Psalm Meditation 1207 ¶Proper 13 ¶August 6, 2023 ¶Psalm 79 https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm+79&version=NRSVUE (NRSV) ¶At least one of my seminary professors told us that we are not so much punished for our sin as we are by our sin. As an addition from experience, we can be punished by the sins of another. Yet another addition is that the definition of sin can be broad. We have probably experienced being punished by our sin and owned up to it with a ‘Yeah, I deserved that.’ And we have probably been hurt by the actions of others by being in their presence as they did something that someone was going to have to pay for. There are some things that do not seem to be sinful, and yet there is a price to pay for those actions and deeds. ¶The psalmist is aware that there are many deaths to be mourned in the city of Jerusalem. It may have been due to the actions of the residents of the city, and just as likely that it is due to the selfishness and greed of those who attacked and destroyed the city. The most true part of the psalmist’s prayer is that only God can bring the city back into its former glory as the City of God. The God whose love continually draws us together in love does not seem to be one who would send one group to destroy another, especially in anger. God aches with us in our pain and grief rather than being the cause of it. ¶God is not one to pick sides based on right and wrong since there is usually some of each on every side of a conflict. God is most likely to side with the poor, oppressed, and powerless. Those who have resources, freedom, and power do not need help in winning the conflicts in which they embroil themselves. God offers help and hope to the downtrodden in such a way that even if they are defeated and nearly destroyed, they know that they are loved by God. ¶August 1, 2023 ¶LCM