Psalm 62-B "All and Nothing"

This is the second installment of my devotional posts from Psalm 62, covering verses 8-12. It involves the juxtaposition of two extremes, “all” and “nothing,” in terms of how trust should be assigned.

All

This first section gets its theme from verse eight: “At all times….” This is not a new idea for this verse, merely continues the theme found previously in v.5-7,

For God alone, O my soul, wait in silence,
               for my hope is from him.
He only is my rock and my salvation,
    my fortress; I shall not be shaken.
On God rests my salvation and my glory;
    my mighty rock, my refuge is God.

While the psalmist clarified in v. 5-7 that his stance was emphatic in terms of who he trusted, what verse eight adds is an exhortation to the reader/hearer to do the same by the use of a time element.

Trust in him at all times, O people;
    pour out your heart before him;
    God is a refuge for us. Selah

One theologian draws an important lesson from this “at all times” statement.

“The time reference perhaps takes up the fact that for anyone there are times when it is tempting not to trust, and those are the moments when it is most important to do so; that is how things are at this moment for the psalmist.”[1]

The psalmist, who was previously silent, now advised the reader to “pour out your heart before him.” Are the ideas of the soul waiting in silence (vv 1, 5) and pouring out our hearts (v. 8) at odds with each other? No, I don’t think so. Our soul can wait in the silence of trust and confidence in the God who loves us, speaking no complaint or inner insult, and at the same time be entirely open in communicating honestly with God. Ironically, pouring out our hearts to him is the only guarantee that none of the contents will be lost! Pouring out is a wonderful word picture of trusting everything into God’s hands. Instead of scheming within our thoughts and cursing others emotionally, we are encouraged to pour out our hearts to the Lord. Such prayer is cathartic and lifegiving.

Further, Goldingay also comments on the “pour out your heart” clause: “The psalm is encouraging the community to an act of faith that pours out its resentment, grief, and fear before God, the act that psalms are often modeling.”[2]

After stating his faith is in God alone and encouraging the people to trust God, not just some of the time, but “at all times,” we shift to verse nine’s hot take on the worth of those participants in an economic class system.

Less Than You Think

Verse 9 serves as a transition between trusting in God at all times and not trusting in the ways of the wicked (v.10). It accomplishes this transition by pointing out how unworthy social classes are, whether they are high or low. In ancient cultures, worth was often expressed in terms of weightiness, and the imagery of scales was frequently used to describe value or its absence. A classic passage on this is found in Isaiah 40. Here are a couple of those verses.

Behold, the nations are like a drop from a bucket,
    and are accounted as the dust on the scales;
    behold, he takes up the coastlands like fine dust…
All the nations are as nothing before him,
    they are accounted by him as less than nothing and emptiness. (Isa. 40:15,17)

"As the dust on the scales"
Photo: Greg K Dueker

Here in Psalm 62, those of lower classes are said to have the weight/worth of a mere breath, which is to say they are not weighty, they are without substance, they have little worth in themselves… except what God breathed into them. Surprisingly, the upper class, “Those of high estate,” are even less weighty than the “breath” of the lower class. Since a breath weighs nothing on a scale, being less than a breath is like an ancient attempt to describe a negative number! Moreover, since worship is tied to one’s weightiness, saying one has less than zero weight would be a major slam. St. Paul used a similar expression in 2 Corinthians 12:11, read it and see if you can do the math! When we think that our value and worth are found in all the power and possessions of this world that we can grab, then we are fooling ourselves.

“Absalom may have advanced in wealth and power as he steals the Kingdom, but in the scales of God, he is a mere nothing.”[3]

If people have no substantial weightiness, why would we put our trust in them to anchor our lives in turbulent times?

Nothing

Put no trust in extortion;
    set no vain hopes on robbery;
    if riches increase, set not your heart on them. (v. 10)

In contrast to verse eight’s exhortation to trust God at all times, verse ten commands the people to put nothing into the trust of violent and dishonest schemes (i.e., extortion, robbery) or the wealth of the world. Wealth can be taken away or destroyed, and extortion and robbery will both be judged. They are not a promising investment strategy!

It matters who or what we trust. And the character of what/whom we trust will also shape what that trust looks like.

The word translated as extortion or oppression (Heb. ‘ōsheq) in “concerned with acts of abuse of power or authority, the burdening, trampling, and crushing of those lower in station” (TWOT, 705). Are there things that we have come to depend upon that are the result of an abuse of power? Such an oppressive abuse of power is further described by the word translated by the English word “robbery,” which is not as graphic as the original Hebrew (gazēl) suggests. It describes something plundered and has “in its meaning the violence that goes beyond mere stealing or taking another’s belongings but includes robbing by force, tearing off” (TWOT, 158). It is an often torturous and painful way to take something from another. While we don’t literally function in such violent ways, I suggest that some of the virtual treatment of others in various forms of media should be called into question. As followers of Christ, we know for certain that he would never treat the downtrodden like that. If we do, then we can be sure that we are not following Christ. As John wrote to 1^st Century Christians,

If anyone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen. And this commandment we have from him: whoever loves God must also love his brother. (1 John 4:20-21)

Running the Numbers and Settling Up

In verse eleven, the psalmist begins “counting” the lessons he had learned when God spoke. “Once…twice” is a Hebraism found in Wisdom and Prophetic literature (e.g., Prov. 30:15,18,21,29; Amos 1:3,6,9,11). The results should be taken together. In this case, both power and steadfast love belong to God (v.12).

The power of God is tied to the steadfast love of God! He will not use power contrary to his love. Neither should we. “The Lord will render to a man according to his work.” The psalmist ends on a note that reminds us that real power is not in the abuses of class, oppression/extortion, or in brutally cruel robbery, which the wicked may perpetrate because they can. Real power is found in the steadfast love of God, which cannot be chained.

Which path will we follow?

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[1] Goldingay, John. Psalms, Vol. 2, BCOT, BakerAcademic, 2007. 249.
[2] Ibid.
[3] Wilcock, Michael. The Message of Psalms 1-72, BST, IVP. 221-222.

Psalm 62-A "Alone… Only"

Photo by Guillaume de Germain on Unsplash

Waiting in Silence

"For God alone my soul waits in silence;
from him comes my salvation.
He only is my rock and my salvation,
my fortress; I shall not be greatly shaken." (62:1-2)

I love the first line of this psalm! "For God alone," which means my trust and worship are not directed elsewhere. "My soul waits in silence," which indicates a patience and level of trust that is not always crying out in distress but at times waiting patiently with mouth closed and eyes and ears open to see and hear what God intends to do. How much of our prayer time is simply listening? This verse reminds me of the “weaned child” imagery in Psalm 131:2,

“But I have calmed and quieted my soul,
    like a weaned child with its mother;
    like a weaned child is my soul within me.”

How wonderful to be able to quiet our soul to wait in silence for our Lord to do what he does best! This statement in verses 1-2 is repeated almost word-for-word in verses 5-6. It must be a message we need to hear more than once...However, I am glad not to have been greatly shaken.

Another commentator describes such stillness before God as follows,

Stillness before God has exercised the frequently dominant elements of life—fearful anxiety, disappointment, pain of abuse—and has become the source of assurance of the adequacy of divine power and divine willingness to help those who are faithful. When we remain calm in trust before God, we grow in strength and discipline.[1]

An ‘Ak - ‘Ak Psalm

Photo by David Alvarez on Unsplash

One of the most notable characteristics of this psalm is the repeated use (6x) of the Hebrew word 'aḵ. My heading is making a play on “Ack-Ack,” which was a WWII slang term for anti-aircraft gunfire that pilots would have to fly through on their way to their targets. It had a way of getting your attention. So to the word 'aḵ in this psalm. Scholars have consistently weighed in on this word. Without getting too technical, I think it might be helpful to examine the meaning and use of this word. 'Aḵ, is a Hebrew particle that primarily communicates emphasis. It can mean truly/surely, alone, only, or but. However, it is often not translated. In English, we do the same thing by putting the accent on a specific word when speaking or by using italics when writing.

When translated, the sense is either an emphatic affirmative or an emphatic restrictive. Many times, no translation is preferable to either of the above alternatives.[2]

Michael Wilcock not only speaks to the meaning of the word, but also to how this incident itself was perhaps an emphatic moment in the life of David.

At this period of his life. Maybe more than in any other, it was [impressed] on David that his hope really is in God alone. Six times he expresses that quivering awareness by the little word 'aḵ. It can mean ‘truly’ (v.4, fully) or ‘only’ (vv. 1,2,5,6, alone), or perhaps both… Instead of trying to find a word for it, an English translation might simply put in italics the words that follow it. ‘It is in God that my soul finds rest,’ says David, ‘he is my rock’ …As Tate says, 'aḵ statements, “do not come naturally and easily’. We may mouth them glibly at any time, but Psalm 62 is for the times when bitter experience makes us mean them.[3]

Indeed, we can easily say that we trust or look to God alone for help, be it salvation, protection, or direction, but it is much more difficult to live as though it were true. I am reminded of the father of the demonized son, who, when Jesus said, “‘All things are possible for one who believes,” immediately answered, “I believe; help my unbelief!” (Mark 9:23-24).

In the next verses, the writer interrogated his attackers, and then, in an aside to his audience, he described the heart and motivation of such oppressors.

How long will all of you attack a man
    to batter him,
    like a leaning wall, a tottering fence?
They only plan to thrust him down from his high position.
    They take pleasure in falsehood. (v.3-4)

Photo by Samuel Cruz on Unsplash

The psalmist’s attackers were like an enemy’s battering ram looking to breach a city’s defenses. LOTR fans easily think of Grond, the great ram used to breach the gates of Minas Tirith. Home improvement show fans might picture the sledgehammers and pry bars used for a demo-day kitchen tear-down, removing useless walls and old kitchen cabinets.

Elsewhere in the OT, similar imagery is used in Isaiah 30:13 but in a different context. There, it describes the wicked, whose sin, in rejecting God’s words of prophetic warning, is like a bulging wall that will suddenly collapse.

Therefore thus says the Holy One of Israel,
“Because you despise this word
    and trust in oppression and perverseness
    and rely on them,
therefore this iniquity shall be to you
    like a breach in a high wall, bulging out and about to collapse,
    whose breaking comes suddenly, in an instant;
and its breaking is like that of a potter's vessel
    that is smashed so ruthlessly
that among its fragments not a shard is found
    with which to take fire from the hearth,
    or to dip up water out of the cistern.” (Isaiah 30:12-14, empasis mine)

In our psalm, the first part of verse 4 uses ‘ak once again to emphasize that these enemies only want to push him down (e.g., from being king). We see people/groups like this today, whose only focus is to remove a given leader/group from power, above and beyond any effort to work for the common good of the country, state, town, or church.

In the second part of verse 4, they are described not only as duplicitous but as enjoying the lies. Outwardly, they say the right things, but inwardly, they enjoy their haughty and dismissive cursing.

In contrast, in verse 5, the psalmist reminds himself to do otherwise.

For God alone, O my soul, wait in silence, 
    for my hope is from him.

This is a reiteration of his statement from verse 1, this time as a reminder to himself. This silence is not a break in communication, but here is in contrast to those in v. 4 who speak blessing but believe cursing in their hearts. The silence which the psalmist urges to be “for God alone” means that he should have no inward cursing or complaint towards God, for “hope/salvation is from him.”

Photo by Guillaume Brocker on Unsplash

In difficult and tumultuous times, will we choose to believe in our hearts and speak with our mouths that the Triune God is the strong, loving one who protects, saves, and lifts us up?

He only is my rock and my salvation,
    my fortress; I shall not be shaken.
On God rests my salvation and my glory;
    my mighty rock, my refuge is God. (Psalm 62:6-7)

Note: I will bring a devotional reflection from the second half of Psalm 62 in my next post.

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[1] Marvin E. Tate, Psalms 51-100 (WBC, Vol. 20), Word, 122.

[2] TWOT, Vol. 1, 39.

[3] Michael Wilcock, The Message of Psalms 1-72, IVP Downers Grove, IL, 2001, 220-221.

Psalm 61: Higher Than I

Photo by Greg K. Dueker

Lead Me…

While I always seem drawn to comment on v. 1-3, and today is no exception, I will try to show the connection, the “stringed instrument” between the four strophes, rather than treating them in isolation.

Hear my cry, O God,
    listen to my prayer;
from the end of the earth I call to you
    when my heart is faint.
Lead me to the rock
    that is higher than I,
for you have been my refuge,
    a strong tower against the enemy. (v.1-3)

Certainly, verses 1-3 comprise one of my favorite passages in the Psalms and provide the words for a beloved old-time gospel song as well. One summer, while I was in college, I worked at a large Christian conference center in the mountains of Southern California. As part of the staff choir, I would sing the song based on this passage. The words that still stand out to me are “lead me to the rock that is higher than I.”  I am so glad that God is higher than me, or the "rock" would be less of a rock and more of a low, muddy place.

Photo by Greg K. Dueker

Another way I relate to this passage is that it reminds me of the blue tsunami lines we have painted on the streets in Pacific Coast towns that let you know when you are far enough above sea level that you are safe from any potential tsunami. I like the beach, but I get a little nervous when I am below the blue line. Using this metaphor, the Lord is our tsunami escape route and refuge! He is the "rock that is higher than I"! When we are faint and overwhelmed and know that we are not enough, is the rock we stand on, the rock we trust in, higher than ourselves and our efforts? I hope so. When our heart is faint, from wherever we may be, let us be resolved to call on the Lord, for he is our refuge!

Let Me…

After this first strophe, where the Psalmist could pray verses 1- 2 because of his experience of shelter in verse 3, he follows the same pattern in verses 4-5.

⁴ Let me dwell in your tent forever!
    Let me take refuge under the shelter of your wings! Selah
⁵ For you, O God, have heard my vows;
    you have given me the heritage of those who fear your name. (v.4-5)

The psalmist/king asked God to let him dwell in his presence. He prayed verse 4 because of his confident testimony described in verse 5. Why would he want to dwell in God’s tent forever if he did not know the great blessing of being in God’s presence? In Hebrews 11:6, faith is seen as having two parts—a belief in God's existence (He is real) and a belief in his reward for those who seek him (He is good!). For the psalmist, having known/experienced the goodness of the Lord, there could be no better place to spend forever.

Connecting with his heritage (spiritually attuned ancestors) in verse 5, the psalmist prayed for long life in verse 6 for the purpose stated in verse 7, where the steadfast love (Heb., hesed) of God would watch over him.

Love Me…

⁶ Prolong the life of the king;
    may his years endure to all generations!
⁷ May he be enthroned forever before God;
    appoint steadfast love and faithfulness to watch over him!

Photo by aaron-burden on unsplash

This prayer sounds like it could be a standard prayer for any godly ruler. It is a “God save the King!” kind of statement. But why does this king, or intercessor for the king, want his life prolonged, poetically “to all generations” (v.6)? Verse 7’s request extends the description of how his life and rule might be preserved…by being in the presence of God and protected by YHWH’s steadfast love and faithfulness. But it is verse 8 that finally reveals the “why” behind the request. 

⁸ So will I ever sing praises to your name,
    as I perform my vows day after day.

The psalmist king desired continued life not for the continuance of his personal power and pleasure, but to use his prolonged life to worship God, both through singing praise and performing his vows (living out his worship). This begs the question: As a king of Israel, what vows would he need to perform?

In ancient Israel, beyond personally obeying the Mosaic Law in a general sense (think of the 10 Commandments and the command to love your neighbor as yourself, plus keeping the sacrifices and festivals), the king of Israel was responsible for building his reign upon the Word of God (writing out a copy for himself and reading it daily), upholding justice for all in his land, inquiring of the Lord for wisdom. The nation's security depended on their spiritual ties to the Living God, and the king generally set an example (for better or worse).

Negatively, there were three representative things that the king was not supposed to acquire many of—

1. horses (lest he trust his military strength or be in bondage to Egypt again),
2. wives (lest his heart turn away from the Lord and objectify others), and
3. excessive gold and silver. (lest he grow proud and stop trusting in the Lord)

Later, an additional warning was added; that kings should avoid wine and strong drink (lest they forget what they have said and perpetrate injustice on the afflicted, Prov. 31:4-5).

Positively, the kings were to fear God, keep the words of the Law, and speak up for the voiceless to defend the poor and powerless (Prov. 31:8-9). One reason for keeping the Word of God central in the life and rule of the king was so that “his heart may not be lifted up above his brothers” (Deut. 17:20). Humility was a social justice value, even in ancient Israel. Unfortunately, not many took it seriously.

Does it sound much like our leaders today? Some, but not all.

But again, the verse that stands alone is the conclusion in verse 8. It is a life that keeps its promises, which can sing true praises to the Lord.

When we have been led to the rock that is higher than ourselves, when we have started walking with God and seen his faithfulness, and when we have been kept by his steadfast love (hesed), then we will want to pay it forward!

 

Psalm 60 Shaken or Stirred?

Before diving into Psalm 60, you might be interested to know that the last half of this Davidic psalm was appropriated and reused in a later post-exilic context in Psalm 108. If you want to, you can click the following link to see my post on Psalm 108: Back by Popular Demand.

My focus in this post today is Psalm 60:1-3 and then a few verses towards the end...

    O God,

you have rejected us, broken our defenses;

you have been angry; oh, restore us.

You have made the land to quake;

you have torn it open; repair its breaches, for it totters.

You have made your people see hard things;

you have given us wine to drink that made us stagger. (60:1-3)

This psalm contains a central victory shout of God (v.6-8) wrapped in a sandwich of national lament. The shout describes some of David’s victories, but they didn’t come without some difficult times, perhaps even times of doubting if God was present at all. Yet, during those times, when it was when God shook up the land the people’s hearts turned back to God…and saw his victory over their enemies. If God is shaking things around you, look up, flee to him, and the salvation he alone brings. 

Photo by Dave Goudreau on Unsplash

For someone like me who spent their early years in Southern California, and now lives in the PNW, the earth “quaking” is one thing, but it being torn open brings another whole level of concern! There is something deeply unsettling when the thing we consider most solid in our lives is shaken. The imagery in v.1-3 is especially appropriate for our current cultural context!

However, in putting myself into the shoes of the original singers of this psalm, I am reminded of something that happened in Numbers 16 when Korah and 250 elders rebelled against Moses and the Lord. In verses 29-33, Moses boldly declared what God was going to do and then faithfully recorded what God did that day!

If these men die as all men die, or if they are visited by the fate of all mankind, then the Lord has not sent me. But if the Lord creates something new, and the ground opens its mouth and swallows them up with all that belongs to them, and they go down alive into Sheol, then you shall know that these men have despised the Lord.”

And as soon as he had finished speaking all these words, the ground under them split apart. And the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them up, with their households and all the people who belonged to Korah and all their goods. So they and all that belonged to them went down alive into Sheol, and the earth closed over them, and they perished from the midst of the assembly. (emphasis mine)

Photo by Shefali Lincoln on Unsplash

David’s use of such ground-tearing imagery possibly alluded to the price of rebellion before they had ever entered the Promised Land. Now, what their sin had resulted in was a more metaphorical “tearing” as tribes were fractured from each other and as enemy nations attacked while their attention was diverted.

Throughout the last several millennia both physical and metaphorical earthquakes have continued in the Middle East. But there remains another great quake to come.

The final book of the Bible speaks of a time when even the ground of Jerusalem would be torn.

And there were flashes of lightning, rumblings, peals of thunder, and a great earthquake such as there had never been since man was on the earth, so great was that earthquake. The great city was split into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell, and God remembered Babylon the great, to make her drain the cup of the wine of the fury of his wrath. And every island fled away, and no mountains were to be found. (Rev. 16:18-20)

And the quake to end all quakes is described in Hebrews 12 when the author speaks of our receiving a kingdom that cannot be “shaken”

At that time his voice shook the earth, but now he has promised, “Yet once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heavens.” This phrase, “Yet once more,” indicates the removal of things that are shaken—that is, things that have been made—in order that the things that cannot be shaken may remain.  Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire. (Heb. 12:26-29)

Just two psalms later, in Psalm 62:2, 6 we are reminded that in shaky times it is the Lord himself who is our refuge and will enable us to stand.

He alone is my rock and my salvation, my fortress; I shall not be greatly shaken… 
He only   is my rock and my salvation, my fortress; I shall not be             shaken.

So, as I ponder this passage today, I wonder if the circumstantial things we often interpret as God rejecting us are indicative of rejection or if are they related to discipline and his Spirit’s work to prepare us to repent and return to the God who loves us as his children? Psalm 60:10 asks the circumstantially rooted question,

"Have you not rejected us, O God?

          You do not go forth, O God, with our armies.” 

Photo by ahna-ziegler on unsplash

In times like this, will we be shaken and blame God while continuing to depend on our own strength and wisdom, or will we be stirred to confess, repent, and ask for God’s gracious help in our time of trouble?

How does this psalm end? The psalmist led the community of faith in the way of life!

Oh, grant us help against the foe,

     for vain is the salvation of man!

With God we shall do valiantly;

    it is he who will tread down our foes." (v. 11-12)

In review, the psalmist wrestled with having to fight against enemies (Aram & Edom in this case) which made him wonder if God was no longer with them. Yet he made a profound trust statement... that man could not save him/them, only God could!

I also love that confident line in v.12, "With God we shall do valiantly"...but it only works when we realize that the salvation that comes from our own efforts is worthless. Yet somehow the Lord still allows us to be a part of the awesome things he is doing! The trick is being with God rather than trying to get him to be with us. The heart question we must answer is whether are we committed to participating with him in what he does or are more concerned with his blessing of what it is that we do.

The best way to do something right is to take a moment to include God in the process. I knew someone many years ago who would ask, "Is this just my bright idea or God's right idea?"

I guess it just depends on what we want to see at the end of the day, the week, the life... I would prefer to be stirred up to trust in God and see some valiantly effective purposefulness! How about you?

Psalm 59 Howling Like Dogs or Sharing the Love?

Over the years, in my devotionally commenting on this psalm, I have consistently focused on the final strophe (vv. 16-17) as my emphasis. I have posted these verses with my comments at least five times! So, in approaching this psalm today, I will intentionally discuss several other verses before hitting the well-trod landing zone in v. 17.

Who Let the Dogs Out?

Photo by Michael Ely, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.
wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=13897885

This psalm starts as an individual lament with a prayer request that pulls up short of being fully imprecatory (v. 1-5). David claims his innocence, and at this point in his life, he was innocent of any wrongdoing. He had served God, the king, and the people of Israel bravely and faithfully, only to be canceled and nearly killed by the king’s jealousy. These specific enemies were persistent in their howling, prowling, and growling when they “don’t eat their fill” (v.15). The answer to the question of who let these dogs out is Saul. Still, they were seeking their own profit through treachery, which is never a good investment strategy. David asked the Lord to “punish all the nations,” not in general but sparing “none of those who treacherously plot evil” (v. 5).

What is the chorus of this psalm? What is the repeated phrase that acts as a bridge between sections? “Each evening they come back, howling like dogs and prowling about the city.” (v. 6, 14) The psalmist adds to the point by repeating that each evening “those who treacherously plot evil” (v.5) come back looking for trouble at his expense.

Sometimes our troubles...or those troubling people just do not ever seem to go away...coming back "each evening". Yet, like the psalmist, we can choose to sing of God's strength even when we feel we do not have any; of his steadfast love amid our trials!

Don’t you just love how, in the middle of being stalked by Saul's agents each night, David could still sing of God's strength? He knew that God would preserve him until the morning! Such faith in a loving God makes for a good night's sleep, no matter what is going on outside.

Photo by Gurth Bramall on Unsplash

I love dogs, but when the neighbors’ dogs' incessant barking wakes me from sleep in the
middle of the night or early in the morning, I find it highly irritating. Imagine that the metaphorical dogs are people saying bad things about you and trying to provoke you into an emotional response. Also, it helps us to understand the imagery used here when we realize that the dogs of ancient Israel were not house pets but dirty, skulking, sneaking, thieving creatures. In my mind, I compare them to pack hunters like hyenas and coyotes… loud at night, and we should not underestimate the damage they can do.

Famous Last Words

These human “dogs” came howling and bellowing rumors, slander, and lies about David. Why didn’t they fear that they might be held accountable for their words? Because they were practical atheists and in the employ of the king, they feared neither God nor man. As verse 7 describes.

There they are, bellowing with their mouths
    with swords in their lips—
    for “Who,” they think, “will hear us?” (v.7)

Such words and boasts do not discomfit God, for indeed he laughs at the impotent self-deception. David set himself to watch for what the Lord would do negatively towards the bloodthirsty men and positively towards the faithful, summed up in verse 10,

My God in his steadfast love will meet me;
    God will let me look in triumph on my enemies.

David initially wanted them to be judged and brought down but not killed, lest his people forget (v.11), in a sense that may allude to Judges 2:21-23, where the other nations were not utterly destroyed but were used to discipline God’s people when they sinned. In this sense, David’s prayer extends beyond his immediate context to the plight of God’s people living in exile in a fallen world.

However, while David starts by not wishing for their death, the more he considers their lies and sinful words, the more worked up he gets. Let's read this section together…

Kill them not, lest my people forget;
    make them totter by your power and bring them down,
    O Lord, our shield!
For the sin of their mouths, the words of their lips,
    let them be trapped in their pride.
For the cursing and lies that they utter,
    consume them in wrath;
    consume them till they are no more,
that they may know that God rules over Jacob
    to the ends of the earth. Selah (v. 11-14)

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We are currently living in a time where conversations with those who disagree with us are difficult, if not impossible. We have largely lost the ability to engage ideas, concepts, and policies reasonably, and too often settle for railing against the character of the other. The ad hominem attack has always been a logical fallacy, and though it has won some battles, it usually ends up losing the war.

While the wicked focus on loudly expressing their displeasure when they don’t get what they want, David models a posture of faithful worship even during perilous times. Despite his frustration at the mercenaries that surrounded his house looking to capture him for King Saul, David ended his psalm with this praise for God's hesed love, and continues to place his trust in the Lord...always the best decision!

So here is where I hit my customary landing zone in this psalm.

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But I will sing of your strength;
    I will sing aloud of your steadfast love in the morning.
For you have been to me a fortress
    and a refuge in the day of my distress.
O my Strength, I will sing praises to you,
    for you, O God, are my fortress,
    the God who shows me steadfast love. (v.16-17)

Singing out loud of YHWH’s steadfast love today! No matter what lurks at the door or prowls around the walls of our life, God's love is a fortress! Despite being falsely accused, persecuted, and even being hunted down, David chose to focus on God's strength and steadfast love. I wish I could do the same thing more consistently!

I pray that we will never be pride-trapped by our words to the point of denying the truth of our faith. May we be people who are honest to God, kind to others, and transformed by the steadfast love of God! 

Psalm 58 Ding-dong! The Witch is Dead!

Psalm 58 is a type of lament referred to as an imprecatory psalm. What is that? It is a psalm that calls for the just wrath of God upon the wicked. It captures the raw cry of the poor and powerless against unjust oppression.

The iconic image of the witch's feet
protruding from under the house.

Admittedly, there is something joyous about breaking the oppression of the wicked (v.10-11). One example is in the 1939 classic, The Wizard of Oz when Dorothy’s house falls on and kills the wicked witch, the Munchkins sing, “Ding, dong, the Witch is dead…” since their fearful tormenter has been killed. A death that was very imprecatory-esque (to coin a phrase). Here are the lyrics they sang (in case you were wondering).

Ding-dong! The Witch is dead
Which old Witch? The Wicked Witch!
Ding-dong! The Wicked Witch is dead
Wake up, you sleepy head
Rub your eyes, get out of bed
Wake up, the Wicked Witch is dead
She's gone where the goblins go
Below, below, below
Yo-ho, let's open up and sing and ring the bells out
Ding-dong, the merry-oh, sing it high, sing it low
Let them know the Wicked Witch is dead!

While this type of psalm (imprecatory lament) is often quite graphic in its creatively worded and often hyperbolic poetic descriptions, the focus is not so much a longing for bloodthirsty revenge as it is for removing the oppressor and their opportunity to continue hurting others.

Now, let’s look at the biblical text of this reflection from Psalm 58.

"Do you indeed decree what is right, you gods?

 Do you             judge the children of man uprightly?

No, in your hearts you devise wrongs;

          your hands deal out violence on earth." (v.1-2)

While the author used a Hebrew term translated here as “gods” or “Mighty Ones” it is clear that he was making a sarcastic statement. Those who should have been responsible for weighing out justice to all had not done so. There may also be a bit of a peek behind the curtain to the spiritual “powers and principalities” that pull the strings of such unjust leaders. Of course, the false gods of the world never judge rightly...they are merely tools of selfishness (as are their followers). So much violence in the world comes from those ultimately seeking their own self-interests. Jesus made it clear that Christians are to be different. We are called to follow our Savior’s example by denying ourselves, taking up our crosses daily, laying down our lives, our rights, and our successes. He did not come to be served but to serve. Elsewhere he said that it was the meek who shall inherit the earth (Matt. 5:5). When we come to Christ with empty hands and an open heart He will bring his people peace, a peace that cannot be taken away by the world.

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Meanwhile, the wicked shuffle their cards, dealing out wickedness, and planting lies and injustice everywhere they go. Why do they do this? Why do their hearts devise wrongs? Because they have made an idol out of themselves. The Apostle Paul laid this out in his letter to Timothy in describing the coming days of difficulty, days that sound very much like our own.

But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty. 

For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people. (2 Tim. 3:1-5)

When you are a lover of self and not a lover of the good, how can you live peacefully in a relationship with other people, much less God? You can’t. Thus,

The wicked are estranged from the womb;
    they go astray from birth, speaking lies. (v.3)

The irony of this imprecatory psalm is that it is set to a tune titled, "Do not Destroy"! The psalmist and the lamenting community do not take it upon themselves to destroy their oppressors. Rather, such a psalm is used to process the frustration of the author/reader with wicked rulers and faux judges who are like deadly snakes that will not be charmed (v.4-5) and it asks God to deal with them as only He can. In the end, the justice of God is revealed! Everything is not as it seems!

He began to say to his disciples first, “Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy. Nothing is covered up that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known. Therefore whatever you have said in the dark shall be heard in the light, and what you have whispered in private rooms shall be proclaimed on the housetops. (Luke 12:1-3)

It is hard for many Americans to relate to such brutal leaders and persecution as the psalmist describes...but Christians from other places know exactly what the psalmist is talking about. However, even in the USA, we are coming to see hypocrisy on a massive level unveiled.

The imprecatory request of Psalm 58 begins to make more sense when we, or those we love, have been the recipients and victims of deadly lies and unprovoked attacks.

"O God, break the teeth in their mouths;

tear out the fangs of the young lions, O LORD!

Let them vanish like water that runs away;

when he aims his arrows, let them be blunted." (v.6-7)

If I were to paraphrase these verses, I might say, “Let the source of their deadly venom be broken and torn out. Let their efforts melt away to nothing, let their assassination attempts be ineffective.”

Ultimately, we are either children of the light, who want the truth to be revealed, the corruption exposed, and the unjust scales to be recalibrated. Yet, God’s people are not to take vengeance into their own hands… only God can make those judgments without error. And one day he will complete the work. On that day,

Mankind will say, "Surely there is a reward for the righteous;                                                       surely there is a God who judges on earth." (v.11)

As noted above, Psalm 58 is an imprecatory lament that expresses the psalmist's desire and request for justice to be done! He concludes with this verse that tells what the world's reaction will be after God’s delivering judgment of the wicked appears. His judgment does not tarry until that final day but is an ongoing work that occurs every day, in every season, and yet will suddenly come to an unmistakable and unchangeable conclusion. Even now, it is his kindness and mercy that allows us to confess and repent before we are caught and face the consequences of our sins (àRom. 2:4-5). We do well to heed the words of John to the dispersed church…

If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But…

if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.

If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (1 John 1:6-9)

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An imprecatory lament should serve to remind us of our own shortcomings and utter dependence upon the grace of God in Christ Jesus! We all have trash that needs to be removed.

When we know how much we have been forgiven we will not quickly enter into judgment on others, but will fervently pray even for our enemies, patiently correcting with gentleness, that they might be set free for they are unwitting slaves (à 2 Tim. 2:23-26).

My prayer for us in these days is that we might have the courage to witness to the truth, the faith to see God’s powerful work on behalf of his children, the love to serve alongside him in his mission, and the hope to remain steadfast to the end.