June 26, 2021 — Psalm 68

“Sing to God, sing praises to his name;
 lift up a song to him who rides upon the clouds—
his name is the Lord—be exultant before him.

Father of orphans and protector of widows
is God in his holy habitation. God gives the desolate a home to live in; he leads out the prisoners to prosperity,
but the rebellious live in a parched land.” Psalm 68:4-6

“The scandal is that the gospel means liberation, that this liberation comes to the poor, and that it gives them the strength and the courage to break the conditions of servitude.” (James H. Cone, “God of the Oppressed”)

Read the words of Psalm 68, “Father of orphans and protector of widows is God in his holy habitation. God gives the desolate a home to live in; he leads out the prisoners to prosperity, but the rebellious live in a parched land.”  For this psalmist, life is not the achievement of our own ends but dependence upon G-d and openness to G-d’s ways. As the psalms were regularly read in worship (and are, of course, still today) our words in worship include this picture of G-d as a G-d of justice, and reminds us of our responsibility to be agents of hope and social change.

Remember, once Jesus had come into the world, and began his ministry, he did not attempt to change the world on his own. He called disciples, first twelve, and then 150, and then the early church grew exponentially as the disciples carried his message to the known world – through the power of the Holy Spirit.

If we are to take care of the widows and end the injustices of the world, it will take many, many of Jesus’ disciples to make that happen.

Pastor Dave

“But God will shoot his arrow at them;
    they will be wounded suddenly.
Because of their tongue he will bring them to ruin;^[c]
    all who see them will shake with horror.
Then everyone will fear;
    they will tell what God has brought about,
    and ponder what he has done.

Let the righteous rejoice in the Lord
    and take refuge in him.
Let all the upright in heart glory.” Psalm 64:7-10

“The bow of God’s wrath is bent, and the arrow made ready on the string, and justice bends the arrow at your heart, and strains the bow, and it is nothing but the mere pleasure of God, and that of an angry God, without any promise or obligation at all, that keeps the arrow one moment from being made drunk with your blood.” (Jonathan Edwards, “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God”)

We often think of G-d as a loving G-d full of Grace and mercy. Yet, within the Old Testament texts, we will hear about the other side of G-d, the G-d who, like the Psalmist proclaims, will “..shoot his arrow at them; they will be wounded suddenly…he (G-d) will bring them to ruin;… then everyone will fear (G-d).” Have you ever thought that this was your only experience – knowing only this G-d, the G-d of judgment, the one to be feared? We know Jesus expressed righteous anger, the anger he expressed in driving the money changers out of the Temple; and when Jesus reacted angrily to situations of disease and doubt.

Luther says in the Small Catechism that we are to fear AND love G-d – because G-d is such an awesome G-d that our love for G-d should include some level of, not fear, but reverence – if we want to recall the Noah story, the Jonah story, the Joseph story, the Red Sea story, the Cain and Able story, and the many encounters with Moses in the wilderness – they all knew that G-d was to be revered – not feared.

Our G-d is an awesome G-d – but not one to be feared. Instead we are to reverence the very presence of G-d in our lives and give him the honor due every day of our lives.

Pastor Dave