July 13, 2023 — Psalm 82 

“God has taken his place in the divine council; in the midst of the gods he holds judgment: “How long will you judge unjustly and show partiality to the wicked? Give justice to the weak and the orphan; maintain the right of the lowly and the destitute. Rescue the weak and the needy; deliver them from the hand of the wicked.” They have neither knowledge nor understanding, they walk around in darkness; all the foundations of the earth are shaken. I say, “You are gods, children of the Most High, all of you; nevertheless, you shall die like mortals, and fall like any prince.” Rise up, O God, judge the earth; for all the nations belong to you!” Psalm 82 

In this Psalm, both G-d and other gods are translations of the same Hebrew term Elohim. In the Hebrew, Elohim refers to both the Judge of sinners and the sinners being judged in this psalm — so context obviously decides the translation of each instance of Elohim. Within the psalm, these gods are responsible for judging the matters of men, which they are doing poorly, and are thus condemned to death. So, to be more specific, the gods the Psalmist is speaking about were not just regular humans, but they were those who had the responsibility of administrating justice according to the Word of G-d on G-d’s behalf. 

On first blush, the writer of this Psalm seems to be speaking to a situation similar to the experience of our friend Job. In the beginning of that wonderful book, G-d is holding court with a divine council: “One day the heavenly beings came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan also came among them.” (Job 1:6) Just like the divine council in Job, G-d is meeting and taking a stand against the rulers. But what we soon learn is that these are not divine rulers, but G-d is upset with earthly rulers and judges. So, we live with the hope that G-d expects those involved in administering justice on earth i.e. rulers, judges and magistrates, might give an account of their judgments to the Supreme Ruler. And what was true for the time of Israel remains true for us. We too must respect proper authority, whether local, state-wide or across our country — for these rulers should also rule in the name of G-d. This includes all civil authority, church authority and even family authority. We pray for our rulers — all rulers and leaders, whether political or judicial or even spiritual, hoping they might take serious note of leading with some respect for divine rule.  

Today, and every day, we join the Psalmist: “Rise up, O God, judge the earth; for all the nations belong to you!” 

Prayer 

Strength of the weak, defender of the needy, rescuer of the poor, gracious God, deliver us from the power of wickedness, that we may rejoice in your justice now and forever; through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. 

Amen. 

July 12, 2023 — Psalm 81 

“Sing aloud to God our strength; shout for joy to the God of Jacob. Raise a song, sound the tambourine, the sweet lyre with the harp. Blow the trumpet at the new moon, at the full moon, on our festal day. For it is a statute for Israel, an ordinance of the God of Jacob. He made it a decree in Joseph, when he went out over the land of Egypt. I hear a voice I had not known: “I relieved your shoulder of the burden; your hands were freed from the basket. In distress you called, and I rescued you; I answered you in the secret place of thunder; I tested you at the waters of Meribah. Hear, O my people, while I admonish you; O Israel, if you would but listen to me! There shall be no strange god among you; you shall not bow down to a foreign god. I am the Lord your God, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt. Open your mouth wide and I will fill it. “But my people did not listen to my voice; Israel would not submit to me. So I gave them over to their stubborn hearts, to follow their own counsels. O that my people would listen to me, that Israel would walk in my ways! Then I would quickly subdue their enemies, and turn my hand against their foes. Those who hate the Lord would cringe before him, and their doom would last forever. I would feed you with the finest of the wheat, and with honey from the rock I would satisfy you.” Psalm 81 

The Psalmist is calling on G-d’s people to praise G-d at their “festal” day — and the people should praise G-d with the trumpet, the lyre, and songs of praise. The Psalmist wants the people to worship G-d and not hold back. Also, he wants them to praise G-d with joy in their heart. There are many references to worship offered to G-d that includes musical instruments in the Old Testament, but not necessarily so in the New Testament. But one thing that has never changed is that G-d does not want us to hold back when we worship.  

I have seen too many examples of half-hearted worship — in fact Lutherans can be accused of being too pious in our worship. However, when we think about what G-d has done for us, and that we have the privilege to come together in worship to lift up to G-d prayer, praise and thanksgiving, it should cause us to be full of joy and give us the motivation to give G-d our best. 

When the Jews got together for their feast, they used three stringed instruments: the timbrel, harp, and the lute. They also would blow a trumpet at the new moon. I have been blessed to have known so many talented musicians in my experiences in the church throughout my life. This has given me the opportunity to express my praise to G-d with the trumpet, the brass group, the choir and the bell and the guitar groups, among so many other instruments. We should always seek new and joyous ways to offer our prayers, praise and thanksgiving to G-d in all ways that allow us to express joy.    

Prayer 

God our strength, you ease our burden and set us free from bondage to death. Help us listen always to your voice, and satisfy our hearts with the finest bread, food for this life and a foretaste of eternity: your Son, Jesus Christ, the bread of life. 

Amen.