Day 157. Psalms 19-24

Psalm 19
This psalm speaks of the two ways by which God reveals himself to human beings-through the language of creation and through the Law revealed to Moses—the Torah. "There is no speech, nor are their words," the psalmist says, "their voice is not heard; yet their voice goes out through all the earth" (19:3-4). So exactly how does creation speak? What language does it use to tell "the glory of God?" (19:1). The glories of the physical world communicate in the indirect wordless language of emotion their praise of the creator. The language of creation is closer to music than to the spoken word. (Some of you may be familiar with Joseph Haydn's glorious setting of Psalm 19 in his oratorio The Creation.) We human beings do not always hear the wordless music of creation, and when we do, we do not always understand what we are hearing. But occasionally by the grace of the Holy Spirit we do catch a phrase or a line of that ravishing divine music.
Although the physical universe speaks of the LORD in terms of beauty and grandeur, it speaks indirectly, and it tells us nothing of how to live our lives in accordance with God's will.
That is what the law does; it addresses us directly, revealing God's will for our lives. The psalmist says that the law of God is perfect, sure, right, clear, pure, true, and righteous altogether. It is God's other great creation. It is able to make the simple wise (19:7). By the law God's servants are warned, and in keeping the law they find great reward. So the law makes explicit what creation suggests about God, his glory and majesty. Psalm 19 links the two together as God's greatest acts, and ends with the benediction with which so many sermons have begun—"Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable to you, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer." (19:14).
Psalm 20
This is a prayer for the king on the eve of a battle. It is a prayer for national victory spoken in unison by the worshipping community in the temple or by a priest alone as the representative of that community. We often forget that our welfare as individual citizens depends upon the welfare of our leaders. But when we fail to pray for office holders in performance of their duties, we neglect for pray for our own welfare, because our lives and fate are bound up in theirs. The voice of the psalmist prays that the anointed king may receive victory from the LORD in answer to the prayers of his people. That victory comes from God alone, not from the force of arms--"Some take pride in chariots, and some in horses," the psalmist says, "but our pride is in the name of the LORD our God" (20:7). The name of the LORD revealed to Moses is Israel's secret weapon. It gives the people of the promise access to their God in times of trouble and war; he has
promised to hear them when they call out using his name. God's name dwells in his temple, and there the community gathers pray for their ruler, who fights for them—"Give victory to the king, O LORD," they say, "answer us when we call" (20:9).
Psalm 21
This is another prayer for a victory--or rather a thanksgiving for a victory already. Again it is spoken by the people "en masse" or a priest speaking for them. It ascribes all that the king has—life, dominion, majesty, and now victory—to the LORD. The whole nation affirms this to be true. It is in the LORD that the king trusts, and he relies to the "steadfast love of the most High" (21:7), not his own power. Both the king and the whole worshipping community are convinced that God will keep his promises to David and his house to establish it forever, and trust in that promise gives cohesion to the nation. All who oppose the anointed king will be found out by God and swallowed up "in his wrath" (21: 9). The psalm ends with an outburst of praise to the one who does all this—"Be exalted, O LORD, in your strength. We will sing and praise your power" (21:13). The power of God flows from God through the Davidic king to the community he
rules in God's place.
Psalm 22
Again we have another cry for help in the midst of hostility and under extreme stress. We recognize the first line is as the cry of Christ from the cross (see Matthew 27:46). But notice that although the psalm begins in desperation and despair it moves toward hope. The voice, which might be that of anyone going through a time of isolation and rejection, speaks with shocking frankness about his own feelings of worthlessness—"I am a worm," he says, "and not human, scorned by others, and despised by the people" (22:6). Yet the voice is not alone even when there "is no one to help." The God who took him "from the womb" is still his God (22:9-11). His enemies encircle him. They take the form of dangerous animals—strong bulls, lions, packs of wild dogs. His body wastes away and dries up. His possessions are stripped from him. (The early church saw verse 18 as a prediction of how the Roman soldiers cast lots for Jesus' clothing at the
foot of the cross. Indeed this whole psalm has been closely associated with the suffering and passion of Christ.) His cries for help become more and more desperate as the psalm progresses—"Deliver my soul from the sword, my life from the power of the dog! Save me from the mouth of the lion! (22:20-21). It is a prayer for deliverance from vicious and predatory people acting in ways that are cruel and sub-human. (We have all experienced some of that.) But in verse 21b the whole tone of the psalm suddenly changes from desperation to relief. And the remainder is a joyous praise of the LORD "in the great congregation" (22:25). The one who was isolated and despised is now vindicated "in the midst of the congregation." The psalm concludes with an inclusive vision of God's praise being sung in "all the ends of the earth" and his "dominion" being acknowledged by "all the families of the nations" (22:27-28). Even the dead—and this is
a very revolutionary idea in ancient Israel—shall "bow" down to the Living God (22:29). Christians have seen this last part of Psalm 22 as a prediction of the preaching of the Gospel of Christ's resurrection to the whole created world—to all families and nations—to all the living and even to the dead—giving new life to all. Great psalm!
Psalm 23
And speaking of great psalms, this one in all its simplicity ranks among the greatest—it is the popular favorite at least, judging from the number of times it is used at funerals. It is a psalm of trust. The shepherd is an image often used in Israel for the king—and here the LORD is pictured as a shepherd king who cares for his people, taking special care of their creaturely needs—providing comfort, leading them in safe paths, far from danger and temptation. Even in times of danger and darkness, the voice says—"I will not fear, for you are with me" (23:4). The rod and staff (23:4) are symbols of God's shepherdly care—the rod is a weapon to keep predators at bay; the staff keeps the sheep from wandering off with a gentle whack. The pastoral imagery of the psalm changes at verse 5. We are now at a feast that God hosts—in the Bible that is what God does, he sets a feast before his people. We see that in the Christian sacrament of Holy
Communion—God sets a banquet before us that promises a greater banquet to come. The anointing of the head with oil is a sign of joy. And the joy and acceptance will not end, they will "follow" the psalmist all the days of his life, during which he will dwell in the house of the LORD—the temple—in communion with the worshipping people of God as long as he lives.
Psalm 24
This is another liturgy—a pattern of verses and responses—intended to be used in worship at the entry into the temple. It begins with a short praise of the creator. Then the leader asks the question—"Who shall ascend the hill of the LORD?" who may rightly take part in the worship of the creator in the temple, "his holy place." Then congregation replies--those who are worthy are those who come "with "clean hands and pure hearts" (24:4). This is not ritual purity—or at least not just ritual purity—this is moral uprightness, the attitude those who refuse to compromise themselves with "what is false" or "swear dishonestly" (24:4). They belong to the "company of those who seek him, who seek the face of the God of Jacob" (24:6). As the congregation enters the temple, the LORD also enters, carried upon their praises. The voice of the leader exclaims—"Who is the King of Glory?" and the congregation of worshippers
reply—"The LORD, strong and mighty, the LORD, mighty in battle" (24:8). The gates are commanded to open. Then the question is repeated for emphasis, and the same response given. It is a splendid entrance hymn.