Psalm Reading for May 5, 2024

START WITH SCRIPTURE:
Psalm 98
CLICK HERE TO READ SCRIPTURE ON BIBLEGATEWAY.COM

OBSERVE:

This is a song of praise to the Creator and Savior of the world.  Not only are the human worshippers called upon to praise the Lord using every means available, but even nature itself is summoned to glorify God.

The motivation for this praise is revealed in all the marvelous things that God has done:

His right hand, and his holy arm, have worked salvation for him.
Yahweh has made known his salvation.
He has openly shown his righteousness in the sight of the nations.
He has remembered his loving kindness and his faithfulness toward the house of Israel.

Not only has this salvation been made manifest for the nations (i.e., non-Israelite Gentiles), and to Israel — all creation has experienced the salvation of God.

And every available means of music-making and celebration are to be used in this chorus of praise — shouting, jubilant song and music, the harp, trumpets, the ram’s horn. Even nature itself joins in this mighty song:

Let the sea roar with its fullness;
the world, and those who dwell therein.
Let the rivers clap their hands.
Let the mountains sing for joy together.

We note that the ram’s horn was blown to herald important feast days and holy days in the liturgical year of the Israelites.  This is a particularly special time of worship.

And what is the occasion of all this joy and jubilation?  Yes, they are celebrating the salvation that God has worked by creating the world and delivering his people; but the Psalmist especially draws attention to the righteousness of God, and his impending judgment of all the world:

he comes to judge the earth.
He will judge the world with righteousness,
and the peoples with equity.

APPLY:  

How are we to respond to the magnificence of creation, the salvation of all the earth, and the justice that God brings in his judgments?  With all the earth, we join together in a chorus of praise.

The image that seems to fit here is that of a full symphony and a massive choir, with every instrument and voice joining together in harmony to praise God!

And there is in this also a cautionary note — this Psalm is not anthropocentric.  The Psalmist is not setting humankind in the epicenter; even creation is a part of this vast harmony of praise.  No, the one at the center of all of this praise is the Lord of all creation.

In a way, this Psalm is a reminder to us that we are not saved merely individualistically.  We are part of the vast and complex network of God’s creativity.  As Paul says in Romans 8: 19-21:

 For the creation waits with eager expectation for the children of God to be revealed. For the creation was subjected to vanity, not of its own will, but because of him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of decay into the liberty of the glory of the children of God.

This is why we Christians cannot divorce ourselves from concerns and interests in the world around us — the economic, environmental and, yes, even political systems in which we live and work and even worship.  God’s ultimate goal is to redeem, deliver and liberate his entire creation from its bondage to decay.  And that is worthy of our worship!

RESPOND: 

When I read this Psalm, I am reminded of recent hikes in a state park, with the bluest of skies and the greenest of trees, and the occasional snort of a deer nearby, or the hoot of an owl.

I am reminded when I walk through that cathedral that all creation will unite to praise the Creator, and the day is coming when:

 at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, those on earth, and those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father (Philippians 2:10-11).

Judgment won’t be merely a sifting of good and evil (although there is that too), but a restoration of what was meant to be.

So I respond to my Creator and Savior with unceasing praise, together with angels and archangels, and with oceans and mountains and rivers!

Lord, how can I not praise you when I consider the contrasts of delicacy in a wildflower, and the magnificence of a mountain? How can I not praise you for your mercy revealed in Jesus, who though God became man to bring my nature together with yours, thus cleansing me of all unrighteousness? How can I not praise you that you will bring justice to a broken and sinful world, and finally make it all right?  Amen!

PHOTOS:
"Lectionary visual reflection based on Psalm 98.7" by Baptist Union of Great Britain is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.0 Generic license.

Psalm Reading for December 3, 2023

START WITH SCRIPTURE:
Psalm 80:1-7, 17-19
CLICK HERE TO READ SCRIPTURE ON BIBLEGATEWAY.COM

OBSERVE:

This Psalm appeals to the Lord for intervention in a time of adversity.  It is described as a Psalm of Lament.  It is difficult to tell from the context alone if the Psalm was written before or after the exile of Israel.  It doesn’t really matter to the reader, because it is clearly a cry for help in any event. One clue, though, might be the mention of the tribes of Ephraim, Benjamin and Manasseh, which would suggest that the Psalm was written before the Northern Kingdom of Israel was destroyed and scattered by the Assyrians in 722 B.C.

The imagery of the Lord as Shepherd is familiar to us, and comforting — but then there is the imagery of the Lord sitting enthroned between the cherubim. The cherubim are those terrifying angelic figures who are depicted as the guardians of Eden with a sword of flame, and the close companions of the Lord who bear him up with wings of the wind.  This description of Yahweh is much more intimidating.  There may also be a reference to the winged cherubim made of gold who flank the Ark of the Covenant in the Holy of Holies within the temple.

But what does the Psalmist seek? Restoration, revival, salvation.  He cries out for the Lord to awaken, and to make his face shine on them again.  This hearkens back to the Deuteronomic blessing that Aaron was instructed to give as High Priest:

Yahweh bless you, and keep you.
Yahweh make his face to shine on you,
and be gracious to you.
Yahweh lift up his face toward you,
and give you peace (Numbers 6:24-26).

There may also be a reference to the glory of God that accompanies his presence — the same glory that made the face of Moses shine after he’d been in the presence of the Lord.

But there’s a catch — God is now angry with Israel.  The result of his anger is the deep grief of Israel and the derision and mockery by their enemies.  Their grief is expressed in a very concrete image — their very food is drenched by tears, and their drinking bowls are full of tears!

We don’t really know the specific cause of this disruption in their relationship with their God, but it could be any one of many of Israel’s historic setbacks.

The refrain recurs as a kind of litany three times:

Revive us, and we will call on your name.
Turn us again, Yahweh God of Armies.
Cause your face to shine, and we will be saved.

And what is the source of that salvation?  The Christian reader can’t help but read into the Psalm a messianic prophecy:

Let your hand rest on the man at your right hand, the son of man you have raised up for yourself.

The phrase son of man may have many meanings, but one that is inescapable for the Christian is Messianic.  Jesus uses this phrase repeatedly in the Gospels when referring to himself.

APPLY:  

At some point we all know how it feels to be defeated, demoralized, in despair — as a nation, a family, an individual.  The cry of the Psalmist isn’t far from the experience of any of us.

We have all tasted our own tears of grief or shame; and we probably know what it feels like to be despised by someone because of our mistakes.

What we cry out for, in our nation, our church, our family, our own lives, is revival and restoration.  If once we have experienced the presence of God in our lives — if we have known the shine of his face — and it has faded for us, we earnestly yearn for it again.

We will find our revival and restoration in the life and the light of Christ, who brings not only salvation from our sins but healing to our hearts, and the power to live the holy lives to which he calls us.

RESPOND: 

I find myself from time to time dealing with my own drift away from God.  I have to cry out again for renewal and revival.  As with the Psalmist this happens when I begin to call out God’s name and seek to live according to the claims of his name.

Our Lord, our nation experiences victories, but also sees defeats — the disabled veteran who wonders ‘was it worth it?’ The ambiguity of race relations in a divided country.  And our own personal struggles with grief or depression.  We don’t have the wisdom to provide all the answers.  But you have provided a Person who is wisdom incarnate, and salvation, and new life!  May we find our source of healing and salvation in Christ! Amen.

PHOTOS:
“Psalm 80” by Brett Jordan is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license.

Psalm Reading for November 26, 2023

START WITH SCRIPTURE:
Psalm 100
CLICK HERE TO READ SCRIPTURE ON BIBLEGATEWAY.COM

OBSERVE:

This is a Psalm of praise and thanksgiving that calls for universal worship of the Lord.  All the earth is summoned to shout, worship and sing.  Does this mean merely the human world, or does it include also the non-human creation?  The Psalm doesn’t seem to make a distinction.

There are a series of imperatives — it begins with the command to worship, but in the second verse all are commanded:

 Know that Yahweh, he is God.

It must be remembered that Israel is professing faith in the one Lord, the one who revealed himself as I Am to Moses.  They are maintaining this faith in the midst of a pagan culture rife with polytheism and idolatry.  So this is a kind of profession of faith that has its roots in the Shema:

Hear, Israel: Yahweh is our God. Yahweh is one. You shall love Yahweh your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your might. (Deuteronomy 6: 4-5).

All the earth is called upon to acknowledge the One and Only Lord.

There is a variant reading in verse 3. Although subtle, there are different implications. One reading is It is he who made us, and we are his.  That is reinforced by the next line we are his people.  One of the literary techniques of Hebrew literature is parallelism, that reinforces a concept by repeating it in a different way.

But there is a profound theological impact to the other possible interpretation: It is he who made us, and not we ourselves. This reinforces the sense of dependency on God, that no part of creation is autonomous but all are God-related.

The imagery of the sheep is prevalent throughout the Old and New Testaments.  But when the Psalmist says we are his people, the sheep of his pasture, does he mean to include all the earth as sheep of his pasture, or only the nation of Israel?

The Psalmist returns to the theme of worship in verse 4, with a more traditional invitation to enter into the temple in Jerusalem with praise and thanksgiving.  Although the invitation to worship is universal to all the earth, there is but one God, and one temple!

The last words of the Psalm are a common refrain in many of the Psalms, affirming God’s goodness and love that endure forever and transcend generations.

APPLY:  

All the earth is called upon to worship the One Lord of all creation.  But in fact, all of earth’s inhabitants do not worship the One Lord, and do not acknowledge that they are sheep of his pasture!

So this summons to all the earth — to shout, to worship, to sing — is also a summons to us that we are to evangelize and to disciple others.  We can never take it for granted that everyone is a worshipper of God.

This is not a popular sentiment in a culture of pluralism and multiculturalism, but the truth is that the Scriptures claim a certain measure of exclusivism.  There is One God that we are to worship:

Know that Yahweh, he is God.

Christians go a step farther and adhere to the One Lord, One faith, One baptism, One God and Father of us all (Ephesians 4:5-6).  Moreover, Jesus claims this same exclusivism:

I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father, except through me (John 14:6).

Although all are invited to worship, that doesn’t mean that they are invited to worship whatever gods or goddesses or idols they prefer.  There is a path.

But there is ample room in the “courts of the Lord” for all who wish to come home, for all who wish to experience anew the steadfast goodness, love and faithfulness of the Lord that endures forever.

RESPOND: 

I must come to the Lord in worship and praise while inviting and welcoming “all the earth” to join me in worship.  That means not only that I engage in worship with all my heart, soul and mind, but that I also engage in evangelism and discipleship.

Our Lord, I want to worship you and shout and sing.  But I must do so without worshipping my own ideas and notions, but only focusing on you.  I pray that others may come to know you as well, and to worship and love you. Help me to be a loving, welcoming worshipper, without compromising your truth.  Amen. 

PHOTOS:
“Psalm 100” by Adam Ranck is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 2.0 Generic license.

Psalm Reading for November 19, 2023

The words “Never Again” are written in several languages at a memorial at the Dachau concentration camp.

START WITH SCRIPTURE:
Psalm 123
CLICK HERE TO READ SCRIPTURE ON BIBLEGATEWAY.COM

OBSERVE:

This Psalm is called a Song of Ascents. A Song of Ascents was generally sung as part of a pilgrimage by the congregation as they climbed the path toward the temple in Jerusalem.  They were literally “ascending” from the valley below toward the temple heights.

This is made more pointed by the first verse:

To you I do lift up my eyes,
you who sit in the heavens.

There is both a literal, physical aspect to this description, and a spiritual application.  The worshippers literally look up to the temple as they climb, but inwardly they are also looking up to him who sits enthroned in heaven.

The language of the worshippers here is self-abasing and humbling.  The Psalmist uses a simile that compares the worshippers to slaves in relation to their masters — the worshipper is to God as a slave is to his/her owner.  There is the sense of utter submission to God’s authority.

But they are also supplicants as well — they are asking for God’s mercy.

The ironic twist here is that the worshippers are humbling themselves before God, but they are seeking help because they have been humiliated by the arrogant and the proud. They are seeking God’s help to right the wrong that has been done to them.

APPLY:  

It is one thing to humble oneself before God; it is quite another to be humiliated by the arrogant and the proud. This begs the question for us — how much do we allow ourselves to be humiliated or “despitefully used” by others who treat us unjustly?

This becomes relevant for a Christian who is in a repressive situation, where a powerful majority exercises authority over the minority in a cruel and outrageous way.  The Jews of Europe who found themselves swept up by Nazi anti-Semitism and the Holocaust at first were passive in the face of Nazi aggression.  Perhaps they believed it would blow over like such discrimination had done in the past.  In the aftermath of genocide, Jewry around the world, and particularly in Israel today, have vowed “Never Again.”

Black Christians in the Civil Rights era had to find this same balance between submission to God and seeking racial equality in the face of a culture that viewed them as a subordinate race.

So the question remains — if we “love our enemy, and pray for those who persecute us, and do good to those who despitefully use us” as Jesus teaches, does that mean that we ignore justice?

It is one thing to “turn the other cheek” if someone strikes us — that is personal humility in the face of injustice.  It may be ungodly to look the other way if someone else is struck.

RESPOND: 

The following are thoughts prompted by Psalm 123, not necessarily directly related to its meaning for the Psalmist:

For myself, I must be willing to tolerate humiliation, ridicule, even contempt if I am to take seriously the teaching of Jesus. I may find it spiritually useful to respond humbly to such treatment as a way of “mortifying” my own ego. I must particularly humble myself before God. But if I see others being treated unjustly by other people, that may require me to intervene on their behalf because I am a Christian. To do nothing when someone else is being harmed seems to me immoral.

Our Lord,  I must kneel before your majesty, because you are my Maker and you are sovereign.  I am rightly humble before you.  But when I am confronted by others who may be insulting or inhumane, I need your grace not to react defensively.  Every fiber in my being wants to hit back.  And I ask for your wisdom when I see others being treated unjustly — that I may defend them in proportion to the offense, and seek reconciliation with those who are doing wrong.  Amen. 

PHOTOS:
“Never Again.” by Wendy is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs license.

Psalm Reading for December 25, 2022

START WITH SCRIPTURE:
Psalm 98
CLICK HERE TO READ SCRIPTURE ON BIBLEGATEWAY.COM

OBSERVE:

This is a song of praise to the Creator and Savior of the world.  Not only are the human worshippers called upon to praise the Lord using every means available, but even nature itself is summoned to glorify God.

The motivation for this praise is revealed in all the marvelous things that God has done:

His right hand, and his holy arm, have worked salvation for him.
Yahweh has made known his salvation.
He has openly shown his righteousness in the sight of the nations.
He has remembered his loving kindness and his faithfulness toward the house of Israel.

Not only has this salvation been made manifest for the nations (i.e., non-Israelite Gentiles), and to Israel — all creation has experienced the salvation of God.

And every available means of music-making and celebration are to be used in this chorus of praise — shouting, jubilant song and music, the harp, trumpets, the ram’s horn. Even nature itself joins in this mighty song:

Let the sea roar with its fullness;
the world, and those who dwell therein.
Let the rivers clap their hands.
Let the mountains sing for joy together.

We note that the ram’s horn was blown to herald important feast days and holy days in the liturgical year of the Israelites.  This is a particularly special time of worship.

And what is the occasion of all this joy and jubilation?  Yes, they are celebrating the salvation that God has worked by creating the world and delivering his people; but the Psalmist especially draws attention to the righteousness of God, and his impending judgment of all the world:

he comes to judge the earth.
He will judge the world with righteousness,
and the peoples with equity.

APPLY:  

How are we to respond to the magnificence of creation, the salvation of all the earth, and the justice that God brings in his judgments?  With all the earth, we join together in a chorus of praise.

The image that seems to fit here is that of a full symphony and a massive choir, with every instrument and voice joining together in harmony to praise God!

And there is in this also a cautionary note — this Psalm is not anthropocentric.  The Psalmist is not setting humankind in the epicenter; even creation is a part of this vast harmony of praise.  No, the one at the center of all of this praise is the Lord of all creation.

In a way, this Psalm is a reminder to us that we are not saved merely individualistically.  We are part of the vast and complex network of God’s creativity.  As Paul says in Romans 8:19-21:

 For the creation waits with eager expectation for the children of God to be revealed. For the creation was subjected to vanity, not of its own will, but because of him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of decay into the liberty of the glory of the children of God.

This is why we Christians cannot divorce ourselves from concerns and interests in the world around us — the economic, environmental and, yes, even political systems in which we live and work and even worship.  God’s ultimate goal is to redeem, deliver and liberate his entire creation from its bondage to decay.  And that is worthy of our worship!

RESPOND: 

If I were a betting man, I’d be willing to wager a handsome sum on the likelihood that on Christmas Day in 90% of churches, there is one hymn that will be included in the worship service — Joy to the World, composed by Isaac Watts.

By modern standards, it is an “old carol,” included in Watts’ 1719 hymnal entitled The Psalms of David: Imitated in the language of the New Testament, and applied to the Christian state and worship.

Watt’s hymn is based on the latter half of Psalm 98, and it celebrates the Second Coming of Jesus rather than his first.  The lyrics tell the story of the joy of all creation at the coming of the Lord:

Joy to the world, the Lord has come!
Let earth receive her King;
Let every heart prepare Him room,
And Heaven and nature sing,
And Heaven and nature sing,
And Heaven, and Heaven, and nature sing.

Joy to the world, the Savior reigns!
Let men their songs employ;
While fields and floods, rocks, hills and plains
Repeat the sounding joy,
Repeat the sounding joy,
Repeat, repeat, the sounding joy.

No more let sins and sorrows grow,
Nor thorns infest the ground;
He comes to make His blessings flow
Far as the curse is found,
Far as the curse is found,
Far as, far as, the curse is found.

He rules the world with truth and grace,
And makes the nations prove
The glories of His righteousness,
And wonders of His love,
And wonders of His love,
And wonders, wonders, of His love.

So, while we rejoice in the nativity of Jesus in Bethlehem so long ago, we also anticipate the joy of his Second Coming — which we will celebrate with all creation!

Our Lord, you have come to us in human flesh through Jesus to reconcile us to yourself.  And you will come again to bring peace and restoration to ALL nature.  With all nature, we sing for joy at your coming! Amen.

PHOTOS: “Psalm 98:9” uses the following image:
“‘Slichot’ Prayer” by Government Press Office is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic license.

 

Psalm Reading for December 18, 2022

START WITH SCRIPTURE:
Psalm 80:1-7, 17-19
CLICK HERE TO READ SCRIPTURE ON BIBLEGATEWAY.COM

OBSERVE:

This Psalm appeals to the Lord for intervention in a time of adversity.  It is described as a Psalm of Lament.  It is difficult to tell from the context alone if the Psalm was written before or after the exile of Israel.  It doesn’t really matter to the reader, because it is clearly a cry for help in any event. One clue, though, might be the mention of the tribes of Ephraim, Benjamin and Manasseh, which would suggest that the Psalm was written before the Northern Kingdom of Israel was destroyed and scattered by the Assyrians in 722 B.C.

The imagery of the Lord as Shepherd is familiar to us, and comforting — but then there is the imagery of the Lord sitting enthroned between the cherubim. The cherubim are those terrifying angelic figures who are depicted as the guardians of Eden with a sword of flame, and the close companions of the Lord who bear him up with wings of the wind.  This description of Yahweh is much more intimidating.  There may also be a reference to the winged cherubim made of gold who flank the Ark of the Covenant in the Holy of Holies within the temple.

But what does the Psalmist seek? Restoration, revival, salvation.  He cries out for the Lord to awaken, and to make his face shine on them again.  This hearkens back to the Deuteronomic blessing that Aaron was instructed to give as High Priest:

Yahweh bless you, and keep you.
Yahweh make his face to shine on you,
and be gracious to you.
Yahweh lift up his face toward you,
and give you peace (Numbers 6:24-26).

There may also be a reference to the glory of God that accompanies his presence — the same glory that made the face of Moses shine after he’d been in the presence of the Lord.

But there’s a catch — God is now angry with Israel.  The result of his anger is the deep grief of Israel and the derision and mockery by their enemies.  Their grief is expressed in a very concrete image — their very food is drenched by tears, and their drinking bowls are full of tears!

We don’t really know the specific cause of this disruption in their relationship with their God, but it could be any one of many of Israel’s historic setbacks.

The refrain recurs as a kind of litany three times:

Revive us, and we will call on your name.
Turn us again, Yahweh God of Armies.
Cause your face to shine, and we will be saved.

And what is the source of that salvation?  The Christian reader can’t help but read into the Psalm a messianic prophecy:

Let your hand rest on the man at your right hand, the son of man you have raised up for yourself.

The phrase son of man may have many meanings, but one that is inescapable for the Christian is Messianic.  Jesus uses this phrase repeatedly in the Gospels when referring to himself.

APPLY:  

At some point we all know how it feels to be defeated, demoralized, in despair — as a nation, a family, an individual.  The cry of the Psalmist isn’t far from the experience of any of us.

We have all tasted our own tears of grief or shame; and we probably know what it feels like to be despised by someone because of our mistakes.

What we cry out for, in our nation, our church, our family, our own lives, is revival and restoration.  If once we have experienced the presence of God in our lives — if we have known the shine of his face — and it has faded for us, we earnestly yearn for it again.

We will find our revival and restoration in the life and the light of Christ, who brings not only salvation from our sins but healing to our hearts, and the power to live the holy lives to which he calls us.

RESPOND: 

I find myself from time to time dealing with my own drift away from God.  I have to cry out again for renewal and revival.  As with the Psalmist this happens when I begin to call out God’s name and seek to live according to the claims of his name.

Our Lord, our nation experiences victories, but also sees defeats — the disabled veteran who wonders ‘was it worth it?’ The ambiguity of race relations in a divided country.  And our own personal struggles with grief or depression.  We don’t have the wisdom to provide all the answers.  But you have provided a Person who is wisdom incarnate, and salvation, and new life!  May we find our source of healing and salvation in Christ! Amen.

PHOTOS:
“Psalm 80” by Brett Jordan is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license.

Psalm Reading for December 4, 2022

START WITH SCRIPTURE:
Psalm 72:1-7, 18-19
CLICK HERE TO READ SCRIPTURE ON BIBLEGATEWAY.COM

OBSERVE:

This is one of the “Royal Psalms” that either honors the king or is, as in this case, an intercession for the king.

The intercession is for the Lord to endow the king with those qualities that will help him rule with justice and righteousness.  The social concern here, as elsewhere in Psalms and in the Prophets, is not merely for the king’s wisdom, but that he will have a particular concern for the poor and the afflicted.

The Psalmist prays for distributive justice, but also for retributive justice.  He prays for prosperity and protection for the oppressed — that is distributive justice.  But he also prays that the king might have the power to crush the oppressor — that is retributive justice.

The metaphors in verses 5-7 implore the Lord to give the king long life and reign:

They shall fear you while the sun endures;
and as long as the moon, throughout all generations.

In other words, may the king endure for as long as human imagination can possibly conceive!

David, the Psalmist, closes his Psalm with an attribution of praise:

Praise be to Yahweh God, the God of Israel,
who alone does marvelous deeds.
 Blessed be his glorious name forever!
Let the whole earth be filled with his glory!
Amen and amen.

Ultimately, only Yahweh is the true King and Lord of both Israel and all the earth.

APPLY:  

We live in a largely “democratic” era, when kings no longer rule with absolute power in most lands.  But we still pray for justice and righteousness, and relief for the poor and oppressed.

Obviously, the only “King” who will absolutely fulfill these longings is the true Anointed One — the Messiah Jesus.

So we ultimately pray for his reign to come in our lives and in our world.

RESPOND: 

Politics in the past few years have been extremely unpredictable.  Polls and pundits have consistently been wrong about their prognostications.  We can’t be sure what the future will bring in these uncertain times.

But we can be sure that God is never uncertain or anxious or fearful.  God has anointed his Son as the King who will bring justice for the poor, prosperity to the people, salvation to the needy, and an abundance of peace.

Therefore we can look beyond the chaos of our times to the reign that is to come.

Our Lord, reign in my life and in our world!  Bring your justice, righteousness and prosperity for all people.  Amen!

PHOTOS:
"Psalm 72 Praise God! The whole earth is filled with His glory" by Martin LaBar is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 2.0 Generic license.

Psalm Reading for November 27, 2022

START WITH SCRIPTURE:
Psalm 122
CLICK HERE TO READ SCRIPTURE ON BIBLEGATEWAY.COM

OBSERVE:

The ascription of this Psalm declares that it is a Song of Ascents, written by David.  There were fifteen Psalms that were called Songs of Ascents (Psalms 120-134).  They were likely written as songs to be sung in procession by pilgrims as they climbed the mountain toward the Tabernacle and the Altar of Yahweh.

The first line of the Psalm expresses the jubilation of approaching the place of worship — but it also presents a small problem:

I was glad when they said to me,
“Let’s go to Yahweh’s house!”

We can well imagine David expressing such a sentiment, especially when we read 2 Samuel 6. David has decided to bring the Ark of the Covenant into Jerusalem, which he has designated as his capital. And we are told that:

David danced before Yahweh with all his might; and David was clothed in a linen ephod.  So David and all the house of Israel brought up Yahweh’s ark with shouting, and with the sound of the trumpet (2 Samuel 6:14-15).

That description captures the sense of joy — the gladness that the Psalmist feels after he’s been told it’s time to go to Yahweh’s house.

The only catch is, there was no temple in Jerusalem in David’s time — the temple wasn’t built until David’s son Solomon accomplished that feat.  This may be a minor detail.  By house, it may simply mean the Tabernacle, which was the tent in which the Ark of the Covenant was kept.

Nevertheless, the place of worship has become the centralized capital city of Jerusalem — the City of David.  We remember that David actually became the king of two distinct kingdoms, that were united in his person — Israel in the north, and Judah in the south.

So, this capital is not only the political center of this newly United Kingdom, it has become the religious center, where all the tribes unite in worship:

where the tribes go up, even Yah’s tribes,
according to an ordinance for Israel,
to give thanks to Yahweh’s name.

There are physical details that describe certain moments and features of this procession.  First, the statement that:

Our feet are standing within your gates, Jerusalem….

This probably is literally timed to coincide with the moment that the pilgrim’s feet enter the gates of Jerusalem.

And a little later in the Psalm, David writes:

For there are set thrones for judgment,
the thrones of David’s house.

We are told in 1 Kings 22:10 of an occasion when thrones were set up in an open place so that the kings of Israel and Judah, dressed in their robes, could sit and pray and worship in the presence of the prophets.  So it seems very likely that on the festive occasion of this Psalm, there were thrones for David’s royal house that were set in an open place.  We see the unique blending of the political and the religious realms in the Hebrew faith — “church” and state were united.

Therefore, the prayers of intercession for Jerusalem are for peace and prosperity, because there is no distinction between Jerusalem as the capital of the state of Israel/Judah and the center of religious life:

Pray for the peace of Jerusalem.
Those who love you will prosper.
Peace be within your walls,
and prosperity within your palaces.
 For my brothers’ and companions’ sakes,
I will now say, “Peace be within you.”
 For the sake of the house of Yahweh our God,
I will seek your good.

The peace of Jerusalem is directly related to the peace and well-being of the house of Yahweh.

APPLY:  

There is a Latin phrase that once applied to kings and the religion of their country — Cuius regio, eius religio.  This means “whose realm, his religion,” which means that the nation followed the religion chosen by the ruler.

This is an alien concept for most of us today in a pluralistic world, especially those who live in the United States.  The First Amendment of the Constitution makes it clear that, among other things:

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof….

This is often referred to as the “separation of church and state.”  Very few Americans would approve if the government began to dictate the religious habits of American citizens, or seek to create religious “tests” for anyone.

However, that shouldn’t prevent us from praying earnestly for our nation.  Just as Psalm 122 encourages the Jews to Pray for the peace of Jerusalem, so we should pray for the peace of our nation, and for prosperity and well-being for all our citizens.

Although church and state may be separate, God is and always will be the sovereign King over all the earth!

RESPOND: 

The title of the autobiography of the great Methodist missionary, E. Stanley Jones, is A Song of Ascents.  E. Stanley Jones (1884-1973) was a Christian missionary with the Methodist Church whose commitment to Christ and the Kingdom of God touched millions of lives through his writing and preaching.  After he experienced his call to the mission field while at Asbury College in Wilmore, Kentucky, he devoted his life to missions in India and around the world. TIME magazine called him “the world’s greatest missionary evangelist” in 1938.

He explains the title of his autobiography in his introduction:

I have been ascending, am ascending, and shall forever be ascending.

The Songs of Ascent in the Psalms can be an important spiritual metaphor for us as we follow the path leading us deeper into the presence of God — we have been ascending, are ascending, and shall forever be ascending in our relationship with God.

Lord, I am glad to worship you, in church buildings and in the forests and under the stars.  I pray for the peace and prosperity of Jerusalem, and all nations, until that day when the kingdoms of this world have become the kingdom of our God!  Amen. 

PHOTOS:
"Our Feet Are Standing" by Derek Winterburn is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivs 2.0 Generic license.

Psalm Reading for November 13, 2022

START WITH SCRIPTURE:
Psalm 98
CLICK HERE TO READ SCRIPTURE ON BIBLEGATEWAY.COM

OBSERVE:

This is a song of praise to the Creator and Savior of the world.  Not only are the human worshippers called upon to praise the Lord using every means available, but even nature itself is summoned to glorify God.

The motivation for this praise is revealed in all the marvelous things that God has done:

His right hand, and his holy arm, have worked salvation for him.
Yahweh has made known his salvation.
He has openly shown his righteousness in the sight of the nations.
He has remembered his loving kindness and his faithfulness toward the house of Israel.

Not only has this salvation been made manifest for the nations (i.e., non-Israelite Gentiles), and to Israel — all creation has experienced the salvation of God.

And every available means of music-making and celebration are to be used in this chorus of praise — shouting, jubilant song and music, the harp, trumpets, the ram’s horn. Even nature itself joins in this mighty song:

Let the sea roar with its fullness;
the world, and those who dwell therein.
Let the rivers clap their hands.
Let the mountains sing for joy together.

We note that the ram’s horn was blown to herald important feast days and holy days in the liturgical year of the Israelites.  This is a particularly special time of worship.

And what is the occasion of all this joy and jubilation?  Yes, they are celebrating the salvation that God has worked by creating the world and delivering his people; but the Psalmist especially draws attention to the righteousness of God, and his impending judgment of all the world:

he comes to judge the earth.
He will judge the world with righteousness,
and the peoples with equity.

APPLY:  

How are we to respond to the magnificence of creation, the salvation of all the earth, and the justice that God brings in his judgments?  With all the earth, we join together in a chorus of praise.

The image that seems to fit here is that of a full symphony and a massive choir, with every instrument and voice joining together in harmony to praise God!

And there is in this also a cautionary note — this Psalm is not anthropocentric.  The Psalmist is not setting humankind in the epicenter; even creation is a part of this vast harmony of praise.  No, the one at the center of all of this praise is the Lord of all creation.

In a way, this Psalm is a reminder to us that we are not saved merely individualistically.  We are part of the vast and complex network of God’s creativity.  As Paul says in Romans 8: 19-21:

 For the creation waits with eager expectation for the children of God to be revealed. For the creation was subjected to vanity, not of its own will, but because of him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of decay into the liberty of the glory of the children of God.

This is why we Christians cannot divorce ourselves from concerns and interests in the world around us — the economic, environmental and, yes, even political systems in which we live and work and even worship.  God’s ultimate goal is to redeem, deliver and liberate his entire creation from its bondage to decay.  And that is worthy of our worship!

RESPOND: 

When I read this Psalm, I am reminded of recent hikes in a state park, with the bluest of skies and the greenest of trees, and the occasional snort of a deer nearby, or the hoot of an owl.

I am reminded when I walk through that cathedral that all creation will unite to praise the Creator, and the day is coming when:

 at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, those on earth, and those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father (Philippians 2:10-11).

Judgment won’t be merely a sifting of good and evil (although there is that too), but a restoration of what was meant to be.

So I respond to my Creator and Savior with unceasing praise, together with angels and archangels, and with oceans and mountains and rivers!

Lord, how can I not praise you when I consider the contrasts of delicacy in a wildflower, and the magnificence of a mountain? How can I not praise you for your mercy revealed in Jesus, who though God became man to bring my nature together with yours, thus cleansing me of all unrighteousness? How can I not praise you that you will bring justice to a broken and sinful world, and finally make it all right?  Amen!

PHOTOS:
"Lectionary visual reflection based on Psalm 98.7" by Baptist Union of Great Britain is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.0 Generic license.

Psalm Reading for May 9, 2021

START WITH SCRIPTURE:
Psalm 98
CLICK HERE TO READ SCRIPTURE ON BIBLEGATEWAY.COM

OBSERVE:

This is a song of praise to the Creator and Savior of the world.  Not only are the human worshippers called upon to praise the Lord using every means available, even nature itself is summoned to glorify God.

The motivation for this praise is revealed in all the marvelous things that God has done:

His right hand, and his holy arm, have worked salvation for him.
Yahweh has made known his salvation.
He has openly shown his righteousness in the sight of the nations.
He has remembered his loving kindness and his faithfulness toward the house of Israel.

Not only has this salvation been made manifest for the nations (i.e., non-Israelite Gentiles), and to Israel — all creation has experienced the salvation of God.

And every available means of music making and celebration are to be used in this chorus of praise — shouting, jubilant song and music, the harp, trumpets, the ram’s horn. Even nature itself joins in this mighty song:

Let the sea roar with its fullness;
the world, and those who dwell therein.
Let the rivers clap their hands.
Let the mountains sing for joy together.

We note that the ram’s horn was blown to herald important feast days and holy days in the liturgical year of the Israelites.  This is a particularly special time of worship.

And what is the occasion of all this joy and jubilation?  Yes, they are celebrating the salvation that God has worked by creating the world and delivering his people; but the Psalmist especially draws attention to the righteousness of God, and his impending judgment of all the world:

he comes to judge the earth.
He will judge the world with righteousness,
and the peoples with equity.

APPLY:  

How are we to respond to the magnificence of creation, the salvation of all the earth, and the justice that God brings in his judgments?  With all the earth, we join together in a chorus of praise.

The image that seems to fit here is that of a full symphony and a massive choir, with every instrument and voice joining together in harmony to praise God!

And there is in this also a cautionary note — this Psalm is not anthropocentric.  The Psalmist is not setting humankind in the epicenter; even creation is a part of this vast harmony of praise.  No, the one at the center of all of this praise is the Lord of all creation.

In a way, this Psalm is a reminder to us that we are not saved merely individualistically.  We are part of the vast and complex network of God’s creativity.  As Paul says in Romans 8: 19-21:

 For the creation waits with eager expectation for the children of God to be revealed. For the creation was subjected to vanity, not of its own will, but because of him who subjected it, in hope  that the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of decay into the liberty of the glory of the children of God.

This is why we Christians cannot divorce ourselves from concerns and interests in the world around us — the economic, environmental and, yes, even political systems in which we live and work and even worship.  God’s ultimate goal is to redeem, deliver and liberate his entire creation from its bondage to decay.  And that is worthy of our worship!

RESPOND: 

When I read this Psalm, I am reminded of recent hikes in a state park, with the bluest of skies and the greenest of trees, and the occasional snort of a deer nearby, or the hoot of an owl.

I am reminded when I walk through that cathedral that all creation will unite to praise the Creator, and the day is coming when:

 at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, those on earth, and those under the earth,  and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father (Philippians 2:10-11).

Judgment won’t be merely a sifting of good and evil (although there is that too), but a restoration of what was meant to be.

So I respond to my Creator and Savior with unceasing praise, together with angels and archangels, and with oceans and mountains and rivers!

Lord, how can I not praise you when I consider the contrasts of delicacy in a wildflower, and the magnificence of a mountain? How can I not praise you for your mercy revealed in Jesus, who though God became man to bring my nature together with yours, and cleansing me of all unrighteousness? How can I not praise you that you will bring justice to a broken and sinful world, and finally make it all right?  Amen!

PHOTOS:
"Lectionary visual reflection based on Psalm 98.7" by Baptist Union of Great Britain is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.0 Generic license.