Archive for the ‘Psalm 73’ 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 XLVI
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Psalms 63 and 73
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Psalms 63 and 73 are similar to each other; they express faith in God, come from circumstances of affliction, and insist that the wicked will reap what they have sown.
The dubious superscription of Psalm 63 links the text to a time when David was hiding in the wilderness of Judah and people were trying to kill him. This may refer to a portion of the reign of King Saul. Alternatively, Absalom’s rebellion works as a context for the superscription. Yet the psalm is a general lament from someone in mortal danger from human beings. And who is the king in the last verse? Is the king God or a mortal? Is this verse original to Psalm 63? Your guesses are as good as mine, O reader.
The superscription of Psalm 73 attributes the text to Asaph, a Levite and the choir director at the Temple in Jerusalem. I do know if this attribution is historically accurate. That question may be irrelevant anyway. For your information, O reader, the Asaph psalms are numbers 50, 73, 74, 75, 76, 77, 79, 80, 81, 82, and 83.
The psalmist–perhaps Asaph–notices how many wicked people flourish. He reports having doubted the purpose of remaining faithful until he visited the Temple. The psalmist concludes that God will remain faithful to the pious and that the wicked will go to destruction. This is mostly repetitive from other psalms, so I need not delve into that territory again, in this post.
Instead, I focus on the positive influence of religious institutions and congregations. Rugged individualism is not a spiritual virtue. We all rely upon God and each other. We need faith community to teach and support us in paths of God. This is why toxic faith and abusive and hateful religious institutions are so harmful; they drive people away from God and damage those whom they deceive. Many people project their bigotry and spiritual blindness onto God. In so doing, they create a mockery of religion that violates the Golden Rule. Yet positive, loving faith community embraces the Golden Rule.
If God has created us in his image, we have returned him the favor.
–François-Marie Arouet, a.k.a. Voltaire (1694-1778)
I, as an Anglican-Lutheran-Catholic Episcopalian with liberal tendencies in South Georgia, U.S.A., belong to a visible minority. I may belong to the one congregation in my county where I can speak my mind theologically without prompting either (a) concerns that I may be a damned heretic, or (b) certainty of that opinion, with (c) suspicions that I am too Catholic, tacked onto either (a) or (b). The growing influence of Eastern Orthodox spirituality within me places me more out of step with most of my neighbors and renders me more alien to the spirituality of the majority of nearby congregations. Certainly, I belong to the one congregation in my county I can feel comfortable joining. If I were a Low Church Protestant with liberal tendencies, I could choose from a handful of congregations. So, given my spiritual and religious reality, I understand the importance of faith community. My congregation, which helps to keep me grounded spiritually, is precious to me.
We human beings are social creatures. Even I, an introvert, am a social being. My personality type does not exempt me from evolutionary psychology. Faith is simultaneously individual and communal. Individual faith exists within the framework of a community. The two forms of faith interact. So, a solo person who claims to be “spiritual but not religious” pursues a nebulous path to nowhere.
May we, by grace, understand how much we rely on God and each other. Then may we act accordingly.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
JANUARY 20, 2023 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF SAINT FABIAN, BISHOP OF ROME, AND MARTYR, 250
THE FEAST OF SAINTS EUTHYMIUS THE GREAT AND THEOCTISTUS, ROMAN CATHOLIC ABBOTS
THE FEAST OF GREVILLE PHILLIMORE, ENGLISH PRIEST, HYMN WRITER, AND HYMN TRANSLATOR
THE FEAST OF HAROLD A. BOSLEY, UNITED METHODIST MINISTER AND BIBLICAL SCHOLAR
THE FEAST OF HARRIET AUBER, ANGLICAN HYMN WRITER
THE FEAST OF RICHARD ROLLE, ENGLISH ROMAN CATHOLIC SPIRITUAL WRITER
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Above: Ezra Preaches the Law
Image in the Public Domain
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READING 2 KINGS 22-25, 1 ESDRAS, 2 CHRONICLES 34-36, EZRA, AND NEHEMIAH
PART XXIII
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1 Esdras 9:37-55
Nehemiah 7:73b-9:37
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I was stupid and had no understanding;
I was like a brute beast in your presence.
Yet I am always with you;
you hold me by my right hand.
You will guide me by your counsel,
and afterwards receive me with glory.
–Psalm 73:22-24, The Book of Common Prayer (1979)
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Reading Ezra and Nehemiah in chronological order requires one to follow a chart. I am following the reading arrangement from The New Oxford Annotated Bible and adding parallel passages from 1 Esdras to the mix. Nehemiah 7:73b-9:37 follows Ezra 7:1-10:44 chronologically. The narrative of Nehemiah concludes before the book does. That fact is potentially confusing.
Remorse precedes and makes possible repentance. Yet, as we read in Nehemiah 8:9-12 and 1 Esdras 9:30-55, one must not wallow in remorse. No, repentance; God forgives the penitent. One should find inspiration in repentance, the new beginning has arrived.
1 Esdras concludes:
And they came together.
The penitent, returned exiles, having repented and having become inspired by the words of the Law of Moses and of Ezra and the Levites, came together. The people started over together, as a community of faith. They were in it together.
Here ends this series of posts.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
AUGUST 11, 2020 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF SAINT GREGORY THAUMATURGUS, ROMAN CATHOLIC OF NEOCAESAREA; AND ALEXANDER OF COMONA, “THE CHARCOAL BURNER,” ROMAN CATHOLIC MARTYR, 252, AND BISHOP OF COMANA, PONTUS
THE FEAST OF SAINT EQUITIUS OF VALERIA, BENEDICTINE ABBOT AND FOUNDER OF MONASTERIES
THE FEAST OF MATTHIAS LOY, U.S. LUTHERAN MINISTER, EDUCATOR, HYMN WRITER, AND HYMN TRANSLATOR’ AND CONRAD HERMANN LOUIS SCHUETTE, GERMAN-AMERICAN LUTHERAN MINISTER, EDUCATOR, HYMN WRITER, AND HYMN TRANSLATOR
THE FEAST OF SAINT MAURICE TORNAY, SWISS ROMAN CATHOLIC PRIEST, MISSIONARY TO TIBET, AND MARTYR, 1949
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Above: Ocean Waves
Image in the Public Domain
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For the Thirteenth Sunday after Trinity, Year 1
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Lectionary from A Book of Worship for Free Churches (The General Council of the Congregational Christian Churches in the United States, 1948)
Collect from The Book of Worship (Evangelical and Reformed Church, 1947)
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Almighty and Everlasting God, give unto us the increase of faith, hope, and charity;
and that we may obtain that which thou dost promise,
make us to love that which thou dost command;
through Jesus Christ, thy Son, our Lord. Amen.
—The Book of Worship (1947), 208
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Micah 7
Psalm 73
Galatians 3:15-22
Matthew 7:7-14
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For the umpteenth time, divine judgment and mercy exist in balance. This theme exists in all four readings for today. I cannot, in good conscience, agree with the Psalmist toward the end of Psalm 73.
Annihilate everyone who deserts you.
No, I pray that they will return to God and remain. Yet I know that not all will. Not all people will find the hard road that leads to life, having departed from it, return to it.
Galatians 3:15-22 exists in the immediate textual context of Galatians 3:14:
The purpose of this was that the blessing of Abraham should in Jesus Christ be extended to the Gentiles, so that we might receive the promised Spirit through faith.
—The Revised English Bible (1989)
Trust in God, we read in Micah 7. Trust in God as the Kingdom of Judah crumbles and one’s society falls apart. Trust in God while suffering the consequences of one’s sins. Trust in God, whose forgiveness and graciousness last longer than wrath. The poetic image of God hurling sins into the depths of the sea is quite comforting.
After all, annihilation need not be inevitable. God seeks all people, but not all people seek God.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
APRIL 24, 2020 COMMON ERA
GENOCIDE REMEMBRANCE
THE FEAST OF SAINT EGBERT OF LINDISFARNE, ROMAN CATHOLIC MONK; AND SAINT ADALBERT OF EGMONT, ROMAN CATHOLIC MISSIONARY
THE FEAST OF SAINT FIDELIS OF SIGMARINGEN, CAPUCHIN FRIAR AND MARTYR, 1622
THE FEAST OF JOHANN WALTER, “FIRST CANTOR OF THE LUTHERAN CHURCH”
THE FEAST OF SAINT MELLITUS, BISHOP OF LONDON, AND ARCHBISHOP OF CANTERBURY
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Above: Icon of Jesus Cursing the Fig Tree
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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Numbers 14:1-27 or Malachi 1:1; 2:1-10
Psalm 73:12, 15-23
Hebrews 12:1-9, 22-24, 28-29
Mark 11:12-33
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What is the chief and highest end of man?
Man’s chief and highest end is to glorify God, and fully to enjoy him forever.
–The Westminster Larger Catechism, quoted in Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), The Book of Confessions (2007), 195
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We read of the opposite behavior in today’s readings, with pious material in Psalm 73, if one consults the complete text. Priests are supposed to lead people to God. A fig tree is supposed to show evidence of figs in development outside of fig season. People are supposed to trust God, especially after witnessing dramatic, mighty divine deeds and manifestations.
The two-part story of the cursed fig tree bookends the Temple Incident, as scholars of the New Testament like to call the Cleansing of the Temple. The literary-theological effect of this arrangement of material is to comment on corruption at the Temple just a few days prior to the crucifixion of Jesus. One does well to apply the condemnation to corruption anywhere.
Perhaps we usually think of punishment as something we do not want. This makes sense. In legal systems, for example, probation, fines, and incarceration are forms of punishment. Parents sometimes punish children by grounding them. However, the punishment of which we read in Numbers 14 (comprehension of which depends on having read Chapter 13) was to give the the fearful, faithless people what they wanted–never to enter the Promised Land. As an old saying tells us, we ought to be careful what we wish for because we may get it.
What do we really want and what do we really need? May God grant us what we really need. May we be grateful for it.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
JULY 27, 2019 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF BROOKE FOSS WESTCOTT, ANGLICAN SCHOLAR, BIBLE TRANSLATOR, AND BISHOP OF DURHAM; AND FENTON JOHN ANTHONY HORT, ANGLICAN PRIEST AND SCHOLAR
THE FEAST OF CHRISTIAN HENRY BATEMAN, ANGLICAN PRIEST AND HYMN WRITER
THE FEAST OF JOHAN NORDAHL BRUN, NORWEGIAN LUTHERAN BISHOP, AUTHOR, AND HYMN WRITER
THE FEAST OF WILLIAM REED HUNTINGTON, EPISCOPAL PRIEST AND RENEWER OF THE CHURCH; AND HIS GRANDSON, WILLIAM REED HUNTINGTON, U.S. ARCHITECT AND QUAKER PEACE ACTIVIST
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Adapted from this post:
https://ordinarytimedevotions.wordpress.com/2019/07/27/devotion-for-proper-27-year-b-humes/
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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
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POST XXVIII 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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One of the themes of Psalm 72 is that a monarch is responsible for establishing and maintaining economic and social justice in the realm. We know from the Hebrew Bible that all but a few Kings of Israel and Judah failed in this matter and many did not even try to succeed in it. Psalm 73 is a fine companion piece to Psalm 72. The author of Psalm 73 struggles with the question of why justice persists and many of the wicked prosper while righteous suffer. Why does God permit this to occur? The psalmist concludes that there is an ultimate divine justice we mere mortals do not witness. That might provide some psychological comfort, but it does not solve problems in this life.
Speaking of injustice, we know that the Chaldean/Neo-Babylonian Empire was brutal and that violence was one of its foundations. Psalm 74, from the Babylonian Exile, is a national lament. The theology of the Babylonian Exile, according to the Hebrew Bible, in its final form, is that longterm, national disobedience to the Law of Moses, as evidenced by idolatry and disregard for the mandate of economic justice, contributed greatly to the downfall of the Kingdom of Judah. The author of Psalm 74, recognizing national sins, asks,
How long?
Then he asks God to end the exile.
How long?
is a valid question. How long will many of the evil continue to prosper? How long will institutionalized social injustice persist? How long will God seem to turn a blind eye to all this social injustice? How long will the population suffer the consequences of collective action and inaction that violates God’s law? How long until we learn our lessons? How long until the wicked who refuse to repent meet with divine justice?
How long, indeed?
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
AUGUST 12, 2017 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF THADDEUS STEVENS, U.S. ABOLITIONIST, CONGRESSMAN, AND WITNESS FOR CIVIL RIGHTS
THE FEAST OF SARAH FLOWER ADAMS, ENGLISH UNITARIAN HYMN WRITER; AND HER SISTER, ELIZA FLOWER, ENGLISH UNITARIAN COMPOSER
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Above: John the Baptist in Prison, by Josef Anton Hafner
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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Exodus 25:1-40
Psalm 73
Matthew 11:1 (2-11) 12-15 (16-19) 20-24 (25-30) or Luke 7:18-35
Hebrews 8:1-13
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But for me it is good to be near God;
I have made the Lord GOD my refuge,
to tell of all your works.
–Psalm 73:28, The New Revised Standard Version (1989)
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Hebrews 8 speaks of an internalized covenant, the law written on human hearts. This is an echo of Jeremiah 31:31-34. It is a covenant not written on the hearts of certain Pharisees and scribes in Luke 7. When one reads the entirety of Luke 7 one realizes that the Pharisees and scribes in question were guilty of obsessing over minor details while twisting the law to accept financial donations that impoverished innocent third parties. Thus these particular religious people were guilty of violating the principle of the Law of Moses that prohibits economic exploitation. One also learns that a Gentile woman had the covenant written on her heart. Likewise, those who criticized St. John the Baptist for his asceticism and Jesus for eating and drinking were seeking excuses to condemn others. They did not have the covenant written on their hearts.
There is no fault in maintaining sacred spaces and beautiful rituals. We mere mortals need sacred spaces that differ from other spaces and rituals that inspire our souls. Good liturgy should make us better people. It if does not, the fault is with us. May it inspire us to recognize and serve God in each other. May good liturgy, in conjunction with the covenant written on our hearts, help us find ways to act as effectively on divine principles, for the maximum benefit to others and the greatest possible glory to God. May we refrain from carping language that tears others down and seek ways to build them up, for we are stronger together in the body of faith.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
SEPTEMBER 1, 2016 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF SUNDAR SINGH, INDIAN CHRISTIAN EVANGELIST
THE FEAST OF DAVID PENDLETON OAKERHATER, EPISCOPAL DEACON
THE FEAST OF SAINT FIACRE, ROMAN CATHOLIC HERMIT
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Adapted from this post:
https://adventchristmasepiphany.wordpress.com/2016/09/01/devotion-for-the-second-sunday-of-christmas-year-d/
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Above: God Speaking to Job, by William Blake
Image in the Public Domain
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The Collect:
O God, overflowing with mercy and compassion,
you lead back to yourself all those who go astray.
Preserve your people in your loving care,
that we may reject whatever is contrary to you
and may follow all things that sustain our life in
your Son, Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen.
—Evangelical Lutheran Worship (2006), page 47
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The Assigned Readings:
Job 40:6-14; 42:1-6
Psalm 73
Luke 22:31-33, 54-62
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When I tried to understand these things it was too hard for me….
–Psalm 73:16, The Book of Common Prayer (1979)
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We know why the titular character of the Book of Job suffered; a heavenly wager between God and his loyalty tester (the Satan) occurred in Chapters 1 and 2. Alleged friends tormented Job by insisting (piously, from their perspective) that, since God is just, God does not permit the innocent to suffer, so Job must have sinned and therefore deserves his suffering and needs to confess and repent of his sins. “For what?” Job replied repeatedly. Along the way, from the point of view of the Book of Job, with its layers of authorship, Job and his alleged friends committed the same error; they presumed to know how God does and should work.
Jesus was about to suffer and die in Luke 22. The cause of that suffering was not anything he had done wrong in the eyes of God. Some years ago I heard Donald S. Armentrout advise reading the rest of the Bible through the lenses of the four Gospels. He likened the Gospels to eyeglasses–the Gospel glasses. From that point of view the suffering of Jesus has, among other things, reinforced the Book of Job in its refutation of Job’s alleged friends.
The caution against presuming to know more about God than we do remains also. Humility before God is a virtue, is it not?
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
MAY 19, 2016 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF SAINT ANDREW BOBOLA, JESUIT MARTYR
THE FEAST OF SAINT DUNSTAN OF CANTERBURY, ABBOT OF GLASTONBURY AND ARCHBISHOP OF CANTERBURY
THE FEAST OF SAINT IVO OF CHARTRES, ROMAN CATHOLIC BISHOP
THE FEAST OF SAINT IVO OF KERMARTIN, ROMAN CATHOLIC PRIEST AND ADVOCATE OF THE POOR
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Adapted from this post:
https://ordinarytimedevotions.wordpress.com/2016/05/19/devotion-for-wednesday-after-proper-19-year-c-elca-daily-lectionary/
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Above: Jonah Preaching to the Ninevites, by Gustave Dore
Image in the Public Domain
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The Collect:
O God, overflowing with mercy and compassion,
you lead back to yourself all those who go astray.
Preserve your people in your loving care,
that we may reject whatever is contrary to you
and may follow all things that sustain our life in
your Son, Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen.
—Evangelical Lutheran Worship (2006), page 47
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The Assigned Readings:
Jonah 3:1-10
Psalm 73
2 Peter 3:8-13
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When my mind became embittered,
I was sorely wounded in my heart.
–Psalm 73:21, The Book of Common Prayer (1979)
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To alter a familiar quote slightly, I have resembled that remark. So did the authors of many of the Psalms, such as number 137:
Remember the day of Jerusalem, O LORD, against the people of Edom,
who said, “Down with it! down with it! even to the ground!”
O Daughter of Babylon, doomed to destruction,
happy the one who pays you back for what you have done to us!
Happy shall he be who takes your little ones,
and dashes them against the rock!
–Psalm 137:7-9, The Book of Common Prayer (1979)
That remark from Psalm 73 also described Jonah, a fictional and satirical character who wanted to see the great enemy of his nation destroyed by God, not to repent–to turn around, literally. (Read Chapters 1 and 2.) He was the most reluctant of prophets. Jonah did not understand that, in the words of 2 Peter 3:9b,
It is not his [God’s] will that any should be lost, but that all should come to repentance.
—The Revised English Bible (1989)
The rest of the story is that Jonah completed his mission successfully, against his will and to his consternation. (Read Chapter 4.) He went off to sulk and became fond of a plant that provided shade. God killed the plant, making Jonah even more unhappy. Then God chastised him for caring about the plant yet not the people of Nineveh.
That is how the book ends–on an ambiguous note. The story invites us to ask ourselves if we are like Jonah and tells us, if we are, to repent. Not all of us will, unfortunately, but at least we have the opportunity to do so. That is evidence of grace.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
MAY 19, 2016 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF SAINT ANDREW BOBOLA, JESUIT MARTYR
THE FEAST OF SAINT DUNSTAN OF CANTERBURY, ABBOT OF GLASTONBURY AND ARCHBISHOP OF CANTERBURY
THE FEAST OF SAINT IVO OF CHARTRES, ROMAN CATHOLIC BISHOP
THE FEAST OF SAINT IVO OF KERMARTIN, ROMAN CATHOLIC PRIEST AND ADVOCATE OF THE POOR
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Adapted from this post:
https://ordinarytimedevotions.wordpress.com/2016/05/19/devotion-for-tuesday-after-proper-19-year-c-elca-daily-lectionary/
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BLOGA THEOLOGICA 
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