Showing posts with label Psalm 101. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Psalm 101. Show all posts
Monday, March 25, 2024
Psalm Meditation 1241
¶Easter
¶March 31, 2024
¶Psalm 101
https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=psalm+101&version=NRSVUE
(NRSVUE)
¶This psalm of David in which he pledges to rule with loyalty and justice can set a standard for each of us. We may not rule a nation, however we have influence in groups of which we are a part. If we have no influence on anyone else, we have control of our own actions and reactions. David pledges to turn his life toward God in a way that leads him toward integrity, honesty, humility, and faithfulness. He makes no claim to having achieved the lofty goal of a blameless life, only of moving in that direction.
¶We know that he did not manage to walk in the way of God for very long at a time. We also know that some of the very things David claimed to hate, are the ones of which he was guilty. He was willing to have others killed in order to protect himself, to make other people suffer in order to protect his children, to encourage folks to break their vows to cover up his sinfulness. He did confess and repent of his sins, however he did not cleanse the city of God of all the evildoers since he remained there.
¶We can allow ourselves to become discouraged by David’s failures or we can use them as our own encouragement to keep at it, even when we slip into old habits. We can join David in confessing and repenting of our sins, and continue to study and follow the way that is blameless to the best of our ability, God being our helper. We can also continually strive to achieve the goals David set for himself, avoiding slander, haughtiness, arrogance, lies, and other manner of wickedness. All this so we can come ever closer to following the way that is blameless.
¶March 25, 2024
¶LCM
Monday, April 22, 2019
Psalm Meditation 984
Second Sunday of Easter
April 28, 2019
Psalm 101
1 I will sing of loyalty and of justice; to you, O LORD, I will sing.
2 I will study the way that is blameless. When shall I attain it? I will walk with integrity of heart within my house;
3 I will not set before my eyes anything that is base. I hate the work of those who fall away; it shall not cling to me.
4 Perverseness of heart shall be far from me; I will know nothing of evil.
5 One who secretly slanders a neighbor I will destroy. A haughty look and an arrogant heart I will not tolerate.
6 I will look with favor on the faithful in the land, so that they may live with me; whoever walks in the way that is blameless shall minister to me.
7 No one who practices deceit shall remain in my house; no one who utters lies shall continue in my presence.
8 Morning by morning I will destroy all the wicked in the land, cutting off all evildoers from the city of the LORD.
(NRSV)
The psalmist seems to be a ruler, outlining to God the kind of people who will serve in the royal court. If this is a psalm of David it is interesting that the people who will not be welcomed in the administration are those who are guilty of the sins that will be the downfall of David. According to my psychologist friends there are two broad categories of people who drive us nuts; the people who are so unlike us that we can’t figure out what makes them tick, and the people who are like us in the ways we don’t like and often deny about ourselves.
David is telling God that there is no room in his life for people who fall away from God, who do things that are not in line with who God is and the demands God places on us. Perverseness of heart, secretly destroying a neighbor with slander have no place around David. Things like adultery and attempting to let someone believe that the child of an affair may have come from the husband. If that doesn’t work, have the husband killed so there is only one side of the story. I am so glad that I am not like that and that I don’t know or know of any one like that.
Except that we are all like that at some point and to some degree. Who is it that makes you crazy when you think about them? How are you like them? How often do we judge people for the things they do because we don’t like ourselves much when we do those same things? So, we can make our lists of people and characteristics that drive us crazy when we are around them, or we can point ourselves in the direction that leads us away from hypocrisy and moves us toward faithfulness.
April 22, 2019
LCM
Second Sunday of Easter
April 28, 2019
Psalm 101
1 I will sing of loyalty and of justice; to you, O LORD, I will sing.
2 I will study the way that is blameless. When shall I attain it? I will walk with integrity of heart within my house;
3 I will not set before my eyes anything that is base. I hate the work of those who fall away; it shall not cling to me.
4 Perverseness of heart shall be far from me; I will know nothing of evil.
5 One who secretly slanders a neighbor I will destroy. A haughty look and an arrogant heart I will not tolerate.
6 I will look with favor on the faithful in the land, so that they may live with me; whoever walks in the way that is blameless shall minister to me.
7 No one who practices deceit shall remain in my house; no one who utters lies shall continue in my presence.
8 Morning by morning I will destroy all the wicked in the land, cutting off all evildoers from the city of the LORD.
(NRSV)
The psalmist seems to be a ruler, outlining to God the kind of people who will serve in the royal court. If this is a psalm of David it is interesting that the people who will not be welcomed in the administration are those who are guilty of the sins that will be the downfall of David. According to my psychologist friends there are two broad categories of people who drive us nuts; the people who are so unlike us that we can’t figure out what makes them tick, and the people who are like us in the ways we don’t like and often deny about ourselves.
David is telling God that there is no room in his life for people who fall away from God, who do things that are not in line with who God is and the demands God places on us. Perverseness of heart, secretly destroying a neighbor with slander have no place around David. Things like adultery and attempting to let someone believe that the child of an affair may have come from the husband. If that doesn’t work, have the husband killed so there is only one side of the story. I am so glad that I am not like that and that I don’t know or know of any one like that.
Except that we are all like that at some point and to some degree. Who is it that makes you crazy when you think about them? How are you like them? How often do we judge people for the things they do because we don’t like ourselves much when we do those same things? So, we can make our lists of people and characteristics that drive us crazy when we are around them, or we can point ourselves in the direction that leads us away from hypocrisy and moves us toward faithfulness.
April 22, 2019
LCM
Monday, March 4, 2019
Psalm Meditation 977
First Sunday in Lent
March 10, 2019
Psalm 101
1 I will sing of loyalty and of justice; to you, O LORD, I will sing.
2 I will study the way that is blameless. When shall I attain it? I will walk with integrity of heart within my house;
3 I will not set before my eyes anything that is base. I hate the work of those who fall away; it shall not cling to me.
4 Perverseness of heart shall be far from me; I will know nothing of evil.
5 One who secretly slanders a neighbor I will destroy. A haughty look and an arrogant heart I will not tolerate.
6 I will look with favor on the faithful in the land, so that they may live with me; whoever walks in the way that is blameless shall minister to me.
7 No one who practices deceit shall remain in my house; no one who utters lies shall continue in my presence.
8 Morning by morning I will destroy all the wicked in the land, cutting off all evildoers from the city of the LORD.
(NRSV)
It is good to have standards, especially high standards. They give us something toward which to aim as we live out our lives. It is also good when those around us are aware of our expectations so that they can carry themselves appropriately when we are together. Many of us like to know that someone expects us to do more and to do it better than what we get by doing in the rest of our lives.
The standards of the psalmist are high as well as achievable. Integrity, honesty, purity of heart, and humility are expectations we can live up to as well as expect from those with whom we surround ourselves. The difficulty comes when our standards become so high that no one can live up to them.
There are those who see themselves as the judge and jury of what constitutes faithful behavior. These folks are constantly in turmoil over the ways that the rest of us can’t live up to the exacting specifications that they have set for us. These are the folks who scowl through every time of gathering because the rest of us are so far from the mark. They become no fun to be around and people drift away from them, leaving a wide space for them to live their ‘perfect’ lives without the rest of us getting in the way.
The goal for the psalmist, and for us, is to live as fully in the presence of God as we possibly can, reminding ourselves that we are not perfect, we are moving that direction. God loves us and has chosen to live among us, fully aware of our faults, flaws, and differences.
March 4, 2019
LCM
First Sunday in Lent
March 10, 2019
Psalm 101
1 I will sing of loyalty and of justice; to you, O LORD, I will sing.
2 I will study the way that is blameless. When shall I attain it? I will walk with integrity of heart within my house;
3 I will not set before my eyes anything that is base. I hate the work of those who fall away; it shall not cling to me.
4 Perverseness of heart shall be far from me; I will know nothing of evil.
5 One who secretly slanders a neighbor I will destroy. A haughty look and an arrogant heart I will not tolerate.
6 I will look with favor on the faithful in the land, so that they may live with me; whoever walks in the way that is blameless shall minister to me.
7 No one who practices deceit shall remain in my house; no one who utters lies shall continue in my presence.
8 Morning by morning I will destroy all the wicked in the land, cutting off all evildoers from the city of the LORD.
(NRSV)
It is good to have standards, especially high standards. They give us something toward which to aim as we live out our lives. It is also good when those around us are aware of our expectations so that they can carry themselves appropriately when we are together. Many of us like to know that someone expects us to do more and to do it better than what we get by doing in the rest of our lives.
The standards of the psalmist are high as well as achievable. Integrity, honesty, purity of heart, and humility are expectations we can live up to as well as expect from those with whom we surround ourselves. The difficulty comes when our standards become so high that no one can live up to them.
There are those who see themselves as the judge and jury of what constitutes faithful behavior. These folks are constantly in turmoil over the ways that the rest of us can’t live up to the exacting specifications that they have set for us. These are the folks who scowl through every time of gathering because the rest of us are so far from the mark. They become no fun to be around and people drift away from them, leaving a wide space for them to live their ‘perfect’ lives without the rest of us getting in the way.
The goal for the psalmist, and for us, is to live as fully in the presence of God as we possibly can, reminding ourselves that we are not perfect, we are moving that direction. God loves us and has chosen to live among us, fully aware of our faults, flaws, and differences.
March 4, 2019
LCM
Monday, July 29, 2013
Psalm Meditation 685
Eleventh Sunday of Ordinary Time
August 4, 2013
Psalm 101
1 I will sing of loyalty and of justice; to you, O LORD, I will sing.
2 I will study the way that is blameless. When shall I attain it? I will walk with integrity of heart within my house;
3 I will not set before my eyes anything that is base. I hate the work of those who fall away; it shall not cling to me.
4 Perverseness of heart shall be far from me; I will know nothing of evil.
5 One who secretly slanders a neighbor I will destroy. A haughty look and an arrogant heart I will not tolerate.
6 I will look with favor on the faithful in the land, so that they may live with me; whoever walks in the way that is blameless shall minister to me.
7 No one who practices deceit shall remain in my house; no one who utters lies shall continue in my presence.
8 Morning by morning I will destroy all the wicked in the land, cutting off all evildoers from the city of the LORD.
(NRSV)
In a culture in which everything can be turned into a competition, this psalm begins as the rules of a contest. While it doesn’t say it, I find myself reading in the rest of the sentence, ‘and I will do it better than anyone else.’ Not only will I do all of these things better, I am willing to do them at the expense of everyone else as well. Not only will I destroy those who don’t follow the rules I will destroy those who don’t follow as closely or as well as I do. I will be the last one standing and I will be the favorite of God.
And then the psalmist gets to verse 6. “I will look with favor on the faithful of the land, so that they may live with me;…” I lose the focus on competition and see one who is striving toward a quality of life in which any number of folks may share as they desire. The emphasis continues to be on living a life of quality in the presence of God even as the focus shifts from a solitary pursuit to a striving together toward a goal of community excellence based in a strong relationship with God and with each other.
While it may not take much to get competitive juices flowing, the psalmist reminds us that there is another way. We can work together, encouraging and building each other up so that we grow toward God in a way that flies in the face of the competitive urge within us. Instead of having to be the best we can be our best. As we strive together, learning from and teaching those around us, we will build up a community based on relationships rather than on competition.
July 29, 2013
Eleventh Sunday of Ordinary Time
August 4, 2013
Psalm 101
1 I will sing of loyalty and of justice; to you, O LORD, I will sing.
2 I will study the way that is blameless. When shall I attain it? I will walk with integrity of heart within my house;
3 I will not set before my eyes anything that is base. I hate the work of those who fall away; it shall not cling to me.
4 Perverseness of heart shall be far from me; I will know nothing of evil.
5 One who secretly slanders a neighbor I will destroy. A haughty look and an arrogant heart I will not tolerate.
6 I will look with favor on the faithful in the land, so that they may live with me; whoever walks in the way that is blameless shall minister to me.
7 No one who practices deceit shall remain in my house; no one who utters lies shall continue in my presence.
8 Morning by morning I will destroy all the wicked in the land, cutting off all evildoers from the city of the LORD.
(NRSV)
In a culture in which everything can be turned into a competition, this psalm begins as the rules of a contest. While it doesn’t say it, I find myself reading in the rest of the sentence, ‘and I will do it better than anyone else.’ Not only will I do all of these things better, I am willing to do them at the expense of everyone else as well. Not only will I destroy those who don’t follow the rules I will destroy those who don’t follow as closely or as well as I do. I will be the last one standing and I will be the favorite of God.
And then the psalmist gets to verse 6. “I will look with favor on the faithful of the land, so that they may live with me;…” I lose the focus on competition and see one who is striving toward a quality of life in which any number of folks may share as they desire. The emphasis continues to be on living a life of quality in the presence of God even as the focus shifts from a solitary pursuit to a striving together toward a goal of community excellence based in a strong relationship with God and with each other.
While it may not take much to get competitive juices flowing, the psalmist reminds us that there is another way. We can work together, encouraging and building each other up so that we grow toward God in a way that flies in the face of the competitive urge within us. Instead of having to be the best we can be our best. As we strive together, learning from and teaching those around us, we will build up a community based on relationships rather than on competition.
July 29, 2013
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