I know that the LORD maintains the cause of the needy.

 

Tuesday, June 27, 2023


Psalm 140

1 Samuel 18:17-30

Acts 12:12-25


Observance: Cyril of Alexandria, bishop and teacher (d. 444)


I know that the LORD maintains the cause of the needy.


It seems to be the season for Psalms about honest human emotions. Sitting with a Psalm like today develops layers of difficulties in our meditations. Initially, it is nice to hear about God rescuing those who are done wrong by, and having evildoers get their just desserts. But then, is relishing the prospect of the violent being “hunted down” by evil a necessarily Christian attitude to have?


For the sake of our devotion, let’s agree with church history and acknowledge David as the author of this Psalm. In our reading from 1 Samuel, we have just gotten to the bit where things start to really go sour between David and Saul. Over the next part of the narrative, their relationship will deteriorate into a cat-and-mouse game, where Saul will do his best to hunt down David in his incoherent rage and jealousy. This is our context for today’s Psalm. The hubris of a man with power, looking to increase himself at the expense of others, seems to be the link joining these two readings with the one from Acts: Herod, more than happy to lord it over his starving subjects, is struck down by God at the height of his blasphemous arrogance.


Let’s dig out this little nugget of spiritual wisdom and hold onto it tightly. We can think of it like this: there are two types of power, God’s power, and the power we think we have ourselves. There are also two types of ways we can try to influence our own lives: under our own strength, or trusting in the strength of God. In this regard, Kings Saul and Herod serve as parables for us. Their own personal stories might go to far more extreme ends than ours; but the motives behind them remain the same. Humble Peter, sitting in his cell, hardly believing that God would miraculously rescue him: this is a good starting place. Humble Christian, we are sitting here in our prayer closets: know that the Lord maintains the cause of the needy. Ask Him for that miraculous rescue now.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Monday, September 12, 2022

  Monday, September 12, 2022 Psalm 33 Habakkuk 1:1-11 Ephesians 1:1-14 In Christ we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace that he lavished on us. The lectionary has taken us from the beloved disciple to one of the most beloved of Paul's epistles: Ephesians. Paul must have loved this church very much: we get a sense of his fondness for them and their shared sense of purpose and worship just from the introduction. In what is likely just an introduction to a letter in the style of the ancient Roman world, Paul has managed to squeeze in the entire, wondrous story of God's work of redemption. Paul has framed it the way it ought to be framed: in a pastoral, encouraging tone. He has three main points here (remember, Paul proceeds logically to build up an argument, unlike John who circles around his main point). First: God intended to save us before the world was formed. Think back to the first l
Read more

“Short time or long – I pray to God not only you but all who are listening become like I am, except for these chains.”

  Monday, September 11, 2023 Psalms 28; 29 1 Kings 7:51-8:21 Acts 26:19-32 Observance: Deiniol, bishop (d. 384) “ Short time or long – I pray to God not only you but all who are listening become like I am, except for these chains.” The great many blessings of being under the protection of the blood of the Lamb fill our hearts with joy and peace. To have the Almighty Creator of the universe, the One who sits above the flood, filling the temple of our being with the cloud of His presence is what it truly means to be human. Every day is filled with adventure; every night turns to the rest of the victor. Certainly there are chains: sometimes they are physical chains, the suffering of being a Christian among people who do not love the Lord. Sometimes they are spiritual; the attacks of the powers of the air who try to distract us from the One we love. But they always fall away. Our Rock of Ages always frees us; always brings us out of the pit of despair. A won
Read more

Monday, September 19

  Monday, September 19 Psalm 45 Nahum 1:15-2:9 Ephesians 4:17-28 ...be renewed in the spirit of your minds... It is far too easy to read some of these Pauline lists of virtues and vices and feel like we have gone back to the dark days before the Reformation. The idea that if we behave ourselves then we can call ourselves “good people” is pagan, not Christian. Paul feels very strongly about how Christians behave, he “affirms and insists” upon it. But it is because of what has already happened that we should mind our step, not because of where we are going. Christ's resurrection is many things, but one aspect relevant for Paul's teaching this morning is that it demonstrates to us the radical new reality in which we now live. We too have passed (spiritually) from death to life; therefore, we experience a “renewal of our minds”. Instead of treading water until we die, we live lives. Everything now makes sense: God has spoken, so we have logic. God made us in His im
Read more