PSALM 99    THE HOLY GOD

20^th Sunday after Pentecost
Sunday 18th October 2020

This is one of those psalms that records the condition of well-being in the community: it is focussed not on the wealth or peace of the land but on the almighty goodness of God. Our perceptions of God are often coloured by the sense of righteousness of God – if he does something it is always good and just – at least so we think.

1       The Lord is king let the nations tremble:
he is enthroned upon the cherubim let the earth quake.

Why is the image of trembling and quaking so much part of this royal coming? In human terms it is based on fear – afraid of being in the presences of such a holy and mighty King often in a sense of our unworthiness.

2       The Lord is great in Zion:
he is high above all nations.

3       Let them praise your great and terrible name:
for holy is the Lord.

In verses 2 & 3 we find two qualities of the Mighty One: he loves Justice, and he is Holy. The justice of God makes a difference to situations, where the poor are mistreated the justice of God brings punishment but at the same time the holiness of God brings mercy and grace. Hold those two together and we begin to gain an in insight into the ineffability of God.

4       The Mighty One is king and loves justice:
you have established equity you have dealt righteousness and justice in Jacob.

5       O exalt the Lord our God: and bow down before his footstool for he is holy.

The first line of verse 4 is a repetition of the first line in verse 1 and seems like a chorus but its purpose is to move us onto another aspect of God’s sovereignty. God loves justice. It is he who has established the rule of law that governs the life of the people of Israel.

The intimate character of this section receives special emphasis from the fact the hymn now turns to the prayer style of dialogue with God. The congregation are now called upon to worship with awe and thanksgiving in the joyous hope of the coming of the righteous rule of their God over the whole world. The Good News we celebrate is also a hope for the rule of God over the world in Christ Jesus.

6       Moses and Aaron among his priests and Samuel among those who call upon his name
they called to the Lord and he answered.

7       He spoke to them from the pillar of cloud:
they kept to his teachings and the law that he gave them.

8       You answered them O Lord our God:
you were a forgiving God to them and pardoned their wrongdoing.

The greatest statement the poet can make with regard to God’s nature is neither that God’s universal might has a power to shake the whole world nor that God has established rule of law that governs every life, but that he has shown himself to be the God of grace.

Even in his grace God remains a holy God. And that holiness manifests itself in the fact that the utter seriousness of the righteousness by which he punishes the sins of humankind invariably continues to hold its own side by side with seriousness of the love by which he forgives sins.

9       O exalt the Lord our God:
and bow down towards his holy hill,
for the Lord our God is holy.

Having reached this culminating point, the hymn quite naturally ends in a call to the congregation to praise God, worship and adore him. This verse simultaneously expresses their difference from God and their bond with him, their awe and terror and their joyful confidence. It is the joint effect of both these which alone is able to produce the true note of biblical faith.

Thank you, Fr Graham Alston for your weekly commentary on the appointed psalm

PSALM 106

 

PSALM 106: 1-5; 20-24 

The grace of God and the sin of the people
Nineteenth Sunday after Pentecost - 11^th October 2020

Some commentators have tried to link Psalm 105 and 106 into one because the material and theme are so similar. They both have an initial acknowledgement of the grace of God that brought them into their ‘Promised Land’. Thanksgiving is the appropriate attitude. The psalm echoes the liturgy of covenant renewal as found in the Essene community of the Dead Sea where these two psalms were used in tandem, the first as a remembrance of God’s graciousness as they came out of Egypt. This one recalls the rough road of the journey in the wilderness where the people grumbled and even went astray.

1          Praise the Lord
O give thanks to the Lord for he is good:
and his mercy endures for ever.

2          Who can express the mighty acts of the Lord:
or fully voice his praise?

3          Blessed are those who act according to justice:
who at all times do the right.

4          Remember me O Lord
when you visit your people with your favour:
and come to me also with your salvation

5          That I may see the prosperity of your chosen
that I may rejoice with the rejoicing of your people
and exult with those who are your Own

This part of our psalm begins with the ‘recognition of God’s righteousness and mercy’. Verses 4 & 5 are a personal prayer for prosperity as a member of a prospering nation.

If you continue the read the rest of the psalm all the way to verse 45 you will be struck by the ‘lament’ form of the psalm. It runs as a confession of national sin by naming the acts of unfaithfulness done by the Israelites on their journey to the promised land.

The ‘lament’ is a confession of national sin which uses the exodus period to set up a contrast between the saving and forgiving God and his rebellious people.

20        At Horeb they made themselves a calf:
and bowed down in worship to an image.

21        And so they exchanged the glory of God:
for the likeness of an ox that eats hay.

Israel’s sin is her disposition to test God by his willingness to fulfil her demands promptly on order and, when he does not do so, to turn to more amiable deities. It’s a reminder that their ancestors were unfaithful and that people need to assess where they are in their relationship with their God.

22        They forgot God who was their saviour:
that had done such great things in Egypt,

23        Who had worked his wonders in the land of Ham:
and his terrible deeds at the Red Sea.

24        Therefore he thought to destroy them:
had not Moses his servant stood before him in the breach
to turn away his wrath from destroying them.

This verse has in it a wonderful activity found in the words, ‘Moses his servant stood before him in the breach’. Here is a saving activity found in the human being such that Moses at this time was prepared to sacrifice himself for disobedient Israel. If we think about it, Jesus stood in the breach between our sin and the disappointed love of God.

This psalm reminds us again and again that it is all about love, the love of God for us and our love for Him.

Thank you Fr Graham Alston for your weekly commentary on the appointed psalm/

PSALM 19 THE HEAVENS PROCLAIM THE GLORY OF GOD

 PSALM 19    THE HEAVENS PROCLAIM THE GLORY OF GOD

Sunday 4 October 2020, the 18th Sunday after Pentecost.

 

There are two poems in one in this psalm: the first is a nature poem extolling the wonder of nature as made by the creator, and the second, is a hymn to the Law. Their common theme is God in his creativity and God as the maintainer of order through the gift of the Law. The first part is the older as it reflects some of the nuances on pre-Davidic worship, while the second is post exilic where the God of the Law is worshipped.

1          The heavens declare the glory of God:
and the firmament proclaims his handiwork.

2          One day tells it to another:
and night to night communicates knowledge.

3          There is no speech or language:
nor are their voices heard.

4          Yet their sound has gone out through all the world:
and their words to the ends of the earth.

Although they have no audible voice and speak no intelligible language, the stars are custodians of a mysterious knowledge which day after day they proclaim to all the earth. They know and declare that they were created and kept in their place by the authoritative word of God. This not the word of science but the word of our hearts as we go outside of a clear night and see the wonder of the stars, but their voice tells us of the creation.

5          There he has pitched a tent for the sun:
which comes out as a bridegroom from his chamber
and rejoices like a strong man to run his course.

This is a lovely picture of how the sun is like bridegroom, full of the joy of life, who runs like a strong man from his tent. We know that the sun does not live in a tent in the sea, but that is imagery that makes us sit up and take note of the creation as it goes about its worshipful activity.

6          Its rising is at one end of the heavens
and its circuit to their farthest bound:
and nothing is hidden from its heat.

The sense that creation enjoys being what it is and no place on earth can be untouched by the sun’s light and warmth – it’s like we feel when the sun is out after two or three cloudy days. In writing this the poet expresses his joy in God and his creation.

 

GODLINESS BASED ON THE LAW

But there is another dimension expressed in deep sincere words that God gives the Law, something to keep us mindful of Him. The sun may warm and give light, but the Law gives purpose in God’s creation.

7.         The law of the Lord is perfect reviving the soul:
the command of the Lord is true and makes wise the simple.

8          The precepts of the Lord are right
and rejoice the heart:
the commandment of the Lord is pure
and gives light to the eyes.

Verse 7 is the basic statement on which the rest is but commentary. The Law is no mass of lifeless ordinances, but a living expression of the totality of God’s will. To obey is to have one’s life renewed. It is God’s self-witness to his will.

9          The fear of the Lord is clean and endures for ever:
the judgments of the Lord are unchanging and righteous everyone.

10        More to be desired are they than gold even much fine gold:
sweeter also than honey, than the honey that drips from the comb.

‘Unchanging and righteous’, the Law is the fountain which provides everything of supreme value to humankind, and it forms the ultimate desire for us.

11        Moreover by them is your servant taught:
and in keeping them there is great reward.

12        Who can know his own unwitting sins:
O cleanse me from my secret faults.

The reward talked of here is not some gross material prosperity, but the kind of life which the Law promotes and produces. Peoples’ inadequate self-understanding keeps them from this life-giving obedience. They cannot recognize their own errors. They unknowingly violate God’s will.

13        Keep your servant also from presumptuous sins
lest they get the mastery over me:
so I shall be clean and innocent of great offence.

14        May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight:
O Lord my strength and my redeemer.

The Law can be obeyed only on the ground of a non-legalistic reliance on God’s sustaining power. The last verse is a familiar prayer and was spoken at the presentation of a sacrifice. Here the offering is not an animal sacrifice but a hymn expressive of the total dedication (mouth and heart) of the worshippers to their God.

Thank you Fr Graham Alston for your weekly commentary on the appointed psalms.

 

PSALM 78 – The Riddles presented by history

Sunday 27 September 2020, the 17th Sunday after Pentecost.

Most of us were taught a bit of history in our youth, and some of us learned from a little book called ‘1066 and All That’, a tongue-in-cheek history of England. The Israelites were a people steeped in their own history as many events influenced them. Some people say that we should learn from history (especially from our mistakes) while others say that history is nothing more than a list of dates. The psalm for 27^th September has a slightly different tone from the previous ones we have been looking at. The Hebrews have been in the Promised Land for some time, and the annual festival has come round again. This time the poet notes the difference in the way people celebrate their God.

1     Give heed to my teaching O my people;
incline your ears to the words of my mouth

2     For I will open my mouth in a parable:
and expound the mysteries of former times

3     What we have heard and known;
what our forefathers nave told us,

4     We will not hide from their children:
but declare to a generation yet to come:
the praiseworthy acts of the Lord
his mighty and wonderful works

 

This is not a question of giving an account of the history of early Israel, for instance after the fashion of a chronicle cast in rhymes, comparable with an epic poem. On the contrary, history here is reflected upon in a way that takes for granted that an account has already been given to the cult community. The psalm does not present a recapitulation of history, rather it wants to impress upon the mind the ‘riddles from of old’ (seen in the word ‘parables’ v2a), or as we may say today - the irrational quality of the things that have come to pass in order that present and coming generations will bear in mind and never forget the revelation of God’s nature and will. Simultaneously they are admonished to be faithful and obedient.

11   For he did marvellous things
in the sight of their fathers:
in the land of Egypt, in the country of Zoan.

12   He divided the sea and let them pass through:
he made the waters stand up in a heap.

13   In the daytime he led them with a cloud
and all night long with the light of fire.

14   He cleft rocks in the wilderness:
and gave them drink in abundance
as from springs of water.

15   He brought streams out of the rock:

and caused the waters to flow down like rivers

 

The psalmist’s meditation on history take as its starting point the fundamental saving deeds at the time of Moses, the deliverance at the Red Sea, and the divine guidance and help in the wilderness, to which the people owe their survival to God alone.

This is a long Psalm, but it bears reading through and attempting to connect with the history of God’s interactions with Israel right up to the time of King David. Try to see what the attitude is of the poet to the people of the covenant.

Thank you Fr Graham Alston for your weekly commentary on the psalms.

PSALM 105: 1-6; 37-45

 

Psalm 105:1-6; 37-45 – THE SONG OF THE DIVINE COVENANT

20th September 2020,

16th Sunday after Pentecost.

 

Do not be put off by the way this poem seems to be like the beginning of our worship when the priest greets us with: “The Lord be with you,” and we answer: “And also with you.” It is one of the psalms used in a liturgy of covenant renewal. This we know because records of the Qumran community have a liturgy of covenant renewal. When you see Qumran think of the Dead Sea scrolls and that little community of Jews who, at the time of Jesus, were trying to live a life of scrupulous fidelity to the laws and traditions of Judaism. They stored their writings in the caves that surrounded the Dead Sea.

1       O give-thanks to the Lord and call upon his name:
tell among the peoples what things he has done.

2       Sing to him, O sing praises;
and be telling of all his marvellous works-

3       Exult in his holy name:
and let those that seek the be joyful in heart

4       Seek the Lord - and his strength:
O seek his face continually.

5       Call to mind what wonders he has done:
his marvellous acts and the judgments of his mouth,

6       O seed of Abraham his servant
O children of Jacob his chosen one.

The condition of praise that dominates this introductory piece is a focus on God – it is He who brought them together as a family under Abraham; and then when Joseph went into Egypt where they became slaves to the imperial building activities of the Pharaoh. But God in his righteousness chose to bring them out; this was all God’s work!

Then they continue with enumerating the events of the Exodus …

37    He brought Israel out with silver and with gold:
and not one among their tribes was seen to stumble.

38    Egypt was glad at their going:
for dread of Israel had fallen upon them.

There is a lovely story that can be found in the book of Exodus that before the Hebrews got together with their families for the Passover meal they went to their Egyptian neighbours and asked for their jewellery and gold which is surprising as they had endured the ten Plagues (sanctions). Such was the changed heart of the Egyptians that they gave generously. In the light of the plagues they would be glad ‘at their going’.

39    He spread out a cloud for a covering:
and fire to lighten the night.

Cecil B. De Mille has not been outdone in even the most recent of movies about the Exodus with the cloud between the Hebrews and the Egyptians during the day and fire at night that kept them apart until the tides were right.

40    The people asked, and he brought them quails:
and satisfied them with the bread from heaven.

41    He opened a rock so that the waters gushed:
and ran in the parched land like a river.

It is recorded three times that the Hebrews grumbled against Moses because they could see their provisions, which they had brought with them, were running out. They wanted bread and God sent them ‘manna’! They wanted meat and God sent them flocks of quail, and even when they were really running out of water God led Moses to strike a rock and water gushed out

42    For he had remembered his holy word:
that he gave to Abraham his servant.

43    So he led out his people with rejoicing:
his chosen ones with shouts of joy.

44    He gave them the land of the nations:
and they took possession of the fruit of other men's toil,

Not everything that happened to the Hebrews as they journeyed to the Promised Land is recorded in this poem. They have been left out so that people will come again to another festival where the story will be expanded. We have a picture of a people travelling with a happy expectation of having promises fulfilled, so they ‘shout with joy’.

45    So that they might keep his statutes:
and faithfully obey his laws
O praise the Lord.

The purpose of God’s historic acts was to create a people obedient to his revealed will. The congregation respond with one word, ‘Hallelujah’ (Praise the Lord!).

Thank you Fr Graham Alston for your weekly commentary on the appointed psalms

PSALM 114

 PSALM 114 – A VICTORY SONG

This psalm is one of many that give public liturgical articulation to the “new kingship” of Yahweh, which has just now been established through the liberation of his people. It is likely that the enthronement songs are one version of victory songs that celebrate Yahweh’s victory over Israel’s enemies. In these psalms, kingship is granted to Yahweh on the basis of the victory just won. Perhaps the primary example of the victory song in the Old Testament is the song of Miriam in Exodus 15, which is reckoned as a very early liturgical statement of the exodus. 

The song of Miriam is the alternative old Testament song in our readings today.

1     When Israel came out of Egypt
and the house of Jacob from among a people of an alien tongue,

2     Judah became his sanctuary
and Israel his dominion

This hymn stays very close to the narrative experience of the exodus. It is evident that the specific liberating event here is presented as having cosmic proportions.

In a quick move, verses 1-2 comprehend the entire sojourn history of in-Israel from the exodus (Egypt— ‘‘people of strange language”) to a land settlement (“Sanctuary”—surely a reference to Jerusalem--“dominion”). The long tale told in the Hexateuch is summarised. That is possible because the entire memory has vitality in the community. It is sufficient to allude to it without spelling out in detail.

3     The sea saw that and fled
Jordan was driven back

4     The mountains skipped like rams
and the little hills like young sheep

This is a part of the story of the exodus and the arrival in the land of promise. What we see is a joyous picturing of the events of the crossing of the Red sea and the River Jordan. As in the beginning God made space for the creation, so in this the elements of chaos – sea and river are tamed by God. This leads to what is called a “taunt song” sung with energy

5     What ailed you O sea that you fled
O Jordan that you were driven back?

6     You mountains that you skipped like rams
and you little hills like young sheep?

The tellers of this tale enjoy mightily the disruptive power of Yahweh. They are so sure that they tease and taunt. They wonder why the sea is such a coward and why the river is unable to stay in its place. Thus, the contrast is between Yahweh, whom the nations thought marginal, and the elements of creation, which seem so sturdy. Now the humble God is exalted, and the exalted elements are humiliated. It is no contest. The exodus is now sung as a cosmic inversion. What happened with that slave band is no mere tribal event, but an event that concerns all of creation.

7     Tremble O earth at the presence of the Lord
at the presence of the God of Jacob,

8     Who turned the rock into a pool of water
and the flint-stone into a welling spring.

With this understanding of reality, the conclusion of verses 7-8 is unavoidable. The whole earth is summoned to be frightened. The pivotal word in the psalm is dance, twist and turn, in pain and anguish, because the whole known world is now under assault. The address is to “earth” which imagines itself stable and serene. But now it is all in jeopardy. The agent of the jeopardy is the real, sovereign Lord. It is enough to name the decisive name of sovereignty, for the terrorised nations understand exactly what is being said. The conclusion of the poem in (v. 8) is an additional doxological point ‘linking this God to the miracle of water in the wilderness’ (cf. Exod. 17:6).

Thank you Fr Graham Alston for your weekly narration on the psalms.

     Psalm 114 is the appointed psalm for Sunday 13th September 2020

PSALM 149

 PSALM I49 – THE JUDGEMENT ON THE GENTILES

This is one of the psalms called the “Hallelujah Psalms” because they start and end with the words “Praise the Lord!” (Hallelujah). It is a characteristic of the last five of the Psalms (Pss 146, 147, 148, 149, and 150).  This psalm bears all the conventional marks of a psalm, yet its development is unusual and offers a surprising emphasis.

This psalm, however, has from the fifth century AD up to the present, been interpreted as referring to Maccabean times. If you look carefully at its composition, it does not go beyond very general allusions which fit into every age. If you would like to know more about Maccabean times the books I and II Maccabees can be found in the Apocrypha.

1   O praise the Lord
and sing to the Lord a new song:
O praise him in the assembly of the faithful.

2   Let Israel rejoice in him that made him:
let the children of Zion be joyful in their king.

3   Let them praise him in the dance:
let them sing his praise with timbrel and with harp.

Like psalms 33v3 and 96v1 the psalm opens with a call to the festival congregation resting in the grounds of the Temple at Jerusalem to sing the praise of God who as their Maker and King has revealed his ‘name’ and has once more entered upon his reign at his feast. This song is to be sung as a “new song”, thus an enthronement motif in the psalm.

4   For the Lord takes delight - in his people:
he adorns the meek with his salvation.

5   Let his faithful ones exult in his glory:
let them sing for joy upon their beds.

6   Let the high praises of God be in their mouths:
and a two-edged sword in their hands,

The reasons for this call are given: God’s gracious good pleasure rests upon the members of the community and this fact inspires them with awe and humility, so that the worshippers are called ‘the meek’. But the members of the festal congregation are at the same time lifted by the salvation whereby God glorifies himself in them so that they reflect that ‘glory’ back to the divine Giver in their song of praise. This worship is a very noisy affair.

7   To execute vengeance on the nations.
and chastisement upon the peoples,

8   To bind their kings in chains:
and their nobles with fetters of iron,

9   To visit upon them the judgment that is decreed-
such honour belongs to all his faithful servants.
Praise the Lord.

This psalm issues a call to action based on praise. It is action that is powered by and grows out of the act of praise. The action that is urged is warlike action that concerns vengeance, chastisement, binding in chains, execution of judgment. I do not know what to make of this, for it is quite unexpected in the hymns. It is a statement of sobering historical realism. Praise of God is not flight from historical reality. In its songs Israel does not escape from either historical responsibility or historical temptation. One cannot tell whether this is responsibility (to fend off oppressors) or temptation (to gather imperial power). Either way, it is clear that Israel’s praise of Yahweh keeps one foot in and one eye firmly on historical reality. There is no liturgical or spiritual escape from the hardness of history. The liberation questions will not be siphoned off in song.

Thank you Fr Graham Alston for your weekly commentary on the psalms