Showing posts with label Psalm 59. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Psalm 59. Show all posts
Monday, January 12, 2026
Psalm Meditation 1335
¶Second Sunday After the Epiphany
¶January 18, 2026
¶Psalm 59
https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=psalm%2059&version=NRSVUE
¶The most useful tool of those in power is fear. Fear can get us to watch for enemies before they enter our communities, and it can get us to see enemies in friends, relatives, acquaintances, and neighbors. If we are being threatened by an actual malicious enemy, the fear can be real and helpful. If we are being distracted from something important by fear-mongering, the fear is a manipulation of our self protective instincts. For whatever reason it is used fear is a very effective tool.
¶If the introduction to this psalm has been attached from the beginning, we can see that all Saul needed to do is make it appear that he is out to kill David for David to be extra vigilant. To David’s credit, he turns to God for deliverance from the threat with which Saul has weighed him down. David is being intimidated by sounds of strength and fury that are deeply upsetting. However, rather than being cowed by the threats David gives the whole situation over to God and lifts his own voice in singing as a sign of his assurance that God is in this situation.
¶The specter of intimidation and violence hangs over each of us at some time in our lives. It may or may not be at the same level as that experienced by David, however we have a great example from him as to how we face it. Rise or fall, live or die we can face all manner of hurts and harms when we rest secure in the presence of the living God.
¶January 12, 2026
¶LCM
Tuesday, June 6, 2023
Psalm Meditation 1199
¶Proper 5
¶June 11, 2023
¶Psalm 59
https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=psalm+59&version=NRSVUE
(NRSV)
¶There is something about the cover of darkness that makes things a bit more frightening than in the light of day. Night hours are usually a little more quiet than day time, so sounds are more noticeable. It is more difficult to identify features of objects in the darkness, so shadowy sights hold more potential for fear and danger. If we already have reason to be afraid in the daytime, it is magnified in the dark.
¶The psalmist is aware that people are watching in order to determine the movements of those within the house, including David. They seem to make themselves visible enough to be detected without being identifiable to those being watched. But at night the watchers make a lot of noise as a reminder that it is not safe anywhere near where David is. Disturbing and disrupting the routines of the day effectively add to the fear that the watchers are there to cause.
¶The psalmist calls on God to be present in this scary series of events. Knowing that God is in the mix allows those around David, as well as us, to relax, knowing that the steadfast love of God will sustain us no matter what else may happen. The psalmist asks God to drain the fearfulness from the folks on the prowl to show everyone how utterly powerless they are in the face of the steadfast love and presence of God. “O my strength, I will sing praises to you, for you, O God, are my fortress, the God who shows me steadfast love.”
¶June 6, 2023
¶LCM
Monday, October 1, 2018
Psalm Meditation 955
Proper 22
October 7, 2018
Psalm 59
1 Deliver me from my enemies, O my God; protect me from those who rise up against me.
2 Deliver me from those who work evil; from the bloodthirsty save me.
3 Even now they lie in wait for my life; the mighty stir up strife against me. For no transgression or sin of mine, O LORD,
4 for no fault of mine, they run and make ready. Rouse yourself, come to my help and see!
5 You, LORD God of hosts, are God of Israel. Awake to punish all the nations; spare none of those who treacherously plot evil. Selah
6 Each evening they come back, howling like dogs and prowling about the city.
7 There they are, bellowing with their mouths, with sharp words on their lips—for “Who,” they think, “will hear us?”
8 But you laugh at them, O LORD; you hold all the nations in derision.
9 O my strength, I will watch for you; for you, O God, are my fortress.
10 My God in his steadfast love will meet me; my God will let me look in triumph on my enemies.
11 Do not kill them, or my people may forget; make them totter by your power, and bring them down, O Lord, our shield.
12 For the sin of their mouths, the words of their lips, let them be trapped in their pride. For the cursing and lies that they utter,
13 consume them in wrath; consume them until they are no more. Then it will be known to the ends of the earth that God rules over Jacob. Selah
14 Each evening they come back, howling like dogs and prowling about the city.
15 They roam about for food, and growl if they do not get their fill.
16 But I will sing of your might; I will sing aloud of your steadfast love in the morning. For you have been a fortress for me and a refuge in the day of my distress.
17 O my strength, I will sing praises to you, for you, O God, are my fortress, the God who shows me steadfast love.
(NRSV)
When things are not going our way we are tempted to believe that God is asleep, at the very least, not paying attention. We wonder how God could let us suffer when we have been so good and faithful in our relationship with God. The psalmist calls on God, “You, LORD God of hosts, are God of Israel. Awake to punish all the nations; spare none of those who treacherously plot evil.” Since we are in trouble God must be asleep.
We can’t imagine that, after promising to be with us all the time, God would let us suffer at the hands of evildoers of any kind. Since it does happen, what is going on in the mind and heart of God? It could be that God is using this as an opportunity to teach us self-sufficiency. It could be that it is not as big an issue for God as it is for us. It could be that we are in the wrong and God is prodding us to acknowledge, confess, and repent of our current course of action. It could be that the folks on the other side of the conflict are also wrong and we all need to suck it up, apologize, reconcile, and move on.
If God is not doing what we would expect God to do, that does not mean that God is not active in the situation at hand. In those times, it is good to sit back and look at where God is at work. By seeing the hand of God we can adjust our thoughts, words, and behavior to line up with God. We don’t want to be those who, “Each evening they come back, howling like dogs and prowling about the city.” We want to be the people who, “will sing of your might; I will sing aloud of your steadfast love in the morning. For you have been a fortress for me and a refuge in the day of my distress.”
October 1, 2018
LCM
Proper 22
October 7, 2018
Psalm 59
1 Deliver me from my enemies, O my God; protect me from those who rise up against me.
2 Deliver me from those who work evil; from the bloodthirsty save me.
3 Even now they lie in wait for my life; the mighty stir up strife against me. For no transgression or sin of mine, O LORD,
4 for no fault of mine, they run and make ready. Rouse yourself, come to my help and see!
5 You, LORD God of hosts, are God of Israel. Awake to punish all the nations; spare none of those who treacherously plot evil. Selah
6 Each evening they come back, howling like dogs and prowling about the city.
7 There they are, bellowing with their mouths, with sharp words on their lips—for “Who,” they think, “will hear us?”
8 But you laugh at them, O LORD; you hold all the nations in derision.
9 O my strength, I will watch for you; for you, O God, are my fortress.
10 My God in his steadfast love will meet me; my God will let me look in triumph on my enemies.
11 Do not kill them, or my people may forget; make them totter by your power, and bring them down, O Lord, our shield.
12 For the sin of their mouths, the words of their lips, let them be trapped in their pride. For the cursing and lies that they utter,
13 consume them in wrath; consume them until they are no more. Then it will be known to the ends of the earth that God rules over Jacob. Selah
14 Each evening they come back, howling like dogs and prowling about the city.
15 They roam about for food, and growl if they do not get their fill.
16 But I will sing of your might; I will sing aloud of your steadfast love in the morning. For you have been a fortress for me and a refuge in the day of my distress.
17 O my strength, I will sing praises to you, for you, O God, are my fortress, the God who shows me steadfast love.
(NRSV)
When things are not going our way we are tempted to believe that God is asleep, at the very least, not paying attention. We wonder how God could let us suffer when we have been so good and faithful in our relationship with God. The psalmist calls on God, “You, LORD God of hosts, are God of Israel. Awake to punish all the nations; spare none of those who treacherously plot evil.” Since we are in trouble God must be asleep.
We can’t imagine that, after promising to be with us all the time, God would let us suffer at the hands of evildoers of any kind. Since it does happen, what is going on in the mind and heart of God? It could be that God is using this as an opportunity to teach us self-sufficiency. It could be that it is not as big an issue for God as it is for us. It could be that we are in the wrong and God is prodding us to acknowledge, confess, and repent of our current course of action. It could be that the folks on the other side of the conflict are also wrong and we all need to suck it up, apologize, reconcile, and move on.
If God is not doing what we would expect God to do, that does not mean that God is not active in the situation at hand. In those times, it is good to sit back and look at where God is at work. By seeing the hand of God we can adjust our thoughts, words, and behavior to line up with God. We don’t want to be those who, “Each evening they come back, howling like dogs and prowling about the city.” We want to be the people who, “will sing of your might; I will sing aloud of your steadfast love in the morning. For you have been a fortress for me and a refuge in the day of my distress.”
October 1, 2018
LCM
Monday, July 7, 2014
Psalm Meditation 734
Fifth Sunday of Ordinary Time
July 13, 2014
Psalm 59
1 Deliver me from my enemies, O my God; protect me from those who rise up against me.
2 Deliver me from those who work evil; from the bloodthirsty save me.
3 Even now they lie in wait for my life; the mighty stir up strife against me. For no transgression or sin of mine, O LORD,
4 for no fault of mine, they run and make ready. Rouse yourself, come to my help and see!
5 You, LORD God of hosts, are God of Israel. Awake to punish all the nations;
spare none of those who treacherously plot evil. Selah
6 Each evening they come back, howling like dogs and prowling about the city.
7 There they are, bellowing with their mouths, with sharp words on their lips—
for “Who,” they think, “will hear us?”
8 But you laugh at them, O LORD; you hold all the nations in derision.
9 O my strength, I will watch for you; for you, O God, are my fortress.
10 My God in his steadfast love will meet me; my God will let me look in triumph on my enemies.
11 Do not kill them, or my people may forget; make them totter by your power, and bring them down, O Lord, our shield.
12 For the sin of their mouths, the words of their lips, let them be trapped in their pride. For the cursing and lies that they utter,
13 consume them in wrath; consume them until they are no more. Then it will be known to the ends of the earth that God rules over Jacob. Selah
14 Each evening they come back, howling like dogs and prowling about the city.
15 They roam about for food, and growl if they do not get their fill.
16 But I will sing of your might; I will sing aloud of your steadfast love in the morning. For you have been a fortress for me and a refuge in the day of my distress.
17 O my strength, I will sing praises to you, for you, O God, are my fortress,
the God who shows me steadfast love.
(NRSV)
Sometimes we make our enemies by our actions and attitudes and sometimes our enemies choose us for reasons of their own that may have nothing to do with who we are and what we have done. Either way, when the attacks come we find ourselves calling out for protection and deliverance. We may have established a pattern of abuses and our enemies finally weary of it and rise up to attack in retaliation. We may simply be at a certain place at an inopportune time and be chosen by someone as the enemy of the day. The attacks are devastating no matter what the provocation. We turn to God for protection from our enemies.
In some cases we pray for the total destruction and elimination of our enemies, in this case the psalmist asks that the enemy be left with no power to rise up and that they consume themselves in their pride, curses and lies. As that happens it falls to the people of God to acknowledge God’s activity in our lives, rather than suddenly claim the victory as our own, forgetting about all the ways God has been at work in us. If we allow ourselves to become proud in the face of victory we run the risk of being consumed ourselves in our pride, curses and lies.
To be the people of God is to see God as active in our lives and in the lives of those around us. In some instances God will be building us up, in others God will be judging us, in all instances God will be loving us steadfastly and wholeheartedly. As people of God we look for the activity of God in our lives so that we can participate with God to the best of our ability. Where we are being built up, we exercise that gifts God is giving us, where we are being judged we are moved to repent, in all things we watch for and sing the praises of God.
July 7, 2014
LCM
Fifth Sunday of Ordinary Time
July 13, 2014
Psalm 59
1 Deliver me from my enemies, O my God; protect me from those who rise up against me.
2 Deliver me from those who work evil; from the bloodthirsty save me.
3 Even now they lie in wait for my life; the mighty stir up strife against me. For no transgression or sin of mine, O LORD,
4 for no fault of mine, they run and make ready. Rouse yourself, come to my help and see!
5 You, LORD God of hosts, are God of Israel. Awake to punish all the nations;
spare none of those who treacherously plot evil. Selah
6 Each evening they come back, howling like dogs and prowling about the city.
7 There they are, bellowing with their mouths, with sharp words on their lips—
for “Who,” they think, “will hear us?”
8 But you laugh at them, O LORD; you hold all the nations in derision.
9 O my strength, I will watch for you; for you, O God, are my fortress.
10 My God in his steadfast love will meet me; my God will let me look in triumph on my enemies.
11 Do not kill them, or my people may forget; make them totter by your power, and bring them down, O Lord, our shield.
12 For the sin of their mouths, the words of their lips, let them be trapped in their pride. For the cursing and lies that they utter,
13 consume them in wrath; consume them until they are no more. Then it will be known to the ends of the earth that God rules over Jacob. Selah
14 Each evening they come back, howling like dogs and prowling about the city.
15 They roam about for food, and growl if they do not get their fill.
16 But I will sing of your might; I will sing aloud of your steadfast love in the morning. For you have been a fortress for me and a refuge in the day of my distress.
17 O my strength, I will sing praises to you, for you, O God, are my fortress,
the God who shows me steadfast love.
(NRSV)
Sometimes we make our enemies by our actions and attitudes and sometimes our enemies choose us for reasons of their own that may have nothing to do with who we are and what we have done. Either way, when the attacks come we find ourselves calling out for protection and deliverance. We may have established a pattern of abuses and our enemies finally weary of it and rise up to attack in retaliation. We may simply be at a certain place at an inopportune time and be chosen by someone as the enemy of the day. The attacks are devastating no matter what the provocation. We turn to God for protection from our enemies.
In some cases we pray for the total destruction and elimination of our enemies, in this case the psalmist asks that the enemy be left with no power to rise up and that they consume themselves in their pride, curses and lies. As that happens it falls to the people of God to acknowledge God’s activity in our lives, rather than suddenly claim the victory as our own, forgetting about all the ways God has been at work in us. If we allow ourselves to become proud in the face of victory we run the risk of being consumed ourselves in our pride, curses and lies.
To be the people of God is to see God as active in our lives and in the lives of those around us. In some instances God will be building us up, in others God will be judging us, in all instances God will be loving us steadfastly and wholeheartedly. As people of God we look for the activity of God in our lives so that we can participate with God to the best of our ability. Where we are being built up, we exercise that gifts God is giving us, where we are being judged we are moved to repent, in all things we watch for and sing the praises of God.
July 7, 2014
LCM
Monday, May 6, 2013
Psalm Meditation 673
Seventh Sunday of Easter
May 12, 2013
Psalm 59
1 Deliver me from my enemies, O my God; protect me from those who rise up against me.
2 Deliver me from those who work evil; from the bloodthirsty save me.
3 Even now they lie in wait for my life; the mighty stir up strife against me. For no transgression or sin of mine, O LORD,
4 for no fault of mine, they run and make ready. Rouse yourself, come to my help and see!
5 You, LORD God of hosts, are God of Israel. Awake to punish all the nations; spare none of those who treacherously plot evil.Selah
6 Each evening they come back, howling like dogs and prowling about the city.
7 There they are, bellowing with their mouths, with sharp words on their lips—for “Who,” they think, “will hear us?”
8 But you laugh at them, O LORD; you hold all the nations in derision.
9 O my strength, I will watch for you; for you, O God, are my fortress.
10 My God in his steadfast love will meet me; my God will let me look in triumph on my enemies.
11 Do not kill them, or my people may forget; make them totter by your power, and bring them down, O Lord, our shield.
12 For the sin of their mouths, the words of their lips, let them be trapped in their pride. For the cursing and lies that they utter,
13 consume them in wrath; consume them until they are no more. Then it will be known to the ends of the earth that God rules over Jacob.Selah
14 Each evening they come back, howling like dogs and prowling about the city.
15 They roam about for food, and growl if they do not get their fill.
16 But I will sing of your might; I will sing aloud of your steadfast love in the morning. For you have been a fortress for me and a refuge in the day of my distress.
17 O my strength, I will sing praises to you, for you, O God, are my fortress, the God who shows me steadfast love.
(NRSV)
We may not have experience of living in a city occupied by an enemy army, however most of us have had experience with being bullied to some degree or another. An older sibling, an older, bigger kid in the neighborhood or at school, a co-worker, a spouse, any number of folks who think it is a show of power and authority to have others cower in fear around them. In most cases, those bullies have been bullied themselves, so they know how it feels to be bullied. Of the two feelings, they prefer the power of being the bully. The psalmist cries out to God for protection from a whole gang of bullies.
The cry to God rises out of the sense of powerlessness in the face of bullies. When a deliverer finally rises for us we get caught in a whirlwind of conflicting feelings. We want the bullies to leave us alone. The psalmist first asks God to make these oppressors suffer in such a way that folks will remember what a power they were, even as they see that they have been robbed of that power. In the same breath the psalmist calls for the complete destruction of these folks. In the presence of the deliverance of God we are able to express all the wild fantasies of our downtrodden hearts.
Once we know that we are safe in the arms of God we are able to calm down and leave the resolution of this issue to God. After letting God hear all the ways we would like to see this situation resolved to our satisfaction we turn it over to the steadfast love of God. This is the same love that has given us the freedom to vent our fear and anger in comforting safety. Will God exact the revenge for which we call, or will God find another way to show us the breadth and depth and width of the love we now experience?
May 6, 2013
Seventh Sunday of Easter
May 12, 2013
Psalm 59
1 Deliver me from my enemies, O my God; protect me from those who rise up against me.
2 Deliver me from those who work evil; from the bloodthirsty save me.
3 Even now they lie in wait for my life; the mighty stir up strife against me. For no transgression or sin of mine, O LORD,
4 for no fault of mine, they run and make ready. Rouse yourself, come to my help and see!
5 You, LORD God of hosts, are God of Israel. Awake to punish all the nations; spare none of those who treacherously plot evil.Selah
6 Each evening they come back, howling like dogs and prowling about the city.
7 There they are, bellowing with their mouths, with sharp words on their lips—for “Who,” they think, “will hear us?”
8 But you laugh at them, O LORD; you hold all the nations in derision.
9 O my strength, I will watch for you; for you, O God, are my fortress.
10 My God in his steadfast love will meet me; my God will let me look in triumph on my enemies.
11 Do not kill them, or my people may forget; make them totter by your power, and bring them down, O Lord, our shield.
12 For the sin of their mouths, the words of their lips, let them be trapped in their pride. For the cursing and lies that they utter,
13 consume them in wrath; consume them until they are no more. Then it will be known to the ends of the earth that God rules over Jacob.Selah
14 Each evening they come back, howling like dogs and prowling about the city.
15 They roam about for food, and growl if they do not get their fill.
16 But I will sing of your might; I will sing aloud of your steadfast love in the morning. For you have been a fortress for me and a refuge in the day of my distress.
17 O my strength, I will sing praises to you, for you, O God, are my fortress, the God who shows me steadfast love.
(NRSV)
We may not have experience of living in a city occupied by an enemy army, however most of us have had experience with being bullied to some degree or another. An older sibling, an older, bigger kid in the neighborhood or at school, a co-worker, a spouse, any number of folks who think it is a show of power and authority to have others cower in fear around them. In most cases, those bullies have been bullied themselves, so they know how it feels to be bullied. Of the two feelings, they prefer the power of being the bully. The psalmist cries out to God for protection from a whole gang of bullies.
The cry to God rises out of the sense of powerlessness in the face of bullies. When a deliverer finally rises for us we get caught in a whirlwind of conflicting feelings. We want the bullies to leave us alone. The psalmist first asks God to make these oppressors suffer in such a way that folks will remember what a power they were, even as they see that they have been robbed of that power. In the same breath the psalmist calls for the complete destruction of these folks. In the presence of the deliverance of God we are able to express all the wild fantasies of our downtrodden hearts.
Once we know that we are safe in the arms of God we are able to calm down and leave the resolution of this issue to God. After letting God hear all the ways we would like to see this situation resolved to our satisfaction we turn it over to the steadfast love of God. This is the same love that has given us the freedom to vent our fear and anger in comforting safety. Will God exact the revenge for which we call, or will God find another way to show us the breadth and depth and width of the love we now experience?
May 6, 2013
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