Two stories of Healing
Text: Mark 4:35 – 5:43
Outline:
A. 4:35-41, Calming down a storm
B. 5:1-20, Healing a man with a demon
C. 5:21-43, Healing of two “girls”
Comments:
I told you I am a fan of Creation. Here we go again. Just look at the outline. Nature, then Man, then Woman (actually two of them – God loves His daughters). Now, let us go to the text.
Psalm 14
We continue
to read the difficult psalms. They are difficult not because it is hard to
understand them, but because they describe a difficult situation ‘till the last
moment it is not obvious that GOOD will prevail.
Here is
another, and I can say – the ultimate example.
It begins
with a very straight statement: the Fool says in his heart – there is no God.
Since the rest of the psalm is a farther description of the foolishness, we
need to spend time on understanding the basics of it.
The word for
Fool – Hebrew NaBaL – comes from a verb to fade, to fade away. It
is a person who does not have own strength, he is falling down, and faints…
Therefore, his decisions are not “solid,” there is not real substance in what
he says or does. He is not even will to admit openly his rejection of a
presence of God. He says it in his heart. At the same time, we need to
remember that a heart of man is a decision-making organ. So, his plans and
their execution is based on the fact that he doesn’t recognize any higher power
over him. It comes from the usage of the word God in the Bible.
Very often
Christian make a little mistake thinking that God refers only to the one true
God. Bible uses the same word speaking of false deities and even humans. At one
time the LORD told Moses
that he – Moses – is going to be god for pharaoh, and his brother Aaron will be
his prophet (Exodus 7:1, note: there is no “like” in the original text). The
word God in the Bible can identify any power stronger than us. Since the
Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit is definitely stronger than us – he is the
God.
That’s the
reason to point out the foolishness of a wicked man – he thinks that he is the
ultimate power in this world. He “relies” on himself only.
If a person
believes that he is the ultimate authority in his own life (and, as a result of
absence of God, in the life of others), no wonder that his life goes south… vv.
1a – 4 pictures a terrible situation of moral collapse in society. This can
happen when most people are under the spell of atheism. These verses became the
background for St. Paul list of biblical proof-texts for the dominance of sin
in human life (Romans 3:10-23).
Yet, even
being neglected, the LORD
looks down from heaven. He is searching for a single person who has an
understanding, who seeks after God (v. 2). Understanding here means to be
prudent or wise. That’s how Samuel describes the actions of David and his
“platoon” in comparison to Saul’s commanders (1 Samuel 18:30). God is looking
constantly for the people who are going to worship Him in spirit and truth
(John 4:23).
Rejection of
God can not bring comfort to a soul – as a result, they are in terror. He is
with the generation of the righteous. Meaning that He leaves the wicked on
their own – they are in terror because the environment they create. Proverbs
picking up the theme say that the wicked falls by his own wickedness (11:5b).
Following that St. Paul concludes that God simply gives up the rebels against
Him to their own lust and sins (Romans 1:22-25).
The wicked
still tries to attack the poor. Poor can be both an economical, social and
spiritual condition (Matthew 5:3). But Living One is the refuge for the
afflicted. He is the provider, provider of financial and spiritual support and
safety.
Seeing that,
people can testify that salvation comes from Zion – the place of the fellowship
between God and man (Isaiah 2:2-3).
The psalm
ends with a sobering reality – Jacob will rejoice, and Israel will be glad.
This WILL happen when the LORD restores the fortunes of His people. What does it mean? It means that
His people needed to be restored… They screwed up… So, the fool(s) is everyone
of us when we think of ourselves to high [feeding our own pride], or too low
[dismissing the image of God]. But God is the Living One – He generously gives
live to the people who walked away from Him. He is the One who gives reason to
rejoice and be glad.
Psalm 13 – How Long?
It is a
difficult psalm for interpretation. The first two verses begin with 4
questions. Or ONE question, repeated four times: HOW LONG?
How long? Will you forget me forever?
How long will you hide your face? (Numbers 6:24-26)
How long must I take counsel in my soul (being
self-taught) and have sorrow in my heart all the day?
How long
shall my enemy be exalted over me?
In a square
shaped world (four corners), every corner of psalmist’s life is in distress. He
feels that God forgot about him and hides His face. There is no other source of
comfort but his own soul, but his heart (decision making organ) is in distress.
Then the worst comes: his enemies exalt over him – they feel victorious!
We face
these kinds of situations in our lives: when friends fail us, spouses are very
sick, or there is a threat of losing a job with nowhere to go… All of these
feelings resurface one after another…
But
ultimately, this is what Jesus experienced on the Cross – My God, my God, why
have You forsaken me? (Matthew 27:46). There is no inner source of comfort –
for death is near (cp. v. 3b, sleep of death). And enemies were sure of their
glorious victory.
Reaction to
“absence” of God – prayer
David wants
to stay “in touch” with God: consider and answer… as a result of this
communication – light up my eyes! Make my eyes shine – the second part of the
Aaronic blessing (Numbers 6:24-26).
Then come
three “lest”
Lest I sleep the sleep of death
Lest my enemy say, “I have prevailed over him,”
Lest my foes
rejoice because I am shaken.
The ultimate
collapse – death – is a threat to the psalmist. The way it is written tells
that it is not the final and peaceful rest (that’s why Christians write Rest in
Peace [RiP]). It is an expectation of distress, collapse, and separation from
God.
This might
look like enemies prevailed… That the psalmist is shaking – unstable…
But in the
midst of his troubles his confession is strong:
I trusted
in Your steadfast love.
My heart
shall rejoice in Your salvation. God is the One who restores – us on our paths, life to life
eternal, even the Son of God was brought back to live, to ascension, to sit at
the right hand of the Father.
I will
sing to the LORD –
worthy to note that there is a shift from proclaiming in Revelation 4 to
singing in Revelation 5, just as the Lamb comes to the Throne of God.
Because He
has dealt bountifully with me – when we talk to other people about God, His
love and care for us we share our personal interaction with Him. How blesses us
day after day, providing food, roof, clothing etc. And never leaving us, no
forsaking – regardless of how we feel…
Psalm 12
Psalm
presents an answer of the LORD to two challenges: (1) lips and tongues; (2) perversion of justice.
David begins
with a call to save (v. 1).
Ultimately,
the psalm describes a situation of life for a godly person in an extremely
ungodly society. Similar account we will find later in the Songs of Ascent
(Psalms 120 – 134). The whole series begins with the almost identical claims – lying
lips and deceitful tongue (Psalm 120:2). Knowing that the words are prime
means of interaction, the society is in deep … trouble when all the people are
lying, flattering, and boasting.
vv. 2-4 lips
and tongues.
Lips in the
Bible are symbols of worship. See Ps. 51:15. It is the Lord who opens the lips
(+).
When the
lips are properly opened, then we can share the words – creating the culture of
life around us using our tongues.
But it can
be used otherwise too. The parade example of lips and tongues/mouth destructive
powers is the story of the Tower of Babel, Genesis 11:1-10.
When lips
are sharing vanities (better than lies v. 2a) and hearts are “doubled,”
meaning have double standards, then the society can be fixed only by
God. So, He comes and talks (vv. 5-6).
vv. 5-6, LORD fixes justice in the land by His
WORD.
The LORD identified the poor and needy – providing safety for him. Those who are poor – they are needy. The problem is solved by the word of God. The word is a conversational speech. The Hebrew language has three main words to describe a speech: to converse, to [give a] talk, to instruct (as a parent to a disobedient child). Here we have the first one – God brings His words in the midst of the people, so humans can interact with Him. In the past God would send prophets to talk to men. Who is the Word of God, who walked and talked among the people? Jesus – John 1:1-3, 14, 18.
v. 7, Call
upon the LORD to guard.
The idea of guarding is expressed in two verbs: to keep and to preserve. To keep is to defend from an assault. To preserve is to protect from the inner rottenness or corrosion. There are always two main challenges for the Church – attacks from outside and hypocrisy within. See Nehemiah 4:15-20, Israelites constructing the walls of Jerusalem.
v. 8 not “a
happy ever after”
PSALM 11
s [superscription] – chief musician to David
a. 1, I trust, my soul
b. 2, wicked
c. 3, what
can righteous do?
d. 4a,
LORD is in His temple, His throne is in heaven
d’. 4b, His eyes behold and tried the
children of Adam
c’. 5a,
righteous is tried
b’. 5b-6,
wicked
a’. 7, the
LORD loves the righteous
In the times
of David there were worship in the hills. That’s why “you/they” suggest that
his soul should flee to the hills.
It is not
obvious in English translation but “the wicked” is plural. “They” are wicked.
Wicked set the bow and arrows to shoot the upright in the heart – cp. Ephesians
6:16, arrows of the wicked. What defends from the arrows? Using the shield of
faith – creed.
What can
righteous do when the foundations are destroyed?
Flee to the LORD
Who is in
His Holy Temple, while His throne is in heaven (v. 4).
The LORD
tries the righteous – righteous goes through training, development, and path of
maturation. Cp. James 1:12.
The wicked
is caught by snares, burned by brimstone, and dismissed by the wind (spirit),
cp. Ps.1:4.
The LORD is
righteous, Loves the righteous deeds, and the upright looks at His face, cp.
Num. 6:24-26. We are not hiding from God, unlike Adam (or sons of Adam, see v.
4b). We are righteous in Christ and through Christ – the second Adam, therefore
we can trust in the LORD, Who rules from His heavenly throne.
Psalm 10
Since the
psalm doesn’t have a superscription, it is possible that originally psalm 9 and
10 were comprising one unit.
The psalm begins from a “provocative” question “why?”
(1) why do
you stand away;
(2) why do you hide.
Answer to
these two questions is three-fold. First, there is a description of arrogance.
Then psalmist calls upon the LORD to arise, with a conclusion that the LORD
will rule forever, as THE King of the whole world.
The answer
begins with the description of the arrogant in the world – even the pious mind
questions the presence of God in the world seeing them. It looks like evil
dominates, vv. 2-11. This account of wickedness has a parallel in Psalm 73.
After many lines of complete corruption, the list ends with “He says in his
heart, “God has forgotten, he has hidden his face, he will never see it.” The
wicked believes in God, but God who doesn’t remember, who turned a blind eye,
or he is just blind…
But in
reality, the LORD is alive, He doesn’t stand away! The name of the LORD means
Living One. And psalmist claims “Arise o LORD,” (vv. 12-15)
The LORD is the One who sees… notices mischief and
vexation…
He is the One who supports the helpless
He is the One who helps the fatherless
He is the
One who judges the wickedness and evildoings.
And He
doesn’t hide, because He is the KING forever (vv. 16-18). The nations are
perishing when they attack the land. The reason is the He HEARS – He listens to
our prayers and strengthens the hearts of the faithful.
Psalm 7 - end of wickedness
Structure:
a. 1-2, initial plea
b. 3-5, defense
against the wicked man
c. 6-8, LORD as a judge
d. 9,
repentance of the wicked
c’. 10-13, LORD as a judge
b’. 14-16, how
a wicked man conceives evil
a’. 17,
final praise
Main
themes:
First, as
talked last time – this is a great example when the psalmist runs back to God
when he encounters himself in a difficult situation. Please note that now David
develops from his plea to praise at the end of the psalm (v. 17).
There are two
types of righteousness as there are two [main] types of relationships: vertical
and horizontal. Vertical one is the righteousness/relationship with God, while
horizontal one describes the relational aspect with other people. Why is this so
important? Because if we do not differentiate between these, we will see David
as an arrogant, boasting, and self-promoting man. Yet, when we read what he
says very carefully, we see that he mentions only interaction between him and people
who attack him. So, he presents himself as a man who keeps his “horizontal”
relationship in order (vv. 3-5).
Then, what
about “vertical” righteousness? We see references to God as a Judge. It is Him,
Who set up the standards, it is He, Who was offended in the Garden when Adam
and his wife broke the agreement and then run away and hid from His gracious
invitation for the reconciliation. He is the One Who passes judgements on our
behavior (vv. 6b). Then David brings up crucial point: judge me, o LORD, according to my righteousness (v. 8). On a human level the only
thing we can say is: David, are you crazy?!?!?! But he knew the character of
God as the loving Father. That’s why the righteousness he talks about is given
or imputed (to use a scholarly word) righteousness. We know it from the other
David’s psalms, but we can see his understanding of this distinction even here:
if a man does not repent, God will whet His sword (v. 12). The only
righteous way to present ourselves to God is to rely on HIS righteousness given
to us in Jesus Christ.
That’s why,
when David asks for the end of the evil of the wicked, he is not asking for the
destruction of a human, he asks for an intervention of the Holy Spirit guiding
the wicked one to conversion/repentance. Psalmist knows that Gid is the One Who
tests the minds and hearts, therefore without faith and faithful relationship
with Him we can not pass “the judgement” (v. 9).
Even though
He might FEEL indignation every day, He does not act upon it – He is the shield
for those who upright in heart for it He Who SAVES them. It is not their own achievement,
it is His gracious act, expressed most vividly on the Cross of Calvary (John
3:16).
And then He
uses His armor to defend His children against the assaults. In the psalm we see
a shield, a sword, and arrows etc. (vv. 10-13). So, should we sharpen the
swords and go and “purge the land.” No, because there are different “rules of
engagement” so to speak for the Old Testament and the New Testament. In the Old
Testament the people of God would literally fight (using the armor and armies)
with the people for the land and life. Now, in the times of the New Testament,
after the incarnation of God, we actually deal on a higher level – the spiritual
level. St. Paul explains it in the Letter to Ephesians: for our wrestle is
not against flesh and blood (Ephesians 6:12). Then he lays out the similar
list of armory assigning to each item a spiritual significance – Ephesians 6:4-17:
(1) Belt of truth, (2) breastplate of righteousness, (3) shoes of readiness to
spread the Good News, (4) shield of faith, (5) helmet of salvation, (6) sword
of the Spirit, (7) praying at all times.
As I said in the beginning. David concludes with praise due to HIS (LORD’s) righteousness and to His Name (see Proverbs 18:10 and John 17:6, 11-12).
Psalm 6 – night prayer
Structure:
a. 6:1-4,
appeal for help: o LORD, save my life
[bones are troubled, turn…]
b. 6:5-7, description of despair
a’. 6:8-10, appeal for help: LORD have heard my supplication! [enemies are troubled,
turn…]
Commentaries:
Three
important notes before we’ll go into the text. First, the psalm is a
night cry for help. Somehow David finds himself in trouble, deep trouble. His
situation impacted his emotional life, spiritual life, and even physical
aspects of life (bones are troubled, v.2). It is “natural” to experience
troubles in life. They can be caused by other people or being self-afflicted.
The main thing: it is a myth that Christians don’t have turmoil in their lives.
Or, saying it differently, the turmoil is a result of your sin. Maybe, but
maybe not…
Second, in any trouble it is important to
reverse the steps of Adam. He walked away from God (Genesis 3:10). Instead of
that, a believer should come closer to God. Even if it is “my” fault/sin –
Father invites me to come, confess and be restored. Dr. Martin Luther wrote it
this way: In all trials and affliction man should first of all run to God;
he should realize and accept the fact that everything is sent by God, whether
it comes from devil or man… for this is the way to learn patience and the fear
of God (LW, 14:140).
Third, in the midst of troubles and
trials, coming to God, it is normal to cry. We are not emotionless robots. Even
Jesus expressed anger (John 2:13-17), fear (Matthew 26:38), sorrow, shedding
His tears (John 11:33,35). That’s why it is good to study Psalter – then, when
temptations come, a believer will be ready to react in a godly way.
A, vv.
1-4. When David
addresses the LORD, he
understands that there are two ways to approach Him: on our own or in His
grace. Let’s start with the second one – even in the times of the Old
Testament, the believers knew of gracious God, merciful LORD, whose steadfast love abounds to His
children. It was fully realized in Jesus on the Cross. The sacrifice of Calvary
provides an “umbrella” for us. On the other hand, when we come on our own, we
are stepping out of this umbrella – God’s wrath hits us with the full force.
The gracious
God is the source of healing – completely: physically (bones),
emotionally/mentally (soul), and spiritually (deliver my life).
B, vv.
5-7. This leads to
David’s meditation about the grave and Sheol. The verb – to remember is an
interesting example of a great translation. On one hand, it is a mental
exercise of bringing something from memory. On the other, it can be read is
reassembling of members: re-member – that’s what death does: members of a body
slowly but surely come to decay. As a result, this body without remembrance
will not be able to “worship” God (no praise, v. 5). Similar idea can be found
in Ps. 115:17-18.
Thinking of
this, David is “crying himself to sleep,” flooding bed with tears and couch
with weeping. This, again, reflects on the physical condition – growing weak
(v. 7).
A’, vv.
8-10. The final
block begins and ends with a pushback toward the evil ones and enemies. Now,
they shall be troubled (like the bones of the worshiper used to be). The reason
for this is the acceptance of prayer (night cry) by God. The personal Name is
repeated three times (see, Numbers 6:24-26). The LORD has heard the sound, the plea, and
accepts the prayer. The first two use the same verb with two aspects of its
meaning: hearing the sound and paying attention (hear and listen). As a result,
psalmist is sure that his prayer is accepted!
Psalm 5
Introduction:
Structure:
Intro: superscription
A. vv. 1-3, Hear my cry for help
B. vv. 4-6, You
destroy all who speak falsely
C. v. 7-8, I
can worship in Your holy Temple
B’. vv. 9-10,
Declare them guilty
A’. vv. 11-12,
You cover/surround him with favor
Superscription: What is interesting in the superscription
is the instrument mentioned here is a flute. Flute is a very soft and gentle instrument,
while the theme of the psalm is crying and pleading of the righteous with his request
to God to declare the evildoers guilty (v. 10).
A. vv. 1-3,
David had many people opposing him. In life, in ministry, in warfare… At the
same time, he is reaching out to God – hoping that God will pay attention to
his words, consider the groaning, listen to the prayers etc. Psalmist prepares
a sacrifice, but the main “line” is his unity with God in prayer and waits.
We can assume he waits for a response, any response: yen, no, later.
And while he
prays to the LORD, he
confesses Him to be his King and God. That’s the words that Thomas will use responding
to the appearance of resurrected Jesus (John 20:28). Saying King, he
pledges his loyalty. Saying God, he identifies YHWH as the only object
of worship.
B. vv. 4-6, 7
characteristics of sinful life: wickedness, evil, boastful, evildoers 9lit.
workers/doers of iniquity), speaking lies, bloodthirsty, and deceitful. God
rejects them all.
C. vv. 7-8, David
builds up the contrast with the wicked people – “but as for me” would be a better
translation than “but I” (however literal it is). This is the first in Psalms when
the word hesed appears. Very often it is translated as “steadfast love”
(like here). Or mercy, grace, compassion, patience etc. The main aspect of this
divine attribute is faithfulness. Faithfulness in a sense that nothing (grace,
mercy, compassion etc.) is one time event – it has divine longevity. From the
beginning of creation until we see Him face to face, He holds us in His arms
and supports us by His love – all the time, that means faithfulness. Knowing
this quality of God, psalmist is not looking for his way but is in search
of Lord’s way.
B’. vv.
9-10, now the psalmist goes into a comparison or response mode
|
|
wicked |
Response |
|
1 |
No truth in their mouth |
Make them bear their guilt |
|
2 |
Their inmost is destruction |
Fall by their own counsel |
|
3 |
Throat is an open grave |
Cast them out, for transgressions |
|
4 |
Flatter with their tongue |
For they have rebelled |
A’. vv.
11-12, The LORD is a
place of refuge for a godly person. See. Psalm 7:1, or Proverbs 18:10. David
begins with the Name of the Lord and concludes that in Him – personally – he finds
safety. We find safety being forgiven by God, reconciled with God, and restored
to the right place in the presence of God.
Psalm 87
There are two main parts:
(a) vv. 1-3 – Zion vs. dwelling places of Jacob
(b) vv. 4-7
– Zion vs. other nations
A. Zion
vs. dwelling places of Jacob
Holy mountain – mountain is a higher ground, remember that the first
great judgment was the Flood. After the Flood Noah builds the altar –
mini-mountain – lifting up or elevating the place of worship above the ground
as a remembrance of the Flood.
City founded by the Living one –
interesting to notice that the first city was founded by wicked Cain, build on
a spilled blood of his brother Abel. It should not be surprising for us – the
great technological progress needs a sacrifice. So, should Christians leave
cities? No, for our city of found by Jesus, who didn’t sacrifice “a brother”
but spilled His own blood for our citizenship.
The gates are protected by
Himself – if the gates are secure, the city/citizens are safe. He is protecting
us by His Word and Sacraments – marking the perimeter of the city.
City of God is a place where the glorious things are spoken – it is easy
to understand the claims of the pagan deities: many sacrifices, lots of smoke
(and mirrors). Yet, Jesus has a different glory – dying for the ungodly, see
Romans 5:6-8.
B. Zion
vs. other nations
vv. 4: 5 geography pointers
Rahab – Egypt (see Isaiah 30:7) – West
Babylon – East
Philistia and Tyre – seashores
Cush –
Ethiopia – deep south
Dr. Martin
Luther commented on this: it shall be a city as wide as the earth is, and in
it shall be born Ethiopians, Egyptians, Babylonians, Philistines, residents of
Tyre, and peoples of other lands and tongues. (RPL, p. 206)
v. 4b-6:
Zion IS a birthplace for the God of LIFE is the founder of the city. Two things
here: first, Zion is a place where the first commandment can be fulfilled –
Genesis 1:28a: be fruitful and multiply, fill the earth. Second, It is
paralleled with the idea that other places are places of spiritual death, as a
place of absence/rejection of God.
Conclusion:
v. 7: the
words of singers and dancers (!).
Two words
about dancers – it might look like a discotheque reading. It reality, we have a
dance to perform every Sunday (at least), it’s called Divine Service or
Liturgy. When a congregation is standing up in a proper time, when it sits
down, when clergy, elders, and laity move in the appointed way – it is a
liturgical and biblical dance.
All my
springs are in YOU: Springs
are the sources of life in the desert climate: no water – no life, very simple.
Jesus
identifies Himself with the springs of the living water – John 7:37-39.
He is the
founder of the City of God – Revelation 21:10-14.
Prayer: Thanks be to YOU, our heavenly Father, because You have called us into the Church of Your Son, Jesus Christ, and have begotten us again unto a lively hope through the Gospel. Keep us steadfast in the faith, that we may remain living stones in this Your spiritual temple to our last day, and cause us to rejoice over Your salvation. Amen.
All nations praise the LORD.
Only two
lines – but such a deep meaning. Allow me to walk you through.
v. 1a. Praise
the LORD,
all nations!
We have a
glorious beginning – Hallelujah “Living ONE”! God is not called by His status;
He is called by His name. Israel God is called by the name, but He is called by
the Gentiles.
In the light
of current political events, it is an important reminder that at the end ALL
nations will recognize Jesus as Lord of the world. It will be done because the
disciples will bring the Good News to all the nations – Matthew 28:18-20.
Baptizing people and instructing them in faith. St. Paul uses this verse as a
“proof-text” for the mission of Christ – Romans 15:11 (Let’s read!)
v. 1b, Extol
Him, all peoples!
Psalmist
“doubles down” – he encourages all the peoples to extol Him. Exclaim with the
loud voices, keep triumphant praise.
Together the
unity of all nations and all peoples means everyone with
distinction and without exception. The Book of Revelation puts it in four
categories: nations, tribes, peoples, and languages. Together with believers
from Israel they will worship the Lamb Who sits on the Throne (Rev.
7:1-10).
What a
glorious picture!!
It is a long-awaited fulfilment of the prophecies:
2 Samuel 22:50 – glory to His name among Gentiles (a psalm sang by king
David by the end of his life).
Isaiah 11:10 – the root of Jessy will give a hope to Gentiles.
Isaiah 2:2-4 (note nations and
peoples in v. 4) – do you know where the statue dedicated to this verse is
located?
Also psalm 72:11,17 has the same
ideas – kings of their nations fall before Him and serve Him (compare to Psalm
2:1-12).
v. 2a, For
great is His steadfast love toward us,
Great here
has two meanings: (1) it is great in fullness (extended to all nations, see
above); (2) it is great in intensity (covering all sins and faults), it is true
on global and personal level: Romans 5:20-21 and 1 Timothy 1:12-14.
Steadfast love – a word [hesed] which is very
difficult for translation. We’ve talked about it last time (Psalm 118:1,29). It
also can include mercy, grace etc. Most importantly, we need to pay attention
“steadfast” aspect of “love” – along with other aspects of the meaning it
should include “faithfulness.” God is faithful to His promises, covenants, and
prophecies. We can rely on the fact of our forgiveness through Jesus, guidance
by the Holy Spirit, and promise of heavenly haven prepared for us by the Son of
God.
v. 2b, And
the faithfulness of the Lord endures forever.
Faithfulness
is a good translation; we also see it in Lamentations 3:22-23. It is a
background for the hymn “great is Thy faithfulness.”
At the same
time, we can add something: this word is related to very famous Hebrew word
that all of you know – guess which one?
Jesus uses
double of the word 25 times in the Gospel of John (for example 3:3; 5:24;
13:20). Using these doubles signifies that the words of Jesus are “really
true.”
Conclusion: Praise
the Lord (Alleluia!)
The term
denotes being clear (pure) sound and color, therefore “to show off [in a good
sense], shine, or boast”
Think of the
words of St. Paul in 1 Corinthians 1:30-31 (see the background in Jeremiah
9:23-24).
He is worthy
to be praised, to be boasted about! He redeemed us!
Soli Deo
Gloria – Glory be to God Alone!
Psalm 118 – Steadfast love of the LORD endures forever
It’s a
noticeable thing – the psalm begins and ends with “catchy phrase” (vv. 1 and
29):
“Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good
For His
steadfast love endures forever”
vv. 2-4 Then there are three groups of people who say
it:
(1) Israel, (2)
house of Aaron (priests), (3) those who fear the LORD.
Almost the whole psalm is in the first-person
singular, only by the end the psalmist shifts to “we” (vv. 25-27) but then
returns to “I” statements (v. 28).
What kind of
troubles the psalmist goes through to see and acknowledge the steadfast love of
the Lord?
vv. 5-9 –
personal distress. We do not know the reasons for his troubles yet (see below).
Whatever it is, the psalmist acknowledges that the LORD is the helper, the LORD
is at the right hand – this is the reason for the triumph. We saw something
similar in psalm 23 when the LORD prepared a table and poured out the drinks
before the battle – anticipating the victory.
So, LORD’s
help is better (mightier) than help of the men and princes (vv. 8,9).
vv. 10-13 –
all nations surround me. Three times he repeats: I cut them off! Not on his own
accord or strength but in the Name of the LORD, just as we discussed above.
Concluding this paragraph with a confession – “the LORD helped me”.
vv. 14-16 –
the Lord is my strength – over years this became a famous Biblical slogan. It
first appears in Exodus 15:2 – song of Red sea. Right after crossing of the sea
and God’s victory over the armies of Egypt. Later Isaiah used it in his song of
promise (Isaiah 12).
vv. 17-18 – the
psalmist takes upon the ultimate enemy – death. The discipline of the LORD does
not need that He deserted us. The discipline of dying (which started with Adam)
should not be seen as a disconnect with God. On the contrary, knowing that we
are following the One Who went through death into resurrection, we understand
this dying experience as a door into the eternity.
vv. 19-24 –
gates of righteousness (here, through the church, and then – eschatologically,
in heaven), based on cornerstone – Jesus, see Luke 20:17, 1 Peter 2:7. Jesus
used these verses when He was in the Temple during the days of the Holy Week
(from Palm Sunday to Good Friday). He stated that the words of the psalm apply
to Him in a prophetic way.
Collective
is a gathering of individuals – therefore, Save us, WE pray! (vv. 25-27), being
blessed in the presence of the one who comes in the NAME of the LORD. –
triumphant entry to Jerusalem, v. 27 sacrifice (!) [didn’t notice that before].
v. 28 –
return to a personal confession. Interesting that the psalmist commits to very
personal relationship with God and then thanks Him right away. There is no list
of complaints, petitions, and such – give thanks. Even though we know that he
went through a troublesome time. See above.
Psalm 42
Structure:
We obviously
have two stanzas:
a. 1-5
b. 6-11, see
verses 5 and 11 as refrains
Author: sons of Korah (see story in Numbers
16:1-35). Regardless, of his personal deviation of the way of the LORD, the
“sons” (physical or Levitical disciples) are not banned from the ministry on
account of their “father.”
Commentary:
The whole
psalm is a response to the pressure of un-friendly neighbors. As they ask:
“where is your God?” (v. 3).
The very
first image gives out a comparison of a thirst and strong desire to be feed by
God – think of a deer who was running the whole day (searching for food or
escaping the attacks of the wild beasts). Now this deer comes to the streams of
water – just like Psalm 23:2. Yet, deer is a wild animal. Which extends God’s
care to those who do not have a regular excess to worshiping community.
They have to
live by memory – verse 4.
And a
recollection of deep theology of Creation – verses 6-8
Which ends
with a tough question: “why have You forgotten me?” – sounds very close to
Psalm 22:1 – the Good Friday psalm.
The
righteous shall live by FAITH and trust – so, the refrain is the same – v. 11
THEN we come
to realization that the psalms doesn’t end with groanings and complaints.
There is
psalm 43 – which is the third stanza of the same psalm, see v. 5.
God is the
source of VINIDACION – being accused of sins, unfaithfulness etc. God is the
ONE who declares people just – 1 John 1:8-9.
“I will go
to the altar of God” – a need for worshiping community!
Now, the same refrain sounds not like a psychological self-help, but as a true confession of relationship with God.
Psalm 36: steadfast love of God
a. v. 1-4, Wicked
b. v. 5-7, Steadfast
love and righteousness
c. v. 8, River
(of God)
c’. v.9, Fountain
of life
b’. v. 10, steadfast
love and righteousness
a’. v.11-12,
arrogance and evildoers
A. Look at a relatively long
description of a wicked guy:
v. 1: [wickedness is] deep in his heart – weeds were
not pulled at right time
No fear of God before his eyes. Eyes are “dangerous”
in the Bible – see Genesis 3:6, everything begins with seeing the fruit. Also,
the fear of God is a healthy respect and awe;
v. 2: He flatters himself – as a result he doesn’t
even see where he misses;
v. 3: The words of his mouth are trouble and deceit;
No wise actions and no good conduct;
v. 4: He
plots trouble – he plans ahead the evil things.
B. Four
elements of God’s involvements (vv. 5- 6):
Steadfast love – heavens
Faithfulness – clouds
Righteousness – mountains
Judgements –
great deep
vv. 7. All the aspects of different elements of
creation – examples of transcendence
At the same time, there are illustrations of His
immanence:
Children of
mankind – refuge in the shadow of your wings
C. v. 8, abundant feast in His house +
river. See Revelation 21 – New Jerusalem as the Temple and the River flows
through
C’. v. 9, the fountain of life – the
source of light, in a desert environment “a well” which is dug is a source of
life in a very literal sense.
His light
provides us with light – Psalm 119:105. So, the psalmist is not only alive but
understand the direction of his way by the light of God, the light of Christ
(John 8:12).
B’. v. 10-11, a plea that the steadfast
love will protect from the temptation. The Temptations are going to come, and
we ask that He keep us protected from the impact of the evil one (Matthew 6:13
– leads to Romans 12:21).
A’. v. 12, the ultimate fate of the evildoers is to fall, unable to rise (see Psalms 1:6 and 146:9).
Psalm 32
One of the penitential psalms
The psalm
has an interesting structure:
A. vv. 1-2 are written in 3rd person
B. vv. 3-5
are written in 1st person
A’. v. 6 is written in 3rd person
C. v. 7 is
written in 2nd person
D. v.8
is written in 1st person
C’. v. 9
are written in 2nd person (imperative)
D’. v.
10 is written in 3rd person
C”. v. 11 is written in 2nd
person
A. The psalm begins with a double
blessing:
a.
transgression is forgiveness
a’. sin is covered
b.
man with no iniquity
b’. spirit with no deceit
We’ve met
word blessed before – psalm 1 begins with it. Ash’rei – can be
translated as blessed but also as happy or lucky. Overall,
it is a man who feels lucky and happy because his life resembles the
providential blessing of God. There is no more blessing that being in the right
relationship with God or having a right standing before God.
To be
blessed is to recognize the need of forgiveness. This right standing before God
can’t be achieved by our paying back or “reimbursement” for the mischiefs.
Everyone needs forgiveness.
St. Paul
uses the first three lines in his Letter to Romans discussing the grace apart
from works – for God’s forgiveness is a gift (Romans 4:7-8).
B. After a general introduction David
goes into a personal account of the realization of the need for Confession and
Absolution. An attempt to conceal sin led to inner distress – psychosomatic
effect.
All day long
at the end of verse three is paired up with “day and night” in the fourth –
meaning that the consequences of sin haunted him not only during the sunlight
part of the day but disturbed his sleep too. One of the reasons – the heavy
hand of the Lord (your hand). Heavy can also be translated as “glorious” [same
word]. There is a glory of God in leading sinners to repentance. Then he adds a
very detailed picture of that – my strength dried as by the heat of the summer.
We live here on Central Coast enjoying the mid-temperature climate. But think
about the desert areas – Bakersfield, or Arizona, or New Mexico… You can put a
juicy apple on the sun and it will dry up pretty fast.
After a
serious push by God David acknowledges his sin – he did not cover his iniquity
– an opposite action compared to the action of God – see v. 1:b-2a. Therefore,
when we un-cover our sin, He covers it. What He covers it with? Blood of
Christ.
Liturgical
use:
LSB, Divine
service (setting 3) uses verse 5 as an introduction to the Confession and
Absolution.
A’. God promised to us His forgiveness – we don’t
need to beg for it, we don’t need to buy it, we don’t need travel to special
place where God will hear us better – He hears us as we pray.
Psalm 30
As a fan of
structural analysis, I am happy to present a case where two (or even three)
layouts are possible.
This is the
way David A. Dorsey presents it:
a. 30:1, promise of praise, “rejoice”
b. 30:2-3,
report of appeal to God and rescue from the pit, “I cried… gone down”
c. 30:4-5,
Statement of Yahweh’s favor (birshono)
d. 30:6,
Expression of confidence
c’. 30:7,
Statement of Yahweh’s favor (birshono)
b’. 30:8-10,
report of appeal to God and rescue from the pit, “I cried… gone down”
a’.
30:11-12, promise of praise, “joy”
Then in the footnote
23 Dorsey refers to Alden, “Chiastic Psalms”, 22 who presents nine part
pattern.
I see the
parallel structure in the psalm:
a. 30:1, You drawn me up
b. 30:2, I
cried
c. 30:3, You
brought my soul from Sheol, go down to the pit
d. 30:4, Sing
praises and give thanks
e. 30:5, His
anger for a moment, His favor from a lifetime – turning point!
a’. 30:6-7, I shall not be moved by Your favor
b’. 30:8, To
You, O LORD, I cry
c’. 30:9-10,
death, going down to the pit
d’. 30:11-12, Sing praise and give thanks
I think,
when Jesus was talking to His disciples about His death and resurrection
referring to the Law of Moses (Torah), Prophets, and Psalms (Lk. 24:44-46), He
was referring and/or using this psalm. One of the few that presented the
picture of the One who ended up in Sheol, but YHWH brought “my soul” from it.
So, it is not a death prevention psalm, it is a psalm of restoration (30:3).
This leads to singing of praises to YHWH and giving
thanks to the His holy name. This demands a pause and slow reading. Think about
this:
who represents (or wears) His holy name? Jesus – John
17:11-12.
Also,
thanksgiving in Greek is eucharist.
Uniting
these two points together we can say that Service of the Sacrament – is an act
of thanksgiving of His holy name, the name of the One Who paid for our release
from the fear of death with His own life. He descended into hell (cp. Apostle’s
creed), He knows “firsthand” what death is all about but being sinless “death
could not hold Him”, trotting a path for our re-union with the Creator.
This is even
more reassured in v. 7 – He, the Creator, sustains our lives. Without Him we
are dismayed.
But He is gracious and merciful, which is revealed in
the following:
vv. 8-12 We
have two parts:
a. 8-10 –
confessional part, when we cry for help
b. 11-12 – reversal part: mourning into dancing
Sackcloth into clothe of gladness
Concluding
with glory, praise, and thanksgiving forever!
As a result,
we can confidently say with the psalmist, described by Dr. Luther:
6. In My
abundance I said, I shall never be moved. This can also be understood in
the manner of that apostolic word: “Christ, rising from the dead, dies no more”
(Rom. 6:9). And thus “abundance” signifies the glory of resurrection, where
every kind of salvation beyond the prior life has abounded in Him. And because
of this abundance He says that He will never be moved, that is, He will no
longer die. And this is because the LORD God in His good pleasure “gave to My
beauty (that is, beauty to humanity through the glory of the resurrection)
“strength” not to die. See also Ps. 93:1: “The LORD has reigned, clothed with
beauty; the LORD is clothed with strength” (LW, 10:138).
Psalm 29
On the voice of the LORD!
vv. 1-2: Introduction – heavenly being should ascribe
Him the glory
vv. 3-9: Voice of the LORD
vv. 10-11:
Conclusion – LORD is enthroned
Introduction:
Ascribe or give to the LORD
O, Heavenly
beings (sons of the mighty one) – angels and/or godly people
Glory and
strength
Glory due His name
Worship in
splendor of holiness – beauty of holiness. No wonder the traditional church
buildings are (1) separate from regular use and (2) beautiful inside and
outside
Voice of the
LORD – 7 aspects of the voice of the LORD
The beauty
of the structure: 1 long, then 2+3 (short), 4 long, 5+6 (short), 7 long
1. Many waters + glory thunder!
2. powerful
3. full of majesty or beauty (similar to v. 2
“splendor”)
4. Breaks cedars, Lebanon, Sirion (one of the peaks in
Lebanon)
5. flames of fire
6. shakes the wilderness
7. makes the deer give birth
Strips the forest bare
Call to
worship – in His
temple (maybe, creation) all cry “Glory!”
Conclusion –
He is enthroned (See John 19:15)
He gives the
blessings, blessings with peace
Psalm 28
Psalm begins
with two requests (v. 1):
a. Be a rock
b. Not to be
deaf to me
b’. if you’ll
be silent
a’. I will
go to the pit
Then the
primary answer is right there (v. 2):
Hear the voice of my pleas for mercy, when I cry to
you for help
When I lift
up my hands toward your most holy sanctuary.
But then
David goes into a “negative” example (vv. 3-5):
a. Description:
Wicked – workers of evil
being
treacherous: speaking peace but having evil in their hearts
b. Outcome: Give them what they deserve (in
accordance with their deeds), v. 4
a’.
Description of the reason: Because they do not regard the works of the LORD
(the Living one, see the reference to the pit, v. 1)
b’, Description of the outcome: He will tear
them down and build them up no more – they will not experience resurrection.
For all of us go through the cycles of “down-ups” or “death-resurrection.”
Fuller
description of God’s “answers” (vv. 6-9):
a. Hearing
(vv. 6-7). He hears – I give thanks with my song.
