east or from the west and not from the wilderness comes lifting up;
7 but it is God who executes judgment, putting down one and lifting up another.
8 For in the hand of the Lord there is a cup with foaming wine, well mixed; he will pour a draught from it, and all the wicked of the earth shall drain it down to the dregs.
9 But I will rejoice forever; I will sing praises to the God of Jacob.
10 All the horns of the wicked I will cut off, but the horns of the righteous shall be exalted.
(NRSV)
I was reminded recently of the saying, “if you have to say it out loud, it probably isn’t true.” It is a reminder that many of our protestations, justifications and boastings don’t hold up under outside investigation. In the psalm, God, through the psalmist, reminds us that all of our boasting and tooting our own horns does not make others look at us through the same lens we see ourselves. It is more often a way to get them to want to avoid seeing us at all. It is in serving rather than bragging that we align ourselves with God.
This doesn’t mean we don’t take pride in our work and service or that we let others run us down because we live by a standard other than theirs. It means we are at least as interested in what God thinks of us as we are in what others think. Folks who are running for office or vying for awards in their work need to point out the reasons they warrant the attention they seek. The rest of us can be content knowing that we serve God as people of justice and righteousness, to the best of our ability.
The folks who live too much of their lives vying for the attention of the largest number of people possible will find themselves drinking the foaming wine God offers. Foaming wine was probably poisoned. Folks who spend too much time and energy at the center of their own lives, aching for the attention of others, will find their lives poisoned with meaninglessness in the end. Imagine coming to the end of your life with nothing to show but selfishness, greed and ego.
God points us to lives of justice, righteousness and service. Yes, there are those who put on the show of these three so that we will see how wonderful they are. There are just as many, if not more, who spend their lives serving for the sake of justice and righteousness in a way that a limited number even know the extent of their serving. At some point, in God’s good time, these folks will be exalted.
© January 9, 2012
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)