September 16 — Psalm 138

“I give you thanks, O LORD, with my whole heart; before the gods I sing your praise; I bow down toward your holy temple and give thanks to your name for your steadfast love and your faithfulness; for you have exalted your name and your word above everything. On the day I called, you answered me, you increased my strength of soul. All the kings of the earth shall praise you, O LORD, for they have heard the words of your mouth. They shall sing of the ways of the LORD, for great is the glory of the LORD. For though the LORD is high, he regards the lowly; but the haughty he perceives from far away. Though I walk in the midst of trouble, you preserve me against the wrath of my enemies; you stretch out your hand, and your right hand delivers me. The LORD will fulfill his purpose for me; your steadfast love, O LORD, endures forever. Do not forsake the work of your hands.”

Psalm 138 is a song of whole-hearted thanksgiving for G-d’s salvific work. It employs the form of an individual thanksgiving song, beginning with the basic sentence, “I give you thanks, Lord with my whole heart” Rather than sacrifice, the singer offers this song after bowing down in worship toward the temple, holy because it is the place of the Presence of G-d.

Psalm 138 is, then, a guide to the meaning and practice of people lifting up words of thanksgiving — especially thanksgiving for those who know that G-d is their redemption: “Though I walk in the midst of trouble, you preserve me against the wrath of my enemies; you stretch out your hand, and your right hand delivers me.” It reminds us that salvation comes to us as individuals in community — and therefore it creates a community that can speak as one in unity. It teaches that our salvation is not first of all and only for our sake but is also and foremost the revelation of the coming kingdom of God for all people.

For those who truly know that “The LORD will fulfill his purpose…; your steadfast love, O LORD, endures forever”, the reality of the promise of salvation requires a life of trust and prayer. Life with all its dangers, trials and temptations will continue for the redeemed; G-d’s salvation gives us reason to hope that what G-d has begun, through Jesus Christ, will surely be brought to completion. As Paul says in Philippians 1:6: “I am sure that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.”

Let us Pray:

Compassionate God, you look with favor upon the lowly. Keep us safe in the midst of trouble, make known your love in our words and deeds, and bring us to new life through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord.

Amen.

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.