Psalm Meditation 1329 ¶Second Sunday of Advent ¶December 7, 2025 ¶Psalm 58 https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm%2058&version=NRSVUE ¶We like to know that we are a lot like God. We like the same things, the same people, and the same behaviors from those around us. The difficulty is that it is so much easier for us if we see that God is more like us instead of us becoming more like God in our thoughts, words, and actions. If we want revenge, certainly God wants the same satisfaction from seeing us standing triumphantly over those who have done us wrong. And, of course, we always want God on our side rather than exacting some kind of revenge on us for the way we treat those around us. ¶So, we call on God to break the teeth of those who are mean to us, to tear out the fangs of those who have hurt us in any way. When a prophetic voice reminds us that the will of God is for us to love our enemies, we respond that we love it when our enemies suffer, and our constant prayer for them is to dissolve into nothingness and to die screaming in the fires God has prepared for them and their kind. Our love and compassion are reserved for the people of our own tribe, clan, group. ¶Revenge may be sweet in the short term, however it leaves a terrible aftertaste that we may or may not notice. While there is a certain amount of glee in watching the suffering of those who have hurt us in some way, it keeps us from moving in the direction God is leading and calling us. “Surely there is a reward for the righteous; surely there is a God who judges on earth.” The reward is in moving toward God rather than in reveling in the suffering of others. ¶December 1, 2025 ¶LCM