Psalm 48

Walk about Zion, go all around it,
count its towers,
consider well its ramparts;
go through its citadels,
that you may tell the next generation
that this is God,
our God for ever and ever.
He will be our guide for ever.

There is at least a touch of idolatry here.

This is not God.

Other translations are more ambiguous, using Zion's majesty as analogy.

Either reading strikes me as valid.

It is a helpful caution: in our seeking we ought not try to contain God.

That Which Exists is beyond definition, is infinite.

Any understanding of God, no matter how good and beautiful, is something less than fully True.

(The photograph is of the Western Wall of the Temple in Jerusalem.)

Psalm 48

Psalm 20

May he grant you your heart’s desire,
and fulfil all your plans.
May we shout for joy over your victory,
and in the name of our God set up our banners.
May the Lord fulfil all your petitions.

The translation of the first verse above too easily misleads a modern reader.

The King James version offers: "Grant thee according to thine own heart, and fulfil all thy counsel."

Another older version: "He doth give to thee according to thy heart, And all thy counsel doth fulfil."

יִתֶּן-לְךָ כִלְבָבֶךָ; וְכָל-עֲצָתְךָ יְמַלֵּא.

I read:   Extend your inner being -- mind, knowledge, memory, inclination -- and fulfill your purpose.

Which, at least in my own case, could be the complete opposite of my plans and "heart's desire."

Psalm 20

Psalm 96

Ascribe to the Lord, O families of the peoples,
ascribe to the Lord glory and strength.
Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name;
bring an offering, and come into his courts.
Worship the Lord in holy splendour;
tremble before him, all the earth.

Have I ever used "ascribe" in either writing or speech?

Other than a scripture reading, I doubt it.

The original Hebrew means to give, choose, provide.

Recognize would also work: Recognize God O tribes, nations, and peoples.

Recognize the glory and strength of God.

Recognize the honor due God's identity.

Recognize That Which Exists.

Psalm 96

Psalm 19

In the heavens he has set a tent for the sun, 
which comes out like a bridegroom from his wedding canopy,
and like a strong man runs its course with joy.
Its rising is from the end of the heavens,
and its circuit to the end of them;
and nothing is hidden from its heat.
The law of the Lord is perfect,
reviving the soul;
the decrees of the Lord are sure,
making wise the simple;
the precepts of the Lord are right,
rejoicing the heart;
the commandment of the Lord is clear,
enlightening the eyes;
the fear of the Lord is pure,
enduring for ever;
the ordinances of the Lord are true
and righteous altogether.

There is much we do not know, plenty is mysterious, paradoxical.

But even more is clear enough, even crystal clear.

Kindness is better than conceit.

Forgiveness is better than revenge.

Love lasts long after disdain has died and hate has consumed itself.

Psalm 19

Psalm 145

The Lord is just in all his ways,
and kind in all his doings.
The Lord is near to all who call on him,
to all who call on him in truth.
He fulfils the desire of all who fear him;
he also hears their cry, and saves them.

I am often unjust and unkind.

I often choose to depart from the path and wander far.

My desires often take for granted - even actively reject - what I know of God.

But rather than respond in kind, God's righteousness is to love.

I can reject, but am not rejected. Thanks be to God.

Psalm 145

Psalm 118

The Lord is God,
and he has given us light.
Bind the festal procession with branches,
up to the horns of the altar.
You are my God, and I will give thanks to you;
you are my God, I will extol you.
O give thanks to the Lord, for he is good,
for his steadfast love endures for ever.

The specific identity of God, the proper name is Yehovah: That Which Exists, Becoming, Arising, Abiding, Completed.

How is it possible to be both completed and becoming? How is it possible to always abide yet constantly change?

This is my God: even as an ancient channel embraces a Spring flood rushing toward the sea.

Psalm 118

Psalm 85

Steadfast love and faithfulness will meet;
righteousness and peace will kiss each other.
Faithfulness will spring up from the ground,
and righteousness will look down from the sky.
The Lord will give what is good,
and our land will yield its increase.
Righteousness will go before him,
and will make a path for his steps.

Today many celebrate what is understood as God becoming human.

This miracle and mystery emerge in the form of a specific human, a particular personality.

The unique tsedeq - righteousness - of Jesus is shared-identity with the Father.

Yet, in the gospels we read as Jesus learns, considers options, and changes his mind.

God is manifold. Righteousness is manifold.

The path most appropriate and fulfilling for each of us may be narrow.

But there are many pathways to living with God.

(The illustration is of a Morin Surface, a particular geometric manifold.)

Psalm 85

Psalm 89

Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne;
steadfast love and faithfulness go before you.
Happy are the people who know the festal shout,
who walk, O Lord, in the light of your countenance;
they exult in your name all day long,
and extol your righteousness.

Righteousness, justice, steadfast love, and faithfulness are the key characteristics of God.

Righteousness - tsedeq - individual integrity, profound self-awareness, and authentic behavior.

Justice - mishpat - crafting, calibrating, and celebrating shared relationships.

Love - chesed - honoring the tsedeq of others even to the point of sacrificing the self.

Faithfulness - 'emeth - always present, lifting up, carrying, supporting what is true and lasting

Psalm 89

Psalm 96

Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice;
let the sea roar, and all that fills it;
let the field exult, and everything in it.
Then shall all the trees of the forest sing for joy
before the Lord; for he is coming,
for he is coming to judge the earth.
He will judge the world with righteousness,
and the peoples with his truth.

The Hebrew word בּוֹא or bo', translated here as coming, is very context sensitive.

It can also mean abide, attain, bring, bring forth, enter, invade and, in five cases of scripture, sunset.

Judge is less variable. But the cultural, legal, philosophical meaning of judge is quite diverse.

How Deborah served as judge is much different than Samuel or Solomon.

How about: "That Which Exists is emerging to fulfill creation."

Psalm 96

Psalm 80

Restore us, O God;
let your face shine, that we may be saved.

In English face can be either noun or verb.

The Hebrew paniym is the noun form (face) of panah (to turn).

What is translated above as restore - schuwb - is literally to turn or turn back.

Unwind us, loosen us, untangle us, release us.

Free us from our confusion, restore us to your intention.

Psalm 80

Psalm 33

Rejoice in the Lord, O you righteous.
Praise befits the upright.
Praise the Lord with the lyre;
make melody to him with the harp of ten strings.
Sing to him a new song;
play skilfully on the strings, with loud shouts.

Why do I sing?

Because it brings me joy.

Why do I mostly sing as worship?

Because I know the songs and am invited to sing.

For the word of the Lord is upright,
and all his work is done in faithfulness.
He loves righteousness and justice;
the earth is full of the steadfast love of the Lord.

And because the songs are mostly about justice, mercy and love.

The songs inspire visions of majesty and glory.

They are songs I have known my whole life.

Our soul waits for the Lord;
he is our help and shield.
Our heart is glad in him,
because we trust in his holy name.
Let your steadfast love, O Lord, be upon us,
even as we hope in you.

Psalm 33

Psalm 117

Praise the Lord, all you nations!
Extol him, all you peoples!
For great is his steadfast love towards us,
and the faithfulness of the Lord endures for ever.
Praise the Lord!

א הַלְלוּ אֶת-יְהוָה, כָּל-גּוֹיִם; שַׁבְּחוּהוּ, כָּל-הָאֻמִּים.

ב כִּי גָבַר עָלֵינוּ, חַסְדּוֹ-- וֶאֱמֶת-יְהוָה לְעוֹלָם:

הַלְלוּ-יָהּ.

To extol - shabach - is to sooth, stroke, still; I think of soothing a baby or stroking a lover.

To praise - halal - is to shine, to flash forth light.

We are meant to reflect the light of God, receiving and returning the warmth and radiance that is freely given.

The psalmist was probably just looking for another word suggesting praise.

But on those rare occasions when I step out of the shadows and stand directly in the light of God, I am calmed, soothed, stilled.

Throughout scripture we are urged to honor God, not because God has any need, but because in doing so we are fulfilled.

Psalm 117

Psalm 115

They have mouths, but do not speak;
eyes, but do not see.
They have ears, but do not hear;
noses, but do not smell.
They have hands, but do not feel;
feet, but do not walk...
But we will bless the Lord
from this time on and for evermore.
Praise the Lord!

The psalmist is describing false gods, empty idols.

But have I failed to speak for justice?

Have I failed to hear the word of God?

I certainly have seen real needs and failed to lend my hand.

How do we bless the Lord? By living fully, using every gift we have been given, and praising God for each challenge, opportunity, failure, and success.

Psalm 115

Psalm 29

The voice of the Lord is powerful;
the voice of the Lord is full of majesty.
The voice of the Lord breaks the cedars;
the Lord breaks the cedars of Lebanon.
He makes Lebanon skip like a calf,
and Sirion like a young wild ox.
The voice of the Lord flashes forth flames of fire.
The voice of the Lord shakes the wilderness;
the Lord shakes the wilderness of Kadesh.
The voice of the Lord causes the oaks to whirl,*
and strips the forest bare;
and in his temple all say, ‘Glory!’

Listen.

Listening.

Praying.

What do you hear?

Beneath the worry.

Beyond the desires.

Beside the regret.

Love.

Psalm 29

Psalm 138

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 fulfil his purpose for me; your steadfast love, O Lord, endures for ever. Do not forsake the work of your hands.

These are the last lines of the psalm.

Great confidence is expressed... until the last verse. Do not forsake me.

The original Hebrew can mean: do not abandon, dismiss, withdraw from.

But it can also be read as do not be disheartened or discouraged.

I hear the psalmist confessing his inconstancy but trying to comfort God.

Does the Creator of the Cosmos need to be comforted?

Jesus told us of a God who shares our suffering, feels our pain, and weeps with us.

"Comfort ye, Comfort ye, My people."

 Psalm 138

Psalm 67

Let the peoples praise you, O God;
let all the peoples praise you.
The earth has yielded its increase;
God, our God, has blessed us.
May God continue to bless us;
let all the ends of the earth revere him.

The way of God is to create, enjoy, and praise.

God created us for the delight of it.

We are to delight in God's creation, including each other.

There are troublesome situations and individuals.

But in partnership with God trouble can become blessing.

Psalm 67

Psalm 30

You have turned my mourning into dancing;
you have taken off my sackcloth
and clothed me with joy,
so that my soul may praise you and not be silent.
O Lord my God, I will give thanks to you for ever.

There is sorrow, strife, and suffering.

There is cause to mourn.

It is good to make meaning of our grief, and open ourselves to grace.

There is cause to give thanks.

There is beauty, goodness, and truth; "power and riches and wisdom and strength and honour and glory and blessing."

Psalm 30

Psalm 119

The earth, O Lord, is full of your steadfast love;
teach me your statutes.
You have dealt well with your servant,
O Lord, according to your word.
Teach me good judgement and knowledge,
for I believe in your commandments.

All of creation proclaims the steadfast love, lovingkindness, grace, chesed of God.

Goodness, truth, and beauty abound.

It is also true that these gifts are sometimes well-wrapped, and may even be packaged in a clam-shell that seems to require a power saw to remove.

Teach me to recognize and receive your gifts.

When boldness is required, help me be bold. When humility is better, teach me. When patience is needed, restrain me. When persistence is my contribution to reclaiming the wholeness of your creation, give me the strength and courage to play my role. Teach me, O God, the way of reality, preserve me on the path, and bring me in your pleasure to my fulfillment.

Psalm 119

Psalm 47

God has gone up with a shout,
the Lord with the sound of a trumpet.
Sing praises to God, sing praises;
sing praises to our King, sing praises.
For God is the king of all the earth;
sing praises with a psalm.

Last evening I heard Messiah, different than hearing the Messiah, but similar.

Jennens, the librettist, did not use Psalm 47, but it must have been considered.

Kneeling before the overture I thought of Rita and Russ, Ruthie, Louie and Joe, who once sang these words with such feeling.

When Mr. Angel - a counter-tenor - was given the alto solo for Behold a Virgin, I grieved for Mary, Jan and all altos around the world: an atypical moment in the spotlight taken from them.

But Mr. Angel's singing fit his name.

I was happy when Ms. Atterbury came forward for The eyes of the blind will be opened. She had the rich, solid tones of the best altos and I was on the edge of offense when, in the middle of He shall feed his flock, she was replaced by another counter-tenor.

But when Mr. Brenner began with Come unto him, all ye that labor, the man in the pew next to me actually gasped, the sound was so ethereal.

Rita would have been pleased with the nearly break-neck speed and energy of the conductor, especially in the third movement.

The final bass solo - We shall be changed - filled the church with skill, power, and meaning. Even more than the Hallelujah, this is what caused my skin to tingle and tears to form.

Christmas is about memories - even nostalgia - but it is also about renewal and change. What was old shall be made new.

I went to Messiah with memories. I have a few more. But more than memory, last evening's experience brings the present into sharper focus.

Jennens did not use II Corinthians 5:17, but surely it was in an early draft: The old has gone, the new has come.

Hallelujah!

(You can see and listen to a podcast of last evening's performance.)

Psalm 47

Psalm 25

Make me to know your ways, O Lord;
teach me your paths.
Lead me in your truth, and teach me,
for you are the God of my salvation;
for you I wait all day long.

This is, almost certainly, asking for trouble.

Surely to take God's path to the foundations of truth will be tough.

Yet in the same psalm we read: "All the paths of the Lord are lovingkindness and truth."

Perhaps it is not the path, but our behavior that creates the strife.

Another verse: "Look upon my affliction and trouble. Forgive all my sins."

Psalm 25

Psalm 103

The Lord is merciful and gracious,
slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.
He will not always accuse,
nor will he keep his anger for ever.
He does not deal with us according to our sins,
nor repay us according to our iniquities.

My understanding of Hebrew is so modest it allows for creative readings... probably overly creative.

But I also understand the role of hermeneutics is to find where text and reader have common interest, while keeping integrity with each.

The second verse above consists of five Hebrew words: netsach riyb lo' natar 'owlam.

Each of these words can be translated with more than one English word, but a strictly literal reading might be: perpetual strife not keep forever.

The translator has chosen to hear the divine pronoun as implied and treat this as another description of God.

But could it be describing the outcome of God's steadfast love? Constant contention will not continue.

Psalm 103

Psalm 43

O send out your light and your truth;
let them lead me;
let them bring me to your holy hill
and to your dwelling.
Then I will go to the altar of God,
to God my exceeding joy;
and I will praise you with the harp,
O God, my God.
Why are you cast down, O my soul,
and why are you disquieted within me?
Hope in God; for I shall again praise him,
my help and my God.

I am cast down;

Not by oppression or injustice;

But by regret and doubt and trivial troubles.

I know your light and truth surrounds me.

Help me to look up and notice.

Lead me to your holy hill.

Psalm 43

Psalm 1

Happy are those
who do not follow the advice of the wicked,
or take the path that sinners tread,
or sit in the seat of scoffers;
but their delight is in the law of the Lord,
and on his law they meditate day and night.
They are like trees
planted by streams of water,
which yield their fruit in its season,
and their leaves do not wither.

I am pleased, I experience pleasure, I tingle with delight in
the instruction, teaching, direction of That Which Exists.

Psalm 1

Psalm 37

Do not fret because of the wicked;
do not be envious of wrongdoers,
for they will soon fade like the grass,
and wither like the green herb.
Trust in the Lord, and do good;
so you will live in the land, and enjoy security.
Take delight in the Lord,
and he will give you the desires of your heart.
Commit your way to the Lord;
trust in him, and he will act.
He will make your vindication shine like the light,
and the justice of your cause like the noonday.
Be still before the Lord, and wait patiently for him;
do not fret over those who prosper in their way,
over those who carry out evil devices.
Refrain from anger, and forsake wrath.
Do not fret—it leads only to evil.

Fretting is, for me, low grade constant worry.

The Hebrew is charah which means to burn, char, or be angry.

Rather than worry or anger we are encouraged to trust, do good and settle down.

We are told to be delighted, commit, and be still.

Worry and anger are abstractions, perceptions of possibilities, even delusions regarding other people and other times.

We are to embrace the reality of this moment, settle into it, find delight in it, and commit to it.

This is That Which Exists.

Psalm 37

Psalm 103

Bless the Lord, O my soul,
and all that is within me,
bless his holy name.
Bless the Lord, O my soul,
and do not forget all his benefits—
who forgives all your iniquity,
who heals all your diseases,
who redeems your life from the Pit,
who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy,
who satisfies you with good as long as you live
so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.

The next verse is translated as, "The Lord works vindication and justice for all who are oppressed."

I read something different.

My familiarity with Hebrew grammar is so poor, that I am probably wrong.

But what I read is, "That Which Exists makes righteousness and justice for all who strive, oppress, defraud, rob, and violate."

In the vagueness of the verb there is either judgment or redemption (or both).

Psalm 103

Psalm 28

Repay them according to their work,
and according to the evil of their deeds;
repay them according to the work of their hands;
render them their due reward.
Because they do not regard the works of the Lord,
or the work of his hands,
he will break them down and build them up no more.

This may well be our judgment, even our prayer.

It may be a righteous judgment and fair return for evil done.

But how does this conform with, "forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us"?

We are all free-riders in the economy of grace.

Each of us should tremble to receive our due reward.

How precious is your steadfast love, O God!
All people may take refuge in the shadow of your wings.
They feast on the abundance of your house,
and you give them drink from the river of your delights.
For with you is the fountain of life;
in your light we see light. (Psalm 36)

Psalm 28

Psalm 85

Steadfast love and faithfulness will meet;
righteousness and peace will kiss each other.
Faithfulness will spring up from the ground,
and righteousness will look down from the sky.
The Lord will give what is good,
and our land will yield its increase.
Righteousness will go before him,
and will make a path for his steps.

Before this happens, I will hear what God the Lord will say.

I will hear.

The Hebrew is שָׁמַע or shama'.

I will listen, carefully, attentively.

I will hear with intelligence, considering what is said.

Psalm 85

Psalm 150

Praise the Lord!
Praise God in his sanctuary;
praise him in his mighty firmament!
Praise him for his mighty deeds;
praise him according to his surpassing greatness!
Praise him with trumpet sound;
praise him with lute and harp!
Praise him with tambourine and dance;
praise him with strings and pipe!
Praise him with clanging cymbals;
praise him with loud clashing cymbals!
Let everything that breathes praise the Lord!
Praise the Lord!

Shine, show, and celebrate That Which Exists!

Hallelujah!

Rave, roar, whoop, and shout!

Hallelujah!

Be clear, cheer, and raise a clamor!

Hallelujah!

Psalm 150

Psalm 20

May he grant you your heart’s desire,
and fulfil all your plans.
May we shout for joy over your victory,
and in the name of our God set up our banners.
May the Lord fulfill all your petitions.

The psalmist may well have intended precisely what the translator has rendered.

But my own reading of the Hebrew suggests:

He gives you imagination, motivation, and mind, fulfilling your whole purpose.

Cry out for your salvation proclaiming the fundamental nature of power.

That Which Exists will answer what you ask.

Psalm 20

Psalm 17

Guard me as the apple of the eye;
hide me in the shadow of your wings,
from the wicked who despoil me,
my deadly enemies who surround me.
They close their hearts to pity;
with their mouths they speak arrogantly.
They track me down; now they surround me;
they set their eyes to cast me to the ground.
They are like a lion eager to tear,
like a young lion lurking in ambush.

They - these enemies - are my own contradictions.

They are my own divisions, distractions, and self-destructive tendencies.

From the sixteenth psalm, also assigned for today:

I bless the Lord who gives me counsel;
in the night also my heart instructs me.
I keep the Lord always before me;
because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved.
Therefore my heart is glad, and my soul rejoices;
my body also rests secure.
For you do not give me up to Sheol,
or let your faithful one see the Pit.
You show me the path of life.
In your presence there is fullness of joy;
in your right hand are pleasures for evermore.

When they cast me down and set upon me, I am restored by That Which Exists.

By the morning stars, by the breeze, by music, by friendship, by scripture, by poetry, by kindness, by good food, and by meaningful work I am healed and brought nearer to wholeness.

God sustains my progress on the the path of life.

Psalm 17

Psalm 18

I love you, O Lord, my strength.
The Lord is my rock, my fortress, and my deliverer,
my God, my rock in whom I take refuge,
my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.

David the king - and psalmist - is a collection of contradictions, like most of us.

He is self-deluding and self-critiquing, like most of us.

In this psalm David gives thanks for God's help:

"He brought me out into a broad place; he delivered me, because he delighted in me."

Pure grace, pure pleasure, pure love was God's motivation.

But in the very next verse, David claims:

"The Lord rewarded me according to my righteousness; according to the cleanness of my hands he recompensed me."

Intellectually, I know my faults and failures. But emotionally I stubbornly insist on what I am due.

Thank God I am not given what I am due.

Psalm 18

Psalm 19

The heavens are telling the glory of God;
and the firmament proclaims his handiwork.
Day to day pours forth speech,
and night to night declares knowledge.
There is no speech, nor are there words;
their voice is not heard;
yet their voice goes out through all the earth,
and their words to the end of the world.

It is especially quiet on this pre-dawn morning.

Overnight the temperature fell below freezing. The frogs and insects are silent, perhaps until Spring.

But in the cold dry moonless sky the stars are in full voice.

Psalm 19

Psalm 6

O Lord, do not rebuke me in your anger,
or discipline me in your wrath.
Be gracious to me, O Lord, for I am languishing;
O Lord, heal me, for my bones are shaking with terror.
My soul also is struck with terror,
while you, O Lord — how long?
Turn, O Lord, save my life;
deliver me for the sake of your steadfast love.

The psalmist asks, "save my life."

The original Hebrew is much closer to: equip my mind and character.

That Which Exists, if given attention, will do both; often achieving the first translation through the second.

This says nothing about redeem, which is an entirely different verb and process.

I cannot earn my redemption, on that I depend on the promise and example of Jesus.

But we can each contribute to the quality of our days by giving full attention to that which exists as an expression of That Which Exists.

Dear God, equip my mind and character.

Psalm 6

Psalm 7

See how they conceive evil,
and are pregnant with mischief,
and bring forth lies.
They make a pit, digging it out,
and fall into the hole that they have made.
Their mischief returns upon their own heads,
and on their own heads their violence descends.

The psalmist has chosen interesting terms.

The verb used to "make" a pit can mean to dig, or give a feast, or purchase through trade.

The "pit" is a well or cistern derived from a very similar sounding word meaning to explain or to clear up by digging deep, so to speak.

The holes into which we fall are often the outcome not just of bad choices, but of active desires and significant effort.

As long as we offer self-justifying explanations of our motivation or action we will remain trapped.

Psalm 7

Psalm 112

Praise the Lord!
Happy are those who fear the Lord,
who greatly delight in his commandments.

.אַשְׁרֵי-אִישׁ, יָרֵא אֶת-יְהוָה; בְּמִצְו‍ֹתָיו, חָפֵץ מְאֹד

How did the verb yare' - meaning to shoot or pour - come to mean fear, revere, overawed?

As a young man I was an archer.

In the concentration of mind and body needed for archery, the self is shed.

There is the bow and the arrow, that is all.

Anxiety and ambition are set aside. Even the target recedes.

Here is energy, stretch it.

Here is experience, let it fly!

Psalm 112

Psalm 144

May our sons in their youth
be like plants full grown,
our daughters like corner pillars,
cut for the building of a palace.
May our barns be filled
with produce of every kind;
may our sheep increase by thousands,
by tens of thousands in our fields,
and may our cattle be heavy with young.
May there be no breach in the walls, no exile,
and no cry of distress in our streets.
Happy are the people to whom such blessings fall;
happy are the people whose God is the Lord.

The last line again: Those who are ruled by That Which Exists will make progress.

That Which Exists or Yahovah is becoming, arising, appearing, coming...

God is constantly unfolding, fulfilling, creating, making...

We are ruled by the ultimate reality of change.

We make progress when we are able to abide with this reality.

Psalm 144

Psalm 97

The Lord is king! Let the earth rejoice;
let the many coastlands be glad!
Clouds and thick darkness are all around him;
righteousness and justice are the foundation of his throne.
Fire goes before him,
and consumes his adversaries on every side.
His lightnings light up the world;
the earth sees and trembles.
The mountains melt like wax before the Lord,
before the Lord of all the earth.
The heavens proclaim his righteousness;
and all the peoples behold his glory.

These are partial, even petty, expressions of That Which Exists.

But they serve to signal powers and purposes beyond our control.

We are powerful, but very far from all-powerful.

Humility and thanks are helpful to engage That Which Exists.

Aligning our purposes with God's greater purposes is wise.

Psalm 97

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.

We kneel before God.

We adore God, we give ourselves to God.

God kneels before us.

God adores us, God gives us all of creation.

In mutual blessing existence is fulfilled.

Psalm 134

Psalm 128

You shall eat the fruit of the labour of your hands;
you shall be happy, and it shall go well with you.
Your wife will be like a fruitful vine
within your house;
your children will be like olive shoots
around your table.

You shall be happy: אַשְׁרֵי or 'esher

Derived from 'asher to go straight, make progress.

I have not chosen a straight path, but it has been interesting.

I have not arrived at my destination, nor am I quite sure what it might be.

There is - despite the twists,turns and uncertainty - a sense of progress.

Psalm 128

Psalm 123

Have mercy upon us, O Lord, have mercy upon us,
for we have had more than enough of contempt.
Our soul has had more than its fill
of the scorn of those who are at ease,
of the contempt of the proud.

The Occupy Movement still seems to me more sentiment than argument.

But those who violently oppose the movement are prompting my sympathy with it.

When Scott Olsen was injured in Oakland, when the UC-Davis students and Dorli Ramey, age 84, (above) were pepper sprayed...

The contempt, scorn, and violence directed at the protesters is evidence for the validity of their concern.

Have mercy on us.

Psalm 123

Psalm 24

Who shall ascend the hill of the Lord?
And who shall stand in his holy place?
Those who have clean hands and pure hearts,
who do not lift up their souls to what is false,
and do not swear deceitfully.
They will receive blessing from the Lord,
and vindication from the God of their salvation.

In any spiritual sense I do not have clean hands or a pure heart.

The original Hebrew, however, offers a bit of hope.

Clean -- נָקִי or naqiy -- also means unpunished.

Pure -- בָּר or bar -- can also mean unpunishing.

I hear a bit of forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.

Psalm 24

Psalm 145

The Lord is just in all his ways,
and kind in all his doings.
The Lord is near to all who call on him,
to all who call on him in truth.
He fulfils the desire of all who fear him;
he also hears their cry, and saves them.

Jehovah is just, Jehovah is near...

Being, existence, becoming is just.

Abiding, continuing, doing is near.

Delight is done for all who pour all they have into being, existence, becoming, abiding, continuing, doing, and fully engaging That Which Exists.

Psalm 145

Psalm 124

Blessed be the Lord,
who has not given us
as prey to their teeth.
We have escaped like a bird
from the snare of the fowlers;
the snare is broken,
and we have escaped.

Reality is this moment.

The past was real, but is now gone.

The future will be real, but has not yet unfolded.

The past may be fulfilled in this moment.

The future may be founded on this moment.

Too often we are distracted by regret or anger about the past.

As often we are delayed by fear of the future.

The great message of gospel, psalm and prophecy is that in love there is freedom.

In love we are freed from the snares of regret, anger, fear and doubt.

In love we are let loose to fly.

Psalm 124

Psalm 102

Long ago you laid the foundation of the earth,
and the heavens are the work of your hands.
They will perish, but you endure;
they will all wear out like a garment.
You change them like clothing, and they pass away;
but you are the same, and your years have no end.

Each morning I meditate on That Which Exists.

Many times each day I pray to the great I AM.

In turmoil I cry out, even from sleep, for God.

I am relationship with the source of the cosmos.

This does not suggest I have any real understanding of God.

That Which Exists is so vast I can perceive only a small part.

אֶהְיֶה אֲשֶׁר אֶהְיֶה‎ - I am that I am - is this moment, is me, is you, is That Which Exists.

Psalm 102

Psalm 61

Hear my cry, O God;
listen to my prayer.
From the end of the earth I call to you,
when my heart is faint.

Lead me to the rock
that is higher than I;
for you are my refuge,
a strong tower against the enemy.

The enemy takes many forms.

For me it comes as anxiety and pride;

Two sides of the same corrupting coin.

Help me, dear God, to finally arrive at the strong tower;

Where love of others completes, does not compete with self love.

Psalm 61

Psalm 101

I will sing of loyalty and of justice;
to you, O Lord, I will sing.
I will study the way that is blameless.
When shall I attain it?

I will walk with integrity of heart
within my house;
I will not set before my eyes
anything that is base.

I hate the work of those who fall away;
it shall not cling to me.
Perverseness of heart shall be far from me;
I will know nothing of evil.

One who secretly slanders a neighbour
I will destroy.
A haughty look and an arrogant heart
I will not tolerate.

I will look with favour on the faithful in the land,
so that they may live with me;
whoever walks in the way that is blameless
shall minister to me.

No one who practises deceit
shall remain in my house;
no one who utters lies
shall continue in my presence.

Morning by morning I will destroy
all the wicked in the land,
cutting off all evildoers
from the city of the Lord.

How should a post-Freudian read the psalms?

How should someone who knows Shakespeare read the psalms? Is the psalmist describing Macbeth or Coriolanus or...?

Is the psalmist celebrating or critiquing the swaggering confidence of his protagonist? Or are we to perceive only swagger?

I perceive a deadly dangerous tyrant.

How very far is this intolerance and destruction from: Love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind and your neighbor as yourself.

Psalm 101

Psalm 97

Light dawns for the righteous,
and joy for the upright in heart.
Rejoice in the Lord, O you righteous,
and give thanks to his holy name!

The verb is not dawn, it is zara' meaning to scatter seed, sow, implant, or cause conception.

Light and joy are intentionally planted, expecting a harvest.

We are each receptacles for the seed. How we receive and care for it has considerable impact on its issue.

Psalm 97

Psalm 89

I have found my servant David;
with my holy oil I have anointed him;
my hand shall always remain with him;
my arm also shall strengthen him.
The enemy shall not outwit him,
the wicked shall not humble him.

God found David. The Hebrew verb means coming upon, meeting, even stumbling on.

David did not earn God's favor, scripture suggests the opposite.

God's extravagant promises to David and his descendants are fulfilled.

Yet David suffered. His descendants suffered. The psalmist proclaims their pain.

To be anointed is to be joined with God, which is to heighten and deepen every experience.

Psalm 89

Psalm 19

Day to day pours forth speech,
and night to night declares knowledge.
There is no speech, nor are there words;
their voice is not heard;
yet their voice goes out through all the earth,
and their words to the end of the world.

We measure our way in silence.

It is a meaningful silence.

In its midst is dialogue and from it emerges discernment.

If we will look, we will see. If we will listen, we will hear.

Wordless wisdom.

Psalm 19

Psalm 90

Turn, O Lord! How long?
Have compassion on your servants!
Satisfy us in the morning with your steadfast love,
so that we may rejoice and be glad all our days.
Make us glad for as many days as you have afflicted us,
and for as many years as we have seen evil.
Let your work be manifest to your servants,
and your glorious power to their children.
Let the favour of the Lord our God be upon us,
and prosper for us the work of our hands—
O prosper the work of our hands!

The more traditional translation of the last lines is:

"and confirm for us the work of our hands-
Yes, confirm the work of our hands."

The Hebrew verb is kuwn, meaning to establish, stabilize, secure, and make firm.

Prosperity makes me glad and its absence worries me.

But even more than prosperity, to be sure that what I do is consequential...

That is -- would be -- a source of joy.

Psalm 90

Psalm 92

The righteous flourish like the palm tree,
and grow like a cedar in Lebanon.
They are planted in the house of the Lord;
they flourish in the courts of our God.
In old age they still produce fruit;
they are always green and full of sap,
showing that the Lord is upright;
he is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in him.

Again, the psalms assigned for today are contradictory.

The confidence of the verses above contrast sharply with Psalm 88:

I suffer your terrors; I am desperate.
Your wrath has swept over me;
your dread assaults destroy me.

Humans have tended to view God as puppet master, pulling strings to cause us joy or pain.

God is creator, but as with Geppetto the creation has its own will and chooses its own way.

Psalm 92

Psalm 85

Port Salut Beach, Southern Haiti

Steadfast love and faithfulness will meet;
righteousness and peace will kiss each other.
Faithfulness will spring up from the ground,
and righteousness will look down from the sky.
The Lord will give what is good,
and our land will yield its increase.
Righteousness will go before him,
and will make a path for his steps.

The psalms assigned for today offer two distinct visions of That Which Exists.

A psalm to be read this evening (above) is reassuring.

The first psalm to be read this morning is frightening.

O my God, make them like whirling dust,
like chaff before the wind.
As fire consumes the forest,
as the flame sets the mountains ablaze,
so pursue them with your tempest
and terrify them with your hurricane.
Fill their faces with shame,
so that they may seek your name, O Lord.
Let them be put to shame and dismayed for ever;
let them perish in disgrace.

Evidence abounds for each. My life is typically much more similar to the first. But if I had been in Haiti during most of 2010, or had survived the Indian Ocean tsunami, or my home had been destroyed in the Texas wildfires the second psalm would seem much more real.

Psalm 85 and Psalm 83

Psalm 119

I hate the double-minded,
but I love your law.
You are my hiding-place and my shield;
I hope in your word.
Go away from me, you evildoers,
that I may keep the commandments of my God.

"I hate half-heartedness", would also be an accurate translation.

Brokeness, illness, or sadness could replace evildoers.

The failure to do and to be what would be a full-hearted expression of God's intention is often a source of separation, depression, and worse.

To embrace God's intention is to find our best self.

Psalm 119

Psalm 34

The Lord is near to the broken-hearted,
and saves the crushed in spirit.

That Which Exists is closely related to the wrecked and broken,
liberating the shattered spirit.

Psalm 34

Psalm 77

‘Will the Lord spurn for ever,
and never again be favourable?
Has his steadfast love ceased for ever?
Are his promises at an end for all time?
Has God forgotten to be gracious?
Has he in anger shut up his compassion?’
And I say, ‘It is my grief
that the right hand of the Most High has changed.’

Has God changed my grief? Or has grief altered my relationship with God?

There are several Hebrew words for grief. This one, chalah, means to become ill, there is a strong sense of self-cause as in "to make oneself sick."

In anger, pride, embarrassment, fatigue, neglect... for a whole host of reasons we separate ourselves from each other and even from God. Whenever we are ready, God is there.

Psalm 77

Psalm 96

Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice;
let the sea roar, and all that fills it;
let the field exult, and everything in it.
Then shall all the trees of the forest sing for joy
before the Lord; for he is coming,
for he is coming to judge the earth.

The Hebrew shaphat means to judge, govern, vindicate, punish...

I tend to pray for God to punish others and vindicate me. We will each, I expect, experience a full measure of every aspect of shaphat.

"Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven."

Psalm 96

Psalm 27

Teach me your way, O Lord,
and lead me on a level path
because of my enemies.

In choosing a passage for my morning meditation I am mostly impressionistic.

Two long or four or five shorter psalms are assigned. I read each for a verse or two that I find personally provocative or that makes me curious.

In this verse, why should enemies be my motivation?

The original Hebrew is:

הוֹרֵנִי יְהוָה, דַּרְכֶּךָ: וּנְחֵנִי, בְּאֹרַח מִישׁוֹר--לְמַעַן, שׁוֹרְרָי

The Hebrew translated here as enemies is soreq, which is a kind of grape vine.(!?)

This grapevine was commonly used by landowners or more often their overseers as a switch to punish those who were not working hard enough.

In the context of the psalm it would be more coherent with the original text to translate the verse as: "Teach me your way, O Lord, and lead me on a level path to avoid the switch."

This, in turn, reminds me of Jesus in John's gospel saying:

“I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me."

Psalm 27

Psalm 73

I was stupid and ignorant;
I was like a brute beast towards you.
Nevertheless I am continually with you;
you hold my right hand.

"I am senseless and without knowing" is another translation.

I can be totally oblivious, insensitive and unaware.

The more oblivious I am, the more likely I am to be certain and stubborn.

Yet God -- and others -- are patient, kind, loving.

Slowly I may come to sense something beyond my self.

Psalm 73

Psalm 27

I believe that I shall see the goodness of the Lord
in the land of the living.
Wait for the Lord;
be strong, and let your heart take courage;
wait for the Lord!

I have seen this goodness.

It is abundant, especially where humankind is rare.

But even in great cities this goodness can be found.

We can be selfish, angry brutes, but we are also co-creators of the earth.

I do not have to wait. I need only look and act.

Psalm 27

Psalm 112

It is well with those who deal generously and lend,
who conduct their affairs with justice.

The Hebrew לָוָה or lavah means to join together.

Above it is translated as lend.

Debtor and lender are joined together. The strength of this connection has recently been highlighted.

In scripture God is often compared to a landowner or lender. We are the tenant or debtor.

We are always behind on our payments.

God responds patiently, constructively, lovingly, redemptively. It is well for those who conduct their affairs with justice.

Psalm 112

Psalm 72

For he delivers the needy when they call,
the poor and those who have no helper.
He has pity on the weak and the needy,
and saves the lives of the needy.
From oppression and violence he redeems their life;
and precious is their blood in his sight.

Walking by the Occupy Los Angeles and Occupy San Francisco camps (above), I have been aware of smiling.

It has been a happy and heart-felt smile.

What is translated above as needy is the Hebrew אֶבְיוֹן or 'ebyown: vulnerable, oppressed, poor, powerless would all be reasonable translations.

Despite the place of fear, anger, and uncertainty, the Occupy Movement also represents an amazing confidence in the possibility of justice.

Leaderless and notoriously vague, the Occupiers share their vulnerability with us, expecting a redemptive response.

It is an extraordinary expectation and invitation.

To redeem is also to save, deliver, and liberate. It is almost certainly true that the targets of the Occupiers protest are also in need of liberation.

Psalm 72

Psalm 16

Thou dost show me the path of life; in thy presence there is fulness of joy, in thy right hand are pleasures for evermore.

Most of the psalms assigned for today are full of dread.

Enemies abound. The righteous suffer. Injustice reigns.

These threats are still with us, at times very close.

But in the midst of terrible troubles there is beauty, goodness, even love.

The path of life shows itself even - especially? - in darkness.

Psalm 16

Psalm 84

How lovely is thy dwelling place,
O Lord of hosts!
My soul longs, yea,
faints for the courts of the Lord;
my heart and flesh sing for joy to the living God.

I am traveling and busy.

There is too much to do and too little time to do it.

I will not go to church today, and already regret the choice.

But I will look for another way to sing for joy.

Psalm 84

Psalm 138

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 fulfil his purpose for me;
your steadfast love, O Lord, endures for ever.
Do not forsake the work of your hands.

I am still being formed.

As much as at conception,

As much as when I learned to walk or speak,

As much as at thirteen,

The purposes of my life are still being shaped.

Psalm 138

Psalm 40

Sacrifice and offering you do not desire,
but you have given me an open ear.
Burnt-offering and sin-offering
you have not required.
Then I said, ‘Here I am;
in the scroll of the book it is written of me.
I delight to do your will, O my God;
your law is within my heart.’

I can be distracted and fail to do your will.

Occasionally I am afraid and resist doing your will.

Too often I am self-serving, foolish, corrupt and choose to oppose your will.

But I always find delight in what you have willed.

May I more often say, Here I am.

Psalm 40

Psalm 50

Those who bring thanksgiving as their sacrifice honour me;
to those who go the right way
I will show the salvation of God.

Some other options for the second verse:

to those who organize their journey...

to those who set a direction...

to those who create a path...

There is a verb and a noun, there is no adjective.

Psalm 50

Psalm 49

My mouth shall speak wisdom;
the meditation of my heart shall be understanding.
I will incline my ear to a proverb;
I will solve my riddle to the music of the harp.

We encounter many riddles.

We are in greater need of proverbs.

A proverb seems simple, but reveals a complex truth.

A riddle seems complicated, but typically has a simple solution.

There is wisdom in solving riddles, greater wisdom in applying proverbs.

Psalm 49

Psalm 47

God has gone up with a shout,
the Lord with the sound of a trumpet.
Sing praises to God, sing praises;
sing praises to our King, sing praises.
For God is the king of all the earth;
sing praises with a psalm.

That Which Exists ascends, goes up, grows up.

That Which Exists expands, extends, encompasses.

That Which Exists stirs us, draws us up, carries us away.

Psalm 47

Psalm 52

But God will break you down for ever;
he will snatch and tear you from your tent;
he will uproot you from the land of the living.

The verse is meant as a warning, even a curse, but I wonder.

God will nathats netsach:

God will pull down, break down, separate into pieces.

Perpetually, enduringly, eminently, excellently.

Until we get it right?

Psalm 52

Psalm 63

My soul is satisfied as with a rich feast,
and my mouth praises you with joyful lips
when I think of you on my bed,
and meditate on you in the watches of the night;
for you have been my help,
and in the shadow of your wings I sing for joy.
My soul clings to you;
your right hand upholds me.

Abundant sky.

Abundant stars.

Abundant earth.

Abundant love.

Abundant life.


Psalm 63

Psalm 43

O send out your light and your truth;
let them lead me;
let them bring me to your holy hill
and to your dwelling.
Then I will go to the altar of God,
to God my exceeding joy;
and I will praise you with the harp,
O God, my God.

It is cloudy and the moon is thin.

Yet as I step into the morning darkness, my shadow falls before me.

There is sufficient light to find my way.

Psalm 43

Psalm 35

Do not let my treacherous enemies rejoice over me,
or those who hate me without cause wink the eye.
For they do not speak peace,
but they conceive deceitful words
against those who are quiet in the land.
They open wide their mouths against me;
they say, ‘Aha, Aha,
our eyes have seen it.’

The most treacherous enemy I know is myself.

I set nets that ensnare my best intentions.

I dig pits into which I fall.

"How long, O Lord, will you look on?
Rescue me from their ravages,
my life from the lions!"

Righteousness - tsedeq - is fulfilling our best selves, rescued from our worst selves.

Psalm 35

Psalm 37

Do not fret because of the wicked;
do not be envious of wrongdoers,
for they will soon fade like the grass,
and wither like the green herb.
Trust in the Lord, and do good;
so you will live in the land, and enjoy security.
Take delight in the Lord,
and he will give you the desires of your heart.
Commit your way to the Lord;
trust in him, and he will act.
He will make your vindication shine like the light,
and the justice of your cause like the noonday.
Be still before the Lord, and wait patiently for him;
do not fret over those who prosper in their way,
over those who carry out evil devices.
Refrain from anger, and forsake wrath.
Do not fret—it leads only to evil.

Do not fret is a very soft translation of the Hebrew חָרָה or charah.

Literally it is to burn, figuratively to be consumed by anger.

Last evening I was angry, mostly because something caused me to fret.

The source of anger was a business proposal both too expensive and too speculative and suggesting the need to move on without the help of those making the proposal.

I fretted over how I could be effective without their help. A sense of my own powerlessness caused the anger.

I do not think those offering the proposal are "wicked." But I do perceive they "prosper in their own way," which is not consistent with the way to which I am currently called.

Do not fret.

Psalm 37

Psalm 119

Give me understanding, that I may keep your law
and observe it with my whole heart.
Lead me in the path of your commandments,
for I delight in it.
Turn my heart to your decrees,
and not to selfish gain.
Turn my eyes from looking at vanities;
give me life in your ways.

Last evening most Jews celebrated the end of Sukkoth.

I went out for drinks with a colleague.

It was a great place: fine wine, good food, wonderful service, fabulous location, beautiful night.

Were these momentary joys mere vanities? Empty symbols of selfish gain?

It is possible and worth careful discernment.

But I hope not and perhaps precisely in giving God thanks, the secular may sometimes be made sacred.

Sukkoth is, among other things, a celebration of vulnerability, diversity, and dependence. I am vulnerable to vanity. But in my relationship with God I know any sense of vanity is delusion.

Thanks be to God.

Psalm 119

Psalm 26

But as for me, I walk in my integrity;
redeem me, and be gracious to me.
My foot stands on level ground;
in the great congregation I will bless the Lord.

The psalmist has found his integrity. He is completed, finished.

Yet he is still in need of God's redemption.

He still depends on God's grace.

I am responsible for choosing when and where I will stand.

But I depend on God for leading me to the level ground.

Psalm 26

Psalm 9

I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart;
I will tell of all your wonderful deeds.
I will be glad and exult in you;
I will sing praise to your name, O Most High.

I will give thanks.

The Hebrew יָדָה or yadah means to use the hand, to throw, or to cast.

In giving thanks we are releasing ourselves, even propelling ourselves toward God.

Psalm 9

Psalm 114

Why is it, O sea, that you flee?
O Jordan, that you turn back?
O mountains, that you skip like rams?
O hills, like lambs?
Tremble, O earth, at the presence of the Lord,
at the presence of the God of Jacob,
who turns the rock into a pool of water,
the flint into a spring of water.

In a hurricane, in an earthquake, in the sudden storm, we tremble.

Any change is a perceived threat, even change that renews and restores.

We persist on the cusp of chaos, deluding ourselves that this thin ledge over the abyss, with the rickety rail we built ourselves, is a fortress strong.

Much better, much wiser is to trust in That Which Exists.

Unfolding, awe-inspiring, gift-giving, God gives us new days and new ways.

Psalm 114

Psalm 117

Praise the Lord, all you nations!
Extol him, all you peoples!
For great is his steadfast love towards us,
and the faithfulness of the Lord endures for ever.
Praise the Lord!

To praise God is to shine.

In praise we reflect the light of God.

In praise we release our own light.

Psalm 117

Psalm 16

You show me the path of life.
In your presence there is fullness of joy;
in your right hand are pleasures for evermore.

The direction is reasonably clear.

But we cannot be sure what is around the bend.

Between us and our destination are various impediments.

I am often distracted and wander away.

But am always welcomed when I return.


Psalm 16

Psalm 18

He brought me out into a broad place;
he delivered me, because he delighted in me.
The Lord rewarded me according to my righteousness;
according to the cleanness of my hands he recompensed me.

Are we gifted or compensated?

Do we receive what we earn or despite what we do?

From another psalm assigned for today: "If you, O Lord, should mark iniquities,
Lord, who could stand?" (Psalm 130)

God delights in you, and even in me, despite all?

We are loved, not because we are loveable but because God is love.

Psalm 18

Psalm 14

The Lord looks down from heaven on humankind
to see if there are any who are wise,
who seek after God.
They have all gone astray, they are all alike perverse;
there is no one who does good,
no, not one.

The purpose of wisdom is the pursuit of good.

Wisdom is the process of giving close attention, considering carefully, and taking action that fits reality and purpose.

The good of scripture is very similar to the good, beautiful, and true of classical philosophy.

While sometimes treated as a noun, the scripture's good is actually a verb.

טוֹב or towb is to be happy, be joyful, be kind, be pleasing, be pleasant.



Psalm 14

Psalm 10

O Lord, you will hear the desire of the meek;
you will strengthen their heart, you will incline your ear
to do justice for the orphan and the oppressed,
so that those from earth may strike terror no more.

It is the vulnerable who suffer most from terror.

The oppressed, orphaned, widowed, poor and weak are in greatest need of justice.

This is a justice - שָׁפַט or shaphat - that governs through law, principled argument, and careful judgment.

Psalm 10

Psalm 4

There are many who say, ‘O that we might see some good!
Let the light of your face shine on us, O Lord!’
You have put gladness in my heart
more than when their grain and wine abound.

If you give more you will receive more.

This is the typical deal offered by many.

We have been invited to be in full relationship with That Which Exists.

Compared to this relationship nothing else matters.

In this relationship opportunity abounds and fulfillment is found.

Psalm 4

Psalm 112

It is well with those who deal generously and lend,
who conduct their affairs with justice.
For the righteous will never be moved;
they will be remembered for ever.
They are not afraid of evil tidings;
their hearts are firm, secure in the Lord.
Their hearts are steady, they will not be afraid;
in the end they will look in triumph on their foes.
They have distributed freely, they have given to the poor;
their righteousness endures for ever;
their horn is exalted in honour.

Righteousness is a fulfillment of the self.

To be righteous is to find and do what God intends for you.

Righteousness is expressed in how we relate to others.

The Hebrew meaning to lend or loan is also the word to be joined.

Our true self is joined with others through shared relationship with God and in a common dependence on one another.

Psalm 112

Psalm 144

May our sons in their youth
be like plants full grown,
our daughters like corner pillars,
cut for the building of a palace.
May our barns be filled
with produce of every kind;
may our sheep increase by thousands,
by tens of thousands in our fields,
and may our cattle be heavy with young.
May there be no breach in the walls, no exile,
and no cry of distress in our streets.
Happy are the people to whom such blessings fall;
happy are the people whose God is the Lord.

We often pray for prosperity.

We should give thanks.

We should open ourselves to God.

We should seek to be in relationship with God.

In relationship with God we are ready for whatever may happen.

Psalm 144

Psalm 143

Teach me to do your will,
for you are my God.
Let your good spirit lead me
on a level path.

Understanding may not always be possible.

But I am to do what God wants.

This is a different "do" than yesterday: עָשָׂה or asah.

I am to make, produce, prepare, acquire, observe, use, complete... what God wants.

I am to allow the spirit of God to lead me to go and do what God wants.

Psalm 143

Psalm 1

Happy are those
who do not follow the advice of the wicked,
or take the path that sinners tread,
or sit in the seat of scoffers;
but their delight is in the law of the Lord,
and on his law they meditate day and night.
They are like trees
planted by streams of water,
which yield their fruit in its season,
and their leaves do not wither.
In all that they do, they prosper.

In all that they do...

The original Hebrew is צָלַח or tsalach.

This is to break out, rush forward, advance.

The tree breaks out of the ground, reaches high, and blossoms.

The tree draws on deep waters and yields its fruit for all that pass by.

Psalm 1

Psalm 130

I wait for the Lord, my soul waits,
and in his word I hope;
my soul waits for the Lord
more than those who watch for the morning,
more than those who watch for the morning.

My task is to keep watch through the night.

With the morning's arrival my task will be complete.

I am confident that morning will come.

I look for morning's first light with hope and joy.

With that light I will return home.

Psalm 130