Tag: Psalms

Links for today’s readings:

Mar 25 Read:  Song of Songs 1 Listen: (2:16) Read: Psalm 69 Listen: (4:04)

Scripture Focus: Psalm 69:7-12

7 For I endure scorn for your sake,
    and shame covers my face.
8 I am a foreigner to my own family,
    a stranger to my own mother’s children;
9 for zeal for your house consumes me,
    and the insults of those who insult you fall on me.
10 When I weep and fast,
    I must endure scorn;
11 when I put on sackcloth,
    people make sport of me.
12 Those who sit at the gate mock me,
    and I am the song of the drunkards.

Reflection: Suffering Servant Psalm

By Erin Newton

Of the many names and epithets given to Jesus, the title “Suffering Servant” is one of most cherished. We often think about the community’s rejection of the Suffering Servant in Isaiah:

13 See, my servant will act wisely;
    he will be raised and lifted up and highly exalted.
14 Just as there were many who were appalled at him—
    his appearance was so disfigured beyond that of any human being
    and his form marred beyond human likeness—
15 so he will sprinkle many nations,
    and kings will shut their mouths because of him.
For what they were not told, they will see,
    and what they have not heard, they will understand. (Isa 52:13–15)

We also reflect on his suffering:

4 Surely he took up our pain
    and bore our suffering,
yet we considered him punished by God,
    stricken by him, and afflicted.
5 But he was pierced for our transgressions,
    he was crushed for our iniquities;
the punishment that brought us peace was on him,
    and by his wounds we are healed.
6 We all, like sheep, have gone astray,
    each of us has turned to our own way;
and the Lord has laid on him
    the iniquity of us all. (Isa 53:4–6)

Likewise, much of Psalm 69 sounds familiar to the Gospels’ depiction of Christ. This psalm is a lengthy petition to God with a series of verses (vv. 7-12) that can be categorized as those of a “suffering servant.”

On the cross, Jesus was scorned, disgraced, and shamed. While on the cross, “they … gave me vinegar for my thirst” (Ps 69:21). The eagerness for God’s household is echoed by Jesus.

Though many similarities are found between Psalm 69, Isaiah’s Suffering Servant passages, and the Gospels’ depiction of Jesus, this is more than just a psalm about Jesus. Because of the suffering of Christ, we rest assured that he sympathizes with our own suffering. This psalm seems to foretell of Jesus’s complex grief and hardship, but it also resonates with our own.  

While we recognize Christ throughout the psalms and see how all God’s word points to him, we also understand that being made in God’s image and Jesus being incarnated to share in our humanity means that we can apply these psalms to our own lives. We grieve like Christ grieves. We weep; we cry out; and we hope just as the psalmist and Christ did.

Divine Hours Prayer: The Refrain for the Morning Lessons

And yet my people did not hear my voice, and Israel would not obey me. — Psalm 84.11

– From The Divine Hours: Prayers for Springtime by Phyllis Tickle.

Read more: Sexuality and Spirituality

The Song should encourage us to apply holiness to our intimate sexual relationships.

Sexuality and Spirituality

Read more: Our Hope Amidst Violence — Worldwide Prayer

You watch not only the sparrow, but you see us too.
And your hands guide us all the way.

Our Hope Amidst Violence — Worldwide Prayer

Links for today’s readings:

Mar 23 Read:  Ecclesiastes 11 Listen: (1:40) Read:  Psalms 66-67 Listen: (2:42)

Scripture Focus: Psalm 67.1-2

1 May God be gracious to us and bless us 
and make his face shine on us—  
2 so that your ways may be known on earth, 
your salvation among all nations.

Reflection: Redeeming “Blessed”

By John Tillman

“Live, Laugh, Love” is an example of meaning being lost through overuse followed by commercialization. ”Blessed” has followed the “Live, Laugh, Love” trio on the path to meaning melting into marketing.

Stores catering to Christian customers plaster these phrases on decorative driftwood, doormats, dog bowls and anything else that might take up space in the kitchen, or on mantles, side tables, shelves, or walls.

“Blessed” needs redemption.

“Blessed” is contaminated by messages of grinding work, competition, and winning. Cultural Christianity made “blessed” a brag, a curse of pride and greed. To use it, we must intentionally detach it from those meanings. To redeem and reclaim “blessed” remember and express what it means and doesn’t mean. Psalm 67 can help.

How are we blessed?

We are blessed by grace, not because we deserve it. (v. 1) We are blessed by God’s presence, not by wealth or achievement. (v. 1) We are blessed by obeying God and praising him, not by “grinding” and not by “gains.” (v. 2-3)

Why are we blessed?

We are blessed to help others, not ourselves. (v. 5) We are blessed to make God’s ways and his salvation known. (v. 2) We are blessed to make nations glad and joyful. We are blessed to create a world of equity and wisdom. (v. 4) We are blessed to cultivate, not harm, the earth. (v. 6) We are blessed to create respect for God to the ends of the earth. (v. 7)

God’s purpose for blessing us is to bless the world through us. If that isn’t happening, we are neglecting or misusing our blessings.

In the Asia Bible Commentary on this psalm, Federico Villanueva reflects that his nation, the Philippines, is the only Christian nation in Asia, yet is the poorest in the region with corruption that directly perpetuates poverty. Filipino overseas workers bless other nations by sharing the gospel, but at home, corruption, instead of blessing, dominates their lives.

Villanueva longs for his nation to live up to their potential to be blessed and bless others: “Let us pray that the Lord will bless us so that God’s ways may be known among our people. This is my own prayer for my country.”

Don’t say “blessed” like culture means it. Echo Villanueva’s prayer for your country. Ensure that our use of the word “blessed” reflects God’s purpose and definition.

If you aren’t blessing, you aren’t blessed. When you say “blessed,” say it like God means it.

Divine Hours Prayer: The Call to Prayer

Bless the Lord, you angels of his, you mighty ones who do his bidding, and hearken to the voice of his word.
Bless the Lord, all you his hosts, you ministers of his who do his will.
Bless the Lord, all you works of his, in all places of his dominion. — Psalm 103.20-22

– From The Divine Hours: Prayers for Springtime by Phyllis Tickle.

Read more: Blessed are the Troublemakers

Blessed are the troublemakers who demand justice. We should have the humility…to consider whether the source of trouble might instead be our own hearts.

Blessed are the Troublemakers

Read more: Jesus, Our Blessed One — A Guided Prayer

Jesus is the Blessed One, whose leaf does not wither. We are merely grafted in branches…

Jesus, Our Blessed One — A Guided Prayer

Links for today’s readings:

Mar 19  Read: Ecclesiastes 7 Listen: (3:37) Read: Psalms 58-59 Listen: (3:32)

Scripture Focus: Psalm 58.1-2; 10-11

Psalm 59.11-13

Reflection: Do Not Destroy?

By John Tillman

In The Sun Also Rises, Ernest Hemingway described how bankruptcy happens: “Gradually, then suddenly.” Other writers have adapted this idea to falling in love or falling asleep. Both happen “Slowly, then all at once.”

In David’s trilogy of Psalms 57, 58, and 59, which use the tune “Do Not Destroy,” he mixes lament for his sufferings with imprecatory passages against morally bankrupt enemies.

The middle psalm, Psalm 58, is harshest. It asks God to break and rip out his enemies’ fangs. It pictures enemies swept away like Pharoah’s army in a flood and the righteous walking through the wicked’s blood. This is typical language for imprecatory psalms, which do not endorse or command vengeful violence, but instead leave vengeance to God. But a surprise awaits in the final psalm.

In Psalm 59 David asks God not to kill his enemies. Or at least, not too quickly. He asks that they be uprooted and consumed slowly. This gradual punishment is not mercy. David is not concerned for the lives of the wicked but for the lives of those who will witness their long, slow, painful fall.

David wants God’s people to see these enemies fall and fail publicly, on an epic scale, and in slow motion. The tune, “Do Not Destroy” might be more accurately called “Do Not Destroy Too Quickly.”

Leaders go morally bankrupt in the same way Hemingway described financial bankruptcy—gradually, then suddenly. Justice comes against the corrupt in the same way David prayed for—slowly, then all at once.

Our world is not short of leaders like those David prayed about. Do you see those who devise injustice and spread lies? (Ps 58.2-3) Do you see those whose words are harmful swords promoting and promising violence scoffing that no one can hold them accountable? (Ps 59.7) (I hesitate to mention examples like the Epstein files…this is not about just one scandal.)

We can and should pray imprecatory psalms but imprecatory psalms are not angry social media posts. Those “prayers” on the “public street corner” have earthly rewards. (Matthew 6.5-6) Imprecatory psalms turn our justifiable rage, anger, and pain over to God for his vengeance and justice.

Pray that, whether slowly or all at once, the fall of the wicked would be seen in our days. Bring them down, Lord, that the suffering may be encouraged, the wicked may be warned, and the world may remember you are watching.

Divine Hours Prayer: The Morning Psalm

– From The Divine Hours: Prayers for Springtime by Phyllis Tickle.

Read more: Extremes of Moralism and Permissiveness

There is a level of religious fervor and moral strictness that destroys our souls rather than saves them.

Extremes of Moralism and Permissiveness

Read more: Wisdom in Houses of Mourning

Many may confess we tossed aside Jesus, and the entanglement we escaped was the cords of loving-kindness God sought to guide us by.

Wisdom in Houses of Mourning

Links for today’s readings:

Mar 18 Read:  Ecclesiastes 6 Listen: (1:44) Read: Psalms 56-57 Listen: (3:11)

Scripture Focus: Psalm 56:8

8 Record my misery;
    list my tears on your scroll—
    are they not in your record?

Reflection: God’s Lachrymatory

By Erin Newton

According to some accounts, ancient Roman mourners would collect their tears in small vials and bury them with their deceased loved ones. These little “tear jars” or lachrymatories were filled with tears, and their evaporation would parallel the end of mourning. As the bottle dried out, so would one’s eyes.

While the validity of such assumptions is questionable, Psalm 56 highlights the value of keeping a record of grief. As a lament and prayer to God in a time of trouble, the psalmist exposes their grief and asks God to take it into account.

There are many psalms that ask God to remove grief or misery. The Lord’s prayer asks that God lead us not into temptation. Paul begged God to remove the thorn in his flesh. Here, the psalmist embraces the fullness of misery. It is as if to say, “Don’t let my tears be wasted.”

Contrary to much of our impulses (or cultural conditioning), the psalmist doesn’t shy away from crying. Crying is a given. Crying might even be desired. And at least, crying won’t be for nothing.

Like the ancient mourners, God is thought to collect the tears of his beloved children and record them in his scroll. Like a divine accountant of pain and sadness, God sees, notes, and validates the psalmist’s tears.

The Bible is full of criers. Genesis 21:17 says, “God heard the boy crying, and the angel of God called to Hagar from heaven and said to her, ‘What is the matter, Hagar? Do not be afraid; God has heard the boy crying as he lies there.’ ” God heard another woman crying, “In her deep anguish Hannah prayed to the Lord, weeping bitterly” (1 Sam 1:10), and granted her desire to have a child. Even the prophets were known for their weeping: “Streams of tears flow from my eyes because my people are destroyed” (Lam 3:48).

Have you ever considered your tears as a sort of spiritual currency? I surely have not. I have been taught (and fully agree) that tears are not only a meaningful expression but also a regulatory experience. Tears are often necessary and can lead to emotional stabilization. Despite the dread of “having to cry it out,” we are reassured here that they are not ignored.

Crying is not a weakness. The Man of Sorrows joins in our misery by relating to our emotions, acknowledging our pain, and ensuring that grief is never wasted.

Divine Hours Prayer: The Request for Presence

Let my cry come before you, O Lord; give me understanding, according to your word.
Let my supplication come before you; deliver me, according to your promise. — Psalm 119.169-170

– From The Divine Hours: Prayers for Springtime by Phyllis Tickle.

Read more: More Money, More Problems

Wealth doesn’t solve all problems or fill our deepest spiritual needs…those who look like they have it all often are spiritually starving to death.

More Money, More Problems

Read more: Artful Prayers

In the psalms, we enter the lived emotion of artists who bared their souls to God in prayers that were always intended to be performed.

Artful Prayers

Links for today’s readings:

Mar 17  Read: Ecclesiastes 5 Listen: (2:50) Read: Psalm 55 Listen: (2:43)

Scripture Focus: Psalm 55.12-14; 17-21

Reflection: Good Discipleship but Wrong Master

By John Tillman

I recently made a comment on a friend’s post that was misinterpreted. He thought I was disagreeing and saying something political instead of theological.

He felt attacked and he counter-attacked. This friend (a pastor I went to seminary with and ministered with) replied with a meme from the Ace Ventura films of Jim Carey emerging from the rectum of a rhinoceros. The implication was that I, and my opinion (that he imagined I said), were comparable to animal feces

There are two lessons here related to Psalm 55.

One is that friends can hurt you worse than enemies. (Ps 55.12) Online insults and attacks from “trolls,” strangers, or non-human spam bots are distressing, but endurable. Attacks from friends are uniquely disheartening.

The second is that partaking means shaping. The wicked in the psalm were shaped by partaking in violence, strife, threats, and lies. (Ps 55.9-11) War entered the heart of the psalmist’s friend. (Ps 55.21)

There are politicians, podcasters, and pastors with “war” in their hearts. Even official government social media accounts use cruel, insulting memes about serious issues of war and death. And some Christians praise or approve it.

We become like what we behold, especially when we praise it. What many Christians behold and praise is not Christlike. Too many Christians (including pastors) are “discipled” by those peddling politics and pseudo-Christianity with memes, insults, fear, and hatred. It’s good discipleship, but the wrong master.

I gently confronted my friend (though I wanted to respond in anger) and he apologized, removing the offensive comment. But this isn’t about me or him or right or left. Whatever theological or political tribe you listen to has vitriolic voices and we are susceptible to becoming like them. We are being attacked by algorithms that are financially motivated to form echo-chambers and sow war into our hearts.

Christians should excel in love, not unkindness. We should excel in respect, not vitriol. Instead of throwing insulting punchlines, we should extend lifelines of engagement and care. We do not have to let go of orthodoxy to be loving, kind, and respectful. We can hold both.

We must be shaped by scripture, not culture, follow Jesus, not political leaders, and embrace truth and truth-tellers, not lies and lie-sellers.

Be prepared for yourself and others to fail. Be prepared to repent and to forgive. And when you are hurt, say with the psalmist, “as for me, I trust in you.” (Ps 55.23)

Divine Hours Prayer: The Request for Presence

Be pleased, O God, to deliver me; O Lord, make haste to help me. — Psalm 70.1

– From The Divine Hours: Prayers for Springtime by Phyllis Tickle.

Read more: Praising Christ’s Righteousness

Imagine hanging our hopes on a great leader, only to watch him or her fall…Most of us don’t have to imagine it. It has happened.

Praising Christ’s Righteousness

Read more: Unsurprising Oppression

The teacher of Ecclesiastes and Jesus, the teacher of Galilee would be shocked to find their words abused as excusing poverty and oppression.

Unsurprising Oppression