Psalm Meditation 552
Second Sunday After Epiphany
January 16, 2011

Psalm 5
1 Give ear to my words, O LORD; give heed to my sighing.
2 Listen to the sound of my cry, my King and my God, for to you I pray.
3 O LORD, in the morning you hear my voice; in the morning I plead my case to you, and watch.
4 For you are not a God who delights in wickedness; evil will not sojourn with you.
5 The boastful will not stand before your eyes; you hate all evildoers.
6 You destroy those who speak lies; the LORD abhors the bloodthirsty and deceitful.
7 But I, through the abundance of your steadfast love, will enter your house, I will bow down toward your holy temple in awe of you.
8 Lead me, O LORD, in your righteousness because of my enemies; make your way straight before me.
9 For there is no truth in their mouths; their hearts are destruction; their throats are open graves; they flatter with their tongues.
10 Make them bear their guilt, O God; let them fall by their own counsels; because of their many transgressions cast them out, for they have rebelled against you.
11 But let all who take refuge in you rejoice; let them ever sing for joy. Spread your protection over them, so that those who love your name may exult in you.
12 For you bless the righteous, O LORD; you cover them with favor as with a shield.
(NRSV)

Most of us need to be reminded on a regular basis that we are loved. Jokes and stories abound of women who ask their husbands to express their love in some meaningful way. Men too long for the assurance that we are loved by those around us. Is it a flaw of insecurity on everyone’s part or simply the longing to be part of at least one deep and meaningful relationship in our lives? Perhaps it is a combination of these two, that we are insecure until we discover that we are not alone, that we have deep and meaningful relationships with at least one other person.

In this psalm the transition between giving glory to God and the request that God destroy our enemies is the acknowledgement that, “...I, through the abundance of your steadfast love, will enter your house, I will bow down toward your holy temple in awe of you.” Right in the middle of the glory of God and the request for the destruction of enemies is the reminder that we are unable to save ourselves; we need and long for the steadfast love of God. If it were not for our relationship with God we would find ourselves in the same position as our enemies. We would find ourselves awaiting destruction.

The best way to destroy enemies seems to be to make them into friends. I am aware that this is not always possible. I am aware that it is always preferable. Both religion and science are coming to agreement on the human need for relationships. Easy or hard, possible or impossible God calls us and invites us into loving relationships with the folks who populate our lives from close up and from a distance. First and foremost, God loves us and invites us to let ourselves be loved by God so that we can offer and receive that love from others.

January 10, 2011