Psalm 94
Observe: Psalm 94:1-3 begins with a cry for help to God as judge against the wicked. 4-7 describe the condition of society: the wicked are arrogant, they oppress the innocent and weak, and they think God doesn’t see them. 8-11 is a warning to anyone who thinks that God neither sees what we do, nor has any power to punish. 12-15 uses wisdom language to describe the righteous who follow God’s law, and who can therefore count on God’s protection, faithfulness, and justice. 16-19 expresses grateful confidence in God’s care and protection. 20-23 is a coda that repeats the themes of the psalm: God will judge powerful oppressors, and a final expression of trust. Interpret: Psalm 94 prays to “The Lord is a God who avenges, O God who avenges, shine forth.” Is vengeance part of God’s nature? Or is it that God’s nature is to be just, and so the powerful wicked can not be left to oppress the weak? The Psalmist also asks, in effect, “Why do bad things happen to good people?” There is no easy answer to that age old question. We live between God’s promises and fulfilment, in the already and the not yet. Knowing that God is a just judge, who cares for the victim more than he cares for the wicked, is a basis for all law derived from the Judeo-Christian tradition. Faith and ethics combine here: our justice is based on God’s justice. The wicked will get their due from God, therefore we who believe in God can not sit idly by while injustice is being done. Application: Even atheists base their sense of justice on preventing people getting hurt, and that requires systems of law that favor the weak. For Christians, who know that there is a higher and more final justice than our own, we should tremble to apply vengeance against wrongdoers, yet knowing that “God sees” means that we must work on behalf of the poor, the weak, and those wronged by the powerful who are a law unto themselves. In short, our public human justice must at least try to be a mirror of the Lord who avenges, who is the Judge of the whole earth. However, we as individuals living in the new covenant must leave vengeance against our personal enemies to God. Romans 12:17-21 is pretty much the last word on the limits on our own desire for personal vengeance. Yet Paul in the very next verses of Romans 13 leaves a lot of room for justice to be dispensed by public authorities; in Paul’s case, the Roman Empire! In the meantime, if we are hard pressed by injustice, we can cry out to God for relief, until, as it says in Psalm 94:13, “a pit is dug for the wicked.” Prayer: O God of all justice, protect the powerless from wicked people, while we work and wait for a justice that bows down to your final judgement, brought to us through your Son Jesus Christ our Lord. Hymn: O God of Earth and Altar (G.K. Chesterton) August 5th – Les Kovacs Psalm 93
Observe: Psalm 93 is a short, simple psalm dedicated to the awesome wonder of God. He is clothed in majesty, armed with strength and established the world firm and secure from all eternity. Three times the Psalmist says that the seas are lifted up, yet mightier than the great crashing of the waters is the Lord. His Word is unassailable, and He lives in holiness forever. Interpret: “The Lord reigns…” These are the opening words of the psalm and they set the tone for everything else that follows. It is a simple yet bold statement that establishes that God is supreme over everything. It sets no limits or boundaries on His Kingdom. It sets no conditions or parameters over His Supremacy. He simply reigns, as is right and good and natural for Him who brought all of creation into being by His will alone. There is nothing in the natural order that can compare to Him in strength or power or majesty or holiness. He is unique and perfect in every sense. And how ever much we frail and sinful human beings or nature itself might rail against Him, He stands forever, holy and majestic. The Lord is the ultimate Monarch. Application: Knowing that the Lord reigns absolutely in the heavens above and earth below should give us comfort and confidence to trust in Him in every circumstance. The imagery painted in the psalm is intense and can seem frightening. Many of us can relate these images to times in our lives when things have spun out of our control and left us feeling powerless in our futile efforts to bend our circumstances to our will. We may have made plans with people who eventually disappointed us and left us hanging. We may made one bad decision after another until no matter what we do we can’t seem to disentangle ourselves from the mess we’ve made. We may be trapped in an untenable situation through no fault of our own. We may have relationship, finance, or health issues that we just can’t seen to be able to resolve. Our human condition is subject to no shortage of challenges, some of which we deal with using the gifts God gave us, some of which we deal with in community with our brothers and sisters, and some of which are seemingly too difficult for any human effort to overcome. Sometimes we come to the end of our rope, and it looks like a noose. Yet the psalmist says, “The Lord reigns”. If you believe that the Lord reigns absolutely over all the universe, then is no obstacle He cannot overcome, no challenge that is immune to His sovereign will. And, if there is no problem the Lord cannot solve, why do we resist coming to Him with all our needs? Why do we wait until there is no other alternative before we come to Him for rescue? Even those problems that we can resolve by our own actions would have better outcomes if we brought them to the Lord and sought His will, His “good, pleasing and perfect will.” (Rom 12:2) The Lord reigns over all creation because it is His rightful place to do so. Let Him reign in your life also, because it is right to do so. Prayer: Father God, what a comfort it is to know that no matter what situation we may be in, we can trust in you because you reign over all our hopes and plans and hearts. We have a hope in you that cannot be shaken. Amen. Song: The Lord Reigns – Gateway Worship https://youtu.be/vq-nuyHafkY Psalm 92
Observe Q. What’s good to do? A. To praise the Lord in prayer and song, give Him thanks, hear His powerful Word, ponder His works and enjoy His unending love. (1-3) Q. Does everyone do this? A. God’s enemies refuse to recognize His great works and ponder His deep thoughts; their end is destruction. Israel watches their downfall while safe in Him. (5-9,11) Q. What does God do? A. For those who love the Lord, beauty and growth flourish as worshippers are renewed moment by moment in His righteousness and accept His gift of rest with thanks. (12-15) Q. Who is this God? A. He is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in Him. (15b) Interpret A Sabbath song, as tradition goes, celebrating the blessing of gathered worship, morning and evening (2). There is sharp contrast between evildoers who seem to flourish for a time then vanish, and His people’s permanent, ever-flourishing dwelling in the courts of God (13). The stately date palm (12a) and cedar of Lebanon (12b) suggest longevity, rooted in God’s grace, fruitful, beautiful, and useful. And the last few verses offer a foretaste of God’s eternal Sabbath song. Apply It’s hard to get everyone, or oneself, out of the house (think ‘winter’!) and into the church before the service, making time to prepare for active worship. A “prelude” of quietness (admittedly difficult in all the preparations before worship begins), we tune out distractions, focus minds and hearts, pray, read the day’s Scriptures. Difficult but not impossible, it’s worth working at because our approach and attentiveness honour God. Is ‘going to church’ onerous? Maybe we need to examine what our worship truly could be. In the company of God and our church family (local and worldwide, persecuted and free), we - enter the narthex wanting to meet Him, together - sense His Presence among us by His Spirit, - consider our presence as we settle into our places, - sing to Him from the heart, in various musical styles, - listen carefully to the Word, read and preached, considering how to live it, - declare our Creed with conviction, - join the prayers of the people as His people, - ask Him to give us what we need, especially His mercy, - humbly confess, aware of our failures, and - know Jesus forgave and we share His peace, knowing that - forgiven, we enter and enjoy His Communion feast, to - rejoice in being together after this brief, extraordinary time, then - rest thankfully in His gracious welcome, on His Sabbath. Ask How do I come to church? Rushed, harried, distracted -- late? Do I realize that I am in God’s presence (overwhelming!) so briefly? Do I come expecting God to transform me in learning to worship with His family? Pray Almighty God, who has given us grace at this time with one accord to make our common supplications unto You, and promises that where two or three are gathered together in Your Name You will grant their requests, fulfil now, O Lord, the desires and petitions of Your servants as may be most expedient for them, granting us in this world knowledge of Your truth, and in the world to come, life everlasting. Amen. (BCP, Collect at a Retreat) Sing Psalm 92 Poor Bishop Hooper A Song for the Sabbath Psallos - Maker of the Stories Observe: Psalm 91 is all about dwelling in safety and security. Verses 1-8 give us assurance of God’s protection and this assurance is repeated in verses 9-13. The psalmist ends with God’s promises (verses 14-16).
Interpretation and Application: We dwell in God’s protection. What does dwell mean, anyway? It means a permanent residence. We have a permanent residence in the Lord’s protection (shelter). We can rest in His shadow. Shadows (or shade) provide a place of protection. How often in summer do we seek out shade to get away from intense heat? Imagine now that we can run to God and rest in His shadow for protection. He is our refuge – our place of safety and protection. There is a similar word in Psalm 32:7 in which the psalmist declares God as his “hiding place”. Did you ever as a child have a hiding place – your own secret little place where no one could find you and you felt safe and secure? Just the other day my husband David was describing to our granddaughter of such a place he had when he was growing up on the farm so he wouldn’t be found and have to do more chores! (He would rather read his book.) Imagine God letting us use Him as our hiding place. We have total rest there. I’m sure we all know stories of fire consuming barnyards or nests and afterwards finding live chicks under the dead mother’s wings. The same is true for us. God protects us from the harshness that the world might throw us – He is covering us with His wings. He did so ultimately by Christ’s sacrifice for us on the cross. No matter what comes, He is our refuge. It’s interesting to note that verses 11 and 12 were quoted by Satan (Matthew 4:6) when he was trying to tempt Jesus. He knew the Scriptures! But Jesus answered back by quoting His own verse from Deuteronomy 6:16. (“Do not put the Lord your God to the test”.)We need not fear anything when we flee to God and make Him our hiding place. Paul affirms this in Romans 8:35-39. Nothing shall separate us from the love of God (and His protection). The psalm ends with 8 (yes, count them, 8!) promises for us as believers. God will: 1. Rescue us, 2. Protect us, 3. Answer us, 4. Be with us in trouble, 5. Deliver us, 6. Honour us (I find that one quite mind-blowing!), 7. Satisfy us with long life and 8. Show us His salvation (He will see our deliverance and victory). We need not fear…God has us under His protecting wings! Prayer: Dear God, thank you for your presence…your Almighty Shadow. Thank you that you go before us and cover us with your wings. Thank you for your protection and security. Help us to always remember that nothing can come between us when we seek your refuge. Amen. Song: On Eagle’s Wings (Kitty Cleveland) |
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