Psalm Meditation 1251 ¶Proper 5 ¶June 9, 2024 ¶Psalm 135 https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=psalm+135&version=NRSVUE (NRSVUE) ¶In the biblical era, every nation had at least one deity that was solely concerned with that particular people. Most of the groups had multiple deities whose portfolios were confined to a few concerns. Israel’s God was seen as a singular being who was in charge of all the concerns of the people of Israel. The Israelites were okay with other nations having their own divinities, however, they had a relationship with YHWH, who was concerned for all that went on in the nation, and was concerned about any who challenged this chosen people. ¶While it was okay for other nations to have deities for every purpose, it was also seen as okay for Israel to make fun of those people and the deities they worshipped. The psalmist claims that those others are nothing but idols made of stone, wood or precious metals. They couldn’t hear or see, so they could not possibly respond to the needs of the nation who called on them. This was not a one sided venture, every nation made fun of the deities worshipped by every other nation. ¶Through the years and centuries the deities of the world have crossed national boundaries. I believe that there is only one deity, who is so beyond our ability to comprehend that we can but claim bits and pieces of that one to meet our needs. That one God enfolds each of us, with our belief and behavior system into a single loving embrace. I could be wrong, and I am, mostly, okay with that. I will continue to hold to my belief that our God, whom we call YHWH, steadfastly loves each one of us because it is the nature of God to do that. ¶June 4, 2024 ¶LCM