Proper 6
Preaching
Aids To The Psalms
Exploring The Message
It is good to give thanks to the Lord,
to sing praises to your name, O Most High;
to declare your steadfast love in the morning,
and your faithfulness by night,
to the music of the lute and the harp,
to the melody of the lyre.
For you, O Lord, have made me glad by your work;
at the works of your hands I sing for joy.
How great are your works, O Lord!
Your thoughts are very deep!
The dullard cannot know,
the stupid cannot understand this:
though the wicked sprout like grass and all evildoers flourish,
they are doomed to destruction forever,
but you, O Lord,
are on high forever.
For your enemies, O Lord, for your enemies shall perish;
all evildoers shall be scattered.
But you have exalted my horn like that of the wild ox;
you have poured over me fresh oil.
My eyes have seen the downfall of my enemies;
my ears have heard the doom of my evil assailants.
The righteous flourish like the palm tree,
and grow like a cedar in Lebanon.
They are planted in the house of the Lord;
they flourish in the courts of our God.
In old age they still produce fruit;
they are always green and full of sap.
Alternate Image
The Singer is watching a race. It is a wonderful day. The sun
is shining, birds chirp in the trees, a slight breeze refreshes
the land. In the beauty of the day the runners race. One of the
runners is a cheat. One attempts to shove the other off balance,
yells insults at his opponent and tries to crowd him off the
path. But they race along madly heading for an imaginary finish
line at the end of the path. The cheater continues his sneaky
ways, which the other runner seems to ignore, then abruptly stops
dead in his tracks as the other dashes off triumphantly ahead
looking back and mocking his halted opponent. Still looking
backward the cheat runs off the edge of a cliff. Stupid!
Reflection
This Psalm tells us just how delightful the world is and the
life God has created for us. In the midst of all the joys of life
are those who seek to maximize their pleasure at someone else's
expense. They think they are very smart, savvy and sly. They see
those they exploit as silly and stupid, as "marks" to be fleeced
by the cagey. But they are the stupid ones, the dullards, as they
cannot see their shortsightedness merely leads to their own
unhappiness and destruction. The wise are those who appreciate
God's creation and seek to share it with their neighbors.
to sing praises to your name, O Most High;
to declare your steadfast love in the morning,
and your faithfulness by night,
to the music of the lute and the harp,
to the melody of the lyre.
For you, O Lord, have made me glad by your work;
at the works of your hands I sing for joy.
How great are your works, O Lord!
Your thoughts are very deep!
The dullard cannot know,
the stupid cannot understand this:
though the wicked sprout like grass and all evildoers flourish,
they are doomed to destruction forever,
but you, O Lord,
are on high forever.
For your enemies, O Lord, for your enemies shall perish;
all evildoers shall be scattered.
But you have exalted my horn like that of the wild ox;
you have poured over me fresh oil.
My eyes have seen the downfall of my enemies;
my ears have heard the doom of my evil assailants.
The righteous flourish like the palm tree,
and grow like a cedar in Lebanon.
They are planted in the house of the Lord;
they flourish in the courts of our God.
In old age they still produce fruit;
they are always green and full of sap.
Alternate Image
The Singer is watching a race. It is a wonderful day. The sun
is shining, birds chirp in the trees, a slight breeze refreshes
the land. In the beauty of the day the runners race. One of the
runners is a cheat. One attempts to shove the other off balance,
yells insults at his opponent and tries to crowd him off the
path. But they race along madly heading for an imaginary finish
line at the end of the path. The cheater continues his sneaky
ways, which the other runner seems to ignore, then abruptly stops
dead in his tracks as the other dashes off triumphantly ahead
looking back and mocking his halted opponent. Still looking
backward the cheat runs off the edge of a cliff. Stupid!
Reflection
This Psalm tells us just how delightful the world is and the
life God has created for us. In the midst of all the joys of life
are those who seek to maximize their pleasure at someone else's
expense. They think they are very smart, savvy and sly. They see
those they exploit as silly and stupid, as "marks" to be fleeced
by the cagey. But they are the stupid ones, the dullards, as they
cannot see their shortsightedness merely leads to their own
unhappiness and destruction. The wise are those who appreciate
God's creation and seek to share it with their neighbors.
