Psalm Meditation 990
Pentecost
June 9, 2019
Psalm 102
1 Hear my prayer, O Lord; let my cry come to you.
2 Do not hide your face from me in the day of my distress. Incline your ear to me; answer me speedily in the day when I call.
3 For my days pass away like smoke, and my bones burn like a furnace.
4 My heart is stricken and withered like grass; I am too wasted to eat my bread.
5 Because of my loud groaning my bones cling to my skin.
6 I am like an owl of the wilderness, like a little owl of the waste places.
7 I lie awake; I am like a lonely bird on the housetop.
8 All day long my enemies taunt me; those who deride me use my name for a curse.
9 For I eat ashes like bread, and mingle tears with my drink,
10 because of your indignation and anger; for you have lifted me up and thrown me aside.
11 My days are like an evening shadow; I wither away like grass.
12 But you, O Lord, are enthroned forever; your name endures to all generations.
13 You will rise up and have compassion on Zion, for it is time to favor it; the appointed time has come.
14 For your servants hold its stones dear, and have pity on its dust.
15 The nations will fear the name of the Lord, and all the kings of the earth your glory.
16 For the Lord will build up Zion; he will appear in his glory.
17 He will regard the prayer of the destitute, and will not despise their prayer.
18 Let this be recorded for a generation to come, so that a people yet unborn may praise the Lord:
19 that he looked down from his holy height, from heaven the Lord looked at the earth,
20 to hear the groans of the prisoners, to set free those who were doomed to die;
21 so that the name of the Lord may be declared in Zion, and his praise in Jerusalem,
22 when peoples gather together, and kingdoms, to worship the Lord.
23 He has broken my strength in midcourse; he has shortened my days.
24 “O my God,” I say, “do not take me away at the midpoint of my life, you whose years endure throughout all generations.”
25 Long ago you laid the foundation of the earth, and the heavens are the work of your hands.
26 They will perish, but you endure; they will all wear out like a garment. You change them like clothing, and they pass away;
27 but you are the same, and your years have no end.
28 The children of your servants shall live secure; their offspring shall be established in your presence.
(NRSV)
When I am distressed I question everything. Do I have a place in the world, does God love me, is there a God? Those are just a few of the questions that have a connection with the psalm. The distress clouds all my thoughts and leads me down paths that color everything the darkest shade possible.
I push myself to remember good things that God has done in my presence, past and present. Sometimes it is a bad thing as I think that God has done those thing in the past, and is doing those things for people around me. That must mean that God is done with me, since I am going through this distressing situation by myself. Other times it is a good thing as I am able to anticipate those same kinds of good things in the future. The God who has claimed me as a child, loves me and will care for me as I have been cared for in the past.
Distress can be brutal as it darkens our perception of all around us. Our hope is to look to God, to see that in our darkest moments we are not alone. We have the support of God who is with us no matter what. We may have something to learn, we may have a price to pay for an action of our own or someone else, we may be the victim of something random over which we have no control. God endures and holds us in loving and powerful hands.
June 6, 2019
LCM lcrsmanifold@att.net
http://psalmmeditations.blogspot.com/
Thursday, June 6, 2019
Monday, May 27, 2019
Psalm Meditation 989
Seventh Sunday of Easter
June 2, 2019
Psalm 2
1 Why do the nations conspire, and the peoples plot in vain?
2 The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the Lord and his anointed, saying,
3 “Let us burst their bonds asunder, and cast their cords from us.”
4 He who sits in the heavens laughs; the Lord has them in derision.
5 Then he will speak to them in his wrath, and terrify them in his fury, saying,
6 “I have set my king on Zion, my holy hill.”
7 I will tell of the decree of the Lord: He said to me, “You are my son; today I have begotten you.
8 Ask of me, and I will make the nations your heritage, and the ends of the earth your possession.
9 You shall break them with a rod of iron, and dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel.”
10 Now therefore, O kings, be wise; be warned, O rulers of the earth.
11 Serve the Lord with fear, with trembling
12 kiss his feet, or he will be angry, and you will perish in the way; for his wrath is quickly kindled. Happy are all who take refuge in him.
(NRSV)
Sometimes we learn things that throw off our worldview for the rest of our lives. I was devastated when I discovered that the United States is not the largest nation in world, that my home state of Indiana is not the largest state in the union, and that my dad might not be able to beat up your dad. I was similarly disappointed when I discovered that the nation of Israel was not as powerful as the stories in the Bible indicate. Israel was conquered more often than they conquered their neighbors.
On the one hand, the nations of the world working together to burst the bonds and cast the cords of Israel from them is not very likely. It is possible that most of the nations of the world had not heard of Israel, let alone be concerned about their power and might as a nation. On the other hand, patriotic hyperbole is a normal human tendency. Even if they were not a large powerful nation, there is nothing to keep them from saying so in their own poetry and song.
Though they may not have been much of a force in military might, the God they worshipped has survived countless attacks. Though Israel was not a military powerhouse, the Lord, their God, has become a force to be reckoned with. Though various nations and states have made the attempt to bend the Lord to their will and service, a faithful remnant manages to call the faithful back to the God of the Bible.
May 27, 2019
LCM lcrsmanifold@att.net
http://psalmmeditations.blogspot.com/
Seventh Sunday of Easter
June 2, 2019
Psalm 2
1 Why do the nations conspire, and the peoples plot in vain?
2 The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the Lord and his anointed, saying,
3 “Let us burst their bonds asunder, and cast their cords from us.”
4 He who sits in the heavens laughs; the Lord has them in derision.
5 Then he will speak to them in his wrath, and terrify them in his fury, saying,
6 “I have set my king on Zion, my holy hill.”
7 I will tell of the decree of the Lord: He said to me, “You are my son; today I have begotten you.
8 Ask of me, and I will make the nations your heritage, and the ends of the earth your possession.
9 You shall break them with a rod of iron, and dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel.”
10 Now therefore, O kings, be wise; be warned, O rulers of the earth.
11 Serve the Lord with fear, with trembling
12 kiss his feet, or he will be angry, and you will perish in the way; for his wrath is quickly kindled. Happy are all who take refuge in him.
(NRSV)
Sometimes we learn things that throw off our worldview for the rest of our lives. I was devastated when I discovered that the United States is not the largest nation in world, that my home state of Indiana is not the largest state in the union, and that my dad might not be able to beat up your dad. I was similarly disappointed when I discovered that the nation of Israel was not as powerful as the stories in the Bible indicate. Israel was conquered more often than they conquered their neighbors.
On the one hand, the nations of the world working together to burst the bonds and cast the cords of Israel from them is not very likely. It is possible that most of the nations of the world had not heard of Israel, let alone be concerned about their power and might as a nation. On the other hand, patriotic hyperbole is a normal human tendency. Even if they were not a large powerful nation, there is nothing to keep them from saying so in their own poetry and song.
Though they may not have been much of a force in military might, the God they worshipped has survived countless attacks. Though Israel was not a military powerhouse, the Lord, their God, has become a force to be reckoned with. Though various nations and states have made the attempt to bend the Lord to their will and service, a faithful remnant manages to call the faithful back to the God of the Bible.
May 27, 2019
LCM lcrsmanifold@att.net
http://psalmmeditations.blogspot.com/
Monday, May 20, 2019
Psalm Meditation 988
Sixth Sunday of Easter
May 26, 2019
Psalm 77
1 I cry aloud to God, aloud to God, that he may hear me.
2 In the day of my trouble I seek the Lord; in the night my hand is stretched out without wearying; my soul refuses to be comforted.
3 I think of God, and I moan; I meditate, and my spirit faints. Selah
4 You keep my eyelids from closing; I am so troubled that I cannot speak.
5 I consider the days of old, and remember the years of long ago.
6 I commune with my heart in the night; I meditate and search my spirit:
7 “Will the Lord spurn forever, and never again be favorable?
8 Has his steadfast love ceased forever? Are his promises at an end for all time?
9 Has God forgotten to be gracious? Has he in anger shut up his compassion?” Selah
10 And I say, “It is my grief that the right hand of the Most High has changed.”
11 I will call to mind the deeds of the Lord; I will remember your wonders of old.
12 I will meditate on all your work, and muse on your mighty deeds.
13 Your way, O God, is holy. What god is so great as our God?
14 You are the God who works wonders; you have displayed your might among the peoples.
15 With your strong arm you redeemed your people, the descendants of Jacob and Joseph. Selah
16 When the waters saw you, O God, when the waters saw you, they were afraid; the very deep trembled.
17 The clouds poured out water; the skies thundered; your arrows flashed on every side.
18 The crash of your thunder was in the whirlwind; your lightnings lit up the world; the earth trembled and shook.
19 Your way was through the sea, your path, through the mighty waters; yet your footprints were unseen.
20 You led your people like a flock by the hand of Moses and Aaron.
(NRSV)
This psalm seems to pivot on verse ten, “And I say, “It is my grief that the right hand of the Most High has changed.”” And to add another layer, this is an interesting reminder that the placement of punctuation makes a difference in the meaning of a sentence, and that one sentence can change the meaning of a whole psalm. Does the psalmist intend to say that ‘God is a source of grief, the right hand of the Most High having changed,’ or is the intent to rejoice that, ‘It is my grief that has been changed by the hand of God?’ I understand that early Hebrew didn’t even leave spaces between words, let alone use punctuation.
I am of the mind that the psalmist is declaring that it is the grief that has been changed by the hand of God. My own experience is that the one who is most changed by prayer is me. My situation may not change at all through prayer, however my attitude and the eyes through which I see the situation can change drastically when I become aware that I am not alone. I am surrounded by God as well as by the people of God. The people of God lift me up and their concern changes them, their concern for me, changes me, our changes open a whole new relationship as we are drawn more deeply into a life in God. When I know that I am being lifted in prayer, my burden is lighter and I am more free to be in prayer for others.
Once we see God at work in our lives, we are able to turn our attention to the good things that God has done. As we notice that God has been active in the past, we can look forward to the pattern of good things continuing even if we are currently in the middle of an intense trial at this moment. We are reminded that God is at work in the world, in the lives of those who are in the world, and in phenomena beyond our ability to understand. As we are able, we look around to see ourselves surrounded by a community, a family, moving in concert with the will of God.
May 20, 2019
LCM lcrsmanifold@att.net
http://psalmmeditations.blogspot.com/
Sixth Sunday of Easter
May 26, 2019
Psalm 77
1 I cry aloud to God, aloud to God, that he may hear me.
2 In the day of my trouble I seek the Lord; in the night my hand is stretched out without wearying; my soul refuses to be comforted.
3 I think of God, and I moan; I meditate, and my spirit faints. Selah
4 You keep my eyelids from closing; I am so troubled that I cannot speak.
5 I consider the days of old, and remember the years of long ago.
6 I commune with my heart in the night; I meditate and search my spirit:
7 “Will the Lord spurn forever, and never again be favorable?
8 Has his steadfast love ceased forever? Are his promises at an end for all time?
9 Has God forgotten to be gracious? Has he in anger shut up his compassion?” Selah
10 And I say, “It is my grief that the right hand of the Most High has changed.”
11 I will call to mind the deeds of the Lord; I will remember your wonders of old.
12 I will meditate on all your work, and muse on your mighty deeds.
13 Your way, O God, is holy. What god is so great as our God?
14 You are the God who works wonders; you have displayed your might among the peoples.
15 With your strong arm you redeemed your people, the descendants of Jacob and Joseph. Selah
16 When the waters saw you, O God, when the waters saw you, they were afraid; the very deep trembled.
17 The clouds poured out water; the skies thundered; your arrows flashed on every side.
18 The crash of your thunder was in the whirlwind; your lightnings lit up the world; the earth trembled and shook.
19 Your way was through the sea, your path, through the mighty waters; yet your footprints were unseen.
20 You led your people like a flock by the hand of Moses and Aaron.
(NRSV)
This psalm seems to pivot on verse ten, “And I say, “It is my grief that the right hand of the Most High has changed.”” And to add another layer, this is an interesting reminder that the placement of punctuation makes a difference in the meaning of a sentence, and that one sentence can change the meaning of a whole psalm. Does the psalmist intend to say that ‘God is a source of grief, the right hand of the Most High having changed,’ or is the intent to rejoice that, ‘It is my grief that has been changed by the hand of God?’ I understand that early Hebrew didn’t even leave spaces between words, let alone use punctuation.
I am of the mind that the psalmist is declaring that it is the grief that has been changed by the hand of God. My own experience is that the one who is most changed by prayer is me. My situation may not change at all through prayer, however my attitude and the eyes through which I see the situation can change drastically when I become aware that I am not alone. I am surrounded by God as well as by the people of God. The people of God lift me up and their concern changes them, their concern for me, changes me, our changes open a whole new relationship as we are drawn more deeply into a life in God. When I know that I am being lifted in prayer, my burden is lighter and I am more free to be in prayer for others.
Once we see God at work in our lives, we are able to turn our attention to the good things that God has done. As we notice that God has been active in the past, we can look forward to the pattern of good things continuing even if we are currently in the middle of an intense trial at this moment. We are reminded that God is at work in the world, in the lives of those who are in the world, and in phenomena beyond our ability to understand. As we are able, we look around to see ourselves surrounded by a community, a family, moving in concert with the will of God.
May 20, 2019
LCM lcrsmanifold@att.net
http://psalmmeditations.blogspot.com/
Tuesday, May 14, 2019
Psalm Meditation 987
Fifth Sunday of Easter
May 19, 2019
Psalm 51
1 Have mercy on me, O God, according to your steadfast love; according to your abundant mercy blot out my transgressions.
2 Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin.
3 For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me.
4 Against you, you alone, have I sinned, and done what is evil in your sight, so that you are justified in your sentence and blameless when you pass judgment.
5 Indeed, I was born guilty, a sinner when my mother conceived me.
6 You desire truth in the inward being; therefore teach me wisdom in my secret heart.
7 Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
8 Let me hear joy and gladness; let the bones that you have crushed rejoice.
9 Hide your face from my sins, and blot out all my iniquities.
10 Create in me a clean heart, O God, and put a new and right spirit within me.
11 Do not cast me away from your presence, and do not take your holy spirit from me.
12 Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and sustain in me a willing spirit.
13 Then I will teach transgressors your ways, and sinners will return to you.
14 Deliver me from bloodshed, O God, O God of my salvation, and my tongue will sing aloud of your deliverance.
15 O Lord, open my lips, and my mouth will declare your praise.
16 For you have no delight in sacrifice; if I were to give a burnt offering, you would not be pleased.
17 The sacrifice acceptable to God is a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.
18 Do good to Zion in your good pleasure; rebuild the walls of Jerusalem,
19 then you will delight in right sacrifices, in burnt offerings and whole burnt offerings; then bulls will be offered on your altar.
(NRSV)
A friend from seminary days told me that he and his floor mates were a regular source of trouble for their residence assistant. Things seemed to happen on campus in a way that implicated this particular floor. To add to the trouble, they would alternate confession and denial as a whole. For one event, they would discreetly go to the RA one at a time and deny that they had anything to do with it. The next time they would confess one at a time, ‘I did it, all by myself, no one helped me, I bear total responsibility.’ When everyone denies responsibility, it makes solving the issue more difficult. When everyone claims sole responsibility, it becomes just as complicated. It is hard to know who is a fault and who is innocent.
The psalmist is willing to confess transgressions and sins against God and hopes to receive forgiveness for all of these sins. He psalmist is not only willing to confess personal sins there is a companion willingness to confess to being most recent in a line of sinful people. The psalmist wants to be cleansed, purified, and made whole in body and spirit. In return for this healing and restoration the psalmist pledges a willingness to teach others to live in the way that leads to the same healing and wholeness the psalmist hopes to receive. If all of this good stuff happens, all will be right with the world, including a renewed delight in sacrifice offered to God.
Like the dorm residents, some of us will confess to anything and everything, because we know that we are guilty of something that requires confession, repentance, and probably punishment of some kind. Others will find a way within themselves to justify their actions as appropriate and defensible, even in the presence of God. Most of us are an interesting mix of guilt and denial, claiming some guilt beyond our responsibility and ignoring or justifying other transgressions as having done the right thing even though everyone else made it go wrong. The important part, beyond our overdeveloped senses of guilt and innocence, is pointing ourselves and others to God as best we can.
May 14, 2019
LCM lcrsmanifold@att.net
http://psalmmeditations.blogspot.com/
Fifth Sunday of Easter
May 19, 2019
Psalm 51
1 Have mercy on me, O God, according to your steadfast love; according to your abundant mercy blot out my transgressions.
2 Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin.
3 For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me.
4 Against you, you alone, have I sinned, and done what is evil in your sight, so that you are justified in your sentence and blameless when you pass judgment.
5 Indeed, I was born guilty, a sinner when my mother conceived me.
6 You desire truth in the inward being; therefore teach me wisdom in my secret heart.
7 Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
8 Let me hear joy and gladness; let the bones that you have crushed rejoice.
9 Hide your face from my sins, and blot out all my iniquities.
10 Create in me a clean heart, O God, and put a new and right spirit within me.
11 Do not cast me away from your presence, and do not take your holy spirit from me.
12 Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and sustain in me a willing spirit.
13 Then I will teach transgressors your ways, and sinners will return to you.
14 Deliver me from bloodshed, O God, O God of my salvation, and my tongue will sing aloud of your deliverance.
15 O Lord, open my lips, and my mouth will declare your praise.
16 For you have no delight in sacrifice; if I were to give a burnt offering, you would not be pleased.
17 The sacrifice acceptable to God is a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.
18 Do good to Zion in your good pleasure; rebuild the walls of Jerusalem,
19 then you will delight in right sacrifices, in burnt offerings and whole burnt offerings; then bulls will be offered on your altar.
(NRSV)
A friend from seminary days told me that he and his floor mates were a regular source of trouble for their residence assistant. Things seemed to happen on campus in a way that implicated this particular floor. To add to the trouble, they would alternate confession and denial as a whole. For one event, they would discreetly go to the RA one at a time and deny that they had anything to do with it. The next time they would confess one at a time, ‘I did it, all by myself, no one helped me, I bear total responsibility.’ When everyone denies responsibility, it makes solving the issue more difficult. When everyone claims sole responsibility, it becomes just as complicated. It is hard to know who is a fault and who is innocent.
The psalmist is willing to confess transgressions and sins against God and hopes to receive forgiveness for all of these sins. He psalmist is not only willing to confess personal sins there is a companion willingness to confess to being most recent in a line of sinful people. The psalmist wants to be cleansed, purified, and made whole in body and spirit. In return for this healing and restoration the psalmist pledges a willingness to teach others to live in the way that leads to the same healing and wholeness the psalmist hopes to receive. If all of this good stuff happens, all will be right with the world, including a renewed delight in sacrifice offered to God.
Like the dorm residents, some of us will confess to anything and everything, because we know that we are guilty of something that requires confession, repentance, and probably punishment of some kind. Others will find a way within themselves to justify their actions as appropriate and defensible, even in the presence of God. Most of us are an interesting mix of guilt and denial, claiming some guilt beyond our responsibility and ignoring or justifying other transgressions as having done the right thing even though everyone else made it go wrong. The important part, beyond our overdeveloped senses of guilt and innocence, is pointing ourselves and others to God as best we can.
May 14, 2019
LCM lcrsmanifold@att.net
http://psalmmeditations.blogspot.com/
Tuesday, May 7, 2019
Psalm Meditation 986
Fourth Sunday of Easter
May 12, 2019
Psalm 126
1 When the LORD restored the fortunes of Zion, we were like those who dream.
2 Then our mouth was filled with laughter, and our tongue with shouts of joy; then it was said among the nations, “The LORD has done great things for them.”
3 The LORD has done great things for us, and we rejoiced.
4 Restore our fortunes, O LORD, like the watercourses in the Negeb.
5 May those who sow in tears reap with shouts of joy.
6 Those who go out weeping, bearing the seed for sowing, shall come home with shouts of joy, carrying their sheaves.
(NRSV)
There are events in our lives that do more for us than would appear possible from the outside. Not only is there a restoration of something we can point to, something we can hold in our hands, there is a renewal of our faith; our faith in God and our faith in those around us. At least our faith in God is renewed and that gives us time to find renewal of faith in those, most of those, around us. Those events lead us to rejoice in ways that are broader and deeper than we are usually ready to express.
We may express our rejoicing in external ways, including the laughter and shouting the psalmist lifts up. We may express joy in dancing and jumping around. And we may express our joy internally, in a way that comes really close to popping out of our skin. In whatever way we express our joy, we know that God has had a hand in it, and we are quick to acknowledge that God has done great things for us.
When our lives change for the better, whether the change occurs in a moment, or a season, we can give thanks to God for the change of fortune. Some will see the change as something deserved that has finally been delivered, some will see the change as the product of hard work produced by personal effort, some will see the change as a gift from God. Those who see God at work may have put in a lot of effort and still give the bulk of the credit to God. “The LORD has done great things for us, and we rejoiced.”
May 7, 2019
LCM lcrsmanifold@att.net
http://psalmmeditations.blogspot.com/
Fourth Sunday of Easter
May 12, 2019
Psalm 126
1 When the LORD restored the fortunes of Zion, we were like those who dream.
2 Then our mouth was filled with laughter, and our tongue with shouts of joy; then it was said among the nations, “The LORD has done great things for them.”
3 The LORD has done great things for us, and we rejoiced.
4 Restore our fortunes, O LORD, like the watercourses in the Negeb.
5 May those who sow in tears reap with shouts of joy.
6 Those who go out weeping, bearing the seed for sowing, shall come home with shouts of joy, carrying their sheaves.
(NRSV)
There are events in our lives that do more for us than would appear possible from the outside. Not only is there a restoration of something we can point to, something we can hold in our hands, there is a renewal of our faith; our faith in God and our faith in those around us. At least our faith in God is renewed and that gives us time to find renewal of faith in those, most of those, around us. Those events lead us to rejoice in ways that are broader and deeper than we are usually ready to express.
We may express our rejoicing in external ways, including the laughter and shouting the psalmist lifts up. We may express joy in dancing and jumping around. And we may express our joy internally, in a way that comes really close to popping out of our skin. In whatever way we express our joy, we know that God has had a hand in it, and we are quick to acknowledge that God has done great things for us.
When our lives change for the better, whether the change occurs in a moment, or a season, we can give thanks to God for the change of fortune. Some will see the change as something deserved that has finally been delivered, some will see the change as the product of hard work produced by personal effort, some will see the change as a gift from God. Those who see God at work may have put in a lot of effort and still give the bulk of the credit to God. “The LORD has done great things for us, and we rejoiced.”
May 7, 2019
LCM lcrsmanifold@att.net
http://psalmmeditations.blogspot.com/
Monday, April 29, 2019
Psalm Meditation 985
Third Sunday of Easter
May 5, 2019
Psalm 26
1 Vindicate me, O LORD, for I have walked in my integrity, and I have trusted in the LORD without wavering.
2 Prove me, O LORD, and try me; test my heart and mind.
3 For your steadfast love is before my eyes, and I walk in faithfulness to you.
4 I do not sit with the worthless, nor do I consort with hypocrites;
5 I hate the company of evildoers, and will not sit with the wicked.
6 I wash my hands in innocence, and go around your altar, O LORD,
7 singing aloud a song of thanksgiving, and telling all your wondrous deeds.
8 O LORD, I love the house in which you dwell, and the place where your glory abides.
9 Do not sweep me away with sinners, nor my life with the bloodthirsty,
10 those in whose hands are evil devices, and whose right hands are full of bribes.
11 But as for me, I walk in my integrity; redeem me, and be gracious to me.
12 My foot stands on level ground; in the great congregation I will bless the LORD.
(NRSV)
My first impression, cynical as it may be, is that this psalm is akin to the old rhyme, “I don’t smoke and I don’t chew and I don’t go with girls who do.” It is a humble brag about the standards the psalmist holds as well as the expectations of family and friends. First impressions are not always accurate. After the initial cynicism, I realized this is first a prayer lifted to God in a time of need. It is not a humble brag, it is the second part of a three part petition for the help of God as the psalmist pleads for release from a difficult situation. In a time in which God is nearly synonymous with the ruler of the nation, it is necessary and important to remind God who it is raising this petition. What seems to be a humble brag is a recounting of who the psalmist is by way of introduction.
Current belief is that God knows each one of us more intimately than we know ourselves. We do not need to introduce ourselves every time, or remind God who we are and what we do in order to strengthen our relationship on a regular basis. Because God is intimately connected to us, using this psalm to convince God of the rightness of our behavior and that there is justification in meeting our needs at this time does become a humble brag. Any reminders needed will be on our side of the relationship, as we look at who we strive to be for the sake of our relationship with God.
The psalmist has a pretty comprehensive list of folks to avoid; worthless, hypocrites, evildoers, wicked, sinners, bloodthirsty, holders of evil devices, and those who hold bribes in their right hands. If we don’t hang out with these folks, who does that leave? The psalmist has an answer for that too; the innocent, the thankful, those who enjoy the presence of God, those with integrity, and who stand on level ground. The psalmist saw both good and bad behavior as contagious, and so it is. The task for us is to be strengthened by the folks who love God so that we can be the more contagious in the presence of those who are looking to leave the life of wickedness to join life in the presence of God.
April 29, 2019
LCM
Third Sunday of Easter
May 5, 2019
Psalm 26
1 Vindicate me, O LORD, for I have walked in my integrity, and I have trusted in the LORD without wavering.
2 Prove me, O LORD, and try me; test my heart and mind.
3 For your steadfast love is before my eyes, and I walk in faithfulness to you.
4 I do not sit with the worthless, nor do I consort with hypocrites;
5 I hate the company of evildoers, and will not sit with the wicked.
6 I wash my hands in innocence, and go around your altar, O LORD,
7 singing aloud a song of thanksgiving, and telling all your wondrous deeds.
8 O LORD, I love the house in which you dwell, and the place where your glory abides.
9 Do not sweep me away with sinners, nor my life with the bloodthirsty,
10 those in whose hands are evil devices, and whose right hands are full of bribes.
11 But as for me, I walk in my integrity; redeem me, and be gracious to me.
12 My foot stands on level ground; in the great congregation I will bless the LORD.
(NRSV)
My first impression, cynical as it may be, is that this psalm is akin to the old rhyme, “I don’t smoke and I don’t chew and I don’t go with girls who do.” It is a humble brag about the standards the psalmist holds as well as the expectations of family and friends. First impressions are not always accurate. After the initial cynicism, I realized this is first a prayer lifted to God in a time of need. It is not a humble brag, it is the second part of a three part petition for the help of God as the psalmist pleads for release from a difficult situation. In a time in which God is nearly synonymous with the ruler of the nation, it is necessary and important to remind God who it is raising this petition. What seems to be a humble brag is a recounting of who the psalmist is by way of introduction.
Current belief is that God knows each one of us more intimately than we know ourselves. We do not need to introduce ourselves every time, or remind God who we are and what we do in order to strengthen our relationship on a regular basis. Because God is intimately connected to us, using this psalm to convince God of the rightness of our behavior and that there is justification in meeting our needs at this time does become a humble brag. Any reminders needed will be on our side of the relationship, as we look at who we strive to be for the sake of our relationship with God.
The psalmist has a pretty comprehensive list of folks to avoid; worthless, hypocrites, evildoers, wicked, sinners, bloodthirsty, holders of evil devices, and those who hold bribes in their right hands. If we don’t hang out with these folks, who does that leave? The psalmist has an answer for that too; the innocent, the thankful, those who enjoy the presence of God, those with integrity, and who stand on level ground. The psalmist saw both good and bad behavior as contagious, and so it is. The task for us is to be strengthened by the folks who love God so that we can be the more contagious in the presence of those who are looking to leave the life of wickedness to join life in the presence of God.
April 29, 2019
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
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