“Jewish Museum, Rome – The Spanish Synagogue”
The Jewish Museum of Rome is beneath the Great Synagogue. The Spanish Synagogue has been moved here from a building that was just over the river but no longer exists. This is the ladies’ gallery (as in all orthodox synagogues men and women sit separately). The Hebrew inscription (reading right to left) is the opening of psalm 145: “Happy are they who dwell in your house and they shall praise You forever.” [photo and caption by Mike Freedman, emphasis mine]
START WITH SCRIPTURE:
Psalm 145:1-5, 17-21
CLICK HERE TO READ SCRIPTURE ON BIBLEGATEWAY.COM
OBSERVE:
Psalm 145 is another acrostic Psalm devoted to the praise of Yahweh. Each verse begins with a different letter from the Hebrew alphabet. David, the shepherd, musician, warrior and king, is designated as the author.
David begins by proclaiming his own praise for God, with his affirmation that:
I will exalt you, my God, the King.
I will praise your name forever and ever.
In the second verse, he reinforces this declaration through the Hebraic poetic technique of parallelism — repeating the same thought in different words:
Every day I will praise you.
I will extol your name forever and ever.
He proclaims the greatness of Yahweh, whose greatness is unsearchable —beyond comprehension.
David reminds us that each generation is responsible to pass on the faith to the next generation:
One generation will commend your works to another,
and will declare your mighty acts.
This underscores the importance of corporate worship and of teaching children the Scriptures and traditions of the faith.
At the same time, there is an intensely personal and intimate dimension to the worship of God:
Of the glorious majesty of your honor,
of your wondrous works, I will meditate.
In the second section of our lectionary reading from Psalm 145, David extols the qualities and character of Yahweh. He is righteous and gracious. And Yahweh also is described as intimately close to those who call on him and who fear him.
And then there are some extraordinary promises that are claimed in the name of Yahweh:
He will fulfill the desire of those who fear him.
He also will hear their cry, and will save them.
Yahweh preserves all those who love him,
but all the wicked he will destroy.
Some scholars describe this as Deuteronomic theology. In Deuteronomy 28, as Moses prepares for his own departure from the people of Israel, he makes this statement:
It shall happen, if you shall listen diligently to Yahweh your God’s voice, to observe to do all his commandments which I command you today, that Yahweh your God will set you high above all the nations of the earth. All these blessings will come upon you, and overtake you, if you listen to Yahweh your God’s voice (Deuteronomy 28:1-2).
Conversely, if the wicked are not obedient to God’s commands, they will suffer the consequences of their disobedience.
For himself, David proclaims his own intention to praise Yahweh, and calls upon all living beings to praise him:
My mouth will speak the praise of Yahweh.
Let all flesh bless his holy name forever and ever.
APPLY:
There are a few obvious applications of this Psalm to our spiritual life.
First, worship and praise of Yahweh as our God, the King is absolutely vital to our own relationship with God, including meditating on his unsearchable greatness. A sense of awe is an essential part of our worship and prayer.
Second, corporate worship and church-life are vital in the process of passing the faith from one generation to the next. As John Wesley said, “Christianity knows nothing of solitary religion.” We must declare God’s mighty acts to each generation— from creation to the liberation of Israel, the giving of the law, the ministry of the prophets, and the incarnation and redemptive work of Christ.
Third, we internalize his wondrous works as we meditate on them. Our own spiritual life is fed as we meditate on God’s work in creation, as well as his mighty acts of salvation revealed in Scripture.
Fourth, we are aware that part of God’s character is his graciousness to us — that there is blessing that is bestowed on those who call on him. Obviously there is a nuance here — God is not a genii who gives whatever we want if we “name and claim it.” But those who live close to God and in worshipful gratitude tend to be those who are more keenly aware of God’s consistent love and blessing. And, yes, they tend to be happier and more content with what they have received than those whose cravings rule their lives.
RESPOND:
The proper focus on Psalm 145 is on the theme of praise and worship. That is the real emphasis here.
However, it is impossible to miss the Deuteronomic influence here — that if we obey God’s law and fear God, we will be blessed.
We see that theology in an exaggerated form in what is called the Prosperity Gospel today. This is the belief that when we become Christians, whatever we ask in Jesus’ name God must give us.
I had a friend in seminary who would proclaim, as we drove through the pricey, exclusive sections of Dallas, “I believe Jesus wants me to have that house! I believe Jesus wants me to have that Mercedes.”
I believe that this is a gross distortion of Deuteronomic theology. The truth is really more a matter of “both/and.” It is true that blessing and reward are promised in the Old Testament and the New Testament to those who are faithful. However, there is also a balance in the Biblical record. Patriarchs, prophets and apostles all experienced profound suffering and hardship, and delayed fulfillment.
So, yes, there is reward promised to believers. Some of that reward may come in the sense of peace and serenity in the face of tribulation and suffering. And some of that reward is eschatological.
So the answer to the question about God’s promise of reward is yes — but as Paul writes in Romans:
I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which will be revealed toward us. (Romans 8:18)
Lord, I join together with all generations to praise and extol you! Thank you for your promise of blessing. The greatest blessing of all is the opportunity to know and worship you. Amen.
PHOTOS:
"Jewish Museum, Rome-The Spanish Synagogue" by Mike Freedman is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.0 Generic license.
SOAR Lectionary Bible Study 