September 14 — Psalm 136

“O give thanks to the LORD, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever. O give thanks to the God of gods, for his steadfast love endures forever. O give thanks to the Lord of lords, for his steadfast love endures forever; who alone does great wonders, for his steadfast love endures forever; who by understanding made the heavens, for his steadfast love endures forever; who spread out the earth on the waters, for his steadfast love endures forever; who made the great lights, for his steadfast love endures forever; the sun to rule over the day, for his steadfast love endures forever; the moon and stars to rule over the night, for his steadfast love endures forever; who struck Egypt through their firstborn, for his steadfast love endures forever; and brought Israel out from among them, for his steadfast love endures forever; with a strong hand and an outstretched arm, for his steadfast love endures forever; who divided the Red Sea in two, for his steadfast love endures forever; and made Israel pass through the midst of it, for his steadfast love endures forever; but overthrew Pharaoh and his army in the Red Sea, for his steadfast love endures forever…” (Verses 1-15)

It is a unique psalm in that the same refrain is repeated 26 times. The only other Psalm that has anything close to this kind of pattern is when Psalm 118:1-4 repeats, “His lovingkindness is everlasting” four times.

Psalm 136 was most likely designed for public worship. The Jews called it the Great Hallel (= Praise), and it was especially sung at the Passover. Perhaps the worship leader would recite the first line of each verse, followed by the congregation repeating together the response, “for His lovingkindness is everlasting.” There are times throughout the year where our worship liturgy will offer a similar pattern of call and response.

John Calvin famously said that the repeated refrain teaches us that to praise the Lord properly, we must acknowledge that everything we receive from Him is bestowed by G-d’s grace.

Commentators note how similar this psalm is to Psalm 135, and that both psalms cite frequently from other Scriptures, especially Deuteronomy. In fact there are many other phrases or themes in the psalm that come directly from other Old Testament Scriptures.

The lesson for us is that it is important for us to know Scripture (including the Old Testament!) so well that when we are confronted with trials and difficulties, we can respond to such trials with biblical language and prayer. Charles Spurgeon once said of John Bunyan, “Prick that man anywhere and his blood runs bibline.” He meant that Bunyan was so full of the Bible that it ran in his veins. Let me ask you, how “bibline” is your blood?

The stories in the Old Testament that Psalm 136 alludes to “were written for our instruction.” If you are familiar with these stories, so much so that they shape your thinking, then you will be able to apply them when you need them most. That is why responsive scripture reading in worship is so helpful for our everyday life.

Let us Pray:

God of everlasting love, through your Word you made all things in heaven and on earth; you have opened to us the path from death to life. Listen to the song of the universe, the hymn of resurrection sung by your church, and give us your blessing; through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord.

Amen.

September 15 — Psalm 137

“By the rivers of Babylon—there we sat down and there we wept when we remembered Zion. On the willows there we hung up our harps. For there our captors asked us for songs, and our tormentors asked for mirth, saying, “Sing us one of the songs of Zion!” How could we sing the LORD’s song in a foreign land? If I forget you, O Jerusalem, let my right hand wither! Let my tongue cling to the roof of my mouth, if I do not remember you, if I do not set Jerusalem above my highest joy. Remember, O LORD, against the Edomites the day of Jerusalem’s fall, how they said, “Tear it down! Tear it down! Down to its foundations!” O daughter Babylon, you devastator! Happy shall they be who pay you back what you have done to us! Happy shall they be who take your little ones and dash them against the rock!”

The writer of Psalm 137 begins by remembering his people being taken away from their home. Jerusalem had been attacked and conquered—the temple destroyed. The ruler of Babylon needed to dismantle the power base in Israel so that the people could not rebuild—so they rounded up all of their leaders, their religious leaders, the power brokers of the day, and took them to Babylon. This is what we know today as the Babylonian exile.

Defeated, with the knowledge that their country had been ravaged, their homes ransacked and looted, and that many of their family members and friends had died during the struggle— the people were now being “carried”—”taken against their will” to what was, to them, a completely godless place.

The psalmist writes how they had stopped on the journey, probably to rest by one of the canals of Babylon. And as they sat down, the Israelites began to cry; they were weeping for all they had lost, for their homeland, and also for the loss of their…G-d— the One who lived in the temple—G-d’s dwelling place, the temple was destroyed. And it seemed more than they could bear.

As they rested, maybe to pass the time, maybe to show their power, or maybe just for sport, the Babylonian captors begin to poke fun at their prisoners- to taunt them at the core of their pain… Mockingly they ask: “Sing us one of those songs of Zion”. What they meant was for the Israelites to sing one of the songs they used to sing in Jerusalem, in the temple, in worship—a song about and for G-d.

There will come a day where the Babylonians will be defeated, and they too shall have to endure seeing their “little ones dashed against the rock!” G-d will avenge G-d’s people — a new day will come where they will once again be able to worship in Jerusalem. But for now, it shall be the “remembrance” of those days that will need to carry them through.

The day is coming, and perhaps soon, where G-d’s people shall once again worship the Lord in his eternal Temple, in the Kingdom of G-d.

Let us Pray:

God of courage and compassion, comfort the exiled and oppressed, strengthen the faith of your people, and bring us all to our true home, the kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Amen.

September 12 — Psalm 134

“Come, bless the LORD, all you servants of the LORD, who stand by night in the house of the LORD! Lift up your hands to the holy place, and bless the LORD. May the LORD, maker of heaven and earth, bless you from Zion.”

This is the last psalm of the collection or group called “Songs of Ascents,” and it is of the nature of a doxology. As with many of the Psalms, the author is unknown. The psalm is a summons to praise, and it is probable that it was designed to be sung by alternate choirs – the first two verses representing the people approaching the sanctuary, calling on those including the ministers of religion – to lift up their hands in the sanctuary and to praise the Lord; the second and remaining verses are the response of the priests or the ministers of religion, pronouncing a blessing on the people – a blessing as proceeding out of Zion.

This Psalm actually follows the format of our worship experience — the people come to the house of G-d to offer up prayer, praise and thanksgiving; and they leave having heard the word and having received the sacrament of the table, leaving as people who have been blessed.

We should praise G-d continually each and every day, and look for the reasons to do so. There are many reason why we should be offering prayer, praise and thanksgiving to G-d. Spend time each morning first in thankfulness. Open your heart to the intricate unending love that we all receive through Jesus Christ. Truly, all of our requests will come into alignment with G-d’s will when we have done so.

It is in this presentation of Psalm 134, a short but precise example of praise and worship, that we see the benefit of reading the Psalms and meditating upon them often. Not only do they form our spiritual life, but they inform our worship life as well.

Let us Pray:

Lord God, where two or three gather in your name, you promise to be with them. Look upon your family gathered in your name, and graciously pour out your blessing upon us; for the sake of Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord.

Amen.

September 13 — Psalm 135

“Praise the LORD! Praise the name of the LORD; give praise, O servants of the LORD, you that stand in the house of the LORD, in the courts of the house of our God. Praise the LORD, for the LORD is good; sing to his name, for he is gracious. For the LORD has chosen Jacob for himself, Israel as his own possession. For I know that the LORD is great; our Lord is above all gods. Whatever the LORD pleases he does, in heaven and on earth, in the seas and all deeps. He it is who makes the clouds rise at the end of the earth; he makes lightnings for the rain and brings out the wind from his storehouses. He it was who struck down the firstborn of Egypt, both human beings and animals; he sent signs and wonders into your midst, O Egypt, against Pharaoh and all his servants. He struck down many nations and killed mighty kings—Sihon, king of the Amorites, and Og, king of Bashan, and all the kingdoms of Canaan—and gave their land as a heritage, a heritage to his people Israel. Your name, O LORD, endures forever, your renown, O LORD, throughout all ages. For the LORD will vindicate his people, and have compassion on his servants.” (Verses 1-14)

I know there are people who pray in their car, or pray as they’re getting ready to go to work, and even pray every single place that allows such devotion. These are good habits for those who can focus, but for people like me, it often is not that easy. I must have longer moments of quiet time to remain focused. It’s how my brain works within the structure of my day. More importantly, it’s what I need. You however, you may be able to use that time more efficiently than I — for that may be how your brain works.

And now, in this Covid19 soaked world, the reality is that our concerns for getting through each day may outweigh the praise we can offer on a daily basis. We get consumed and overwhelmed with rotating school schedules, work from home distractions, or anxiety attacks about this virus that if we are going to get any time to pray or hold devotions, we are going to need to force ourselves to reflect.

There are many times throughout my week where I sit down at my desk and before the first key is pressed on my IPad, I sit back and offer up a prayer as my heart feels the need. And opening with praise, as Psalm 135 does, offering up praise before we even think about what it is we need, or who needs our prayers that day, well, that little offering of praise can change the course of our thinking. It changes the mindset of the burdens of the day.

For each of us, there are many reasonable and logical reasons why we should praise G-d. There is purpose to why the psalmist opens and closes with praise. For it pulls back the veil of our needy thinking and draws all attention to the One who holds the answers, who has the capability to intervene, and most of all, unconditional love for all.

Let us Pray:

Lord God, great are your deeds; you have shattered the powers of evil and have shown compassion to your servants. Keep us from being deceived by idols, for there is no god like you, and your renown endures from age to age. Blessed are you, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, now and forever.

Amen.