The LORD will fulfill His purpose for me.

 

Monday, June 26, 2023

Psalms 137; 138

1 Samuel 17:55-18:16

Acts 12:1-11

The LORD will fulfill His purpose for me.

Whenever Psalm 137 comes up in the lectionary, we are told we can omit the final three verses, should we wish. Understandably so; it is difficult to reconcile a God of “steadfast love” (Ps 138:8) with a God who would inspire a writer to wish the violent death of his enemy’s babies. But we don’t skip over the fact that the evil spirit that rushed upon Saul came “from God” (1 Sam 18:10); what gives?

First of all, let’s remember the second golden rule of Biblical interpretation: that just because something is written in the Bible, doesn’t mean that we should do it (this will come in handy later when we read about King David’s exploits with women). Another helpful point of remembrance is that the Bible is very human: these words were inspired by the Holy Spirit, but they were written by people, and this cooperative authorship is why these words still live today. They speak to something fundamental in us.

This is the human starting point: why should someone else benefit at my expense? Saul had the excruciating experience of seeing the man who was anointed king over him (without his knowing) increase in favour, while he decreased. Similarly, the Jewish musician lamenting over the destruction of his homeland is indignant that he should now play a jolly tune for the same people who committed violent atrocities against his own infant children.

We remember the words of Jesus when He taught us that, to our eyes, it can seem like there is no justice when God decides who gets the good times and who gets the bad times (Matt 5:45-47). We have two ways to respond, and we should be doing both, one after another. One is to remain in hope and trust that God’s love is steadfast. This is why the Bible is full of exhortations to us to remember the times when we had no doubt that God was blessing us. It is also why we read the Bible every day: to keep our memory fresh. The second part of our response is to take ownership of the gift that God has given us. This gift is what the world cries out for, when it asks, in its pain, “where is your God?” It is the love of God, made manifest in us, God’s people. God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us and now dwells in us. We now have that love of God to share with the world too.