Showing posts with label Psalm 82. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Psalm 82. Show all posts
Tuesday, December 26, 2023
Psalm Meditation 1228
¶First Sunday After Christmas
¶December 31, 2023
¶Psalm 82
https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=psalm+82&version=NRSVUE
(NRSV)
¶We do like to get the good things we deserve almost as much as we enjoy deciding why it is that ‘those’ people don’t really deserve any good things. If they do get them, it is a fluke, an injustice, a travesty. Of course, no one deserves good things as much as we do because we are the faithful, and righteous. According to the biblical texts we follow, we have earned all the good things and none of the bad things going around these days. It is kinda sad that so many people outside of our group would even consider getting all of our good things.
¶Except that the psalmist reminds us that God doesn’t judge, reward, or punish according to our standards. God has a bias for the weak, the orphan, the lowly, and the destitute. They are aware that they do no deserve any good things, so they are grateful for every good thing that comes their way. It isn’t being on the outside of ‘polite’ society that gets them any of the good things, it is the gratitude. Being grateful opens our hearts and minds to see other things for which we can be grateful and allows us to become more deeply grateful for all that we do have.
¶Entitlement breeds entitlement and gratitude breeds gratitude. We can walk through our lives in the fog of entitlement, always knowing that we deserve more of the good things and less of the bad things that come our way. Or we can walk in the light of gratitude knowing that it is not about earning or deserving anything we get, it is about being grateful to God and those around us for the good things. It is also about being grateful for the support we can give and get from each other in the rough times.
¶December 26, 2023
¶LCM
Monday, December 16, 2019
Psalm Meditation 1018
Fourth Sunday of Advent
December 22, 2019
Psalm 82
1 God has taken his place in the divine council; in the midst of the gods he holds judgment:
2 “How long will you judge unjustly and show partiality to the wicked? Selah
3 Give justice to the weak and the orphan; maintain the right of the lowly and the destitute.
4 Rescue the weak and the needy; deliver them from the hand of the wicked.”
5 They have neither knowledge nor understanding, they walk around in darkness; all the foundations of the earth are shaken.
6 I say, “You are gods, children of the Most High, all of you;
7 nevertheless, you shall die like mortals, and fall like any prince.”
8 Rise up, O God, judge the earth; for all the nations belong to you!
(NRSV)
We like to believe that we are loyal to the God of the Bible, however this psalm asks us to question who and what it is we worship. In the midst of the gods, the God of the children of Abraham addresses the others with a call to justice, impartiality, preference to the weak and the orphan, maintaining the rights of the lowly and destitute, and rescue of the weak and needy from the wicked. If we hear a call to do other than that, we have chosen a different god to follow than the one we profess.
The comforting thing, I guess, is that people have been attempting to tame and domesticate God for a long time. As long as people believe that it is the job of God to uphold the nation, the empire, we are in danger of moving away from the God of the Bible. When God wants me to be rich at your expense, we are in danger. When God supports the government over and against the people being governed, we are in danger. When God agrees with everything we believe, we are in danger. Through psalms and prophets God calls us back to concern for those whose voices cannot be heard over the cries for more power.
If you are like me you have already gone through your list of those who need to reassess their loyalty to the God of the Bible. And, for some reason, my own name is not at the top of the list. Copy and paste your own name to the top of the list, and then delete the rest of the names on that list, and I will do the same. It is so much easier to see how to fix all those ‘other’ people, since it takes so little effort to come up with everything that needs to changed, and list the steps to take to accomplish those changes. When we look to our own need for change, we can’t stop with the list, we have to add energy and activity to make the needed changes. “Rise up, O God, judge the earth; for all the nations belong to you!”
December 16, 2019
LCM
Fourth Sunday of Advent
December 22, 2019
Psalm 82
1 God has taken his place in the divine council; in the midst of the gods he holds judgment:
2 “How long will you judge unjustly and show partiality to the wicked? Selah
3 Give justice to the weak and the orphan; maintain the right of the lowly and the destitute.
4 Rescue the weak and the needy; deliver them from the hand of the wicked.”
5 They have neither knowledge nor understanding, they walk around in darkness; all the foundations of the earth are shaken.
6 I say, “You are gods, children of the Most High, all of you;
7 nevertheless, you shall die like mortals, and fall like any prince.”
8 Rise up, O God, judge the earth; for all the nations belong to you!
(NRSV)
We like to believe that we are loyal to the God of the Bible, however this psalm asks us to question who and what it is we worship. In the midst of the gods, the God of the children of Abraham addresses the others with a call to justice, impartiality, preference to the weak and the orphan, maintaining the rights of the lowly and destitute, and rescue of the weak and needy from the wicked. If we hear a call to do other than that, we have chosen a different god to follow than the one we profess.
The comforting thing, I guess, is that people have been attempting to tame and domesticate God for a long time. As long as people believe that it is the job of God to uphold the nation, the empire, we are in danger of moving away from the God of the Bible. When God wants me to be rich at your expense, we are in danger. When God supports the government over and against the people being governed, we are in danger. When God agrees with everything we believe, we are in danger. Through psalms and prophets God calls us back to concern for those whose voices cannot be heard over the cries for more power.
If you are like me you have already gone through your list of those who need to reassess their loyalty to the God of the Bible. And, for some reason, my own name is not at the top of the list. Copy and paste your own name to the top of the list, and then delete the rest of the names on that list, and I will do the same. It is so much easier to see how to fix all those ‘other’ people, since it takes so little effort to come up with everything that needs to changed, and list the steps to take to accomplish those changes. When we look to our own need for change, we can’t stop with the list, we have to add energy and activity to make the needed changes. “Rise up, O God, judge the earth; for all the nations belong to you!”
December 16, 2019
LCM
Monday, February 26, 2018
Psalm Meditation 924
Third Sunday in Lent
March 4, 2018
Psalm 82
1 God has taken his place in the divine council; in the midst of the gods he holds judgment:
2 “How long will you judge unjustly and show partiality to the wicked? Selah
3 Give justice to the weak and the orphan; maintain the right of the lowly and the destitute.
4 Rescue the weak and the needy; deliver them from the hand of the wicked.”
5 They have neither knowledge nor understanding, they walk around in darkness; all the foundations of the earth are shaken.
6 I say, “You are gods, children of the Most High, all of you;
7 nevertheless, you shall die like mortals, and fall like any prince.”
8 Rise up, O God, judge the earth; for all the nations belong to you!
(NRSV)
Many of us take comfort in knowing that we are where we deserve to be. Something we have done gives us the right to be right where we are in the economic and influence pecking order. We might have some question about those who have more than we; for the most part things are just as they should be. Then a psalm like this comes along to remind us that God has an eye toward widows and orphans, the lowly and destitute, the outsider and outcast. If God has a special concern for them why are they not better off?
Could it be that we too are to have a special concern for those who have less than we? Before “A rising tide lifts all boats.” can become helpful to those in some form of poverty we have to be sure that all people are in a boat to be lifted. Could it be that what we have is meant to be used for the sake of those whose needs are greater than ours rather than to move us farther up the economic and influence scale? As people of God our goal is not to be self-aggrandizement; our goal is to give to others as we have received.
As children of God we do well to take the advice of John Wesley, one of the founders of the Methodist movement, “Earn all you can, save all you can, give all you can, for as long as you can.” The problem is not with having money and other resources. The problem is in using our gifts and resources for our own selfish benefit rather than to help those whose needs are greater than our own.
February 26, 2018
LCM
Third Sunday in Lent
March 4, 2018
Psalm 82
1 God has taken his place in the divine council; in the midst of the gods he holds judgment:
2 “How long will you judge unjustly and show partiality to the wicked? Selah
3 Give justice to the weak and the orphan; maintain the right of the lowly and the destitute.
4 Rescue the weak and the needy; deliver them from the hand of the wicked.”
5 They have neither knowledge nor understanding, they walk around in darkness; all the foundations of the earth are shaken.
6 I say, “You are gods, children of the Most High, all of you;
7 nevertheless, you shall die like mortals, and fall like any prince.”
8 Rise up, O God, judge the earth; for all the nations belong to you!
(NRSV)
Many of us take comfort in knowing that we are where we deserve to be. Something we have done gives us the right to be right where we are in the economic and influence pecking order. We might have some question about those who have more than we; for the most part things are just as they should be. Then a psalm like this comes along to remind us that God has an eye toward widows and orphans, the lowly and destitute, the outsider and outcast. If God has a special concern for them why are they not better off?
Could it be that we too are to have a special concern for those who have less than we? Before “A rising tide lifts all boats.” can become helpful to those in some form of poverty we have to be sure that all people are in a boat to be lifted. Could it be that what we have is meant to be used for the sake of those whose needs are greater than ours rather than to move us farther up the economic and influence scale? As people of God our goal is not to be self-aggrandizement; our goal is to give to others as we have received.
As children of God we do well to take the advice of John Wesley, one of the founders of the Methodist movement, “Earn all you can, save all you can, give all you can, for as long as you can.” The problem is not with having money and other resources. The problem is in using our gifts and resources for our own selfish benefit rather than to help those whose needs are greater than our own.
February 26, 2018
LCM
Monday, August 10, 2015
Psalm Meditation 791
Twelfth Sunday of Ordinary Time
August 16, 2015
Psalm 82
1 God has taken his place in the divine council; in the midst of the gods he holds judgment:
2 “How long will you judge unjustly and show partiality to the wicked? Selah
3 Give justice to the weak and the orphan; maintain the right of the lowly and the destitute.
4 Rescue the weak and the needy; deliver them from the hand of the wicked.”
5 They have neither knowledge nor understanding, they walk around in darkness; all the foundations of the earth are shaken.
6 I say, “You are gods, children of the Most High, all of you;
7 nevertheless, you shall die like mortals, and fall like any prince.”
8 Rise up, O God, judge the earth; for all the nations belong to you!
(NRSV)
It is easy to believe that when we disagree on a definition or characteristic of God we must be talking about completely different divinities. Since you and I do not agree, we must be worshipping two separate holy ones. And of course, since you are wrong, yours is a small g god while mine is a capital G God. When all of the heavenly beings meet together, mine is the one who leads the group and scolds all the others for their faults and failings in acting less than divinely.
What if there is only one God and our various faiths and religions are multiple ways of understanding what it means to be divine. In the story of the blind folks meeting an elephant for the first time, each describes the elephant as if the whole of the animal is the same as the part each is touching. The elephant is described as a snake, a tree, a rope and a wall. Each is accurate as far as it goes. Even as we gather the various descriptions into a single conception, we miss some of the important parts of what it is to be an elephant. We misunderstand and misconstrue the glory, majesty and immensity of God when we believe that we can describe all that it means to be God in a single set of experiences.
Despite our differences we do well to follow the words the psalmist uses to summarize the will of God for the divine council and for us: “Give justice to the weak and the orphan; maintain the right of the lowly and the destitute. Rescue the weak and the needy; deliver them from the hand of the wicked.” As our definition of who God is differs, we will also differ on fits some of these categories of those for whom justice is lacking. And so we echo the psalmist as we join in praying: “Rise up, O God, judge the earth; for all the nations belong to you!”
August 10, 2015
LCM
Twelfth Sunday of Ordinary Time
August 16, 2015
Psalm 82
1 God has taken his place in the divine council; in the midst of the gods he holds judgment:
2 “How long will you judge unjustly and show partiality to the wicked? Selah
3 Give justice to the weak and the orphan; maintain the right of the lowly and the destitute.
4 Rescue the weak and the needy; deliver them from the hand of the wicked.”
5 They have neither knowledge nor understanding, they walk around in darkness; all the foundations of the earth are shaken.
6 I say, “You are gods, children of the Most High, all of you;
7 nevertheless, you shall die like mortals, and fall like any prince.”
8 Rise up, O God, judge the earth; for all the nations belong to you!
(NRSV)
It is easy to believe that when we disagree on a definition or characteristic of God we must be talking about completely different divinities. Since you and I do not agree, we must be worshipping two separate holy ones. And of course, since you are wrong, yours is a small g god while mine is a capital G God. When all of the heavenly beings meet together, mine is the one who leads the group and scolds all the others for their faults and failings in acting less than divinely.
What if there is only one God and our various faiths and religions are multiple ways of understanding what it means to be divine. In the story of the blind folks meeting an elephant for the first time, each describes the elephant as if the whole of the animal is the same as the part each is touching. The elephant is described as a snake, a tree, a rope and a wall. Each is accurate as far as it goes. Even as we gather the various descriptions into a single conception, we miss some of the important parts of what it is to be an elephant. We misunderstand and misconstrue the glory, majesty and immensity of God when we believe that we can describe all that it means to be God in a single set of experiences.
Despite our differences we do well to follow the words the psalmist uses to summarize the will of God for the divine council and for us: “Give justice to the weak and the orphan; maintain the right of the lowly and the destitute. Rescue the weak and the needy; deliver them from the hand of the wicked.” As our definition of who God is differs, we will also differ on fits some of these categories of those for whom justice is lacking. And so we echo the psalmist as we join in praying: “Rise up, O God, judge the earth; for all the nations belong to you!”
August 10, 2015
LCM
Monday, September 10, 2012
Psalm Meditation 639
Sixteenth Sunday of Ordinary Time
September 16, 2012
Psalm 82
1 God has taken his place in the divine council; in the midst of the gods he holds judgment:
2 "How long will you judge unjustly and show partiality to the wicked? (Selah)
3 Give justice to the weak and the orphan; maintain the right of the lowly and the destitute.
4 Rescue the weak and the needy; deliver them from the hand of the wicked."
5 They have neither knowledge nor understanding, they walk around in darkness; all the foundations of the earth are shaken.
6 I say, "You are gods, children of the Most High, all of you;
7 nevertheless, you shall die like mortals, and fall like any prince."
8 Rise up, O God, judge the earth; for all the nations belong to you!
(NRSV)
When things go badly for someone else, we know that they did something to deserve it. The homeless, the unemployed, the chronic poor all did something to get themselves in this position. This thought process means we don’t really have to do anything for these people because they are already receiving justice, reaping the consequences of their actions and being visited by the sins of the previous generations who taught them all the bad habits.
When things go badly for us, we are not as quick to claim that we had something to do with our own predicament. When we are the ones effected, we know there must be something wrong with the system, because we did not do anything to deserve this type of treatment from the world. By the time we are in a position of weakness, that leaves us feeling helpless, hopeless and worthless, we are no longer in a position to change things in the system. We are left to languish in our situation, which is still no fault of our own.
The psalmist reminds us, that the best time to work toward justice for the poor and disenfranchised is while we have to power to act. Rather than allowing ourselves the luxury of blaming the weak and the orphan for their status, we do well to work toward a culture in which the weak and the orphan are treated with justice and fairness, even when it means we have to make a sacrifice or two in order to achieve that justice.
As children of God we do well to be the champions for those who have no power and influence in the ways of the world. God does have a heart for those who cannot defend themselves from the wiles and whims of those who use their power for personal gain. God does have a heart for those who work for justice and equity. God does have a heart for those who strive for relationships over stuff.
September 10, 2012
Sixteenth Sunday of Ordinary Time
September 16, 2012
Psalm 82
1 God has taken his place in the divine council; in the midst of the gods he holds judgment:
2 "How long will you judge unjustly and show partiality to the wicked? (Selah)
3 Give justice to the weak and the orphan; maintain the right of the lowly and the destitute.
4 Rescue the weak and the needy; deliver them from the hand of the wicked."
5 They have neither knowledge nor understanding, they walk around in darkness; all the foundations of the earth are shaken.
6 I say, "You are gods, children of the Most High, all of you;
7 nevertheless, you shall die like mortals, and fall like any prince."
8 Rise up, O God, judge the earth; for all the nations belong to you!
(NRSV)
When things go badly for someone else, we know that they did something to deserve it. The homeless, the unemployed, the chronic poor all did something to get themselves in this position. This thought process means we don’t really have to do anything for these people because they are already receiving justice, reaping the consequences of their actions and being visited by the sins of the previous generations who taught them all the bad habits.
When things go badly for us, we are not as quick to claim that we had something to do with our own predicament. When we are the ones effected, we know there must be something wrong with the system, because we did not do anything to deserve this type of treatment from the world. By the time we are in a position of weakness, that leaves us feeling helpless, hopeless and worthless, we are no longer in a position to change things in the system. We are left to languish in our situation, which is still no fault of our own.
The psalmist reminds us, that the best time to work toward justice for the poor and disenfranchised is while we have to power to act. Rather than allowing ourselves the luxury of blaming the weak and the orphan for their status, we do well to work toward a culture in which the weak and the orphan are treated with justice and fairness, even when it means we have to make a sacrifice or two in order to achieve that justice.
As children of God we do well to be the champions for those who have no power and influence in the ways of the world. God does have a heart for those who cannot defend themselves from the wiles and whims of those who use their power for personal gain. God does have a heart for those who work for justice and equity. God does have a heart for those who strive for relationships over stuff.
September 10, 2012
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