“He will send from heaven and save me, he will put to shame those who trample on me. Selah. God will send forth his steadfast love and his faithfulness.” Psalm 57:3 (Hebrew: verse 4) (NRSV)
My first reading of this is: “God will send help from far away.” And, there is some basis for this reading. But, that’s not the whole story.
“I cry to God Most High, to God who fulfills his purpose for me.” (NRSV)
As I said last time: this expresses the intention to pray. The initial cry for help, is followed by a statement of intent: a general statement telling us why the Psalmist cries out to God. It’s not just a momentary thing: it’s a way of life.
What I want to point out is the brevity of that final phrase:
Human nature being what it is: there is no prayer more basic to our experience. It may not be the ideal prayer. But, it’s the most common one. There isn’t a person living who hasn’t at some time in their life cried out: “God help me” — even if they weren’t certain whether there was Anyone or anything to whom to cry.
But, the prayer in verse 1 is not just general, it is also very personal and intimate: “…for in you my soul takes refuge; in the shadow of your wings I will take refuge….” This is followed by a statement of intent. In a sense, this statement implies a rationale for prayer. Verse 2 (Hebrew, verse 3):
“I will cry to God Most High, To God who accomplishes all things for me.” (NASB).
Why do we pray? Why is it even possible or appropriate to bring our personal requests and needs to God? Because God accomplishes things for us, in answer to our requests.
Prayer operates on a hypothesis. As it says in Hebrews 11:6: “…for whoever would approach [God] must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.”
As we walk with God, and find our faith confirmed in experience, our trust grows stronger and deeper. We say to ourselves: “God has not failed me in the past. God will not fail me now.” So, it is in this instance. Experience has produced confidence. God is the One who brings things to pass.
It seems strange at first glance that the initial cry of mercy is followed by a declaration of intent:
“I will cry to God Most High, To God who accomplishes all things for me.”
The idea here is that at all times — and especially in times of need and stress — the psalmist intends to call upon God.
Think about it. Prayer is often a last resort for us. When all other sources of help have been exhausted, then we seek out the place of prayer — and request the prayers of others. This verse says it should be more of a first resort.
Sometimes a church gets involved in a visioning process. Sometimes this is fruitful and sometimes it isn’t. But, for a lot of people this process is frustrating — even maddening. It’s a process of reflection and prayer. It will be fruitful only as people seek God and God’s will. But, it’s hard. Our impulse is to do, to go get ideas from somewhere, to make a plan, etc. — sadly, our first impulse is not the impulse to pray. Sometimes we are in the waiting time.
But, it is those who wait upon the Lord who find strength. But, someone who says: “I will cry to God Most High, To God who accomplishes all things for me” is someone who resorts to God in all circumstances.
This is someone who has the intention to pray. If I have the intent to pray, I will rise in the morning and seek God. If I have the intent to pray, I will find times during the day to seek God. I will be bold enough to ask — for myself and for others. I will look expectantly for answers.
A PRAYER.
Lord God we praise you for your steadfast love and mercy.
We have learned from experience to trust You. We have found You to be faithful. We have found in You a continual source of hope and life.
Keep us in the place of prayer.
In uncertain times, keep us in prayer. In times of joy and fulfillment, keep us in prayer.
We seek You now. It is our intent to seek you always. Our God who may always to be found in Jesus Christ. Amen.
To the leader: Do Not Destroy. Of David. A Miktam, when he fled from Saul, in the cave.
ON SCRIBAL NOTES IN THE PSALMS, IN GENERAL.
It’s hard to know what to think about the scribal notes at the beginning of the Psalms. I often ignore them. Our modern translations, which set them apart from the rest of the Psalm — printing them in italics or in smaller type — encourage this attitude.
It’s also true that in the English (as distinguished from the Hebrew) text they are not actually numbered with the rest of the Psalm. In English, the scribal note at the beginning is labeled (if anything) verse 0. Easily ignored. Because I read along in Hebrew (well, let’s not overstate this — I’m using an interlinear text), I often start reading the scribal note before I realize it. In Hebrew, it is verse 1.
While I usually skip these — and I don’t really know what to make of them for sure — I can still see three distinct stages in my attitude toward them. (1) I first took them seriously as part of the inspired text. If it said it was “by David” or “by Moses” or “by Asaph” that’s what it meant. Sometimes they gave me background information about the circumstances in which the Psalm was written. (2) As time went on however, (and being a somewhat skeptical person) these scribal notes became more and more mystifying to me. Sometimes the circumstances mentioned in the note didn’t seem to fit very well with the content of the Psalm. And, I began to wonder what something as vague as לְדָוִ֣ד really meant. Was that “written by David” or “after the manner of David” or “Davidic” in some other sense? The commentaries I read often seemed mystified by some of these scribal notes as well. This was the period of time when I was most likely to ignore these scribal notes. I tended to think they weren’t part of the inspired text. (3) Then, at some point I started to see them as commentary. The scribes who kept this collection also wanted to position them (so to speak) within the Biblical history. Some of them may be historical. I can’t think of any real reason (except the habit of excessive skepticism) to doubt that David did write many of the Psalms. But, even with those which might seem doubtful, the לְדָוִ֣ד still can have meaning. It invites us into another level of reflection: having thought about the meaning of the words, reflect on it again in terms of the history of David. The scribal notes allow us to see the Psalm from the perspective of those who cherished and collected and re-copied these songs from ancient times. The scribes gave the Psalms a place within the Bible’s overarching story.
So it is here. The scribal note is mostly mysterious. What’s “Do Not Destroy”? It’s the tune, I guess. (Can you hum a few bars? I don’t think I know that tune.) What’s a “Miktam“? Don’t know.
But, the scribal note is still an invitation. It invites us to see this prayer against the history of David. Specifically, David hiding for his life in a cave, while Saul the King is searching for him.
Be merciful to me, O God, be merciful to me,for in you my soul takes refuge;in the shadow of your wings I will take refuge,until the destroying storms pass by.
In a single word, the Psalm captures what is probably the most basic prayer in all human experience: חָנֵּ֤נִי “have mercy!”
I don’t suppose there is a person living who hasn’t at some time in their life cried out “God help me” — even if they weren’t certain whether there was anyone or anything to whom to cry. Sure, we aim at something higher in our prayers. We seek to be God-focused. We seek to be less selfish. But, the truth is that some of us never pray until they are desperate. Until we are in need. Until we have no where else to turn. This is when our prayers have gained depth: in times of trial and uncertainty and confusion and grief and need. To go on living we need to know that somewhere there is mercy. Like an infant crying out, all we know is that we need something — and we need for there to be someone who hears. In this case, it is purely a cry for mercy, too. At this point there is no claim to faithfulness, no argument that says: “Hey, Lord, I’ve kept your Law, after all.” There is no claim to worthiness. It’s a bit like the classic “Jesus Prayer”:
“Lord Jesus, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.”
Not that the Psalms don’t connect the ideas of “faithfulness” and “blessing.” Because they do. This theme is clearly in place from the very beginning of the book: “for the Lord watches over the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish.” (Psalm 1:6 NIV). But, there are times when our righteousness seems, even to us, pretty feeble. We feel we have no worthiness to plead. and, in that moment we cast ourselves upon the mercy of God. “Be merciful to me, O God, be merciful to me….” Actually, these first few words seem to me like an Alcoholics Anonymous-appropriate prayer: a pure appeal for mercy. There is no attempt to plead the covenant with Israel. It is a call to God in a generic sense: אֱלֹהִ֨ים literally: “gods” (Elohim) — the Divine Realm; whoever is “up there” — the Higher Power.
“…for in you my soul takes refuge; in the shadow of your wings I will take refuge….”
God is like the protecting mother hen, to whom David flees for refuge. In Ruth 2:12 Boaz says to Ruth: “May the Lord reward you for your deeds, and may you have a full reward from the Lord, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come for refuge!” (NRSV).
The Bible does not hesitate to use this female imagery to symbolize our relationship with God. It is common. In the Gospels, Jesus himself does not hesitate to use it either. “Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often have I desired to gather your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing!” (Matthew 23:37 NRSV). From this point of view, God is an enclosing presence. And, as we are surrounded in God’s presence, we find safety.
עַ֗ד יַעֲבֹ֥ר הַוּֽוֹת
…until destruction passes by.”
Here is an allusion to the urgent need that called forth the prayer. It is a prayer for desperate times. Destruction has come. The prayer is an urgent cry: ‘May my life be preserved through this time of destruction.’
According to John 16:33, Jesus told his disciples: “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” (NIV). Times of trouble come. There is no exemption. In fact, people sometimes suffer for doing right. “It is better, if it is God’s will, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil.” (1 Peter 3:17 NIV).
The Biblical history stresses that that was the case for David. The image of the cave in which David hid from Saul resonates well with the Psalm. David is hiding in God until the storm of Saul’s fury exhausts itself.
The storm of destruction will not be forever. God does not turn away from us simply because it is our own desperate situations that call forth our most fervent prayer. For most of us — all of us? — it is the times of desperate need that have served to draw us closest to God.
A PRAYER:
Lord God, known to us through the sacred remembrances of Israel and the story of Jesus Christ, have mercy.
Grant that today when I call out into what appears to be darkness I might find the sheltering presence of God.
Preserve my life and my hope through the hard times encourage me when faithfulness itself has brought me hard times remind me that the times of destruction will pass; and keep me faithful to You: the One who knows me and has redeemed me. In the name of the One who “died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous.” Amen.
So, the question Psalm 15 raises for us is this: Lord God, what is it like to be the kind of person who is fit to live in Your Presence from day to day?
I am reminded of a verse from the New Testament: “…if we walk in the light as he himself is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.” (1 John 1:7 NRSV). Walking with God means continually walking in the light of God. There is a kind of honesty and openness and transparency to it. Our hearts are open to God and to others — insofar as that is possible for us. Now, notice the qualities of the person who walks with God in this wholehearted devotion.
“For this reason, since the day we heard it, we have not ceased praying for you and asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of God’s will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so that you may lead lives worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him, as you bear fruit in every good work and as you grow in the knowledge of God. May you be made strong with all the strength that comes from his glorious power, and may you be prepared to endure everything with patience, while joyfully giving thanks to the Father, who has enabled you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the light.” (NRSV)
The apostle Paul’s prayer in this passage can be outlined as follows:
Yesterday I introduced this prayer from the apostle Paul and gave some some personal reflections. There was a time when I don’t think I could have talked about the ongoing stages of the Christian journey without reference to the power of the Holy Spirit. And, that would be the way I would still speak of it today. But, in Colossians Paul uses terminology that is more focused on Christ than on the Holy Spirit.
So, as I was saying, this section of the letter displays another common feature in Paul’s letters to the churches. He generally assures the Churches to whom he writes that he is praying for them. Churches should know that their pastors and leaders are praying for them.
As is generally the case with Paul’s letters, he begins by letting the church know he is praying for them. He really believed in the vital importance of prayer. Prayer is at the foundation of all church renewal.
We are regularly encouraged to pray. “Pray in the Spirit at all times in every prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert and always persevere in supplication for all the saints.” (Ephesians 6:18 NRSV). We are given the examples of Jesus and Paul, who made prayer and intercession priorities in their lives and ministries. Before we need new ideas and quick fix solutions, we need prayer. Prayer is at the heart of Christian ministry and at the heart of the life of the Church.
This part of the letter is very important, and it’s going to take me a while to fully discuss this. I need to begin by pointing out something about this prayer that seems odd at first. So, first some brief introductory remarks, and then some personal reflections.
Someone asked me recently if I thought the book of Revelation was “written in code.” Not really. At least, that’s not the way I would express it: I think it is written in symbols. It draws deeply from the Old Testament and from the symbolism in use in the apocalyptic literature of its time.
We should expect symbolism in the Book of Revelation, not literal description. We are tipped off to this in the very opening of the book. But, in many ways, this is what we should expect. How else can future and heavenly realities be presented to us except through symbols?
“The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show his servants what must soon take place; he made it known by sending his angel to his servant John, who testified to the word of God and to the testimony of Jesus Christ, even to all that he saw. Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of the prophecy, and blessed are those who hear and who keep what is written in it; for the time is near.” (NRSV).
When it says, in verse 1 that “he” [God through Jesus Christ] “made it known” it uses the verb ἐσήμανεν, which means “to indicate, or signify.” We are tipped off right away, that this book conveys its meaning to us by the use of signs and symbols. We should expect symbolism in this book, not plain description.
he “showed me the holy city Jerusalem”
Many years ago, I read a commentary on the book of Revelation that impressed me. I though: “there is a lot of good preaching material in this book of the Bible, but many preachers avoid it.” So, I formed resolved to preach a series of sermons on the book of Revelation. I don’t remember right now exactly how many were in my plan. But, as it turned out, it was too many. I started out well, but as the series went on, I began running out of gas.
And, it was precisely passages like this one that presented the greatest difficulty for me. How was I to talk for 20 minutes or more on the future promise of God which no one has experienced yet. The problem was especially acute for me, since I had been preaching for several weeks in a row on the book of Revelation.
the holy city Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God
“And in the spirit he carried me away to a great, high mountain and showed me the holy city Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God.” (NRSV).
John Wesley comments on this, noting the correspondence of this passage with the prophecies of Ezekiel:
John Wesley (1703-1791)
And showed me the holy city Jerusalem — The old city is now forgotten, so that this is no longer termed the new, but absolutely Jerusalem. O how did St. John long to enter in! but the time was not yet come. Ezekiel also describes “the holy city,” and what pertains thereto, 40-48. Ezek. 40:1-48:35 but a city quite different from the old Jerusalem, as it was either before or after the Babylonish captivity. The descriptions of the prophet and of the apostle agree in many particulars; but in many more they differ. Ezekiel expressly describes the temple, and the worship of God therein, closely alluding to the Levitical service. But St. John saw no temple, and describes the city far more large, glorious, and heavenly than the prophet. Yet that which he describes is the same city; but as it subsisted soon after the destruction of the beast. This being observed, both the prophecies agree together and one may explain the other.
We can only speak of the future in signs and symbols. It has not happened yet. We have not experienced it. We project, out of our imaginations, out of our experiences of the past, what we imagine it will be. But, John the Revelator speaks of a future reality such as none have experienced. It is something greater than anyone has ever know. Symbolism is the only way to talk about such things. And, this also is the great challenge to the person attempting to preach on this: how to we even speak of such things?
John has to stand on a mountain to see it all. The promise of God is grand.
“I saw no temple in the city, for its temple is the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb. And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God is its light, and its lamp is the Lamb. The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it. Its gates will never be shut by day — and there will be no night there. People will bring into it the glory and the honor of the nations. But nothing unclean will enter it, nor anyone who practices abomination or falsehood, but only those who are written in the Lamb’s book of life.” (NRSV).
Unlike the visions of Ezekiel, John sees no Temple in the new Jerusalem. And, he says, there is no sun or moon, the presence of God provides its illumination. There is no temple because there is no need for such a thing — the presence of God pervades the whole city. There is no sun or moon because there is no need — the illumination of God, the Creator of light, fills it all.
How can we speak of things? We can speak of the life of grace and forgiveness as a foretaste of an even better reality yet to come. The hope of a better world sustains us in the midst of this world — where we experience much disappointment and sorrow along with our joys. The apostle talks this way when he writes: “But it is God who establishes us with you in Christ and has anointed us, by putting his seal on us and giving us his Spirit in our hearts as a first installment.” (2 Corinthians 1:21, 22 NRSV.) The Holy Spirit is spoken of here as the ἀρραβῶνα, the “down-payment” or (as in the NRSV) the “first installment.” What we experience of the grace of God now, is just a first taste of the far greater blessings that lie ahead. So, also here: “we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly while we wait for adoption, the redemption of our bodies. For in hope we were saved.” (Romans 8:23, 24 NRSV.) And again: “He who has prepared us for this very thing is God, who has given us the Spirit as a guarantee (ἀρραβῶνα).” And yet again: “In him you also, when you had heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and had believed in him, were marked with the seal of the promised Holy Spirit; this is the pledge (ἀρραβὼν) of our inheritance toward redemption as God’s own people, to the praise of his glory.”
We live in a world of joy and sorrow. Often our joys are mixed with sorrow. Every good thing of God’s grace in this life — bringing us freedom and hope and forgiveness — inspiring love and allowing us to believe in it — is a foretaste of something greater. We move forward in hope. We enjoy the good things in life believing that every good we experience here points to something greater yet to come. This does not call us away from the enjoyment of life — but, toward it. We are able to invest ourselves in this life — even with its sorrow and pain n the confidence that something greater lies ahead.
The presence of God which we experience in this life only momentarily and sometimes fleetingly — will be then a steady and constant reality, illuminating all of life. The temple will be no more because everywhere will be the temple. Living in such a world is beyond my comprehension, but I can at least say this: it sounds good.
“Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, bright as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb through the middle of the street of the city. On either side of the river is the tree of life with its twelve kinds of fruit, producing its fruit each month; and the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations. Nothing accursed will be found there any more. But the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and his servants will worship him; they will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. And there will be no more night; they need no light of lamp or sun, for the Lord God will be their light, and they will reign forever and ever.” (NRSV).
We are building (as I said before) on Old Testament imagery: the earthly paradise is restored. Genesis 2:10: “A river flows out of Eden to water the garden….” Ezekiel 47:7-9: “As I came back, I saw on the bank of the river a great many trees on the one side and on the other. He said to me, “This water flows toward the eastern region and goes down into the Arabah; and when it enters the sea, the sea of stagnant waters, the water will become fresh. Wherever the river goes,a every living creature that swarms will live, and there will be very many fish, once these waters reach there. It will become fresh; and everything will live where the river goes.”
Adam Clarke ((1762-1832)
Here it is the River of Life, flowing from the throne of God: the source of all being. God brings life and salvation and hope. When we hear and understand the Good News of Christ, we are offered forgiveness, new beginnings, hope, and life. The water of baptism is a reminder of the much larger River of the Water of Life that flows to us from the Throne of God — again, we can think of it as a foretaste. Adam Clarke remarks (on Ezekiel 47:9): “Life and salvation shall continually accompany the preaching of the Gospel; the death of sin being removed, the life of righteousness shall be brought in.” God is in the business of giving and renewing life. And, when we have gone astray — away from the source of life and peace and fulfillment — repentance and faith brings us back. The book of Revelation envisions and uninterrupted stream of life, flowing constantly. Or, as Clarke says: “…incessant communications of happiness proceeding from God.”
This envisioned future includes “the healing of the nations.” We must remember that God’s redemptive plan is for all nations and all races.
There will be no more curses on human life.
There will be a close relationship with God: “and his servants will worship him; they will see his face….” We read in 1 John 3:2: “Beloved, we are God’s children now; what we will be has not yet been revealed. What we do know is this: when hea is revealed, we will be like him, for we will see him as he is.”
This future hope buoys us up in the disappointments and struggles of this life — allowing us to commit ourselves fully to life in the here and now without becoming overcome with discouragement. We only know heavenly realities through signs and symbols. They are beyond our present experience. But, they are promised — to give us hope to persevere.
John Wesley remarks:
And they shall reign for ever and ever — What encouragement is this to the patience and faithfulness of the saints, that, whatever their sufferings are, they will work out for them “an eternal weight of glory!” Thus ends the doctrine of this Revelation, in the everlasting happiness of all the faithful. The mysterious ways of Providence are cleared up, and all things issue in an eternal Sabbath, an everlasting state of perfect peace and happiness, reserved for all who endure to the end.
A FREE GIFT TO PREACHERS: Here is a PPTX file for a sermon based on this passage . You can use this, edit this, change this however you wish — it is free for you to use (or not). Click this link: Heavenly Realities.
