Archive for the ‘Psalm 7’ Category
I covered 150 psalms in 82 posts.
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Posted February 25, 2023 by neatnik2009 in Psalm 1, Psalm 10, Psalm 100, Psalm 101, Psalm 102, Psalm 103, Psalm 104, Psalm 105, Psalm 106, Psalm 107, Psalm 108, Psalm 109, Psalm 11, Psalm 110, Psalm 111, Psalm 112, Psalm 113, Psalm 114, Psalm 115, Psalm 116, Psalm 117, Psalm 118, Psalm 119, Psalm 12, Psalm 120, Psalm 121, Psalm 122, Psalm 123, Psalm 124, Psalm 125, Psalm 126, Psalm 127, Psalm 128, Psalm 129, Psalm 13, Psalm 130, Psalm 131, Psalm 132, Psalm 133, Psalm 134, Psalm 135, Psalm 136, Psalm 137, Psalm 138, Psalm 139, Psalm 14, Psalm 140, Psalm 141, Psalm 142, Psalm 143, Psalm 144, Psalm 145, Psalm 146, Psalm 147, Psalm 148, Psalm 149, Psalm 15, Psalm 150, Psalm 16, Psalm 17, Psalm 18, Psalm 19, Psalm 2, Psalm 20, Psalm 21, Psalm 22, Psalm 23, Psalm 24, Psalm 25, Psalm 26, Psalm 27, Psalm 28, Psalm 29, Psalm 3, Psalm 30, Psalm 31, Psalm 32, Psalm 33, Psalm 34, Psalm 35, Psalm 36, Psalm 37, Psalm 38, Psalm 39, Psalm 4, Psalm 40, Psalm 41, Psalm 42, Psalm 43, Psalm 44, Psalm 45, Psalm 46, Psalm 47, Psalm 48, Psalm 49, Psalm 5, Psalm 50, Psalm 51, Psalm 52, Psalm 53, Psalm 54, Psalm 55, Psalm 56, Psalm 57, Psalm 58, Psalm 59, Psalm 6, Psalm 60, Psalm 61, Psalm 62, Psalm 63, Psalm 64, Psalm 65, Psalm 66, Psalm 67, Psalm 68, Psalm 69, Psalm 7, Psalm 70, Psalm 71, Psalm 72, Psalm 73, Psalm 74, Psalm 75, Psalm 76, Psalm 77, Psalm 78, Psalm 79, Psalm 8, Psalm 80, Psalm 81, Psalm 82, Psalm 83, Psalm 84, Psalm 85, Psalm 86, Psalm 87, Psalm 88, Psalm 89, Psalm 9, Psalm 90, Psalm 91, Psalm 92, Psalm 93, Psalm 94, Psalm 95, Psalm 96, Psalm 97, Psalm 98, Psalm 99
READING THE BOOK OF PSALMS
PART VII
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Psalms 7 and 17
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Years ago, when I read and blogged my way through the Hebrew prophetic books, my main impression regarded how repetitive they were. I have begun to feel that way about the Book of Psalms.
Psalms 7 and 17, which I have grouped together because of their similarity to each other, repeat a theme we have already encountered in the Book of Psalms. An innocent person, beset by enemies, turns to God for vindication and deliverance. This vindication includes the foes’ wicked plans backfiring. Psalm 7 and Psalm 17 each conclude with an expression of praise to God.
Psalm 17 may have the more evocative conclusion of the two texts for this blog post. TANAKH: The Holy Scriptures (1985, 1999) offers:
Then I, justified, will behold Your face;
awake, I am filled with the vision of You.
Robert Alter’s translation reads:
As for me, in justice I behold Your face,
I take my fill, wide awake, of Your image.
The translation by Father Mitchell J. Dahood, S.J., reads:
At the vindication
I will gaze upon your face;
At the resurrection
I will be saturated with your being.
Reputable scholars dispute what 17:15 means. Dahood’s notes understand the verse to refer to the Final Judgment. In contrast, the germane note in The Jewish Study Bible, Second Edition (2014) argues that
the conception of a heavenly afterworld is absent from the [Jewish] Bible.
–1284
Furthermore, Alter’s note on 17:15 holds that the verse refers to a dream-vision in the wakeful state. And Artur Weiser notes that this theophany will empower the psalmist
to overcome all his afflictions, afflictions which are caused not only by his enemies, but also by his own troubled heart.
—The Psalms: A Commentary (1962), 182
I am accustomed to Dahood’s translations and analysis being outliers. However, outliers are not necessarily mistaken. Also, Dahood’s notes are extremely scholarly and replete with Hebrew and Ugaritic words.
The Hebrew word usually translated as “to fill” is semantically cognate with another Hebrew verb, which means “to be saturated, to drink one’s fill.” Therefore, Dahood concludes his translation of Pslam 17 with the put-upon psalmist anticipating being saturated with the divine being. The Hebrew text uses physically intimate imagery in Psalm 17; in most translations, the psalmist gazes into God’s face and beholds the divine form, as one lover does to another. That translation may be correct. It is consistent with Hebrew Biblical imagery of pious fidelity being like a marriage and idolatry being like adultery. Yet Dahood’s translation is even more intimate, for it states that God will saturate or fill up the psalmist, who gazes upon the divine face. The psalmist will metaphorically soak in God at some point. That sounds like intimate communion with God.
As I age, I find myself, much to my surprise, becoming more mystical. This alarms one member of my family; so be it. My spirituality is closer to Roman Catholicism and Eastern Orthodoxy than it is to the Reformed tradition. So, as I become more mystical, the more the metaphor of becoming saturated with God appeals to me. I cannot grasp why this translation sends my Presbyterian relative into a ballistic hissy fit, but it does. I perceive many of the creepy-crawlies that populate my dark side, which I conceal from most people. Yet I can never hide my dark side from God, who is far more forgiving than many people claim. I want to soak in God. I want to become saturated with God in this life and to remain that way in the next life. The Gospel of John defines eternal life as knowing God via Jesus. Johannine eternal life can begin in this life. And becoming saturated with God sounds like eternal life to me.
May you, O reader, become saturated with God, unless you have already done so.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
DECEMBER 13, 2022 COMMON ERA
THE SEVENTEENTH DAY OF ADVENT, YEAR A
THE FEAST OF SAMUEL JOHNSON, “THE GREAT MORALIST”
THE FEAST OF CHRISTIAN FURCHTEGOTT GELLERT, GERMAN LUTHERAN MINISTER, EDUCATOR, AND HYMN WRITER
THE FEAST OF ELLA J. BAKER, WITNESS FOR CIVIL RIGHTS
THE FEAST OF PAUL SPERATUS, GERMAN LUTHERAN BISHOP, LITURGIST, AND HYMN WRITER
THE FEAST OF PIERSON PARKER, U.S. CONGREGATIONALIST MINISTER, EPISCOPAL PRIEST, AND BIBLICAL SCHOLAR
THE FEAST OF R. BIRCH HOYLE, ENGLISH BAPTIST MINISTER AND HYMN TRANSLATOR
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Above: Icon of Abraham
Scan by Kenneth Randolph Taylor
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Blessed Lord, who caused all holy Scriptures to be written for our learning:
Grant us so to hear them, read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest them,
that we may embrace and ever hold fast the blessed hope of life,
which you have given us in our Savior Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns
with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
—The Book of Common Prayer (1979), page 236
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Ecclesiastes 5:1-7 or Ecclesiastes 6 or Ezekiel 33:1-11
Psalm 7:1, 11-18
Galatians 3:19-29
Matthew 5:21-37
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Words matter, for they have power. Today we read this in Ecclesiastes 5 and Matthew 5. We have a moral obligation to refrain from all abusive language (such as Raqa, in the context of the culture of Matthew 5) and evasive language purposefully devoid of meaning (such as clever oaths in Matthew 5).
Actions matter also. As much as God desires that the wicked repent, we mere mortals ought to seek reconciliation in disputes. Accomplishing this is not always possible, for reconciliation requires more than one conciliatory party. In such a case the desire to reconcile is laudable, at least.
The prayer from Psalm 7:9 that the wicked would cease to do harm and the reign of righteousness would begin is a timeless one. I pray it often, for that would be a welcome change of reality. Such a radical restructuring of the world requires an act of God, whose law Christ fulfills.
These admonitions can prove difficult to keep in one’s life. We cannot succeed by our own strength of will. Yes, our good intentions are laudable; God can work with them. Yet we require grace to succeed in this noble endeavor.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
MARCH 21, 2018 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF JOHANN SEBASTIAN BACH, CARL PHILIPP EMANUEL BACH, AND JOHANN CHRISTIAN BACH, COMPOSERS
THE FEAST OF SAINT NICHOLAS OF FLÜE AND HIS GRANDSON, SAINT CONRAD SCHEUBER, SWISS HERMITS
THE FEAST OF SAINT SERAPION OF THMUIS, ROMAN CATHOLIC BISHOP
THE FEAST OF WILLIAM EDWARD HICKSON, ENGLISH MUSIC EDUCATOR AND SOCIAL REFORMER
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Adapted from this post:
https://adventchristmasepiphany.wordpress.com/2018/03/21/devotion-for-the-sixth-sunday-after-the-epiphany-year-a-humes/
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Above: The Last Supper, by Leonardo da Vinci
Image in the Public Domain
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FOR MAUNDY THURSDAY, ACCORDING TO A LECTIONARY FOR PUBLIC WORSHIP IN THE BOOK OF WORSHIP FOR CHURCH AND HOME (1965)
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O God, who by the example of your Son our Savior Jesus Christ
has taught us the greatness of true humility,
and calls us to watch with him in his passion:
Give us grace to serve one another in all lowliness,
and to enter into the fellowship of his sufferings;
in his name and for his sake. Amen.
–Modernized from The Book of Worship for Church and Home (1965), page 101
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Exodus 12:1, 3, 6-8, 11, 14, 25-27
Psalm 7
1 Corinthians 11:23-26
Mark 14:17-25
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The annual Passover celebration is the commemoration of God’s act of liberating the Hebrew people from slavery in Egypt thousands of years ago. A diligent student of Biblical history should know that, int he time of Christ, these observances occurred under Roman occupation. Talk about awkward politics!
The author of Psalm 7 demonstrates great concern regarding his righteousness as well as that of God. Yes, individual actions matter, for they affect not only the one who commits them but other people, even if only indirectly. That said, divine righteousness is more important, for it is more constant than ours. In particular the righteousness of Jesus provides a model to emulate and a life to proclaim.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
DECEMBER 18, 2017 COMMON ERA
THE SIXTEENTH DAY OF ADVENT
THE FEAST OF MARC BOEGNER, ECUMENIST
THE FEAST OF SAINT GIULIA VALLE, ROMAN CATHOLIC NUN
THE FEAST OF SAINT ISAAC HECKER, FOUNDER OF THE MISSIONARY SOCIETY OF SAINT PAUL THE APOSTLE
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Scan by Kenneth Randolph Taylor
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The psalter of the Septuagint contains 151 psalms.
I have written based on all of them, in numerical order. I have retained the Hebrew numbering system, not that of the Septuagint.
Although I have no theological reticence to venture into textual territory that, according the United Methodism of my youth, is apocryphal, I do have limits. They reside in the realm of Orthodoxy, with its range of scriptural canons. Beyond that one finds the Pseudipigrapha. Psalm 151 concludes the Book of Psalms in The Orthodox Study Bible (2008); so be it.
The Hebrew psalter concludes with Psalm 150. In other psalters, however, the count is higher. In certain editions of the Septuagint, for example, Psalm 151 is an appendix to the Book of Psalms. In other editions of the Septuagint, however, Psalm 151 is an integrated part of the psalter. There is also the matter of the Syraic psalter, which goes as high as Psalm 155. I have no immediate plans to ponder Psalms 152-155, however. Neither do I plan to read and write about Psalms 156-160 any time soon, if ever.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
AUGUST 23, 2017 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF SAINTS MARTIN DE PORRES AND JUAN MACIAS, HUMANITARIANS AND DOMINICAN LAY BROTHERS; SAINT ROSE OF LIMA, HUMANITARIAN AND DOMINICAN SISTER; AND SAINT TURIBIUS OF MOGROVEJO, ROMAN CATHOLIC ARCHBISHOP OF LIMA
THE FEAST OF WILLIAM JOHN COPELAND, ANGLICAN PRIEST AND HYMN TRANSLATOR
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Book One: Psalms 1-41
Book Two: Psalms 42-72
Book Three: Psalms 73-89
Book Four: Psalms 90-106
Book Five: Psalms 107-150
Also in the Greek: Psalm 151
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Posted August 23, 2017 by neatnik2009 in Psalm 1, Psalm 10, Psalm 100, Psalm 101, Psalm 102, Psalm 103, Psalm 104, Psalm 105, Psalm 106, Psalm 107, Psalm 108, Psalm 109, Psalm 11, Psalm 110, Psalm 111, Psalm 112, Psalm 113, Psalm 114, Psalm 115, Psalm 116, Psalm 117, Psalm 118, Psalm 119, Psalm 12, Psalm 120, Psalm 121, Psalm 122, Psalm 123, Psalm 124, Psalm 125, Psalm 126, Psalm 127, Psalm 128, Psalm 129, Psalm 13, Psalm 130, Psalm 131, Psalm 132, Psalm 133, Psalm 134, Psalm 135, Psalm 136, Psalm 137, Psalm 138, Psalm 139, Psalm 14, Psalm 140, Psalm 141, Psalm 142, Psalm 143, Psalm 144, Psalm 145, Psalm 146, Psalm 147, Psalm 148, Psalm 149, Psalm 15, Psalm 150, Psalm 151, Psalm 16, Psalm 17, Psalm 18, Psalm 19, Psalm 2, Psalm 20, Psalm 21, Psalm 22, Psalm 23, Psalm 24, Psalm 25, Psalm 26, Psalm 27, Psalm 28, Psalm 29, Psalm 3, Psalm 30, Psalm 31, Psalm 32, Psalm 33, Psalm 34, Psalm 35, Psalm 36, Psalm 37, Psalm 38, Psalm 39, Psalm 4, Psalm 40, Psalm 41, Psalm 42, Psalm 43, Psalm 44, Psalm 45, Psalm 46, Psalm 47, Psalm 48, Psalm 49, Psalm 5, Psalm 50, Psalm 51, Psalm 52, Psalm 53, Psalm 54, Psalm 55, Psalm 56, Psalm 57, Psalm 58, Psalm 59, Psalm 6, Psalm 60, Psalm 61, Psalm 62, Psalm 63, Psalm 64, Psalm 65, Psalm 66, Psalm 67, Psalm 68, Psalm 69, Psalm 7, Psalm 70, Psalm 71, Psalm 72, Psalm 73, Psalm 74, Psalm 75, Psalm 76, Psalm 77, Psalm 78, Psalm 79, Psalm 8, Psalm 80, Psalm 81, Psalm 82, Psalm 83, Psalm 84, Psalm 85, Psalm 86, Psalm 87, Psalm 88, Psalm 89, Psalm 9, Psalm 90, Psalm 91, Psalm 92, Psalm 93, Psalm 94, Psalm 95, Psalm 96, Psalm 97, Psalm 98, Psalm 99
Above: Psalm 7
Image in the Public Domain
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POST II OF LX
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The Book of Common Prayer (1979) includes a plan for reading the Book of Psalms in morning and evening installments for 30 days. I am therefore blogging through the Psalms in 60 posts.
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Blessed Lord, who caused all holy Scriptures to be written for our learning:
Grant us so to hear them, read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest them,
that we may embrace and ever hold fast the blessed hope of everlasting life,
which you have given us in our Savior Jesus Christ;
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
—The Book of Common Prayer (1979), page 226
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This post covers two laments and a prayer extolling divine glory.
Psalms of lament interest me. A Psalmist, who is in a dire situation–illness in Psalm 6 and betrayal in Psalm 7–cries out to God, perhaps more out of desperation than confidence. After all, if God is as attentive as certain words in Psalms of lament might seem to indicate, why is the faithful Psalmist in such a pickle? One might detect a degree of sarcasm in some of the praises of God in Psalms of lament. That would be consistent with what many Jewish Biblical scholars have indicated. In Judaism, after all, people get to argue with God.
That is one reason I like Judaism so much. God, as Judaism understands God, is “big” enough to listen to my kvetching and to respond mercifully. This is good news indeed, I understand, for I argue with and complain to God frequently. Where else can I go?
One of the most basic contexts in which to read and interpret scripture is other scripture. Reading Psalms 6 and 7 together, one detects their common setting–grievance. Then one reads Psalm 8, in which we are, according to the Hebrew text yet not many English-language translations, only slightly lower than the gods (not the angels). Yet we remain insignificant compared to God, of whom we properly stand in awe, and who is merciful to the faithful. One should be humble–literally, down to earth–before God.
If our relationship to God is complicated, we should at least rejoice in the fact of the existence of a relationship. May it be a positive one.
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On a different topic, I applaud the late Father Mitchell J. Dahood for the vividness of his translation of the Book of Psalms. Consider, for example, O reader, Psalm 6:10 from The Book of Common Prayer (1979):
All my enemies shall be confronted and quake with fear;
they shall all turn back and suddenly be put to shame.
Then read Dahood’s rendering of that verse:
Let all my foes be humbled and greatly shaken,
let them return, be humbled in Perdition.
That is more expressive, is it not?
I recommend acquiring Dahood’s three volumes (from The Anchor Bible series) on the Book of Psalms and studying their contents.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
JULY 29, 2017 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF SAINTS MARY AND MARTHA OF BETHANY, FRIENDS OF JESUS
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Above: Cain and Abel
Image in the Public Domain
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Blessed Lord, who caused all holy Scriptures to be written for our learning:
Grant us so to hear them, read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest them,
that we may embrace and ever hold fast the blessed hope of life,
which you have given us in our Savior Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns
with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
—The Book of Common Prayer (1979), page 236
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Genesis 4:1-16
Psalm 7
Jude 8-13
Matthew 9:32-34
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In Psalm 7 the author seeks divine protection from enemies. In Genesis 4 Cain kill Abel. God exiles the murderer yet protects him.
Genesis 4, unlike a host of exegetes dating from antiquity to the present day, does not explain why God favored one sacrifice over the other. The story does, however, make clear the defective character of Cain, who acted out of, among other motivations, jealousy. Genesis 4:7 offers a vivid image of sin as, in the words of the Everett Fox translation, “a crouching demon” by an entrance. One has the option of not giving into temptation, of course, as the text tells us.
Jealousy leads to many sins, especially of one passion or another. Out of jealousy one might accuse an agent of God (Jesus, for example) of being in league with evil (as in Matthew 9:32-34). Jealousy can also lead to spiritual blindness, consciously or otherwise. Either way, one commits serious error.
May we, by grace, rule over the metaphorical demon of sin crouching by the door, waiting to ambush us.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
MAY 3, 2017 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF SAINT MARIE-LEONIE PARADIS, FOUNDER OF THE LITTLE SISTERS OF THE HOLY FAMILY
THE FEAST OF WILLIAM WHITING, HYMN WRITER
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Adapted from this post:
https://adventchristmasepiphany.wordpress.com/2017/05/03/devotion-for-the-eighth-sunday-after-the-epiphany-ackerman/
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This is post #500 of ADVENT, CHRISTMAS, AND EPIPHANY DEVOTIONS.
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Above: The Parable of the Sower
Image in the Public Domain
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The Collect:
Blessed Lord, who caused all holy Scriptures to be written for our learning:
Grant us so to hear them, read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest them,
that we may embrace and ever hold fast the blessed hope of life,
which you have given us in our Savior Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns
with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
—The Book of Common Prayer (1979), page 236
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The Assigned Readings:
Isaiah 6:(8) 9-13 or Ezekiel 17:22-24 or Daniel 4:1-37
Psalm 7
Matthew 14:10-17 (18-33) 34-35 or Mark 4:1-25 or Luke 8:4-25; 13:18-21
Ephesians 4:17-24 (26-32; 5:1-2) 3-7 or 2 Peter 2:1-22
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Your mind must be renewed by a spiritual revolution so that you can put on the new self that has been created in God’s way, in the goodness and holiness of the truth.
–Ephesians 4:23-24, The Jerusalem Bible (1966)
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Much of the content of the assigned readings, with their options, functions as commentary on that summary statement. To borrow a line from Rabbi Hillel, we ought to go and learn it.
The commission of (First) Isaiah might seem odd. Does the text indicate that God is commanding Isaiah to preach to the population but not to help them avoid the wrath of God? Or, as many rabbis have argued for a long time, should one read imperative verbs as future tense verbs and the troublesome passage therefore as a prediction? I prefer the second interpretation. Does not God prefer repentance among sinners? The pairing of this reading with the Parable of the Sower and its interpretation seems to reinforce this point. I recall some bad sermons on this parable, which is not about the sower. The sower did a bad job, I remember hearing certain homilists say. To fixate on the sower and his methodology is to miss the point. The name of the story should be the Parable of the Four Soils, a title I have read in commentaries. One should ask oneself,
What kind of soil am I?
Am I the rocky soil of King Zedekiah (in Ezekiel 17:11-21) or the fertile soil of the betrayed man in Psalm 7? A mustard seed might give rise to a large plant that shelters many varieties of wildlife, and therefore be like the Davidic dynastic tree in Ezekiel 17:22-24 and Nebuchadnezzar II in Daniel 4, but even a mustard seed needs good soil in which to begin the process of sprouting into that plant.
One might be bad soil for any one of a number of reasons. One might not care. One might be oblivious. One might be hostile. One might be distracted and too busy. Nevertheless, one is bad soil at one’s own peril.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
DECEMBER 16, 2016 COMMON ERA
THE TWENTIETH DAY OF ADVENT
THE FEAST OF GUSTAF AULEN, SWEDISH LUTHERAN THEOLOGIAN
THE FEAST OF SAINT FILIP SIPHONG ONPHITHAKT, ROMAN CATHOLIC CATECHIST AND MARTYR IN THAILAND
THE FEAST OF MAUDE DOMINICA PETRE, ROMAN CATHOLIC MODERNIST THEOLOGIAN
THE FEAST OF RALPH ADAMS CRAM AND RICHARD UPJOHN, ARCHITECTS; AND JOHN LAFARGE, SR., PAINTER AND STAINED GLASS MAKER
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Adapted from this post:
https://ordinarytimedevotions.wordpress.com/2016/12/16/devotion-for-proper-6-year-d/
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Above: Christ on the Cross, by Gerard David
Image in the Public Domain
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The Collect:
Blessed Lord, who caused all holy Scriptures to be written for our learning:
Grant us so to hear them, read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest them,
that we may embrace and ever hold fast the blessed hope of life,
which you have given us in our Savior Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns
with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
—The Book of Common Prayer (1979), page 236
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The Assigned Readings:
Numbers 10:33-36
Deuteronomy 10:11-12:1
Judges 5:1-31
Song of Songs 4:9-5:16
Isaiah 26:1-21
Psalms 7; 17; 44; 57 or 108; 119:145-176; 149
Matthew 7:1-23
Luke 7:36-8:3
Matthew 27:62-66
1 Corinthians 15:27-34 (35-38) 39-41 (42-58)
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In Luke 7:38 the former Gerasene demoniac, recently healed by Jesus, seeks to follow Jesus physically. Our Lord and Savior has other plans, however. He sends the man away with these instructions:
Go back home and report all that God has done for you.
–Luke 7:39a, The Jerusalem Bible (1966)
The text informs us that the man obeyed Jesus.
The theme of the Great Vigil of Easter, as evident in assigned readings, is salvation history. In Hebrew thought God is like what God has done–for groups as well as individuals. The responsibility of those whom God has blessed is to proclaim by words and deeds what God has done–to function as vehicles of grace and to glorify God. Salvation history is important to understand. So is knowing that salvation is an ongoing process.
Happy Easter!
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
OCTOBER 10, 2016 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF JOHANN NITSCHMANN, SR., MORAVIAN MISSIONARY AND BISHOP; DAVID NITSCHMANN, JR., THE SYNDIC, MORAVIAN MISSIONARY BISHOP; AND DAVID NITSCHMANN, THE MARTYR, MORAVIAN MISSIONARY AND MARTYR
THE FEAST OF CECIL FRANCES ALEXANDER, POET AND HYMN WRITER
THE FEAST OF CHRISTIAN LUDWIG BRAU, NORWEGIAN MORAVIAN TEACHER AND POET
THE FEAST OF SAINTS JOHN LEONARDI, FOUNDER OF THE CLERKS REGULAR OF THE MOTHER OF GOD OF LUCCA; AND JOSEPH CALASANCTIUS, FOUNDER OF THE CLERKS REGULAR OF RELIGIOUS SCHOOLS
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Adapted from this post:
https://lenteaster.wordpress.com/2016/10/10/devotion-for-the-great-vigil-of-easter-year-d/
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Above: The Triumph of Mordecai, by Pieter Lastman
Image in the Public Domain
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The Collect:
God of power and might, your Son shows us the way of service,
and in him we inherit the riches of your grace.
Give us the wisdom to know what is right and
the strength to serve the world you have made,
through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen.
–Evangelical Lutheran Worship (2006), page 53
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The Assigned Readings:
Esther 8:3-17
Psalm 7
Revelation 19:1-9
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Let the malice of the wicked come to an end,
but establish the righteous;
for you test the mind and heart, O righteous God.
–Psalm 7:10, The Book of Common Prayer (1979)
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Haman’s plot to kill the Jews fails in Esther 7. Haman dies by impaling–the means of death he had planned for Mordecai. King Ahasuerus bestows Haman’s property upon Queen Esther and grants Mordecai and Esther the authority to countermand the order to kill the Jews. Then, in Chapter 9, Jews massacre their enemies, numbered in the tens of thousands. Ahasuerus becomes a monarch who does not sanction genocide and Mordecai receives a major promotion.
In Revelation much rejoicing in Heaven follows the fall of Rome, for God has avenged those whom the empire had victimized.
Many of psalms contain prayers for vindication. Esther 9 and Revelation 19 reflect the same desire. I recall also an episode of Hunter (1984-1991) I watched on DVD recently. A stereotypically White trash criminal, upon learning of the death of his wife, prays in one scene for the aid of Jesus in killing the man who took her life.
The desire for vindication is a natural and predictable one. Indeed, I know it well. Yet I know also that there would be less violence and more peace in the world if fewer people sought vindication and left that matter to God.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
SEPTEMBER 8, 2014 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF SHEPHERD KNAPP, U.S. CONGREGATIONALIST MINISTER AND HYMN WRITER
THE FEAST OF SAINTS JOHN DUCKETT AND RALPH CORBY, ROMAN CATHOLIC PRIESTS AND MARTYRS IN ENGLAND
THE FEAST OF NIKOLAI GRUNDTVIG, HYMN WRITER
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Adapted from this post:
http://ordinarytimedevotions.wordpress.com/2014/09/08/devotion-for-tuesday-after-proper-29-year-a-elca-daily-lectionary/
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BLOGA THEOLOGICA 
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