Psalm Meditation 885
Pentecost
June 4, 2017

Psalm 33
1 Rejoice in the LORD, O you righteous. Praise befits the upright.
2 Praise the LORD with the lyre; make melody to him with the harp of ten strings.
3 Sing to him a new song; play skillfully on the strings, with loud shouts.
4 For the word of the LORD is upright, and all his work is done in faithfulness.
5 He loves righteousness and justice; the earth is full of the steadfast love of the LORD.
6 By the word of the LORD the heavens were made, and all their host by the breath of his mouth.
7 He gathered the waters of the sea as in a bottle; he put the deeps in storehouses.
8 Let all the earth fear the LORD; let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him.
9 For he spoke, and it came to be; he commanded, and it stood firm.
10 The LORD brings the counsel of the nations to nothing; he frustrates the plans of the peoples.
11 The counsel of the LORD stands forever, the thoughts of his heart to all generations.
12 Happy is the nation whose God is the LORD, the people whom he has chosen as his heritage.
13 The LORD looks down from heaven; he sees all humankind.
14 From where he sits enthroned he watches all the inhabitants of the earth—
15 he who fashions the hearts of them all, and observes all their deeds.
16 A king is not saved by his great army; a warrior is not delivered by his great strength.
17 The war horse is a vain hope for victory, and by its great might it cannot save.
18 Truly the eye of the LORD is on those who fear him, on those who hope in his steadfast love,
19 to deliver their soul from death, and to keep them alive in famine.
20 Our soul waits for the LORD; he is our help and shield.
21 Our heart is glad in him, because we trust in his holy name.
22 Let your steadfast love, O LORD, be upon us, even as we hope in you.
(NRSV)

It seems part of the human condition to believe that ‘might makes right.’ Whoever is the strongest, whichever side gets the most support, whoever gets the most votes must be the strongest, brightest, and best. When we are not in the majority we discover that the one who wins is not always the best. Of course this is always the case, however we notice when our group is not on the winning side. Sometimes the majority gets it right and sometimes they don’t. The point is, that being in the majority is no guarantee of being right, accurate, and good. My father told of a rabbit that had been taken into a classroom for ‘show and tell.’ One of the students asked if the rabbit was a boy or a girl. When there was no quick answer from the one who had brought in the rabbit, a student in the back shouted out, ‘Let’s vote on it.”

Scripture reminds us that those who appear to be the strongest don’t always win the day. The first two kings of Israel would have been passed over by human choice. Saul and David were afterthoughts as far as the people were concerned, however God had plans for each of them. As long as they stayed true to the leading of God they were effective rulers of the people of God. These are two of many examples in which God chooses one who seems unfit to the task in order to make a difference in the lives of the people of God and beyond.

I am sure that the majority will continue to rule, that the strongest will continue to control, and that skilled and lucky people will continue to win contests. I am just as sure that there will be times in which the majority, the strong and the lucky will not take the will of God into consideration and the cost of the decision will outweigh the promise of it.

May 29, 2017
LCM