I chose reflect on this particular psalm because it is one which in many ways sums up human frailty. It is often described as a composite psalm, made up of different yet connected parts. With the world becoming an evermore dangerous place never has it been more important to ask the Lord for his protection against the forces of evil that would seek to destroy us. The text quoted is taken from the New Standard Revised Version.
To the leader. Of David, the servant of the Lord.
1 Transgression speaks to the wicked
deep in their hearts;
there is no fear of God
before their eyes.
2 For they flatter themselves in their own eyes
that their iniquity cannot be found out and hated.
3 The words of their mouths are mischief and deceit;
they have ceased to act wisely and do good.
4 They plot mischief while on their beds;
they are set on a way that is not good;
they do not reject evil.
5 Your steadfast love, O Lord, extends to the heavens,
your faithfulness to the clouds.
6 Your righteousness is like the mighty mountains;
your judgments are like the great deep;
you save humans and animals alike, O Lord.
7 How precious is your steadfast love, O God!
All people may take refuge in the shadow of your wings.
8 They feast on the abundance of your house,
and you give them drink from the river of your delights.
9 For with you is the fountain of life;
in your light we see light.
10 O continue your steadfast love to those who know you
and your salvation to the upright of heart!
11 Do not let the foot of the arrogant tread on me
or the hand of the wicked drive me away.
12 There the evildoers lie prostrate;
they are thrust down, unable to rise.
Vv 1-4 describes the arrogance of the wicked, how they have no fear of God and how they flatter themselves that their behavior makes them immune from divine retribution.
Vv 5-9 offers a hymn of praise to Yaweh for all his goodness while verses 10-12 pray for the continued protection of humanity from the forces of evil.
V3 in particular, describes how out of their mouths spring words of mischief and deceit and in v4 their plotting even while they are supposed to be resting. They are too set in their wicked ways and do not or will not, reject all that is evil.
In the next four verses the language changes to highlight the contrast between the actions of the wicked with the righteousness of the Lord’s way, how by his character and activity extending grace to all living creatures, he provides a precious steadfast love which is ever-present. In verse 9 it says, “for with you is the fountain of life; in your light we see light.” In other words, accepting God’s way leads to a full, free and satisfying life.
Finally, “O continue your steadfast love to those who know you”, keep watch over us keep the evildoers in a prostrate position so they cannot do us any harm. A continuous prayer especially in darkened times.
Human frailty and human reality are firmly captured in this psalm, and it doesn’t take a great leap of imagination or great historical knowledge to recognise that overall, humanity has sometimes found it is easier to reject God and embrace his nemesis instead, because it offered a supposedly easier and more fulfilling way to live. We know of course this is not true but very often we still have to learn the hard way.
As Christians we often despair about the state of the world and our prayers of intercession will once again as they always do, remember the vulnerable in our society, as well as the victims of war and natural disaster, or of violent crime against the person etc.
I sometimes wonder if we will ever get to a situation where our prayers of praise and thanksgiving will actually be longer and more appropriate to human reality than our prayers of intercession. We can only but continue to hope and pray for this to happen.
Since the 1960’s when the ecumenical movement began and in more recent decades with the various inter-faith alliances, there has been a greater attempt to understand not only our differences but also where we agree with our fellow faith-led movements.
Our starting points, particularly for the Abrahamic faiths are all centred on Jerusalem that most cosmopolitan of cities both in ancient times and today. It doesn’t matter what kind message we put out or how we communicate it, our starting point is always what our individual holy books tell us.
The differences are usually one of interpretation and as human beings I have to say, life would be pretty boring if we agreed on everything all of the time. There has to be room for difference if we are to better understand what it is God actually wants from us, so we avoid the scenarios described in verses 1-4 of this psalm.
It has to be said that more actually unites us than divides us; yet you would be hard-pressed to believe that with so much ethnic and religious tension being a factor in most of the worlds’ conflict zones.
Let us continue to pray that within our human frailty, we can find it within ourselves to adhere to God’s laws, that we can be worthy of the steadfast love he offers and to share this love with those he puts before us.
AMEN