Showing posts with label psalms. Show all posts
Showing posts with label psalms. Show all posts

Monday, February 4, 2008

A Remembrance


Psalm 70 deals is a particular Song of the Psalter, it is a Remembrance.
In the superscript David writes, "For the Music Director, a psalm of David, to remember."
Only in Psalm 38 is this superscript found, this remembrance was probably sung with a sacrifice that would act as a reminder to Yahweh of the psalmist needs and requests.
As I was reading and re-reading this psalm, I was struck by his dependence on the Yahweh. David understood quite well that God was the only one that could remember him while he was in distress. I thought about the fact that when we are in distress we seek people, comfort, and other devices, instead of clinging to the Rock, instead of "reminding" the Lord about our distress.
How different our lives might be if we would go to Yahweh and casts all of our cares on Him, because he cares for us.

Tuesday, January 29, 2008

Thoughts on Psalm 69


I am taking an Exegesis of Selected Psalms class. This class has been, to say the least, challenging, not only in the Hebrew, but also in my own understanding of the Psalms.
One such case has been, Psalm 69. This song of the psalter is an imprecatory Psalm, that is a psalm in which the writer is asking God to judge his enemies. Here is a sampling:


22 May the table set before them become a snare;
may it become retribution and [a] a trap.

23 May their eyes be darkened so they cannot see,
and their backs be bent forever.

24 Pour out your wrath on them;
let your fierce anger overtake them.

25 May their place be deserted;
let there be no one to dwell in their tents.

26 For they persecute those you wound
and talk about the pain of those you hurt.

27 Charge them with crime upon crime;
do not let them share in your salvation.

28 May they be blotted out of the book of life
and not be listed with the righteous.


David is at his wit's end and he is asking God to judge his enemies in a rather colorful and poetic fashion.
Now the question is how can we apply that to us today in the 21st century? Also how can we reconcile this with Jesus' teaching of loving those who persecute us and our enemies?

I read the great article on this issue where the author suggested that David is not praying this out of malice, rather to see justice done. We are even called by Paul to "abhor what is evil and to cling to what is good." (Rom 12.9)
We need to be aware that God will judge the earth and every human will stand before Him; thus we need to pray with our Lord, "Thy Kingdom Come, Thy Will be Done in earth as it is in heaven."
This is probably the best way to pray for God's judgment, and not do it out of a self-righteous way, rather one that longs to see the Eternal King reign forever and his justice be established.