Psalm Meditation 993
Proper 8
June 30, 2019
Psalm 52
1 Why do you boast, O mighty one, of mischief done against the godly? All day long
2 you are plotting destruction. Your tongue is like a sharp razor, you worker of treachery.
3 You love evil more than good, and lying more than speaking the truth. Selah
4 You love all words that devour, O deceitful tongue.
5 But God will break you down forever; he will snatch and tear you from your tent; he will uproot you from the land of the living. Selah
6 The righteous will see, and fear, and will laugh at the evildoer, saying,
7 “See the one who would not take refuge in God, but trusted in abundant riches, and sought refuge in wealth!”
8 But I am like a green olive tree in the house of God. I trust in the steadfast love of God forever and ever.
9 I will thank you forever, because of what you have done. In the presence of the faithful I will proclaim your name, for it is good.
(NRSV)
It is easy to make this about a politician, supervisor, or boss that makes us crazy. And it may well include each of the folks we picture as we read this. It is just as likely about us. If we have led someone to believe something that is more to our advantage than to theirs, we are among those the psalmist writes about. I have planned which public office holders I would have in mind as I wrote this, and then… and then I read it this morning and discovered it is about us, about me.
It is so easy to think and write about ‘those’ people. There is not much that I can do about them. I can only stand back and wait for God to break them down, snatch them from their dwellings, and uproot them from the land of the living. I can change me. I can learn that, just because I have the power to do something, doesn’t mean it is of God. If I have any part in holding someone else down; if I have any part in spreading lies, even the ones I believe, I am guilty of loving evil more than good, and lying more than speaking the truth.
Mercifully, once we realize that a psalm like this can include us among the evil doers, rather than among the righteous, we can turn to God in repentance. As we move toward God we will discover that we have taken refuge in God rather than taking refuge in the ‘stuff’ on which we have depended for our safety and security. As our refuge in God becomes more deeply established we will find it less important to boast and lie for the sake of ‘stuff,’ and look more to a deepening sense of the presence of God in all we are and do.
June 24, 2019
LCM
Monday, June 24, 2019
Monday, June 17, 2019
Psalm Meditation 992
Proper 7
June 23, 2019
Psalm 127
1 Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labor in vain. Unless the Lord guards the city, the guard keeps watch in vain.
2 It is in vain that you rise up early and go late to rest, eating the bread of anxious toil; for he gives sleep to his beloved.
3 Sons are indeed a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb a reward.
4 Like arrows in the hand of a warrior are the sons of one’s youth.
5 Happy is the man who has his quiver full of them. He shall not be put to shame when he speaks with his enemies in the gate.
(NRSV)
Marriage used to be for two reasons; family alliances, and heirs. The couple marrying had little to say about their partner, it was all arranged for the sake of the wider family circles. Since the family name was passed on from the male side of the relationship, sons were more desirable than daughters. Females were considered property, passed from one family to another as breeding stock and domestic help. Not the most humane way to treat a daughter or a spouse. Things have changed in a lot of places.
People get married for love, with children as an added benefit. Couples choose to marry for supportive companionship. Couples choose to raise their children together without getting married. A variety of single, couple, and family arrangements exist with and without the support of the broader family. Is each one of these arrangements fulfilling? It certainly can be. There are a variety of definitions of what makes a family, and there is not universal agreement on those definitions. It is possible to be happy and to feel blessed in a family that is outside the one described by the psalmist.
The psalmist starts with the importance of the presence of God in all we do. That is more important than how we define what it means to be a family. When God is present in and around our lives, we have something special to hold onto and to offer to others. The acknowledgment of the presence of God in our lives is a gift we give to everyone around us.
June 17, 2019
LCM lcrsmanifold@att.net
http://psalmmeditations.blogspot.com/
Proper 7
June 23, 2019
Psalm 127
1 Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labor in vain. Unless the Lord guards the city, the guard keeps watch in vain.
2 It is in vain that you rise up early and go late to rest, eating the bread of anxious toil; for he gives sleep to his beloved.
3 Sons are indeed a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb a reward.
4 Like arrows in the hand of a warrior are the sons of one’s youth.
5 Happy is the man who has his quiver full of them. He shall not be put to shame when he speaks with his enemies in the gate.
(NRSV)
Marriage used to be for two reasons; family alliances, and heirs. The couple marrying had little to say about their partner, it was all arranged for the sake of the wider family circles. Since the family name was passed on from the male side of the relationship, sons were more desirable than daughters. Females were considered property, passed from one family to another as breeding stock and domestic help. Not the most humane way to treat a daughter or a spouse. Things have changed in a lot of places.
People get married for love, with children as an added benefit. Couples choose to marry for supportive companionship. Couples choose to raise their children together without getting married. A variety of single, couple, and family arrangements exist with and without the support of the broader family. Is each one of these arrangements fulfilling? It certainly can be. There are a variety of definitions of what makes a family, and there is not universal agreement on those definitions. It is possible to be happy and to feel blessed in a family that is outside the one described by the psalmist.
The psalmist starts with the importance of the presence of God in all we do. That is more important than how we define what it means to be a family. When God is present in and around our lives, we have something special to hold onto and to offer to others. The acknowledgment of the presence of God in our lives is a gift we give to everyone around us.
June 17, 2019
LCM lcrsmanifold@att.net
http://psalmmeditations.blogspot.com/
Tuesday, June 11, 2019
Psalm Meditation 991
Trinity Sunday
June 16, 2019
Psalm 27
1 The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?
2 When evildoers assail me to devour my flesh—my adversaries and foes—they shall stumble and fall.
3 Though an army encamp against me, my heart shall not fear; though war rise up against me, yet I will be confident.
4 One thing I asked of the Lord, that will I seek after: to live in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to inquire in his temple.
5 For he will hide me in his shelter in the day of trouble; he will conceal me under the cover of his tent; he will set me high on a rock.
6 Now my head is lifted up above my enemies all around me, and I will offer in his tent sacrifices with shouts of joy; I will sing and make melody to the Lord.
7 Hear, O Lord, when I cry aloud, be gracious to me and answer me!
8 “Come,” my heart says, “seek his face!” Your face, Lord, do I seek.
9 Do not hide your face from me. Do not turn your servant away in anger, you who have been my help. Do not cast me off, do not forsake me, O God of my salvation!
10 If my father and mother forsake me, the Lord will take me up.
11 Teach me your way, O Lord, and lead me on a level path because of my enemies.
12 Do not give me up to the will of my adversaries, for false witnesses have risen against me, and they are breathing out violence.
13 I believe that I shall see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.
14 Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord!
(NRSV)
I can see the psalmist doing a happy dance as a part of the writing and the performing of this psalm. When things are going well for us, it is easy to forget how dependent on God we are. It is an excellent reminder to read a psalm that celebrates the presence of God as a no-matter-what presence. The psalmist jumps for joy while celebrating, ‘God has been and will continue to be good to me, even if all the people around me, including my parents, decide to abandon me.’
In verses 7-9 the dance stops. There is a moment of prayerful reflection as the psalmist is reminded that we can’t take the presence of God for granted. Even in faith that God will not turn away, the psalmist stops to ask God to be a constant presence in the life of the psalmist. No one likes to be taken for granted, and I imagine that God is no exception. While God may not get as hurts as we do, it is still unpleasant for God for us to assume anything about the presence of God.
The happy dance starts again, slowly as the psalmist recognizes how unconditional the love of God is. The taken-for-grantedness has changed to a desire to be in the presence of God as a student, a disciple, as one who wants to revel in the presence of God. The celebration begins by soaking up as much of the glory, majesty, and unassumedness of God as humanly possible. “Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord!”
June 10, 2019
LCM lcrsmanifold@att.net
http://psalmmeditations.blogspot.com/
Trinity Sunday
June 16, 2019
Psalm 27
1 The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?
2 When evildoers assail me to devour my flesh—my adversaries and foes—they shall stumble and fall.
3 Though an army encamp against me, my heart shall not fear; though war rise up against me, yet I will be confident.
4 One thing I asked of the Lord, that will I seek after: to live in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to inquire in his temple.
5 For he will hide me in his shelter in the day of trouble; he will conceal me under the cover of his tent; he will set me high on a rock.
6 Now my head is lifted up above my enemies all around me, and I will offer in his tent sacrifices with shouts of joy; I will sing and make melody to the Lord.
7 Hear, O Lord, when I cry aloud, be gracious to me and answer me!
8 “Come,” my heart says, “seek his face!” Your face, Lord, do I seek.
9 Do not hide your face from me. Do not turn your servant away in anger, you who have been my help. Do not cast me off, do not forsake me, O God of my salvation!
10 If my father and mother forsake me, the Lord will take me up.
11 Teach me your way, O Lord, and lead me on a level path because of my enemies.
12 Do not give me up to the will of my adversaries, for false witnesses have risen against me, and they are breathing out violence.
13 I believe that I shall see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.
14 Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord!
(NRSV)
I can see the psalmist doing a happy dance as a part of the writing and the performing of this psalm. When things are going well for us, it is easy to forget how dependent on God we are. It is an excellent reminder to read a psalm that celebrates the presence of God as a no-matter-what presence. The psalmist jumps for joy while celebrating, ‘God has been and will continue to be good to me, even if all the people around me, including my parents, decide to abandon me.’
In verses 7-9 the dance stops. There is a moment of prayerful reflection as the psalmist is reminded that we can’t take the presence of God for granted. Even in faith that God will not turn away, the psalmist stops to ask God to be a constant presence in the life of the psalmist. No one likes to be taken for granted, and I imagine that God is no exception. While God may not get as hurts as we do, it is still unpleasant for God for us to assume anything about the presence of God.
The happy dance starts again, slowly as the psalmist recognizes how unconditional the love of God is. The taken-for-grantedness has changed to a desire to be in the presence of God as a student, a disciple, as one who wants to revel in the presence of God. The celebration begins by soaking up as much of the glory, majesty, and unassumedness of God as humanly possible. “Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord!”
June 10, 2019
LCM lcrsmanifold@att.net
http://psalmmeditations.blogspot.com/
Thursday, June 6, 2019
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/
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/
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/
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