Psalms 90, 91, 92, and 94: Faithful Uncertainty

READING THE BOOK OF PSALMS

PART LXII

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Psalms 90, 91, 92, and 94

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Reading these four psalms together, one may suffer theological whiplash easily.  Human existence is as transitory as the grass (90:5) yet God, who makes us at home safely defines the human situation (90:14-17).  We have a home with God (90:14-17). our refuge (91), who rescues us when a corrupt judicial system victimizes us (94).  Nevertheless, divine wrath consumes us and divine fury dismays us (90:7).  How are we supposed to interpret these texts, taken together, as well as individually?

I tread carefully in the realm of theodicy.  Attempts to defend theological orthodoxy, whether actual or imagined, easily and frequently produce monstrous depictions of God, portrayed as objectively unworthy of love, praise, and adoration.  Simply put, theodicy often degenerates into idiocy at best and into heresy at worst.  Furthermore, God requires no human defenses.  Therefore, I move on from theodicy expeditiously.

I can, however, acknowledge the range of human perceptions of God.  Yes, Psalm 90, by itself, gives me theological whiplash.  Yet I can handle that; human beings possess the capacity to hold mutually incompatible opinions simultaneously.  Also, two opinions which may seem to contradict each other may fit together in a both-and system.  God is…God, for lack of a better word.  If we think that we can grasp divinity fully, we delude ourselves.  We have a human frame of reference, the only frame of reference we can have.  Yet it is insufficient relative to God.  So, we do the best we can, in situations–never in the abstract.  Different circumstances produce different impressions.  And we struggle to make sense of these experiences and impressions.

That is fine.  God calls us to be faithful, not omniscient and certain.  God calls us to trust, and to act accordingly, especially in how we treat each other.  Somewhere in the fog of faithful uncertainty we may ponder the balance of divine judgment and mercy.  We may even find that balance confusing.  So be it.  We are dust, but we are God’s beloved dust.

KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR

FEBRUARY 5, 2023 COMMON ERA

THE FIFTH SUNDAY AFTER THE EPIPHANY, YEAR A

THE FEAST OF THE MARTYRS OF JAPAN, 1597-1639

THE FEAST OF SAINT AVITUS OF VIENNE, ROMAN CATHOLIC BISHOP

THE FEAST OF SAINT JANE (JOAN) OF VALOIS, CO-FOUNDER OF THE SISTERS OF THE ANNUNCIATION

THE FEAST OF PEDRO ARRUPE, ADVOCATE FOR THE POOR AND MARGINALIZED, AND SUPERIOR GENERAL OF THE SOCIETY OF JESUS

THE FEAST OF SAINTS PHILEAS AND PHILOROMUS, ROMAN CATHOLIC MARTYRS, 304

THE FEAST OF WILLIAM PENNEFATHER, CO-FOUNDER OF THE MILDMAY RELIGIOUS AND BENEVOLENT INSTITUTIONS

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