Showing posts with label Psalm 94. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Psalm 94. Show all posts
Monday, March 18, 2024
Psalm Meditation 1240
¶Palm/Passion Sunday
¶March 24, 2024
¶Psalm 94
https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=psalm+94&version=NRSVUE
(NRSVUE)
¶We do like the idea of crushing our enemies, especially, if someone does it for us if we only ask. Whether it be a natural phenomenon, illness and disease, or a person or group we are ready to have God remove this terrible, no good, very bad person or thing out of our lives. We don’t deserve to have the world treat us so badly because we are some of God’s favorite people. Other people probably deserve their suffering, but we are not other people, we are special.
¶Interestingly, every group has at least a few people in it who see themselves as deserving special treatment from some higher power or other. Our God, YHWH, is quick to remind us that being faithful does not make us special in a privileged way, it makes us special as people called to serve others with willing hearts and hands. There are no guarantees that everyone will be grateful and treat us well, only that our service will bring us closer to God in a variety of ways.
¶Like us, the psalmist wants revenge on all those who have picked on friends and family. It is human to want the world to be fair and just almost all the time. The psalm includes a list of all the things that ‘those’ people have done to us along with the prayer that they all be destroyed by God in a frenzy of destruction. God, however, is not one to destroy our enemies by wiping them from the face of the earth. God destroys enemies the same way God calls us to destroy those who stand against us, by working to become friends together.
¶March 18, 2024
¶LCM
Monday, May 3, 2021
Psalm Meditation 1090
Sixth Sunday of Easter
May 9, 2021
Psalm 94
1 O Lord, you God of vengeance, you God of vengeance, shine forth!
2 Rise up, O judge of the earth; give to the proud what they deserve!
3 O Lord, how long shall the wicked, how long shall the wicked exult?
4 They pour out their arrogant words; all the evildoers boast.
5 They crush your people, O Lord, and afflict your heritage.
6 They kill the widow and the stranger, they murder the orphan,
7 and they say, “The Lord does not see; the God of Jacob does not perceive.”
8 Understand, O dullest of the people; fools, when will you be wise?
9 He who planted the ear, does he not hear? He who formed the eye, does he not see?
10 He who disciplines the nations, he who teaches knowledge to humankind, does he not chastise?
11 The Lord knows our thoughts, that they are but an empty breath.
12 Happy are those whom you discipline, O Lord, and whom you teach out of your law,
13 giving them respite from days of trouble, until a pit is dug for the wicked.
14 For the Lord will not forsake his people; he will not abandon his heritage;
15 for justice will return to the righteous, and all the upright in heart will follow it.
16 Who rises up for me against the wicked? Who stands up for me against evildoers?
17 If the Lord had not been my help, my soul would soon have lived in the land of silence.
18 When I thought, “My foot is slipping,” your steadfast love, O Lord, held me up.
19 When the cares of my heart are many, your consolations cheer my soul.
20 Can wicked rulers be allied with you, those who contrive mischief by statute?
21 They band together against the life of the righteous, and condemn the innocent to death.
22 But the Lord has become my stronghold, and my God the rock of my refuge.
23 He will repay them for their iniquity and wipe them out for their wickedness; the Lord our God will wipe them out.
(NRSV)
We are a lot quicker to call on God to give ‘those’ people what they deserve than we are to ask that God give us what we deserve. Even though ‘those’ people probably do deserve all the bad things we are quick to wish on them, we do well to be aware that we are just as likely to deserve those bad things as well. We know that our intentions were good even if things didn’t turn out the way we meant for them to. We are willing to guess that their intentions were evil, since we are the ones who got hurt when their actions turned out badly.
So, intention is the best way to judge our actions and results are the only way we have to judge the actions of any of ‘those’ people. Even when it turns out the same way for us and ‘them’ we know that we can be forgiven and they need to be wiped out by God’s wrath, because we did not mean to hurt people. If we do find out that ‘they’ didn’t mean to hurt anyone they still need to pay for their actions because it was us who received the ill effects of their poorly thought out plans. We also have the advantage of mental gymnastics that make our hurt real because we have feelings while they don’t have feelings because they are a class of sub-human creatures in human form.
Before we call on God to seek vengeance on the people who hurt us, we do well to search our lives and motives to see if we have done any damage to them at this or another time. We may have been in the way of their unfocused anger, we may be the victim of their lack of care, they may be paying us back for something we did to them years ago, we may both bear some guilt and responsibility for an upward spiral of vindictiveness. Before we call down the wrath of God on those who are guilty, we do well to make sure that we are not partly to blame.
May 3, 2021
LCM lcrsmanifold@att.net
http://psalmmeditations.blogspot.com/
Wednesday, November 7, 2018
Psalm Meditation 960
Proper 27
November11, 2018
Psalm 94
1 O LORD, you God of vengeance, you God of vengeance, shine forth!
2 Rise up, O judge of the earth; give to the proud what they deserve!
3 O LORD, how long shall the wicked, how long shall the wicked exult?
4 They pour out their arrogant words; all the evildoers boast.
5 They crush your people, O LORD, and afflict your heritage.
6 They kill the widow and the stranger, they murder the orphan,
7 and they say, “The LORD does not see; the God of Jacob does not perceive.”
8 Understand, O dullest of the people; fools, when will you be wise?
9 He who planted the ear, does he not hear? He who formed the eye, does he not see?
10 He who disciplines the nations, he who teaches knowledge to humankind, does he not chastise?
11 The LORD knows our thoughts, that they are but an empty breath.
12 Happy are those whom you discipline, O LORD, and whom you teach out of your law,
13 giving them respite from days of trouble, until a pit is dug for the wicked.
14 For the LORD will not forsake his people; he will not abandon his heritage;
15 for justice will return to the righteous, and all the upright in heart will follow it.
16 Who rises up for me against the wicked? Who stands up for me against evildoers?
17 If the LORD had not been my help, my soul would soon have lived in the land of silence.
18 When I thought, “My foot is slipping,” your steadfast love, O LORD, held me up.
19 When the cares of my heart are many, your consolations cheer my soul.
20 Can wicked rulers be allied with you, those who contrive mischief by statute?
21 They band together against the life of the righteous, and condemn the innocent to death.
22 But the LORD has become my stronghold, and my God the rock of my refuge.
23 He will repay them for their iniquity and wipe them out for their wickedness; the LORD our God will wipe them out.
(NRSV)
We like to see ourselves as the protagonists, the ones God will rescue from the evil oppressors. God will take our weakness and turn it into strength. God will take our victimhood and allow us to rise up as conquerors. God will take our precarious footing and place us on steady ground. That is the way we like to look at these psalms. What if these are written by and for the people we readily take advantage? We if this psalm is written by those we fail to notice, and if we do notice we discount them as inconsequential? What if we are the bad guys?
Most of us are able to look up and see people with more power and influence than we ever hope to wield. We see those who can buy and sell us and we feel as if we are victims because of our lack. We feel oppressed because someone up there can tell us what to do. We feel righteously indignant because there are those whose independence makes us feel dependent. We look up and see that ‘those’ people need lessons in how to treat people like us. We could, and don’t look down to see those who are looking up at us with the same sense of oppression.
While we like to be the ones God rescues from the bad and reckless big people, many of us are bad and reckless to those who look up at us from lower rungs on the ladder of wealth and power. Each of us does well to consider how those with less than we might see us. Are we seen as kind and generous or angry and stingy? Are we seen as gentle and understanding or as insistent bullies? Are we perceived as those who lead people to God or those who drive people to God? Are we the good people we see ourselves to be or as those in need of discipline and training at the hand of God? Do we look to God for strength or do we stand against God in iniquity?
November 7, 2018
LCM
Proper 27
November11, 2018
Psalm 94
1 O LORD, you God of vengeance, you God of vengeance, shine forth!
2 Rise up, O judge of the earth; give to the proud what they deserve!
3 O LORD, how long shall the wicked, how long shall the wicked exult?
4 They pour out their arrogant words; all the evildoers boast.
5 They crush your people, O LORD, and afflict your heritage.
6 They kill the widow and the stranger, they murder the orphan,
7 and they say, “The LORD does not see; the God of Jacob does not perceive.”
8 Understand, O dullest of the people; fools, when will you be wise?
9 He who planted the ear, does he not hear? He who formed the eye, does he not see?
10 He who disciplines the nations, he who teaches knowledge to humankind, does he not chastise?
11 The LORD knows our thoughts, that they are but an empty breath.
12 Happy are those whom you discipline, O LORD, and whom you teach out of your law,
13 giving them respite from days of trouble, until a pit is dug for the wicked.
14 For the LORD will not forsake his people; he will not abandon his heritage;
15 for justice will return to the righteous, and all the upright in heart will follow it.
16 Who rises up for me against the wicked? Who stands up for me against evildoers?
17 If the LORD had not been my help, my soul would soon have lived in the land of silence.
18 When I thought, “My foot is slipping,” your steadfast love, O LORD, held me up.
19 When the cares of my heart are many, your consolations cheer my soul.
20 Can wicked rulers be allied with you, those who contrive mischief by statute?
21 They band together against the life of the righteous, and condemn the innocent to death.
22 But the LORD has become my stronghold, and my God the rock of my refuge.
23 He will repay them for their iniquity and wipe them out for their wickedness; the LORD our God will wipe them out.
(NRSV)
We like to see ourselves as the protagonists, the ones God will rescue from the evil oppressors. God will take our weakness and turn it into strength. God will take our victimhood and allow us to rise up as conquerors. God will take our precarious footing and place us on steady ground. That is the way we like to look at these psalms. What if these are written by and for the people we readily take advantage? We if this psalm is written by those we fail to notice, and if we do notice we discount them as inconsequential? What if we are the bad guys?
Most of us are able to look up and see people with more power and influence than we ever hope to wield. We see those who can buy and sell us and we feel as if we are victims because of our lack. We feel oppressed because someone up there can tell us what to do. We feel righteously indignant because there are those whose independence makes us feel dependent. We look up and see that ‘those’ people need lessons in how to treat people like us. We could, and don’t look down to see those who are looking up at us with the same sense of oppression.
While we like to be the ones God rescues from the bad and reckless big people, many of us are bad and reckless to those who look up at us from lower rungs on the ladder of wealth and power. Each of us does well to consider how those with less than we might see us. Are we seen as kind and generous or angry and stingy? Are we seen as gentle and understanding or as insistent bullies? Are we perceived as those who lead people to God or those who drive people to God? Are we the good people we see ourselves to be or as those in need of discipline and training at the hand of God? Do we look to God for strength or do we stand against God in iniquity?
November 7, 2018
LCM
Monday, March 24, 2014
Psalm Meditation 719
Fourth Sunday in Lent
March 30, 2014
Psalm 94
1 O LORD, you God of vengeance, you God of vengeance, shine forth!
2 Rise up, O judge of the earth; give to the proud what they deserve!
3 O LORD, how long shall the wicked, how long shall the wicked exult?
4 They pour out their arrogant words; all the evildoers boast.
5 They crush your people, O LORD, and afflict your heritage.
6 They kill the widow and the stranger, they murder the orphan,
7 and they say, “The LORD does not see; the God of Jacob does not perceive.”
8 Understand, O dullest of the people; fools, when will you be wise?
9 He who planted the ear, does he not hear? He who formed the eye, does he not see?
10 He who disciplines the nations, he who teaches knowledge to humankind,
does he not chastise?
11The LORD knows our thoughts, that they are but an empty breath.
12 Happy are those whom you discipline, O LORD, and whom you teach out of your law,
13 giving them respite from days of trouble, until a pit is dug for the wicked.
14 For the LORD will not forsake his people; he will not abandon his heritage;
15 for justice will return to the righteous, and all the upright in heart will follow it.
16 Who rises up for me against the wicked? Who stands up for me against evildoers?
17 If the LORD had not been my help, my soul would soon have lived in the land of silence.
18 When I thought, “My foot is slipping,” your steadfast love, O LORD, held me up.
19 When the cares of my heart are many, your consolations cheer my soul.
20 Can wicked rulers be allied with you, those who contrive mischief by statute?
21 They band together against the life of the righteous, and condemn the innocent to death.
22 But the LORD has become my stronghold, and my God the rock of my refuge.
23 He will repay them for their iniquity and wipe them out for their wickedness; the LORD our God will wipe them out.
(NRSV)
One of the difficulties of our current political scene is that we are so deeply entrenched in our own views that we know it could not possibly be the party I support that contrives mischief by statue. It must be those evil doers on the other side who are to blame for all the troubles, not only of this country but of the whole world. Because it is your side rather than mine that is evil it is up to you to change, to respond in the same way my side says we would respond if we were in your position. I am sure this attitude is not confined to one country since it is visible on so many levels of politics from local to international.
Many years ago, probably at the height of the Social Gospel movement, it was the Democrats in the US who had the corner on religious affiliation. Over the years that has reversed and Republicans are the ones who are seen as the religious party. Interestingly, in survey results from many years ago, politicians were much more likely to vote with their party’s viewpoints than with the views of the denomination of which they were members. It is more likely that a religious faction, liberal or conservative, will align themselves with a political philosophy than political parties will line up with religious doctrine.
Political leaders throughout the world are probably not as good and pure as we want to see the folks on our side, and not as evil as we want those other folks to be. God works through people, through relationships, through those in and out of politics who are taking a stand against evil. Is your party in the right or in the wrong? The answer is probably, “yes, a little of both.” It is not about political party, it is about having God as our stronghold and refuge.
March 24, 2014
Fourth Sunday in Lent
March 30, 2014
Psalm 94
1 O LORD, you God of vengeance, you God of vengeance, shine forth!
2 Rise up, O judge of the earth; give to the proud what they deserve!
3 O LORD, how long shall the wicked, how long shall the wicked exult?
4 They pour out their arrogant words; all the evildoers boast.
5 They crush your people, O LORD, and afflict your heritage.
6 They kill the widow and the stranger, they murder the orphan,
7 and they say, “The LORD does not see; the God of Jacob does not perceive.”
8 Understand, O dullest of the people; fools, when will you be wise?
9 He who planted the ear, does he not hear? He who formed the eye, does he not see?
10 He who disciplines the nations, he who teaches knowledge to humankind,
does he not chastise?
11The LORD knows our thoughts, that they are but an empty breath.
12 Happy are those whom you discipline, O LORD, and whom you teach out of your law,
13 giving them respite from days of trouble, until a pit is dug for the wicked.
14 For the LORD will not forsake his people; he will not abandon his heritage;
15 for justice will return to the righteous, and all the upright in heart will follow it.
16 Who rises up for me against the wicked? Who stands up for me against evildoers?
17 If the LORD had not been my help, my soul would soon have lived in the land of silence.
18 When I thought, “My foot is slipping,” your steadfast love, O LORD, held me up.
19 When the cares of my heart are many, your consolations cheer my soul.
20 Can wicked rulers be allied with you, those who contrive mischief by statute?
21 They band together against the life of the righteous, and condemn the innocent to death.
22 But the LORD has become my stronghold, and my God the rock of my refuge.
23 He will repay them for their iniquity and wipe them out for their wickedness; the LORD our God will wipe them out.
(NRSV)
One of the difficulties of our current political scene is that we are so deeply entrenched in our own views that we know it could not possibly be the party I support that contrives mischief by statue. It must be those evil doers on the other side who are to blame for all the troubles, not only of this country but of the whole world. Because it is your side rather than mine that is evil it is up to you to change, to respond in the same way my side says we would respond if we were in your position. I am sure this attitude is not confined to one country since it is visible on so many levels of politics from local to international.
Many years ago, probably at the height of the Social Gospel movement, it was the Democrats in the US who had the corner on religious affiliation. Over the years that has reversed and Republicans are the ones who are seen as the religious party. Interestingly, in survey results from many years ago, politicians were much more likely to vote with their party’s viewpoints than with the views of the denomination of which they were members. It is more likely that a religious faction, liberal or conservative, will align themselves with a political philosophy than political parties will line up with religious doctrine.
Political leaders throughout the world are probably not as good and pure as we want to see the folks on our side, and not as evil as we want those other folks to be. God works through people, through relationships, through those in and out of politics who are taking a stand against evil. Is your party in the right or in the wrong? The answer is probably, “yes, a little of both.” It is not about political party, it is about having God as our stronghold and refuge.
March 24, 2014
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