Archive for the ‘Psalm 82’ 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 LVI
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Psalm 82
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Psalm 82 is a timeless text containing a linguistic fossil of abandoned Jewish polytheism. So, “the gods” or “the divine beings” (depending upon translation), formerly members of the divine council, are the elohim, literally. They are demoted deities in the text. “God” is also elohim, literally. One elohim condemns the other elohim in Hebrew wordplay.
The demoted elohim have failed to administer the earth justly. They have judged dishonestly/perversely (depending upon translation) and favored the wicked. The demoted elohim have failed to grant justice to the poor, the orphaned, the lowly, and the wretched. Therefore, God has condemned the demoted elohim to mortality. And God, who is sovereign, is alone the true and just judge. God is universal; the gods of the other peoples are not the masters of their allegedly patron nations.
Arise, O God, judge the earth,
for You hold in estate all the nations.
–Psalm 82:8, Robert Alter
The echo of Jewish polytheism, which took centuries to purge from the faith, does not surprise me. The Bible speaks of this topic elsewhere–in prophetic writings, especially. Archaeology also confirms it. Yet I am not content to read Psalm 82 only on this level. The ancient text contains a message for today, regardless of variations in circumstances.
Who are our elohim? Who are those who are supposed to administer injustice yet do not? Who are those who judge dishonestly and favor the wicked? Who are those who deny justice of the poor, the orphans, the lowly, and the wretched? Who are those who exploit others? Those are our elohim.
Psalm 82 tells them:
Yet indeed like humans you shall die,
and like one of the princes, fall.
–Verse 7, Robert Alter
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
JANUARY 30, 2023 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF LESSLIE NEWBIGIN, ENGLISH REFORMED MISSIONARY AND THEOLOGIAN
THE FEAST OF SAINT BATHILDAS, QUEEN OF FRANCE
THE FEAST OF SAINT DAVID GALVÁN BERMÚDEZ, MEXICAN ROMAN CATHOLIC PRIEST AND MARTYR IN MEXICO, 1915
THE FEAST OF FREDERICK OAKELEY, ANGLICAN THEN ROMAN CATHOLIC PRIEST
THE FEAST OF SAINTS GENESIUS I OF CLERMONT AND PRAEJECTUS OF CLERMONT, ROMAN CATHOLIC BISHOPS; AND SAINT AMARIN, ROMAN CATHOLIC ABBOT
THE FEAST OF SAINT JACQUES BUNOL, FRENCH ROMAN CATHOLIC PRIEST AND MARTYR, 1945
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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: King Josiah
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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2 Chronicles 34 or Joshua 23 (portions)
Psalm 82
Ephesians 5:21-33
Luke 6:27-42
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The faithfulness of God calls for faithfulness to God. We humans, living in communities, have a moral obligation to obey the lofty principles in the Law of Moses, as in Leviticus 18:
- We are responsible to each other.
- We are responsible for each other.
- We depend entirely on God.
- We depend on each other.
- We have no right to exploit each other.
To act on these principles is to behave in a way consistent with righteousness/justice (the same word in the Bible).
We have some difficult readings this week. “Do I have to love my enemies?” “But I enjoy judging people without (much, if any) evidence!” These are responses with which all of us can identify. Hopefully, we have progressed in our spiritual pilgrimages in Christ. Ephesians 5 and 6 contain some really chair-squirming material regarding husbands, wives, masters, and slaves. I do not excuse that which I consider inexcusable. I reject all forms of slavery at all times and in all places. I also affirm gender equality. Furthermore, I contextualize those passages within the epistle.
Be subject to one another out of reverence for Christ.
–Ephesians 5:21, The Revised English Bible (1989)
That verse exists within the context of Ephesians 4:25:
Then have done with falsehood and speak the truth to each other, for we belong to one another as parts of one body.
Regardless of one’s cultural context, if one treats others according to that context, one will do well. Likewise, a society with norms that encourage that principle has much to commend it.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
MARCH 21, 2020 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF JOHANN SEBASTIAN BACH, CARL PHILIPP EMANUEL BACH, AND JOHANN CHRISTIAN BACH, COMPOSERS
THE FEAST OF JOHN S. STAMM, BISHOP OF THE EVANGELICAL CHURCH THEN THE EVANGELICAL UNITED BRETHREN CHURCH
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 UMPHREY LEE, U.S. METHODIST MINISTER AND MINISTER OF SOUTHERN METHODIST UNIVERSITY
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Adapted from this post:
https://adventchristmasepiphany.wordpress.com/2020/03/21/devotion-for-the-eighth-sunday-after-the-epiphany-year-c-humes/
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https://ordinarytimedevotions.wordpress.com/2020/03/21/devotion-for-proper-6-year-c-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 XXXII 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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Show us, O LORD, Your faithfulness;
grant us your deliverance.
–Psalm 85:8, TANAKH: The Holy Scriptures (1985)
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Show us, O Yahweh, your kindness,
and give us your prosperity.
–Psalm 85:8, Mitchell J. Dahood translation
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Show us your steadfast love, O LORD,
and grant us your salvation.
–Psalm 85:7, The New Revised Standard Version (1989)
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LORD, show us your love
and grant us your deliverance.
–Psalm 85:7, The Revised English Bible (1989)
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The act of comparing translations can yield much. For example, the Hebrew word hesed can mean “faithfulness,” “kindness,” “love,” and “steadfast love.” Likewise, another Hebrew word can mean “deliverance,” “salvation,” and “prosperity.” In the context of Psalm 85 it is deliverance from the Babylonian Exile and prosperity that only God can provide. Related to these matters is the fact that “righteousness” and “justice” are the same in the Bible. I bring up this point because of Psalm 82, which tells us that God’s justice is universal.
The author of Psalm 83 assumes that enemies of ancient Israel are automatically enemies of God also. Thus he has no hesitation to ask God to smite them. Yet, as we read in Psalm 81, God has enemies in ancient Israel also. Furthermore, a recurring theme in the Hebrew Bible is the faithfulness of certain Gentiles, including the prostitute Rahab and her family (Joshua 2 and 6) and the Aramean general Naaman (2 Kings 5), both from national enemies. In the Book of Jonah, a work of satirical fiction from the post-Babylonian Exilic period, God recognizes the possibility that enemies of ancient Israel will repent and desires that they do so. Reality is more complicated than the author of Psalm 83, in his understandable grief and anger, perceives it to be.
A faithful response to God includes both gratitude and obedience. This segue brings me to Psalm 84, my favorite psalm, one which Johannes Brahms set to music gloriously in A German Requiem. The psalmist writes as a pilgrim to the Temple at Jerusalem. He approaches the Presence of God humbly and filled with awe. The author delights to be in the Presence of God, which he understands to exist physically (via the Ark of the Covenant) at the Temple.
If Rahab and her family could become part of Israel, surely divine judgment and mercy crossed national barriers in antiquity. If the Gentile Ruth could become the grandmother of David, YHWH was never just a national deity. If the alien Naaman could recognize the power of YHWH, there was an opening to Gentiles at the time of the divided monarchy.
If divine justice is universal, as I affirm, we will do well to cease imagining that God is on our side and strive instead to be on God’s side. We can succeed, by grace.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
AUGUST 14, 2017 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF WILLIAM CROFT, ANGLICAN ORGANIST AND COMPOSER
THE FEAST OF JONATHAN MYRICK DANIELS, EPISCOPAL SEMINARIAN AND MARTYR
THE FEAST OF MATTHIAS CLAUDIUS, GERMAN LUTHERAN WRITER
THE FEAST OF SAINT MAXIMILIAN KOLBE, ROMAN CATHOLIC PRIEST AND MARTYR
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Above: Moses
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 11:1-30 or Isaiah 45:14-25 or Jeremiah 4:19-31 or Zechariah 8:1-23
Psalm 68:11-31 (32-35) or Psalm 120 or Psalm 82
John 10:19-21 (22-30) 31-42
1 Corinthians 14:1-40
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The assigned readings, taken together, present a balanced picture of divine judgment and mercy. Sometimes God’s judgment on one group is in the service of mercy on another group. And, as much as God is angry with the Israelites in Numbers 11, He still provides manna to them and advises Moses to share his burden with 70 elders. Judgment is dominant in Jeremiah 4, but mercy rules in Zechariah 8.
1 Corinthians 14, sexism aside, offers the timeless principle that all people do in the context of worship should build up the faith community.
As for the “Prelude to the Passion” part of this post, we turn to John 10. Jesus survives an attempt to arrest (then execute) him for committing blasphemy, per Leviticus 24:10-16. He was innocent of the charge, of course. The story, however, does establish that Jesus kept avoiding death traps prior to Holy Week.
A point worth pondering is that the accusers of Jesus in John 10 were most likely sincere. This should prompt us who read the account today to ask ourselves how often we are sincerely wrong while attempting to follow the laws of God. Those who oppose God and agents thereof are not always consciously so.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
DECEMBER 18, 2016 COMMON ERA
THE FOURTH SUNDAY OF ADVENT: THE TWENTY-SECOND 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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Adapted from this post:
https://ordinarytimedevotions.wordpress.com/2016/12/18/devotion-for-proper-17-year-d/
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Above: The Ark of the Covenant in the Temple of Dagon
Image in the Public Domain
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The Collect:
O God, judge eternal, you love justice and hate oppression,
and you call us to share your zeal for truth.
Give us courage to take our stand with all victims of bloodshed and greed,
and, following your servants and prophets, to look to the pioneer and perfecter of our faith,
your Son, Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen.
—Evangelical Lutheran Worship (2006), page 45
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The Assigned Readings:
Joshua 7:1, 10-26 (Thursday)
1 Samuel 5:1-12 (Friday)
1 Samuel 6:1-16 (Saturday)
Psalm 82 (All Days)
Hebrews 10:26-31 (Thursday)
Hebrews 10:32-39 (Friday)
Matthew 24:15-27 (Saturday)
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God takes his stand in the divine assembly,
surrounded by the gods he gives judgement.
–Psalm 82:1, The New Jerusalem Bible (1985)
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In 1 Samuel 5 and 6 Philistines captured the Ark of the Covenant, which proved to be more than they knew how to handle. Idols bowed down to the Ark. The Ashdodites came down with what was most likely venereal disease, although other translations include hemorrhoids and the bubonic plague. The Philistines returned the Ark promptly.
God is more than we mere mortals can handle or contain. Some of our theological propositions are true (at least partially), but the combination of these does not equal the truth of God. There is always a glorious mystery of divinity; one should accept and embrace it. We ought to persevere in faith and good works, especially when doing so is difficult. Doing the right thing during good times is easy, and every day is a good day for faith and good works. Yet keeping faith during challenging times is when, as an old saying tells us, the rubber meets the road. When we fail, we have an obligation to express remorse and to repent.
Writing these words and creating this post is easy. Living these words is more difficult, however. I have to work on that task daily. The results vary from day to day and from time of day to time of day. To keep trying is crucial. To do so while trusting in God, who is always somewhat mysterious, and in the existence of grace makes succeeding more likely.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
MARCH 23, 2016 COMMON ERA
WEDNESDAY IN HOLY WEEK
THE FEAST OF GEORGE RUNDLE PRYNNE, ANGLICAN PRIEST, POET, AND HYMN WRITER
THE FEAST OF SAINT GREGORY THE ILLUMINATOR, PATRIARCH OF ARMENIA
THE FEAST OF HEINRICH VON LAUFENBERG, GERMAN ROMAN CATHOLIC PRIEST AND HYMN WRITER
THE FEAST OF SAINT TURIBIUS OF MOGROVEJO, ROMAN CATHOLIC ARCHBISHOP OF LIMA
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Adapted from this post:
https://ordinarytimedevotions.wordpress.com/2016/03/23/devotion-for-thursday-friday-and-saturday-before-proper-15-year-c-elca-daily-lectionary/
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Above: Elijah and the Widow of Zarephath, by Bartholomeus Breenbergh
Image in the Public Domain
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The Collect:
Gracious God, your blessed Son came down from heaven
to be the true bread that gives life to the world.
Give us this bread always,
that he may live in us and we in him,
and that, strengthened by this food,
may live as his body in the world,
through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen.
–Evangelical Lutheran Worship (2006), page 44
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The Assigned Readings:
1 Kings 17:1-16
Psalm 81
Ephesians 5:1-4
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Oh, that my people would listen to me!
that Israel would walk in my ways!
–Psalm 81:13, The Book of Common Prayer (1979)
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Much of Christianity has condemned personal sins (such as swearing, gambling, fornicating, and fighting) exclusively or primarily while justifying oppressive violence and unjust economic systems over time. One could point to, among other examples, the tradition of Roman Catholic support for feudalism and manorialism then for various dictators (such as Francisco Franco of Spain; at least he was anti-Communist) or to the Lutheran tradition of supporting the state, even when that is dubious. And Martin Luther (1483-1546) did support the brutal repression of a peasants’ revolt by the German ruler who was protecting his life during the earliest years of the Protestant Reformation. I cannot forget that fact either. (To be fair, the Roman Catholic Church has also opposed dictatorships and many German Lutherans opposed the Third Reich.) I choose to emphasize an example of which many people are unaware. The Presbyterian Church in the United States, the old “Southern” Presbyterian Church, began in 1861 with a narrow range of moral concerns: private behavior. Slavery was not a moral concern fit for the church. No, that was a matter for governments to address. This was an example of the “Spirituality of the Church,” one of the biggest cop-outs I have encountered. In the 1930s part of the left wing of that denomination succeeded in expanding the church’s range of moral concerns to include structural economic inequality, war and peace, et cetera. In 1954 the Southern Presbyterians became the first U.S. denomination to affirm the ruling in Brown v. Board of Education (1954) as consistent with scripture and Christian values. Much of the right wing of that denomination objected to these changes vocally, even to the point of defending Jim Crow laws in print. (I have index cards full of evidence.) Nevertheless, did not Jesus command people to love their neighbors as they love themselves?
“How long will you judge unjustly,
and show favor to the wicked?
Save the weak and the orphan;
defend the humble and the needy;
Rescue the weak and the poor;
deliver them from the power of the wicked….”
–Psalm 82:2-4, The Book of Common Prayer (1979)
Sins come in the personal and collective responsibilities, among others. Infractions of both kinds require confession and repentance, but addressing offenses in the former category is easier than seeking to correct offenses in the latter category. Focusing on the former primarily or exclusively is, I suppose, a way (albeit an unsuccessful way) to seek to let oneself off the proverbial hook morally.
God commands us to care for people actively and effectively. Sometimes this occurs on a small scale, as in the pericope from 1 Kings 17. On other occasions the effort is massive and might even entail resisting unjust laws which place the poor at further disadvantage. All of these efforts are consistent with the command to love our neighbors as we love ourselves.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
MAY 28, 2015 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF JOHN H. W. STUCKENBERG, LUTHERAN PASTOR AND SCHOLAR
THE FEAST OF EDWIN POND PARKER, U.S. CONGREGATIONALIST MINISTER AND HYMN WRITER
THE FEAST OF SAINT MARGARET POLE, ROMAN CATHOLIC MARTYR
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Adapted from this post:
https://ordinarytimedevotions.wordpress.com/2015/05/28/devotion-for-monday-after-proper-14-year-b-elca-daily-lectionary/
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Above: A Sonoma Valley, California, Vineyard
Image Source = Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division, FSA/OWI Collection, [reproduction number, e.g., LC-USF34-9058-C]
(http://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/fsa2000048177/PP/)
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The Assigned Readings:
Isaiah 5:1-7 and Psalm 80:1-2, 8-18
or
Jeremiah 23:23-29 and Psalm 82
then
Hebrews 11:29-12:2
Luke 12:49-56
The Collect:
Grant to us, Lord, we pray, the spirit to think and do always those things that are right, that we, who cannot exist without you, may by you be enabled to live according to your will; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
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Some Related Posts:
Proper 15, Year A:
http://ordinarytimedevotions.wordpress.com/2011/02/11/proper-15-year-a/
Proper 15, Year B:
http://ordinarytimedevotions.wordpress.com/2011/10/06/proper-15-year-b/
Prayer of Praise and Adoration:
http://gatheredprayers.wordpress.com/2011/03/23/prayer-of-praise-and-adoration-for-the-thirteenth-sunday-after-pentecost/
Prayer of Confession:
http://gatheredprayers.wordpress.com/2010/08/23/sin-clings-to-us/
Prayer of Dedication:
http://gatheredprayers.wordpress.com/2011/03/23/prayer-of-dedication-for-the-thirteenth-sunday-after-pentecost/
Isaiah 5:
http://adventchristmasepiphany.wordpress.com/2012/02/22/devotion-for-november-29-in-advent-lcms-daily-lectionary/
Hebrews 11-12:
http://adventchristmasepiphany.wordpress.com/2010/10/05/week-of-4-epiphany-monday-year-1/
http://adventchristmasepiphany.wordpress.com/2010/10/06/week-of-4-epiphany-tuesday-year-1/
http://lenteaster.wordpress.com/2010/10/29/thirty-fifth-day-of-lent-monday-in-holy-week/
http://lenteaster.wordpress.com/2012/06/02/devotion-for-the-sixth-day-of-easter-friday-in-easter-week-lcms-daily-lectionary/
Luke 12:
http://lenteaster.wordpress.com/2012/06/16/devotion-for-the-thirty-second-day-of-easter-lcms-daily-lectionary/
http://lenteaster.wordpress.com/2012/06/16/devotion-for-the-thirty-third-day-of-easter-lcms-daily-lectionary/
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The readings for this Sunday sound a note of judgment.
I begin with Luke 12:49-56. Read it, O reader of this post, in literary context: reed it in the context of precedes and follows it immediately. The context is one of Jesus comforting the afflicted and afflicting the comfortable hypocrites, especially certain Pharisees. As a matter of fact, Jesus was, in the Lukan narrative, en route to Jerusalem to die. Yes, he was a cause of conflict. Yes, he remains one.
Do not test and oppose God, the readings say. Do not follow false gods and prophets–even out of ignorance, they tell us. Repent–straighten up and fly right–or face the consequences, they attest. And Isaiah 5:7 speaks of the need to repent of injustice. The Hebrew prophets decried corruption, idolatry, and economic injustice more than any sexual acts. Yet I detect a preoccupation with sexual acts at the expense of condemnations of corruption and economic injustice–related problems–in many Christian quarters. This reality indicates misplaced priorities on the part of those I criticize.
To commit idolatry is to focus on anything other than God when one should focus on God. Thus idolatry is commonplace and idols are varied and ubiquitous. But one can become mindful of one’s idolatry and seek to reduce one’s instances of committing it. The problems of corruption and economic injustice are systemic. One can act constructively; one should do so. These systems are of human origin, so people can change them. Yet we can do this only by grace. May we do so. May we love our neighbors as we love ourselves. And may we therefore avert harm to others and destruction of ourselves.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
NOVEMBER 9, 2012 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF MARTIN CHEMNITZ, GERMAN LUTHERAN THEOLOGIAN
THE FEAST OF BARTON STONE, COFOUNDER OF THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH (DISCIPLES OF CHRIST)
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Adapted from this post:
http://ordinarytimedevotions.wordpress.com/2012/11/09/proper-15-year-c/
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BLOGA THEOLOGICA 
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