Ep.279: Psalm 138: Though I Walk in the Midst of Trouble.

Hello, I’m Daniel Westfall on the channel “Pray with Me”.

In Psalm 137, the poet refused to sing for his captors in Babylon. Psalm 138 places the poet in Jerusalem, singing, praising, and worshipping in the temple.

Psalm 138 follows a trajectory we have come to know and love in the psalms. The poet opens with thanks and praise because God heard and delivered him (vv. 1-3). Then he says that God is worthy of world-wide praise because he looks after the world, not just Israel (vv. 4-5). Finally, the poet gives a personal testimony, saying:
Though I walk in the midst of trouble,
you preserve my life.
You stretch out your hand against the anger of my foes,
with your right hand you save me (vv. 6-7).

The psalm ends with hope and a request:
The Lord will vindicate me;
your love, Lord, endures for ever–
hold fast the works of your hands (v. 8).

The poet’s prayer is that this God of everlasting love will hold him tight, and never let him go.

Let’s pray.

We praise you, Lord, with all our hearts,
before the gods we sing your praise (v. 1).

We praise you above the gods of consumerism that rule our greedy society. Black Friday sales and Christmas discounts and Boxing Day extravaganzas are nothing compared to the glory of your name. As Jesus said, “Is not life more than food and your body more than clothes?” (Mat 6:25).

We praise you above the gods of violence that rule the military-industrial complex. Armed drones roam the skies. Satellites spy on the earth. Ballistic missiles are armed and ready. But you are God of the world, king over the presidents of America, China, and Russia.

May the kings of the earth praise you, Lord,
when they hear what you have decreed (v. 4).

Though you are exalted, God, you look on the lowly. As the poet says,
Though I walk in the midst of trouble,
you preserve my life (vv. 6a, 7).

Thank you for not running credit checks to determine if we’re worthy. Thank you for not charging interest on our outstanding balance. Thank you are not mercenary, your motives not mixed, nor your advertising false. Thank you that as we walk in the midst of trouble, you preserve us.

Thank you that your love endures forever,
That you do not abandon the work of your hands (v. 8).

We are the work of your hands, you are the breath that we breathe, you are the light in our darkness. Heal us of our sin sickness. Give our churches light and life. Restore our nations to sanity, our leaders to reality, our philosophers to wisdom. Do not forsake the world you made. Then with the poet:
We will praise you with our whole heart,
singing your praise before the gods (v. 1).

Amen

I’m Daniel on the channel “Pray with Me”.

YouTube channel: Pray with Me – YouTube

Ep.278: Psalm 137: Revenge Fantasy in Babylon.

Hello, I’m Daniel Westfall on the channel “Pray with Me”.

Psalm 137 begins,
By the rivers of Babylon we sat and wept
when we remembered Zion.
There on the poplars
we hung our harps,
for there our captors asked us for songs,
our tormentors demanded songs of joy
saying, “Sing us one of the songs of Zion!”
How can we sing the songs of the Lord
in a foreign land? (vv. 1-4).

The psalm ends shockingly with the poet’s fantasy about revenge:
Daughter of Babylon, doomed to destruction,
happy is the one who repays you
according to what you have done to us.
Happy is the one who seizes your infants
and dashes them against the rocks (vv. 8-9).

Psalm 1 started with a beautiful blessing
Blessed is the one
who does not walk in the way of the wicked
or stand in the way of sinners,
or sit in the company of mockers. . . (v. 1-2a).

The poet of Psalm 137 is captive in Babylon, powerless, defeated, refusing to sing after the cruel destruction of Jerusalem, the obliteration of the temple, and the violence of war. Using the same word “bless” that occurs in Psalm 1, he says to Babylon, the evil empire:
Blessed is the one who repays you
according to what you have done.
Blessed is the one who seizes your infants. . . (vv. 8-9).

The poet uses the word “bless” to introduce his most vicious curse against Babylon. I make four comments:

First, the psalm is realistic about the brutality of war. Genocide is not a modern invention, mass graves are not new. When Pharaoh feared his Israelite slaves might turn against him, he ordered the death of newborn boys. When Herod feared a new king had been born in Bethlehem, he ordered the death of infants. Babylon may have used a similar strategy to prevent a new generation of warriors in Jerusalem.

My second comment is about retributive justice. We have all wished someone would get a taste of their own medicine. When my brother poured pepper into my mouth, my mother grabbed the pepper shaker and poured pepper into his mouth. Sweet, eh! Retributive justice at its finest. The poet of Psalm 137, awash in pain and injustice, fantasizes about Babylon getting a taste of its own violence.

Does the poet’s violent suggestion paint a picture of the world as God wants it? No, he paints the world we live in, the real world. Which leads to my third comment: the poet brings his world and his cause to God. He does not plan a regime of violence and revenge, he asks God for justice. And the poet paints a brutal, vengeful picture of the justice he seeks. I think God receives the poet’s pain and his suggestion, without agreeing to implement it.

And finally, Jesus said that those who live by the sword will die by the sword (Mat 26:52). The Babylonian empire, born and nurtured in violence, was destined for a violent end.

Let’s pray.

Our father, we live among evil empires, singing your songs in our land of exile. Like the poet, we fantasize about revenge and victory. Where is our Luke Skywalker who will unmask and destroy Darth Vader?

We submit our cause to you, God. In the Book of Revelation, you prophesy the doom of the evil empire, saying:
Give back to her as she has given;
       pay her back double for what she has done.
       Pour her a double portion from her own cup.
  Give her as much torment and grief
      as the glory and luxury she gave herself (Rev. 18:6-7).

Lord, somehow, some day, we trust you to set this violent world to rights. Until then we wait patiently for you.

Amen.

I’m Daniel on the channel “Pray with Me”.

YouTube channel: Pray with Me – YouTube

Ep.277: Strange Teachings.

Hello, I’m Daniel Westfall on the channel “Pray With Me”.

Hebrews 13 begins with a list of things we should do:
– Do keep on loving one another (v. 1).
– Be hospitable to strangers, for some have entertained angels this way (v. 2).
– Remember prisoners and sufferers (v. 3)
– Do honor marriage and keep the marriage bed pure (v. 4).
– Stay free from the love of money, be content with what you have (v. 5)
– Remember that God is your companion and helper (vv. 5-6).
– Do respect people who teach you scripture and faith and how to live (v. 7)
– Don’t get carried away by strange teachings (v. 9a).
– Do strengthen your hearts with grace (v. 9b).

Mostly a positive list. But strangely, the author inserts a “don’t” near the end. He says, “Don’t be carried away by strange teachings” (v. 9a). Then he comments on food, saying, “It is good for our hearts to be strengthened by grace, not by eating ceremonial foods.” (vv. 9b-10).

Don’t be carried away by strange teachings? What do you think that means? Maybe the author is talking about people who invest time and energy and research and focus on issues that are not central to the gospel or Christian living. Shifting focus from primary to secondary things distances us from the heart of God.

The author uses ceremonial foods as an example. You may have heard strange teachings about food that go like this: “God’s Old Testament food list is still part of our Bible and can still have health benefits if we follow it. Let’s talk about health food. And vitamins. And minerals. And refined sugar. And antibiotics in meat. And whether tomatoes are good for you.” A worthy discussion if you don’t give it undue importance or let it carry you away.

Facebook and the internet are full of strange teachings–conspiracy theories about big pharma and big government and big climate science and the Illuminati and Bill Gates. Some give it a gospel veneer by quoting Paul, We must be aware of the devil’s schemes (2 Cor 2:11).

It’s easy to get carried away trying to figure out the devil’s schemes, to see the world through conspiracy theories instead of through faith. To develop a suspicious edge, seeing intellectual and social and medical scams everywhere. After a while, it’s just me and a few wise doctors and a couple courageous media outlets who have the truth, who are exposing the great evils of society and trying to protect me against them. So we form our little reactionary tribe, sniping at the government, the media, and modern culture.

Listen to Jeremiah’s advice to the exiles in Babylon. He did not say, “Watch out for their false religion. Pray against their evil empire. Be suspicious of their motives.” His message from God was, “Seek the peace and prosperity of the city where you are in exile . . . Don’t let prophets and diviners deceive you. . . . They prophesy lies in my name” (Jer 29:7-9).

Let’s pray.

Our Father, we live in a day of divisive politics. Lies and conspiracy theories are everywhere. Spiritual forces of evil abound.

Help us not to be carried away by strange teachings. Give us the spirit of truth. Give us discernment to see the good and bad of society, truth and error in the media, the right and wrong in our own hearts. Help us work for the good of the culture in which you place us.

Amen.

I’m Daniel, on the channel “Pray with Me”.

YouTube channel: Pray with Me – YouTube

Ep.276: Psalm 136: Repetitious Worship Songs.

Hello, I’m Daniel Westfall on the channel “Pray with Me”.

Do modern worship songs annoy you when they sing the same line over and over? Spoiler alert: you’d better avoid Psalm 136. Every verse repeats the same phrase. Listen:
Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good.
   His kindness is forever.
Give thanks to the God of gods.
  His kindness is forever.
Give thanks to the Lord of lords,
    His kindness is forever.
He alone does great wonders.
      His kindness is forever (vv. 1-4).

How’s that! “His kindness is forever” occurs 26 times in 26 verses. When I read the psalm I start skipping the refrain after a few repetitions, instead of hearing and receiving it all 26 times.

Repetition, of course, has a long and respectable history in poetry and music. Think, for example, of the Twelve Days of Christmas in which my true love gives me a partridge in a pear tree every day for twelve days, for twelve days, for twelve days, for twelve days! And what about “99 Bottles of Beer on the Wall”? Have you ever sung all 99 bottles?

Gentle repetition in worship draws me from the critical and analytical focus that colors much of my thinking. But finding God in worship requires effort. If I lift my hands, still my mind, and turn my heart to God, I sometimes move into a deep and quiet sense of God’s presence. And sometimes not. Too often, I just want to get through the service. Sooner the better.

The first 135 psalms bring a wide spectrum of human experience into God’s presence–elation and depression, joy and sorrow, victory and defeat, despair and hope. Now, in Psalm 136, the poet sets up a vibrant refrain that asserts God’s goodness in each period of Israel’s history. Moving quietly through the repetition stills my heart, bringing hope that God watches over my history too.

Let’s pray.

Our father, in your forever kindness, you created the world. You rescued Israel from Egypt and led them to the Promised Land.

In your forever kindness, you breathe into us life and growth and hope. You watch over us as we fumble and stumble our way, as we learn to navigate the world and seek you in it.

In your forever kindness, you saw that we were stuck in sin. You sent your son to free us from the muck and set us on a pilgrimage to you.

In your forever kindness, you meet us when we seek you, you comfort us in our grief, you rejoice with us when life is good.

In your forever kindness, we have a home in you, and you have a home in us. With the poet:
We give you thanks, God of heaven,
Your love endures forever (v. 26).

Amen.

I’m Daniel on the channel “Pray with Me”.

YouTube channel: Pray with Me – YouTube

Ep.275: A Consuming Fire.

Hello, I’m Daniel Westfall on the channel “Pray With Me”.

Hebrews 12 compares Sinai, mountain of law and fear, with Zion, mountain of joy and community. It concludes the comparison, saying:

See to it that you do not refuse him who speaks.
If they did not escape when they refused him who warned on earth,
how much less will we, if we turn away from him who warns from heaven?
At that time his voice shook the earth,
but now he has promised,
‘Once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heavens.’
The words ‘once more’ indicate removing what can be shaken –
that is, created things –
so that what cannot be shaken may remain.

Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken,
let us be thankful, and worship God with reverence and awe,
for our ‘God is a consuming fire.’ (vv. 25-29)

I am not sure why I take deep comfort in a passage full of stern warnings, a passage that sees God as a consuming fire. What emotions are these warnings designed to produce? Listen to them:
– See to it that you do not refuse him who speaks
– How much less will we escape if we turn away from him who warns from heaven?
– Once more the heavens and the earth will be shaken
– Our God is a consuming fire

The warnings produce fear when I meditate on them. But the passage does not dwell in fear. It looks to what God has promised, and suggests we dwell on that. Listen:
– We are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken.
– Let us be thankful and worship God with reverence and awe.

As the author points out, there is no escape from God, no escape from his laws, no escape from the consuming fire. Better to face reality than run from it, to lean into the fire and let it purify me, to shake off things that can be shaken, and to receive a kingdom that cannot be shaken.

Let’s pray.

Our father, through Jesus we have come to believe that you are for us, not against us. We understand that you play the long game to expose and overcome our sin. You teach us to fear evil, to pursue holiness. And you promise that this present evil age will soon end.

You shook Mt. Sinai when you gave the law, and you promise to shake the whole of creation one day. But we do not fear the shaking or the consuming fire, because your goal is not to destroy, but to recreate and restore and replenish.

We have experienced your shaking in our lives. You have shaken loose the sins we cling to, the lies we love, the selfish interests we cultivate, the narrow vision of you that we build. To our surprise, your shaking loosens our fears and gains love. Your shaking causes us to lose our attachment to things and gain an attachment to you. We thought your fire would burn us and cripple us, but it leaves us refined and healed.

Amen.

I’m Daniel, on the channel “Pray with Me”.

YouTube channel: Pray with Me – YouTube

Ep.274: Psalm 135: Creator Redeemer.

Hello, I’m Daniel Westfall on the channel “Pray with Me”.

Psalm 135 celebrates God as creator and redeemer. About God as creator, the poet says,
The Lord does whatever he pleases,
in the heavens and on the earth,
in the seas and all their depths.
He makes clouds rise from the ends of the earth;
he sends lightning with the rain,
and brings out the wind from his storehouses (vv. 6-7).

Following an ancient view of the universe, the poet declares that God can do whatever he pleases in all three parts of creation: the heavens above, the earth around, and the waters of chaos beneath. The creator overcame the violent waters below, making them bubble up into the seas and oceans. And then God created an irrigation system with the tamed waters, sending rain clouds with lightning and wind to water the earth. Clearly the creator was and still is in control.

The creator also became redeemer when he intervened in political chaos on earth. Having chosen Israel as his treasured possession (v. 4), he persecuted Pharaoh and his Egyptian slave-drivers until they released his people (vv. 8-12). God then struck down the evil kings of Canaan to create a home for his people.

Creator. Redeemer. This is the God that Israel loved and worshiped!

The poet disparages the gods of the nations, calling them idols of silver and gold who are blind, deaf, and mute. But the poet’s most striking criticism is that the idols can’t breathe. Israel’s creator God breathed the breath of life into humans, but the idols who pose as gods neither breathe nor give the gift of breath.

Let’s pray.

Our father, with the poet, we praise you as creator and redeemer. Your spirit brooded over the waters of chaos, preparing for creation. Your spirit brooded over the Red Sea, preparing Israel’s great redemption. Your spirit brooded over Jesus’ life and death, preparing salvation for the world. In creation and redemption, you alone are God.

Our father, Israel did not understand why you chose them out of all the nations on earth. And we do not understand why you chose us out of all the people on earth. But we have heard and received your message of freedom and redemption. You have made your home with us, and you have begun to conquer the powers that rule our lives–lust and greed and anxiety and fear.

You who breathe into us the breath of life, teach us to walk in the Spirit. You who send the wind and rain to irrigate the earth, send us the water of life.

You who redeemed Israel through the Red Sea and the thief on the cross through death, redeem us from our wandering and bring us to your eternal home.

Amen.

I’m Daniel on the channel “Pray with Me”.

YouTube channel: Pray with Me – YouTube

Ep.273: Psalm 134: Closing the Conference.

Hello, I’m Daniel Westfall on the channel “Pray with Me”.

Psalm 134 reads,

Praise the Lord, all you servants of the Lord

who minister by night in the house of the Lord.
Lift up your hands in the sanctuary
and praise the Lord.
May the Lord bless you from Zion,

he who is the Maker of heaven and earth (vv. 1-3).

This is the last of 15 psalms that share the title, “A Song of Ascents”. We don’t know exactly what this title means, but scholars suggest they are road trip songs for pilgrims on a journey up to Jerusalem to worship at the temple.

Psalm 134 reminds me of a week-long Bible and missionary conference I attended. When it ended, I had a feeling of let-down, of unreality, as I released the intensity of the conference, gathered my notes, and prepared to travel home. Mundane duties awaited. The problems I avoided by attending a conference now needed urgent attention. I think this psalm transitions the Jerusalem pilgrims from their time of worship to the long road back home, from the beauty of the temple back to the homeliness of daily life..

Let’s review the conference highlights with the pilgrims, accept the poet’s end-of-conference blessing, then move on from this collection of psalms. First the highlights:
– Psalm 120: “I call on the Lord in my distress”
– Psalm 121: “I lift up my eyes to the hills, where does my help come from?”
– Psalm 122: “I was glad when they said to me, ‘Let us go the house of the Lord’.”
– Psalm 126: Those who go out weeping carrying precious seed
will return with songs of joy, carrying sheaves with them.
– Psalm 127: Unless the Lord builds the house, the builders labor in vain.
– Psalm 130: “Out of the depths I cry to you, Lord” and
“I wait for the Lord,
more than watchmen wait for the morning.
– Ps 133 “How good and pleasant it is when families live together in unity.”

Psalm 134 concludes this 15-psalm collection with a last invitation to worship, “Praise the Lord, all you servants of the Lord” (v. 1). Then it sends the worshipers home with this blessing:
May the Lord bless you from Zion,
he who is maker of heaven and earth (v. 3).

Let’s pray.

Our father, our lives are a pilgrimage in search of your presence. When we feel your face smile on us, we are glad. When we feel your absence or disapproval, we are sad.

Thank you for these psalms that lift our eyes above the hills, to you who gives us help. Thank you that these poems bring our lives and feelings into the light of your presence. Build with us this house we are building, sow with us the seeds we sow in tears, cry with us in the depths from which we cry to you, teach us to live in unity with our family and community.

Send us back to our daily lives with the blessing of this psalm:
May the Lord bless you from Zion,
he who made heaven and earth (v. 3).

Amen.

I’m Daniel on the channel “Pray with Me”.

YouTube channel: Pray with Me – YouTube

Ep.272: A Tale of Two Mountains.

Hello, I’m Daniel Westfall on the channel “Pray With Me”.

Hebrews 12 says:
You have not come to a mountain that can be touched
and that is burning with fire;
        to darkness, gloom, and storm;
        to a trumpet blast or to a voice speaking words such that
            those who heard it begged that no further word be spoken to them,
           because they could not bear what was commanded,
“If even an animal touches the mountain,
it must be stoned to death.”
The sight was so terrifying that Moses said,
“I am trembling with fear” (vv. 18-21).

This passage reads almost like a Victorian novel: It was a dark and stormy night, deep gloom hung on the mountain, lightning flashed vivid warnings, a trumpet blasted dangerously. This is how the book of Hebrews describes the giving of the law at Mt. Sinai. A death sentence hung on any who came too close. Even Moses was terrified.

To the author of Hebrews, the law given this way had two important characteristics:

– First, it was God’s law, his very words, warning humans about sin and judgment.
– Second, the law was a revelation of God’s goodness. It gave his guidelines for a community to live together in love and justice, escaping the calamity of evil.

The author struggles with the question: Why did God’s law not produce the society he wanted? What made God’s project fail?

This search led the author of Hebrews to Christ, who he introduces as another word of God, saying, In these last days God has spoken to us by his son whom he loves, through whom he created the worlds (Heb 1:2).

Jesus, who is himself God’s word, gives a different message than the words spoken from Mt. Sinai. Hebrews says:

But you [who trust in Jesus] have come to Mount Zion,
to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem,
to thousands upon thousands of angels in joyful assembly,
to the church of the firstborn, whose names are written in heaven.
You have come to God, the Judge of all,
to the spirits of the righteous made perfect,
to Jesus the mediator of a new covenant,
to the sprinkled blood
that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel (vv. 22-24).

Yes, Jesus speaks a better word. He speaks to us not from gloom and tempest, but from a mountain of joy, a city of light, in the company of saints and angels. On this mountain, Jesus consecrates a new covenant, not founded on a legal system delivered in the terror of night, but given as a gift: his own life. On this mountain, gentle hope replaces overriding fear. Quiet confidence replaces the dread of making a misstep. Glad community replaces lonely angst.

Let’s pray.

Our father, all our lives we have done our duty, obeyed your law, kept your commands. We have lived in fear of judgment, anxious lest we should misstep or overstep or fall.

Today we come to Mount Zion,
to a joyful assembly of angels and saints,
to a savior who washes us clean
and teaches us to live out of love, not fear.
We walk with him on a path of glad obedience.

Establish our hearts on this mountain.

Amen.

I’m Daniel, on the channel “Pray with Me”.

YouTube channel: Pray with Me – YouTube

Ep.271: Psalm 133: Unity.

Hello, I’m Daniel Westfall on the channel “Pray with Me”.

Psalm 133 reads,
How good and how pleasant it is
when families live together in unity.
It is like precious oil poured on the head,. . .
running down on Aaron’s beard,
down the collar of his robe.
It is like the dew of Hermon
falling on Mount Zion.
For there the Lord bestows his blessing,
life forevermore (vv. 1-3).

What’s your take on the good life? In this psalm, the poet sees it as a family living together peacefully. They have a wider family, a community of faith that follows after God. Morning dew refreshes their land, bringing days of peace and nights of rest. God blesses the family and the community with his best gift: life forevermore.

Let’s pray.

Our father, how good it is when families live in unity. When they don’t permit differences in wealth or success or politics or vaccines to cause dissension. They may cheer for different hockey teams, but always for each other. Though some are liberal in their theology and politics and others conservative; still, they feast together at Thanksgiving and Christmas and love each other in between.

The goodness of unity is like the anointing oil running down the hair and beard of Aaron, a sign of peace and plenty. Perhaps in our day it is like standing in the shower, hot water massaging sore muscles, soap cleansing hair and body, the rhythm of the water soothing mind and heart. O God, wash us with the water of your word. Anoint us with the oil of your Spirit.

You respond to this unity of families and community by blessing their land, as morning dew refreshes the earth, the crops grow, and their world is at peace.

O God, we honor you and each other and creation. Bestow the blessing you promise, protect our temporary home in this world, and prepare our forever home with you. As the poet says,
The Lord bestows his blessing,
life forevermore (v. 3).

Amen.

I’m Daniel on the channel “Pray with Me”.

YouTube channel: Pray with Me – YouTube

Ep.270: Psalm 132: An Oath and an Oath.

Hello, I’m Daniel Westfall on the channel “Pray with Me”.

Psalm 132 is framed around two oaths: David’s oath to bring the Ark of the Covenant to Jerusalem, and God’s oath to create a dynasty of kings in David’s line.

First, David’s oath. Before David’s time as leader, the Israelites once took the Ark of the Covenant into battle against the Philistines, assuming God’s presence in the Ark would guarantee their victory. But oops, the Philistines captured the Ark and set it beside their gods in their temples. The Ark caused so much chaos and destruction everywhere they took it, that after seven months they sent it home to Israel.

When David became king, he wanted the Ark, which represented God’s throne on earth, to reign with him in Jerusalem. So he brought it from obscurity into the capital city, ushering in the glory years of Israel’s monarchy–years of peace and success under a strong shepherd-king and a faithful shepherd-God.

Psalm 132 tells us David swore an oath to bring the Ark to Jerusalem, and then he fulfilled that oath. Just as God honored the shepherd boy by raising him from distant fields to national prominence, so David honored God by bringing his throne, his ark, home where it belonged.

The psalm says God responded to David’s oath with an oath of his own: a promise that as long as David’s descendents kept the covenant with God, David’s dynasty would rule Israel.

Let’s pray.

Our father, our lives, unlike David’s, are obscure and inconsequential. Yet we have invited your son to rule us and your presence to go with us. We do not ask you to set up a dynasty for us as you did for David. But we hear the words of the poet,
The Lord has chosen Zion,
he has desired it for his dwelling.

We believe you are a God who desires a home on earth. We believe you call us, and your Spirit invites us to make ourselves your home. Take up residence in us and in our churches, conquer the strongholds of evil, renovate our hearts, make us into temples where you are pleased to dwell.

Amen.

I’m Daniel on the channel “Pray with Me”.

YouTube channel: Pray with Me – YouTube