Proper 26/Pentecost 24/Ordinary Time 31
Preaching
Hear My Voice
Preaching The Lectionary Psalms for Cycles A, B, C
Object:
The psalmist exuberantly expresses his sense of joy and love for God's Law. We may have trouble understanding this emotion simply because of the way the word "law" functions in our culture. Mentioning the law may evoke images of courtrooms, judges, lawyers, and law libraries. We may get a picture of the legislative process or an image of law enforcement.
While some of this can be accurately associated with God's Law, those elements are not the primary characteristic. As we read the psalmist, we get the feeling that the law he is connected to is a vital force. It is alive and "life-giving."
In the verses 137-144, the psalmist turns his attention to the force behind the law -- the character of God. "You are righteous, O Lord, and your judgments are right" (v. 137). It is the force of God's own character that gives the law its vitality. It is as if God has put the very essence of God's own self in the law. This element of the presence of God is what gives the law its life-giving property.
Of course, the psalmist states the matter much more strongly than that: "Your decrees are righteous forever; give me understanding that I may live" (v. 144). For the psalmist, the Word of God is not only life-giving, but is essential to life itself. Without the law, without these words, we do not and cannot live.
We are immediately struck by the similarity of this line of thinking with what Jesus said during the temptation. When the devil tempts Jesus to turn stones into bread, Jesus replies that humankind does not live by bread alone but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God (Matthew 4:4; Luke 4:4).
The psalmist would add a hearty "Amen" to that sentiment. The wisdom offered in God's Law, and the access to God's character that the law provides, are as necessary to survival as is the food we eat. Without food, our bodies wither and die: but without God's Word, the deeper purpose of our existence comes to an end. We may continue to breathe and walk around, existing on some biological level, but we will not be alive in the deepest sense of the word. Although the psalmist does not use the following words, I do not think he would disagree with the meaning: It is God's Law and God's truth that makes us truly human.
-- J. E.
While some of this can be accurately associated with God's Law, those elements are not the primary characteristic. As we read the psalmist, we get the feeling that the law he is connected to is a vital force. It is alive and "life-giving."
In the verses 137-144, the psalmist turns his attention to the force behind the law -- the character of God. "You are righteous, O Lord, and your judgments are right" (v. 137). It is the force of God's own character that gives the law its vitality. It is as if God has put the very essence of God's own self in the law. This element of the presence of God is what gives the law its life-giving property.
Of course, the psalmist states the matter much more strongly than that: "Your decrees are righteous forever; give me understanding that I may live" (v. 144). For the psalmist, the Word of God is not only life-giving, but is essential to life itself. Without the law, without these words, we do not and cannot live.
We are immediately struck by the similarity of this line of thinking with what Jesus said during the temptation. When the devil tempts Jesus to turn stones into bread, Jesus replies that humankind does not live by bread alone but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God (Matthew 4:4; Luke 4:4).
The psalmist would add a hearty "Amen" to that sentiment. The wisdom offered in God's Law, and the access to God's character that the law provides, are as necessary to survival as is the food we eat. Without food, our bodies wither and die: but without God's Word, the deeper purpose of our existence comes to an end. We may continue to breathe and walk around, existing on some biological level, but we will not be alive in the deepest sense of the word. Although the psalmist does not use the following words, I do not think he would disagree with the meaning: It is God's Law and God's truth that makes us truly human.
-- J. E.
