Psalm 37

Once, while having coffee with a friend and talking about the sad state of affairs in our world, my friend looked at me and said, "The sad truth of the matter is that there are people who are going to do very evil things today and sleep soundly in their comfortable beds tonight." Those words stuck in my mind and they come back to me as I read this psalm.

Israel also knew these words well. After all, compared to the empires of Assyria and Babylon around them, along with united tribal powers before the empires, Israel was very small. The entire nation is smaller than Rhode Island, and they constantly dealt with invaders of many kinds. Not the least of which would be the Philistines, a five-city kingdom that boasted the most advanced weapons and technology (as well as an advanced civilization/religion) of the time. Goliath, for example, was carrying an iron-tipped spear at the beginning of the iron age. The Philistines were loaded. And oppressors constantly moved in on the people of Israel.

Similarly, there are people all across the world who are bearing the brunt of the wicked. People scoff at righteousness and justice (the same word throughout much of the Bible). And schemes to commit injustice happen everyday, and the perpetrators sleep soundly in their beds. What gives?

This passage gives us hope. This passage reminds us that the "justice of our cause shall shine like the noonday sun" (vs 6), that the world belongs to the meek and that God cares about these things. So we do not need to envy the people who profit from others' suffering, we do not need to be scared that God will never act. Indeed, Christ lives through us and allows us to act, and we know that injustice has no part in the Kingdom that Jesus brought to Earth. Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth as it is in Heaven. Amen.

Psalm 36

I'm sorry that this didn't come out yesterday. An internet error caused the entire post to be deleted, and in my frustration I decided not to post yesterday. However, I am back today with either a fresh look at Psalm 36 or I will be accidentally rewriting my post from yesterday.

Come to the fountain. I read this psalm and that's the invitation I get. Come to the fountain (vs 9). Despite my objections, I come to the fountain.

But where is the fountain? Where do I go to be cleansed from my own self-deception? Where is the fountain that will let me see light in God's light? When I was baptized, I was introduced to the water from this fountain. Ten years later I said (to the best of my young ability) that I wanted the living water that came from the fountain. And today, do I still search for the fountain? Or could it be that I have been soaked in the fountain so long I have forgotten that I'm wet? Is it okay to splash and play in the fountain, or am I supposed to take my sip and go along my merry way? I wonder. Is it okay to swim in the fountain, or will that dirty the water for everyone else? Is it okay to enjoy God? Is God big enough to play with and be trusted with the entire universe? I wonder. And I hope so. Please wonder with me at the bigness of God as you go through today.

Psalm 35

This psalm found new meaning for me when I recognized something in verse 18. I saw that verse and thought of a verse in Hebrews chapter 2 which sounds very similar. I found that the verse I was thinking of quoted a different psalm, but a very similar spirit. And the verse in Hebrews was talking about Jesus. And so I read this psalm wondering if Jesus had similar thoughts on the cross.

Certainly, Jesus was so close to humanity that he mourned when bad things happened (including Lazarus and others). And although Jesus came to bring salvation to all people, all people united in one moment on the side of Jesus' execution- repaying evil for good (verse 12). And at the crucifixion, Jesus was finally beaten by all of his enemies... where was Jesus' vindication?

We find that on the third day- Jesus rose from the dead. In our human-ness, we often want bloodthirsty revenge. Just think about the rise of the revenge movie- almost all superhero movies are really revenge movies in disguise. And they are some of the most popular movies out there. And we love the idea that God will step in and clear our enemies out.

A popular Talmud reading is a story about the crossing of the Red Sea. As soon as the Israelites are across and Pharaoh's army is destroyed, the angels rejoice. God's response to the angels is basically "Why do you rejoice? Those Egyptians were my children too." Let us realize today that our enemies are children of God and long for reconciliation and the day when there will be no more enemies (Isaiah 65:25).

Psalm 34

Now here is a great psalm located in a particular time. David meets up with Abimelech, a feared enemy, and doesn't know what to do. So he pretends to be insane, even foaming at the mouth. Abimelech pities him and sends him away, causing David to write this psalm.

How many of us have been at our wits' end? How many of us have been up between a rock and a hard place? We know the situation of David, even if we haven't faked insanity to escape. As the psalm progresses to its worshipful end, remembering promise after promise, we begin to see words that echo in our hearts. "God is near to the brokenhearted" (verse 18) is one phrase that sticks in my heart. I pray I never forget it. It reminds me of God's care for those who live persistently brokenhearted, and also that God is gracious to me when I have a broken heart.

This psalm also reminds me that God can be this comforting presence through me. When I "turn from evil and do good" and "seek peace and pursue it," it is not I that lives but Christ living in me. Thank you Jesus, for acting through our actions to be near to all who are hurting.

Psalm 33

This passage offers us comfort and a history lesson in the same moment. This psalm encourages us to worship because of the great deeds of God. Whenever we see God intersect with our story, it is a cause for worship. And so I reflect on my story and I wonder where I've seen God intersecting with my story. I look to see where I have seen God at work.

Heather is involved in a photography activity that I marvel at. She creates words using letters that are actually common, every day things. For example, a sink faucet could be an "r" and a power line could be an "E." This hobby forces her to see the world differently, finding letters when we only see common objects. I think this psalm invites us to a similar way of viewing the world. God's activity is already there, but sometimes it is so subtle that we need to have eyes to see it. God, grant me eyes to see your mighty acts in the world today. Amen.

Psalm 32

In thinking about forgiveness, I have to admit that I've never thought about being surrounded by songs of deliverance (verse 7). I imagine the Underground Railroad, where delivered slaves sang songs of freedom and worship to God. It reminds me that forgiveness is a community experience. We often think of forgiveness as a one-on-one experience with God. Yet we are the redeemed people of God, a community called together by God under the common banner of God's redemption.

We can celebrate this redemption together as a community when we come together and worship. We acknowledge the brokenness of the world, the strength-sapping circumstances of life (verse 4). We lift up this brokenness and acknowledge our contribution to it, and we too receive God's blessing. As you go to worship this week, wherever it may be, I pray that you are surrounded in songs of deliverance and experience the power of God in the community of God. Amen.

Psalm 31

Here is another psalm that Jesus quoted from the cross "Into your hands I commit my spirit" (verse 5). Interestingly, Jesus does not finish the quote and ask for redemption from the cross. Certainly, the rest of the psalm captures the moment of the cross quite well. Jesus had never placed trust or hope in having a crowd of followers or in miracles on His own behalf- Jesus always found a refuge in God. It was that refuge that gave Jesus the strength to do the miracles that He did.

Jesus despairs at the worthless idols that find such a willing audience in our world. Jesus weeps over Jerusalem, Jesus overturns the Temple's idols of wealth and power, Jesus is executed on a symbol of shame and rejection. And for the moment, it seems that God has handed Jesus over to the cross of shame and the power of Jesus' enemies. Yet in that moment on the cross, when Jesus forced out the words "Into your hands, I commit my spirit," Jesus subverted the power of the day. Jesus' Kingdom was not hampered by the cross, it was defined in the cross. It is why each of us may come to the cross- not to bask in the violence in it but to see the world-transforming power of it.

It is a strange thing to say that we have found refuge in the cross. The cross does not seem like a place to hide. It seems like something to hide from. But we have no fear of evil or suffering, because we know that Jesus has been there and invites us into a Kingdom where eventually suffering will be finished. Amen.