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My Book of Psalms: Psalm 142

Title: A Maskil of David. When he was in the cave. A Prayer.

 

It's been a while since we encountered the word "Maskil." The Hebrew root of Maskil is sakal, which means "to have insight, to teach."

It's hard to see teaching or insight in this Psalm, unless it's David's realization in verse 4 that "no one cares for me," and therefore "I cry out to you, O Lord; I say, 'You are my [only] refuge. . . ."

 

1 Samuel 21:10-22:2 describes David's fleeing King Achish of Gath and hiding in a cave.

There is another story about a cave, both highly amusing and poignant, which you can read in 1 Samuel 24:1-22.

 

Keeping and Jettisoning

 

Psalm 142     Voce mea ad Dominum

 

1 I cry to the Lord with my voice; *

to the Lord I make loud supplication.

 

2 I pour out my complaint before him *

and tell him all my trouble.

 

3 When my spirit languishes within me, you know my path; *

in the way wherein I walk they have hidden a trap for me.

 

4 I look to my right hand and find no one who knows me; *

I have no place to flee to, and no one cares for me.

 

5 I cry out to you, O Lord; *

I say, "You are my refuge, my portion in the land of the living."

 

6 Listen to my cry for help, for I have been brought very low; *

save me from those who pursue me, for they are too strong for me.

 

7 Bring me out of prison, that I may give thanks to your Name;*

when you have dealt bountifully with me, the righteous will gather around me.

 

Explanation

David's situation is not mine, and so his references to those who "have hidden a trap for me," and "pursue me" have been jettisoned, along with his rather cynical observation that once the Lord has dealt bountifully with him, the [sunshine patriots] will gather around him again.

 

Next: what would you keep and what would you jettison?

 

Psalm 143     Domine, exaudi

 

1 Lord, hear my prayer, and in your faithfulness heed my supplications; *

answer me in your righteousness.

 

2 Enter not into judgment with your servant, *

for in your sight shall no one living be justified.

 

3 For my enemy has sought my life; he has crushed me to the ground; *

he has made me live in dark places like those who are long dead.

 

4 My spirit faints within me; *

my heart within me is desolate.

 

5 I remember the time past; I muse upon all your deeds; *

I consider the works of your hands.

 

6 I spread out my hands to you; *

my soul gasps to you like a thirsty land.

 

7 O Lord, make haste to answer me; my spirit fails me; *

do not hide your face from me or I shall be like those who go down to the Pit.

 

8 Let me hear of your loving-kindness in the morning, for I put my trust in you; *

show me the road that I must walk, for I lift up my soul to you.

 

9 Deliver me from my enemies, O Lord, *

for I flee to you for refuge.

 

10 Teach me to do what pleases you, for you are my God; *

let your good Spirit lead me on level ground.

 

11 Revive me, O Lord, for your Name's sake; *

for your righteousness' sake, bring me out of trouble.

 

12 Of your goodness, destroy my enemies and bring all my foes to naught, *

for truly I am your servant.

 

Photograph from the Chicago Botanic Garden

as a Lenten harbinger of the Easter Garden

 

My Book of Psalms: Psalm 141

Title: A Psalm of David.

 

Keeping and Jettisoning

 

Psalm 141 Domine, clamavi

 

1 O Lord, I call to you; come to me quickly; *

hear my voice when I cry to you.

 

2 Let my prayer be set forth in your sight as incense, *

the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice.

 

3 Set a watch before my mouth, O Lord, and guard the door of my lips; *

let not my heart incline to any evil thing.

 

4 Let me not be occupied in wickedness with evildoers, *

nor eat of their choice foods.

 

5 Let the righteous smite me in friendly rebuke; let not the oil of the unrighteous anoint my head; *

for my prayer is continually against their wicked deeds.

6 Let their rulers be overthrown in stony places, *

that they may know my words are true.

7 As when a plowman turns over the earth in furrows, *

let their bones be scattered at the mouth of the grave.

 

8 But My eyes are turned to you, Lord God; *

in you I take refuge; do not strip me of my life.

9 Protect me from the snare which they have laid for me *

and from the traps of the evildoers.

10 Let the wicked fall into their own nets, *

while I myself escape.

 

Explanation

I have jettisoned verse 4 because the Psalmist's spiritual eyes shift from the Lord and his own health to the wickedness of others (and their "choice foods!").

For the same reason I have also jettisoned most of verse 5, all of verses 6 and 7, some of verse 8, and all of verses 9 and 10.

 

Verse 5a, "Let the righteous smite me in friendly rebuke," is one of my favorite verses.

On a humorous note, this verse reminds me of the Batman and Robin memes, like this one from a website you can access here:

More seriously, in this verse the Psalmist gives God permission to send him messengers with the sort of constructive and loving criticism that sometimes requires a painful awakening by means of a "friendly smite!"

 

Next: what would you keep and what would you jettison?

 

Psalm 142     Voce mea ad Dominum

 

1 I cry to the Lord with my voice; *

to the Lord I make loud supplication.

 

2 I pour out my complaint before him *

and tell him all my trouble.

 

3 When my spirit languishes within me, you know my path; *

in the way wherein I walk they have hidden a trap for me.

 

4 I look to my right hand and find no one who knows me; *

I have no place to flee to, and no one cares for me.

 

5 I cry out to you, O Lord; *

I say, "You are my refuge, my portion in the land of the living."

 

6 Listen to my cry for help, for I have been brought very low; *

save me from those who pursue me, for they are too strong for me.

 

7 Bring me out of prison, that I may give thanks to your Name;*

when you have dealt bountifully with me, the righteous will gather around me.

 

Photograph from the Chicago Botanic Garden

as a Lenten harbinger of the Easter Garden

My Book of Psalms: Psalms 131-140

Here are our ten most recently finished Psalms in their final form— only ten more to go!

 

Psalm 131     Domine, non est

¹ O Lord, I am not proud; *

I have no haughty looks.

² I do not occupy myself with great matters, *

or with things that are too hard for me.

³ But I still my soul and make it quiet, like a child upon its mother's breast; *

my soul is quieted within me.

⁴ O Israel, wait upon the Lord, *

from this time forth for evermore.

 

Psalm 132     Memento, Domine

¹ Lord, remember David, *

and all the hardships he endured;

² How he swore an oath to the Lord *

and vowed a vow to the Mighty One of Jacob:

³ "I will not come under the roof of my house," *

nor climb up into my bed;

⁴ I will not allow my eyes to sleep, *

nor let my eyelids slumber;

⁵ Until I find a place for the Lord, *

a dwelling for the Mighty One of Jacob."

⁶ "The ark! We heard it was in Ephratah; *

we found it in the fields of Jearim.

⁷ Let us go to God's dwelling place; *

let us fall upon our knees before his footstool."

⁸ Arise, O Lord, into your resting-place, *

you and the ark of your strength.

⁹ Let your priests be clothed with righteousness; *

let your faithful people sing with joy.

¹⁰ For your servant David's sake, *

do not turn away the face of your Anointed.

¹¹ The Lord has sworn an oath to David; *

in truth, he will not break it:

¹² "A son, the fruit of your body *

will I set upon your throne.

¹³ If your children keep my covenant and my testimonies that I shall teach them, *

their children will sit upon your throne for evermore."

¹⁴ For the Lord has chosen Zion; *

he has desired her for his habitation:

¹⁵ "This shall be my resting-place for ever; *

here will I dwell, for I delight in her.

¹⁶ I will surely bless her provisions, *

and satisfy her poor with bread.

¹⁷ I will clothe her priests with salvation, *

and her faithful people will rejoice and sing.

¹⁸ There will I make the horn of David flourish; *

I have prepared a lamp for my Anointed.

 

Psalm 133     Ecce, quam bonum!

¹ Oh, how good and pleasant it is, *

when brethren live together in unity!

² It is like fine oil upon the head *

that runs down upon the beard,

³ Upon the beard of Aaron, *

and runs down upon the collar of his robe.

⁴ It is like the dew of Hermon *

that falls upon the hills of Zion.

⁵ For there the Lord has ordained the blessing: *

life for evermore.

 

Psalm 134     Ecce nunc

¹ Behold now, bless the Lord, all you servants of the Lord, *

you that stand by night in the house of the Lord.

² Lift up your hands in the holy place and bless the Lord; *

the Lord who made heaven and earth bless you out of Zion.

 

Psalm 135     Laudate nomen

¹ Hallelujah! Praise the Name of the Lord; *

give praise, you servants of the Lord,

² You who stand in the house of the Lord, *

in the courts of the house of our God.

³ Praise the Lord, for the Lord is good; *

sing praises to his Name, for it is lovely.

⁵ For I know that the Lord is great, *

and that our Lord is above all gods.

⁷ He brings up rain clouds from the ends of the earth; *

he sends out lightning with the rain, and brings the winds out of his storehouse.

¹³ O Lord, your Name is everlasting; *

your renown, O Lord, endures from age to age.

¹⁴ For the Lord gives his people justice *

and shows compassion to his servants.

¹⁹ Bless the Lord, O house of Israel; *

O house of Aaron, bless the Lord.

²⁰ Bless the Lord, O house of Levi; *

you who fear the Lord, bless the Lord.

²¹ Blessed be the Lord out of Zion, *

who dwells in Jerusalem. Hallelujah!

 

Psalm 136     Confitemini

¹ Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, *

for his mercy endures for ever.

² Give thanks to the God of gods, *

for his mercy endures for ever.

³ Give thanks to the Lord of Lords, *

for his mercy endures for ever.

⁴ Who only does great wonders, *

for his mercy endures for ever;

⁵ Who by wisdom made the heavens, *

for his mercy endures for ever;

⁶ Who spread out the earth upon the waters, *

for his mercy endures for ever;

⁷ Who created great lights, *

for his mercy endures for ever;

⁸ The sun to rule the day, *

for his mercy endures for ever;

⁹ The moon and the stars to govern the night, *

for his mercy endures for ever.

²⁵ Who gives food to all creatures, *

for his mercy endures for ever.

²⁶ Give thanks to the God of heaven, *

for his mercy endures for ever.

 

Psalm 137     Super flumina

¹ By the waters of Babylon we sat down and wept, *

when we remembered you, O Zion.

² As for our harps, we hung them up *

on the trees in the midst of that land.

³ For those who led us away captive asked us for a song, and our oppressors called for mirth: *

"Sing us one of the songs of Zion."

⁴ How shall we sing the Lord's song *

upon an alien soil?

⁵ If I forget you, O Jerusalem, *

let my right hand forget its skill.

⁶ Let my tongue cleave to the roof of my mouth if I do not remember you, *

if I do not set Jerusalem above my highest joy.

 

Psalm 138     Confitebor tibi

¹ I will give thanks to you, O Lord, with my whole heart; *

² I will bow down toward your holy temple and praise your Name, *

because of your love and faithfulness;

³ For you have glorified your Name *

and your word above all things.

⁴ When I called, you answered me; *

you increased my strength within me.

⁵ All the kings of the earth will praise you, O Lord, *

when they have heard the words of your mouth.

⁶ They will sing of the ways of the Lord, *

that great is the glory of the Lord.

⁷ Though the Lord be high, he cares for the lowly; *

⁸ Though I walk in the midst of trouble, you keep me safe; *

your right hand shall save me.

⁹ The Lord will make good his purpose for me; *

O Lord, your love endures for ever.

 

Psalm 139     Domine, probasti

¹ Lord, you have searched me out and known me; *

you know my sitting down and my rising up; you discern my thoughts from afar.

² You trace my journeys and my resting-places *

and are acquainted with all my ways.

³ Indeed, there is not a word on my lips, *

but you, O Lord, know it altogether.

⁴ You press upon me behind and before *

and lay your hand upon me.

⁵ Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; *

it is so high that I cannot attain to it.

⁶ Where can I go then from your Spirit? *

where can I flee from your presence?

⁷ If I climb up to heaven, you are there; *

if I make the grave my bed, you are there also.

⁸ If I take the wings of the morning *

and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea,

⁹ Even there your hand will lead me *

and your right hand hold me fast.

¹⁰ If I say, "Surely the darkness will cover me, *

and the light around me turn to night,"

¹¹ Darkness is not dark to you; the night is as bright as the day;*

darkness and light to you are both alike.

¹² For you yourself created my inmost parts; *

you knit me together in my mother's womb.

¹³ I will thank you because I am marvelously made; *

your works are wonderful, and I know it well.

¹⁴ My body was not hidden from you, *

while I was being made in secret and woven in the depths of the earth.

¹⁵ Your eyes beheld my limbs, yet unfinished in the womb; all of them were written in your book; *

they were fashioned day by day, when as yet there was none of them.

¹⁶ How deep I find your thoughts, O God! *

how great is the sum of them!

¹⁷ If I were to count them, they would be more in number than the sand; *

to count them all, my life span would need to be like yours.

²² Search me out, O God, and know my heart; *

try me and know my restless thoughts.

²³ Look well whether there be any wickedness in me *

and lead me in the way that is everlasting.

 

Psalm 140     Eripe me, Domine

¹ Deliver me, O Lord, from evildoers; *

protect me from the violent,

⁶ I have said to the Lord, "You are my God; *

listen, O Lord, to my supplication.

⁸ Do not grant the desires of the wicked, O Lord, *

Nor let their evil plans prosper.

¹⁰ Let hot burning coals fall upon them." *

¹² I know that the Lord will maintain the cause of the poor *

and render justice to the needy.

¹³ Surely, the righteous will give thanks to your Name, *

and the upright shall continue in your sight.

 

Photograph from the Chicago Botanic Garden

as a Lenten harbinger of the Easter Garden

 

My Book of Psalms: Psalm 140

Title: To the leader. A Psalm of David.

 

Keeping and Jettisoning

 

Psalm 140     Eripe me, Domine

 

1 Deliver me, O Lord, from evildoers; *

protect me from the violent,

 

2 Who devise evil in their hearts *

and stir up strife all day long.

3 They have sharpened their tongues like a serpent; *

adder's poison is under their lips.

4 Keep me, O Lord, from the hands of the wicked; *

protect me from the violent, who are determined to trip me up.

5 The proud have hidden a snare for me and stretched out a net of cords; *

they have set traps for me along the path.

 

6 I have said to the Lord, "You are my God; *

listen, O Lord, to my supplication.

 

7 O Lord God, the strength of my salvation, *

you have covered my head in the day of battle.

 

8 Do not grant the desires of the wicked, O Lord, *

Nor let their evil plans prosper.

 

9 Let not those who surround me lift up their heads; *

let the evil of their lips overwhelm them.

 

10 Let hot burning coals fall upon them; *

let them be cast into the mire, never to rise up again."

11 A slanderer shall not be established on the earth, *

and evil shall hunt down the lawless.

 

12 I know that the Lord will maintain the cause of the poor *

and render justice to the needy.

 

13 Surely, the righteous will give thanks to your Name, *

and the upright shall continue in your sight.

 

Explanation

I have kept verse 1 because we are all at risk these days from evildoers and the violent— as well as the politicians who abet the evildoers and the violent by keeping them armed.

 

I have jettisoned verses 2-5 because they concern a threat confronting the Psalmist personally, rather than a general threat to his community.

 

Verses 6 and 8 take up the Psalmist's prayer from verse 1, so I have kept them and jettisoned verses 7 and 9 because they, like verses 2-5, reflect the Psalmist's personal situation.

 

Verse 10 deserves a close look.

 

In Psalm 140, verse 10 is part of the Psalmist's prayer for vengeance against his enemies:

"Let hot burning coals fall upon them; let them be cast into the mire, never to rise up again."

 

In Proverbs 25:21-22, the intention of the first half of Psalm 140:10 is completely overturned as a tactic for mercy rather than an exaction for vengeance:

"If your enemies are hungry, give them bread to eat; and if they are thirsty, give them water to drink; for you will heap coals of fire on their heads, and the Lord will reward you."

 

St. Paul, in his letter to the Romans, takes up the proverbial reading in the service of the Gospel:

"No, 'if your enemies are hungry, feed them; if they are thirsty, give them something to drink; for by doing this you will heap burning coals on their heads.' Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good" (12:20-21).

 

I have kept the first half of verse 10 as a reminder to overcome evil with good, and jettisoned the second half, as well as verse 11, which continues the vengeance theme.

 

I have kept the final two verses because they end the Psalm with the assurance that God will answer our prayers for deliverance.

 

Next: what would you keep and what would you jettison?

 

Psalm 141 Domine, clamavi

 

1 O Lord, I call to you; come to me quickly; *

hear my voice when I cry to you.

 

2 Let my prayer be set forth in your sight as incense, *

the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice.

 

3 Set a watch before my mouth, O Lord, and guard the door of my lips; *

let not my heart incline to any evil thing.

 

4 Let me not be occupied in wickedness with evildoers, *

nor eat of their choice foods.

 

5 Let the righteous smite me in friendly rebuke; let not the oil of the unrighteous anoint my head; *

for my prayer is continually against their wicked deeds.

 

6 Let their rulers be overthrown in stony places, *

that they may know my words are true.

 

7 As when a plowman turns over the earth in furrows, *

let their bones be scattered at the mouth of the grave.

 

8 But my eyes are turned to you, Lord God; *

in you I take refuge; do not strip me of my life.

 

9 Protect me from the snare which they have laid for me *

and from the traps of the evildoers.

 

10 Let the wicked fall into their own nets, *

while I myself escape.

 

Photograph from the Chicago Botanic Garden

as a Lenten harbinger of the Easter Garden

 

My Book of Psalms: Psalm 139

Title: To the leader. Of David. A Psalm

 

This is a magnificent Psalm, especially for its assurance that the God who created us, and knows us thoroughly, is always with us.

 

But for me, Psalm 139 is inextricably associated with a solemn and breathtaking coincidence.

In the middle of the Psalm we find these verses:

 

"7 If I climb up to heaven, you are there; *

if I make the grave my bed, you are there also.

"8 If I take the wings of the morning *

and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea,

"9 Even there your hand will lead me *

and your right hand hold me fast."

 

And here's the poignant coincidence:

 

Psalm 139 was the appointed Psalm for the Sunday after the Challenger Space Shuttle disaster on January 28, 1986; and also for the Sunday after the Columbia Space Shuttle disaster on February 1, 2003.

 

And the reason I know and remember this is a further coincidence:

 

I was the preacher at St. Bartholomew's Church in New York City, NY, on the Sunday after the Challenger disaster, and my son James was the preacher at St. Gregory's Church in Deerfield, IL, on the Sunday after the Columbia disaster.

 

"Disaster" is the appropriate word, because it literally means "ill-starred."

 

Keeping and Jettisoning

 

Psalm 139     Domine, probasti

 

1 Lord, you have searched me out and known me; *

you know my sitting down and my rising up; you discern my thoughts from afar.

 

2 You trace my journeys and my resting-places *

and are acquainted with all my ways.

 

3 Indeed, there is not a word on my lips, *

but you, O Lord, know it altogether.

 

4 You press upon me behind and before *

and lay your hand upon me.

 

5 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; *

it is so high that I cannot attain to it.

 

6 Where can I go then from your Spirit? *

where can I flee from your presence?

 

7 If I climb up to heaven, you are there; *

if I make the grave my bed, you are there also.

 

8 If I take the wings of the morning *

and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea,

 

9 Even there your hand will lead me *

and your right hand hold me fast.

 

10 If I say, "Surely the darkness will cover me, *

and the light around me turn to night,"

 

11 Darkness is not dark to you; the night is as bright as the day; *

darkness and light to you are both alike.

 

12 For you yourself created my inmost parts; *

you knit me together in my mother's womb.

 

13 I will thank you because I am marvelously made; *

your works are wonderful, and I know it well.

 

14 My body was not hidden from you, *

while I was being made in secret and woven in the depths of the earth.

 

15 Your eyes beheld my limbs, yet unfinished in the womb; all of them were written in your book; *

they were fashioned day by day, when as yet there was none of them.

 

16 How deep I find your thoughts, O God! *

how great is the sum of them!

 

17 If I were to count them, they would be more in number than the sand; *

to count them all, my life span would need to be like yours.

 

18 Oh, that you would slay the wicked, O God! *

You that thirst for blood, depart from me.

19 They speak despitefully against you; *

your enemies take your Name in vain.

20 Do I not hate those, O Lord, who hate you? *

and do I not loathe those who rise up against you?

21 I hate them with a perfect hatred; *

they have become my own enemies.

 

22 Search me out, O God, and know my heart; *

try me and know my restless thoughts.

 

23 Look well whether there be any wickedness in me *

and lead me in the way that is everlasting.

 

Explanation

I have jettisoned verses 18-21 because they interrupt the Psalm's wondrous meditation on God with a violent and hate-filled diatribe against enemies.

 

I almost jettisoned the last two verses because they invite God to "try me."

Jesus, however, knew our human fallibility, and so he taught us to pray: "Do not lead us into temptation," which can also be translated more closely to its meaning: "Save us from the time of trial."

Only someone who is (over)confident in his or her righteousness would dare challenge God to "try me."

In the end, though, I have kept these verses for two reasons:

First, because they resume the Psalmist's meditation on God after that unfortunate interlude.

Second, because it is good for me to engage my capacity for restless thoughts and wickedness, and to begin my day asking God to "lead me in the way that is everlasting."

 

Next: what would you keep and what would you jettison?

 

Psalm 140     Eripe me, Domine

 

1 Deliver me, O Lord, from evildoers; *

protect me from the violent,

 

2 Who devise evil in their hearts *

and stir up strife all day long.

 

3 They have sharpened their tongues like a serpent; *

adder's poison is under their lips.

 

4 Keep me, O Lord, from the hands of the wicked; *

protect me from the violent, who are determined to trip me up.

 

5 The proud have hidden a snare for me and stretched out a net of cords; *

they have set traps for me along the path.

 

6 I have said to the Lord, "You are my God; *

listen, O Lord, to my supplication.

 

7 O Lord God, the strength of my salvation, *

you have covered my head in the day of battle.

 

8 Do not grant the desires of the wicked, O Lord, *

Nor let their evil plans prosper.

 

9 Let not those who surround me lift up their heads; *

let the evil of their lips overwhelm them.

 

10 Let hot burning coals fall upon them; *

let them be cast into the mire, never to rise up again."

 

11 A slanderer shall not be established on the earth, *

and evil shall hunt down the lawless.

 

12 I know that the Lord will maintain the cause of the poor *

and render justice to the needy.

 

13 Surely, the righteous will give thanks to your Name, *

and the upright shall continue in your sight.

 

Photograph from the Chicago Botanic Garden

as a Lenten harbinger of the Easter Garden

My Book of Psalms: Psalm 138

Title: Of David

 

Keeping and Jettisoning

 

Psalm 138     Confitebor tibi

 

1 I will give thanks to you, O Lord, with my whole heart; *

before the gods I will sing your praise.

 

2 I will bow down toward your holy temple and praise your Name, *

because of your love and faithfulness;

 

3 For you have glorified your Name *

and your word above all things.

 

4 When I called, you answered me; *

you increased my strength within me.

 

5 All the kings of the earth will praise you, O Lord, *

when they have heard the words of your mouth.

 

6 They will sing of the ways of the Lord, *

that great is the glory of the Lord.

 

7 Though the Lord be high, he cares for the lowly; *

he perceives the haughty from afar.

 

8 Though I walk in the midst of trouble, you keep me safe; *

you stretch forth your hand against the fury of my enemies; your right hand shall save me.

 

9 The Lord will make good his purpose for me; *

O Lord, your love endures for ever; do not abandon the works of your hands.

 

Explanation

I have jettisoned the second half of verse 1 because although the Psalmist reflects his generation's henotheism— the belief that the God Israel worshiped was one among many— we are now monotheists— those who believe that there is only one God, and none others, whom we worship as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

 

I almost jettisoned verses 5 and 6 because "all the kings of the earth" do not praise the Lord nor give him glory— and yet I decided to keep them in light of verse 5b: "when they have heard the words of your mouth." The kings, like me, when they have truly heard the Lord's words, will "sing of the ways of the Lord."

 

I have jettisoned 7b— the Lord who loves us all cares for the haughty as well as the lowly (and who among has not felt "haughty" toward someone at some time, if not many times, in our lives.

 

I have jettisoned the first half of verse 8b— I no longer have furious enemies!

 

Finally, I have jettisoned the final phrase in verse 9: the Lord who created us never "abandons the works of his hands"— including us!

 

Next: what would you keep and what would you jettison?

 

Psalm 139     Domine, probasti

 

1 Lord, you have searched me out and known me; *

you know my sitting down and my rising up; you discern my thoughts from afar.

 

2 You trace my journeys and my resting-places *

and are acquainted with all my ways.

 

3 Indeed, there is not a word on my lips, *

but you, O Lord, know it altogether.

 

4 You press upon me behind and before *

and lay your hand upon me.

 

5 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; *

it is so high that I cannot attain to it.

 

6 Where can I go then from your Spirit? *

where can I flee from your presence?

 

7 If I climb up to heaven, you are there; *

if I make the grave my bed, you are there also.

 

8 If I take the wings of the morning *

and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea,

 

9 Even there your hand will lead me *

and your right hand hold me fast.

 

10 If I say, "Surely the darkness will cover me, *

and the light around me turn to night,"

 

11 Darkness is not dark to you; the night is as bright as the day; *

darkness and light to you are both alike.

 

12 For you yourself created my inmost parts; *

you knit me together in my mother's womb.

 

13 I will thank you because I am marvelously made; *

your works are wonderful, and I know it well.

 

14 My body was not hidden from you, *

while I was being made in secret and woven in the depths of the earth.

 

15 Your eyes beheld my limbs, yet unfinished in the womb; all of them were written in your book; *

they were fashioned day by day, when as yet there was none of them.

 

16 How deep I find your thoughts, O God! *

how great is the sum of them!

 

17 If I were to count them, they would be more in number than the sand; *

to count them all, my life span would need to be like yours.

 

18 Oh, that you would slay the wicked, O God! *

You that thirst for blood, depart from me.

 

19 They speak despitefully against you; *

your enemies take your Name in vain.

 

20 Do I not hate those, O Lord, who hate you? *

and do I not loathe those who rise up against you?

 

21 I hate them with a perfect hatred; *

they have become my own enemies.

 

22 Search me out, O God, and know my heart; *

try me and know my restless thoughts.

 

23 Look well whether there be any wickedness in me *

and lead me in the way that is everlasting.

 

Photograph from the Chicago Botanic Garden

as a Lenten harbinger of the Easter Garden

My Book of Psalms: Psalm 137

No Title

 

This Psalm has the dubious distinction of containing the most offensive verse in the Psalter, and among the most offensive in all of Scripture.

In verse 9, the Psalmist says to the daughter of Babylon, personifying the Babylonian Empire:

9 Happy shall he be who takes your little ones, * and dashes them against the rock!

 

Keeping and Jettisoning

 

Psalm 137     Super flumina

 

1 By the waters of Babylon we sat down and wept, *

when we remembered you, O Zion.

 

2 As for our harps, we hung them up *

on the trees in the midst of that land.

 

3 For those who led us away captive asked us for a song, and our oppressors called for mirth: *

"Sing us one of the songs of Zion."

 

4 How shall we sing the Lord's song *

upon an alien soil?

 

5 If I forget you, O Jerusalem, *

let my right hand forget its skill.

 

6 Let my tongue cleave to the roof of my mouth if I do not remember you, *

if I do not set Jerusalem above my highest joy.

 

7 Remember the day of Jerusalem, O Lord, against the people of Edom, *

who said, "Down with it! down with it! even to the ground!"

 

8 O Daughter of Babylon, doomed to destruction, *

happy the one who pays you back for what you have done to us!

 

9 Happy shall he be who takes your little ones, *

and dashes them against the rock!

 

Explanation

The first six verses of this Psalm inspired a beautiful ballad in Godspell, which you can hear by clicking here.These verses are kept, while the last three verses are jettisoned for their unbridled vengeance.

 

Next: what would you keep and what would you jettison?

 

Psalm 138     Confitebor tibi

 

1 I will give thanks to you, O Lord, with my whole heart; *

before the gods I will sing your praise.

 

2 I will bow down toward your holy temple and praise your Name, *

because of your love and faithfulness;

 

3 For you have glorified your Name *

and your word above all things.

 

4 When I called, you answered me; *

you increased my strength within me.

 

5 All the kings of the earth will praise you, O Lord, *

when they have heard the words of your mouth.

 

6 They will sing of the ways of the Lord, *

that great is the glory of the Lord.

 

7 Though the Lord be high, he cares for the lowly; *

he perceives the haughty from afar.

 

8 Though I walk in the midst of trouble, you keep me safe; *

you stretch forth your hand against the fury of my enemies; your right hand shall save me.

 

9 The Lord will make good his purpose for me; *

O Lord, your love endures for ever; do not abandon the works of your hands.

 

Photograph from the Chicago Botanic Garden

as a Lenten harbinger of the Easter Garden

My Book of Psalms: Psalm 136

No Title

 

The second half of each verse is probably a congregational response to the leader's prompting.

 

Keeping and Jettisoning

 

Psalm 136     Confitemini

 

1 Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, *

for his mercy endures for ever.

 

2 Give thanks to the God of gods, *

for his mercy endures for ever.

 

3 Give thanks to the Lord of Lords, *

for his mercy endures for ever.

 

4 Who only does great wonders, *

for his mercy endures for ever;

 

5 Who by wisdom made the heavens, *

for his mercy endures for ever;

 

6 Who spread out the earth upon the waters, *

for his mercy endures for ever;

 

7 Who created great lights, *

for his mercy endures for ever;

 

8 The sun to rule the day, *

for his mercy endures for ever;

 

9 The moon and the stars to govern the night, *

for his mercy endures for ever.

 

10 Who struck down the firstborn of Egypt, *

for his mercy endures for ever;

11 And Who brought out Israel from among them Egypt, *

for his mercy endures for ever;

12 With a mighty hand and a stretched-out arm, *

for his mercy endures for ever;

13 Who divided the Red Sea in two, *

for his mercy endures for ever;

14 And made Israel to pass through the midst of it, *

for his mercy endures for ever;

15 But swept Pharaoh and his army into the Red Sea, *

for his mercy endures for ever;

16 Who led his people through the wilderness, *

for his mercy endures for ever.

17 Who struck down great kings, *

for his mercy endures for ever;

18 And slew mighty kings, *

for his mercy endures for ever;

19 Sihon, king of the Amorites, *

for his mercy endures for ever;

20 And Og, the king of Bashan, *

for his mercy endures for ever;

21 And gave away their lands for an inheritance, *

for his mercy endures for ever;

22 An inheritance for Israel his servant, *

for his mercy endures for ever.

23 Who remembered us in our low estate, *

for his mercy endures for ever;

24 And delivered us from our enemies, *

for his mercy endures for ever;

 

25 Who gives food to all creatures, *

for his mercy endures for ever.

 

26 Give thanks to the God of heaven, *

for his mercy endures for ever.

 

Explanation

The Psalmist begins with a litany of thanksgiving for God's goodness and creation until verse 10, when he turns to the story of Israel's Exodus, the Wandering, and Possession of the Land.

As with yesterday's Psalm, the summary of Israel's history is faithful to the Hebrew Scriptures, and yet it is also obviously one-sided— what seemed "mercy" for the Israelites was grievous for Egyptians, the Amorites, the Bashanites, and the dispossessed.

The Psalmist returns to the universal goodness and mercy of God in verses 25 and 26.

I have jettisoned the section that deals with problematic history, and kept those verses that praise God's mercy "to all creatures."

 

Next: what would you keep and what would you jettison?

 

Psalm 137     Super flumina

 

1 By the waters of Babylon we sat down and wept, *

when we remembered you, O Zion.

 

2 As for our harps, we hung them up *

on the trees in the midst of that land.

 

3 For those who led us away captive asked us for a song, and our oppressors called for mirth: *

"Sing us one of the songs of Zion."

 

4 How shall we sing the Lord's song *

upon an alien soil?

 

5 If I forget you, O Jerusalem, *

let my right hand forget its skill.

 

6 Let my tongue cleave to the roof of my mouth if I do not remember you, *

if I do not set Jerusalem above my highest joy.

 

7 Remember the day of Jerusalem, O Lord, against the people of Edom, *

who said, "Down with it! down with it! even to the ground!"

 

8 O Daughter of Babylon, doomed to destruction, *

happy the one who pays you back for what you have done to us!

 

9 Happy shall he be who takes your little ones, *

and dashes them against the rock!

 

Photograph from the Chicago Botanic Garden

as a Lenten harbinger of the Easter Garden

My Book of Psalms: Psalm 135

No Title

 

Keeping and Jettisoning

 

Psalm 135 Laudate nomen

 

1 Hallelujah! Praise the Name of the Lord; *

give praise, you servants of the Lord,

 

2 You who stand in the house of the Lord, *

in the courts of the house of our God.

 

3 Praise the Lord, for the Lord is good; *

sing praises to his Name, for it is lovely.

 

4 For the Lord has chosen Jacob for himself *

and Israel for his own possession.

 

5 For I know that the Lord is great, *

and that our Lord is above all gods.

 

6 The Lord does whatever pleases him, in heaven and on earth, *

in the seas and all the deeps.

 

7 He brings up rain clouds from the ends of the earth; *

he sends out lightning with the rain, and brings the winds out of his storehouse.

 

8 It was he who struck down the firstborn of Egypt, *

the firstborn both of man and beast.

9 He sent signs and wonders into the midst of you, O Egypt, *

against Pharaoh and all his servants.

10 He overthrew many nations *

and put mighty kings to death:

11 Sihon, king of the Amorites, and Og, the king of Bashan, *

and all the kingdoms of Canaan.

12 He gave their land to be an inheritance, *

an inheritance for Israel his people.

 

13 O Lord, your Name is everlasting; *

your renown, O Lord, endures from age to age.

 

14 For the Lord gives his people justice *

and shows compassion to his servants.

 

15 The idols of the heathen are silver and gold, *

the work of human hands.

16 They have mouths, but they cannot speak; *

eyes have they, but they cannot see.

17 They have ears, but they cannot hear; *

neither is there any breath in their mouth.

18 Those who make them are like them, *

and so are all who put their trust in them.

 

19 Bless the Lord, O house of Israel; *

O house of Aaron, bless the Lord.

 

20 Bless the Lord, O house of Levi; *

you who fear the Lord, bless the Lord.

 

21 Blessed be the Lord out of Zion, *

who dwells in Jerusalem. Hallelujah!

 

Explanation

Of the first seven verses, I have kept five.

 

I have jettisoned 4, because it interrupts a flow of praise with an exclusive preference, and verse 6 because it may be read as portraying an egoistical God rather than the self-offering God who does everything for love rather than self-pleasing.

 

I have also jettisoned verses 8-12 because, however faithful they are in a Psalmic summarizing of the history in Exodus, it portrays an exclusivist God who takes land from some and gives it to others— this is not a God of love and justice!

 

Finally, I have jettisoned verses 15-18 because they mock the religious practices of others, and disdain "those who make them" as "like them."

 

The Psalmist ends his song as he began it, with praise to the Lord, a joyous note on which to launch a new day.

 

Next: what would you keep and what would you jettison?

 

Psalm 136     Confitemini

 

1 Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, *

for his mercy endures for ever.

 

2 Give thanks to the God of gods, *

for his mercy endures for ever.

 

3 Give thanks to the Lord of Lords, *

for his mercy endures for ever.

 

4 Who only does great wonders, *

for his mercy endures for ever;

 

5 Who by wisdom made the heavens, *

for his mercy endures for ever;

 

6 Who spread out the earth upon the waters, *

for his mercy endures for ever;

 

7 Who created great lights, *

for his mercy endures for ever;

 

8 The sun to rule the day, *

for his mercy endures for ever;

 

9 The moon and the stars to govern the night, *

for his mercy endures for ever.

 

10 Who struck down the firstborn of Egypt, *

for his mercy endures for ever;

 

11 And brought out Israel from among them, *

for his mercy endures for ever;

 

12 With a mighty hand and a stretched-out arm, *

for his mercy endures for ever;

 

13 Who divided the Red Sea in two, *

for his mercy endures for ever;

 

14 And made Israel to pass through the midst of it, *

for his mercy endures for ever;

 

15 But swept Pharaoh and his army into the Red Sea, *

for his mercy endures for ever;

 

16 Who led his people through the wilderness, *

for his mercy endures for ever.

 

17 Who struck down great kings, *

for his mercy endures for ever;

 

18 And slew mighty kings, *

for his mercy endures for ever;

 

19 Sihon, king of the Amorites, *

for his mercy endures for ever;

 

20 And Og, the king of Bashan, *

for his mercy endures for ever;

 

21 And gave away their lands for an inheritance, *

for his mercy endures for ever;

 

22 An inheritance for Israel his servant, *

for his mercy endures for ever.

 

23 Who remembered us in our low estate, *

for his mercy endures for ever;

 

24 And delivered us from our enemies, *

for his mercy endures for ever;

 

25 Who gives food to all creatures, *

for his mercy endures for ever.

 

26 Give thanks to the God of heaven, *

for his mercy endures for ever.

 

Photograph from the Chicago Botanic Garden

as a Lenten harbinger of the Easter Garden

My Book of Psalms: Psalm 134

Title: A Song of Ascents.

This is the last Song of Ascents.

 

Fittingly, it is one of the appointed Psalms for the last Office, or Service, of the Day: Compline.

Compline comes from the Latin "to fill up," which becomes "complete" as in "finished."

 

Keeping and Jettisoning

 

Psalm 134     Ecce nunc

 

1 Behold now, bless the Lord, all you servants of the Lord, *

you that stand by night in the house of the Lord.

 

2 Lift up your hands in the holy place and bless the Lord; *

the Lord who made heaven and earth bless you out of Zion.

 

Explanation

This is the second two-verse Psalm in The Book of Common Prayer; the other, Psalm 117, is slightly shorter!

 

From this short Psalm we learn that the servants of the Lord— the temple priests— stand in prayer, and lift up their hands in prayer— as ancient peoples often did, including those in North America.

 

Although the first verse is nocturnal in time frame, the blessing in the second half of verse 2 is just as fitting diurnally!

 

All two verses are kept.

 

Next: what would you keep and what would you jettison?

 

Psalm 135 Laudate nomen

 

1 Hallelujah! Praise the Name of the Lord; *

give praise, you servants of the Lord,

 

2 You who stand in the house of the Lord, *

in the courts of the house of our God.

 

3 Praise the Lord, for the Lord is good; *

sing praises to his Name, for it is lovely.

 

4 For the Lord has chosen Jacob for himself *

and Israel for his own possession.

 

5 For I know that the Lord is great, *

and that our Lord is above all gods.

 

6 The Lord does whatever pleases him, in heaven and on earth, *

in the seas and all the deeps.

 

7 He brings up rain clouds from the ends of the earth; *

he sends out lightning with the rain, and brings the winds out of his storehouse.

 

8 It was he who struck down the firstborn of Egypt, *

the firstborn both of man and beast.

 

9 He sent signs and wonders into the midst of you, O Egypt, *

against Pharaoh and all his servants.

 

10 He overthrew many nations *

and put mighty kings to death:

 

11 Sihon, king of the Amorites, and Og, the king of Bashan, *

and all the kingdoms of Canaan.

 

12 He gave their land to be an inheritance, *

an inheritance for Israel his people.

 

13 O Lord, your Name is everlasting; *

your renown, O Lord, endures from age to age.

 

14 For the Lord gives his people justice *

and shows compassion to his servants.

 

15 The idols of the heathen are silver and gold, *

the work of human hands.

 

16 They have mouths, but they cannot speak; *

eyes have they, but they cannot see.

 

17 They have ears, but they cannot hear; *

neither is there any breath in their mouth.

 

18 Those who make them are like them, *

and so are all who put their trust in them.

 

19 Bless the Lord, O house of Israel; *

O house of Aaron, bless the Lord.

 

20 Bless the Lord, O house of Levi; *

you who fear the Lord, bless the Lord.

 

21 Blessed be the Lord out of Zion, *

who dwells in Jerusalem. Hallelujah!

 

Photograph from the Chicago Botanic Garden

as a Lenten harbinger of the Easter Garden