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