Psalm Meditation 792
Thirteenth Sunday of Ordinary Time
August 23, 2015

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)

One way to understand ‘the wicked’ is in terms of their pride. They are centered on themselves and see relationships in terms of what the other person or group has to offer them with no thought of what they might offer in return. Wickedness is about taking with no sense of obligation to the others involved. While the folks who live with and around these wicked folks notice how tormented they are, there may be no awareness of the torment on the part of the wicked person. We notice that they are separate from the rest of us in any number of ways. As a part of the one sidedness of their relationships they get no enjoyment out of the company of others, only out of the ‘stuff’ the other brings to add to their storehouse.

The psalmist notices that the wicked are tormented even though they may not notice it themselves. The rest of us notice the torment, the resentment, the anger roiling just below the surface waiting for an opportunity to explode. Any system that takes without giving will fail at some point. If it doesn’t shut down it will explode. Some will rejoice at the impending explosion, believing that it will signal a redistribution of all that stored ‘stuff’ not realizing the potential for damage to all in the blast range. The psalmist is hoping for a change of heart before the explosion takes place.

The psalmist sees the torments of those who hold on to ‘stuff’ at the expense of relationships and invites us to surround ourselves with the steadfast love of God. The love of God sets us free from the bonds of ‘stuff.’ We know that each of us need a certain amount of resources to make life possible, however amassing resources at the expense of relationships is unnecessary and problematic. As we allow God to deliver us from the bondage to ‘stuff’ we find ourselves better able to, “Be glad in the LORD and rejoice, O righteous, and shout for joy, all you upright in heart.”

August 17, 2015
LCM