The Week of March 3, 2008

Psalm 17, 18

Psalm 17

This individual lament cries to God for vindication and for justice; pleading innocence before God, and asking for deliverance. Enemies are likened to wild animals that devour and destroy. With boldness the psalmist asks for divine punishment to visit the enemy and their children! In the end, the psalmist makes a profound statement of trust in God - God who is just and righteous - God who will be swift, taking care of the situation before the break of a new day. Some Christians have questioned the bold assertion of innocence in psalms such as this one. How can any human being stand before the living God and claim to be blameless or righteous? Read the psalm carefully. You will find that the emphasis here is not upon blamelessness, but upon faithfulness. The psalmist is comparing the life of the faithful to the life of the God-less. In the end, it is faith in God, not blamelessness, that under-girds the trust of the psalmist.

Psalm 18

This psalm is one of a few in the Psalter labeled a Royal Psalm. Linked to King David and his victory over Saul, this hymn of Praise is also found in 2 Samuel 22. The psalm begins with the longest string of Divine epithets in the Bible (vs. 2). The enemies of the King are political and almost cosmic - and the vision of God is cosmic as well. The psalm paints a picture of a just, fair and powerful God, who has saved the King from enemies and political danger. Metaphors for salvation abound in this psalm. God delivers from a "tight spot" (vs. 17-19); God brings light into darkness (vs. 28); God makes straight, safe paths (vs. 36); God wins battles and confounds the wicked. God's commitment to David and to the line of David appears at the end of the psalm, and praise for the God who delivered the King in a time of need fill the prayer.

From my reading:

"The Lord lives!" The exultant, thankful cry can be taken as the theological climax of Psalm 18 (vs.46). When Israel spoke of the living God, the epithet did not mean alive as opposed to dead but active in contrast to ineffective or passive. The entire psalm is praise of the God who acts. The action of God is not an abstract notion in the psalm. The Lord acts specifically on behalf of the anointed King who is threatened by death and by enemies.

James Mays Interpretation Commentary on the Psalms

My thoughts:

When I awake, I shall be satisfied, beholding your likeness.
Psalm 17:15

The alarm has sounded and been ignored. A beep comes from the kitchen, signaling a freshly brewed pot of coffee, and a bird sits on the ledge outside the window singing up a storm. These distractions are ignored as well! My husband and I are exhausted; reluctant to wake to a new day or a new week. Eventually I become aware of another presence in the room. My overly active yellow lab has snuck into the room, and stands politely at the foot of the bed. His every muscle strains with excitement. It's a new day! The food bowl will get filled! My leash will get taken out of the closet! I will get my walk! I will get my hugs and scratches! I can hardly wait! It makes me tired just looking at him - and then it makes me smile and laugh. Bumper's needs are so simple - so predictable, and he has all faith that I will get out of bed and meet his needs! For him, it is a new day -a day ready and ripe for the simple delights he has come to expect.

The psalmist reminds me to rise and meet the day with similar joy and expectation - that resurrection is a daily process for people of faith! Each of us have a "salvation history," - a story of the way that God has reached into our lives, our families and our church. Each of us comprehends in a personal way that God saves, redeems and protects. So as we face a new day, with new challenges, memory of God's activity on our behalf should be the first thing that comes to mind. Then we can exclaim with the psalmist:

The Lord lives! Blessed be my rock, and exalted be the God of my salvation.
Psalm 18:46

Blessings,
Pastor Stacy

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