Psalm Meditation 1008
Proper 23
October 13, 2019

Psalm 105
1 O give thanks to the Lord, call on his name, make known his deeds among the peoples.
2 Sing to him, sing praises to him; tell of all his wonderful works.
3 Glory in his holy name; let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice.
4 Seek the Lord and his strength; seek his presence continually.
5 Remember the wonderful works he has done, his miracles, and the judgments he has uttered,
6 O offspring of his servant Abraham, children of Jacob, his chosen ones.
7 He is the Lord our God; his judgments are in all the earth.
8 He is mindful of his covenant forever, of the word that he commanded, for a thousand generations,
9 the covenant that he made with Abraham, his sworn promise to Isaac,
10 which he confirmed to Jacob as a statute, to Israel as an everlasting covenant,
11 saying, “To you I will give the land of Canaan as your portion for an inheritance.”
12 When they were few in number, of little account, and strangers in it,
13 wandering from nation to nation, from one kingdom to another people,
14 he allowed no one to oppress them; he rebuked kings on their account,
15 saying, “Do not touch my anointed ones; do my prophets no harm.”
16 When he summoned famine against the land, and broke every staff of bread,
17 he had sent a man ahead of them, Joseph, who was sold as a slave.
18 His feet were hurt with fetters, his neck was put in a collar of iron;
19 until what he had said came to pass, the word of the Lord kept testing him.
20 The king sent and released him; the ruler of the peoples set him free.
21 He made him lord of his house, and ruler of all his possessions,
22 to instruct his officials at his pleasure, and to teach his elders wisdom.
23 Then Israel came to Egypt; Jacob lived as an alien in the land of Ham.
24 And the Lord made his people very fruitful, and made them stronger than their foes,
25 whose hearts he then turned to hate his people, to deal craftily with his servants.
26 He sent his servant Moses, and Aaron whom he had chosen.
27 They performed his signs among them, and miracles in the land of Ham.
28 He sent darkness, and made the land dark; they rebelled against his words.
29 He turned their waters into blood, and caused their fish to die.
30 Their land swarmed with frogs, even in the chambers of their kings.
31 He spoke, and there came swarms of flies, and gnats throughout their country.
32 He gave them hail for rain, and lightning that flashed through their land.
33 He struck their vines and fig trees, and shattered the trees of their country.
34 He spoke, and the locusts came, and young locusts without number;
35 they devoured all the vegetation in their land, and ate up the fruit of their ground.
36 He struck down all the firstborn in their land, the first issue of all their strength.
37 Then he brought Israel out with silver and gold, and there was no one among their tribes who stumbled.
38 Egypt was glad when they departed, for dread of them had fallen upon it.
39 He spread a cloud for a covering, and fire to give light by night.
40 They asked, and he brought quails, and gave them food from heaven in abundance.
41 He opened the rock, and water gushed out; it flowed through the desert like a river.
42 For he remembered his holy promise, and Abraham, his servant.
43 So he brought his people out with joy, his chosen ones with singing.
44 He gave them the lands of the nations, and they took possession of the wealth of the peoples,
45 that they might keep his statutes and observe his laws. Praise the Lord!
(NRSV)

What is the best thing that has ever happened to you and where did you see God present in that? Some will say, “Jesus” and leave it at that. Others will not be able to come up anything at all. For the psalmist that series of event is what we know as the exodus from Egypt, along with some introduction of how the people got there. By the phrasing of the psalm it is obvious that the psalmist wasn’t even around for the events themselves, however the events touched in the psalm were defining moments for the people with whom the psalmist lives, works and worships. The original participants in these exodus events probably agree with the psalmist as far as the import of the events lifted up by the psalmist, however I know they did not have the same perception of the events as the psalmist has. The psalmist leaves out the conflict and the harsh words that were spoken between God, Moses, and the people.

Years alter our memories. Conflicts that have since worked out for good are remembered as less intense than they actually were. As the stories are passed on to the next generation a lot of the heat of the original confrontation is forgotten in the telling and re-telling. The psalmist remembers that God provided quail when the people requested sustenance without mentioning the unkindness that passed between God, Moses, and the people as the request was made. The psalmist remembers that it was God who provided what was needed rather than remembering the emotion that was part of the original situation.

We may remember that there was anger, raise voices, and threats without those parts of the event being worth mentioning in the telling of the story. We will remember that it was a world changing event while knowing, even though it felt like it at the time, it was not the end of the world. As our lives change, there are events that are the end of the world as we know it, and we make new ways to define and live in the world. My hope is that you find the presence of God in each life altering event.

October 7, 2019
LCM