So, I have been studying Romans for the last couple of weeks. It started with just 5-8, and has sort of expanded from there. This has been not only a spiritual study, but also an intellectual one, for this is crucial to my Master's Thesis. Paul is talking theology here of course, or as my NASB introduction calls it “the most systematic presentation of doctrine within the Bible.” But he is doing more. Unfortunately, because this is part of my thesis I am loathe to publish my thoughts here on an open blog. I hope to turn my thesis into a proper book to publish, and even if I can't the thesis itself can be copyrighted. Consequently, if I publish my ideas here they are open to everyone and then I run into problems of plagerism (being accused of it myself) or someone taking my ideas. I know this may sound silly but I am concerned about it.
Consequently about all I can say is that it has been an amazing journey. And, for those of you whom I know, that wish to hear about this, I will let you know in private.
In Christ's transforming love
Brad
Wednesday, February 28, 2007
Teach me your Paths
I now understand -- only slightly -- what David means in the Psalms when he says that he praises God at night when he lays his head down and in the morning when he arises. For the last week or so, I have been going to sleep singing praise songs in my head and awakening with them in the morning. Now this is by no choice of mine. It is not as if I have said "hey I think I will start praising the lord and I'll choose this song."
Rather, it has been one of those things where a song gets stuck in your head. Unfortunately, or fortunately, I don't know, I seem to have a bad memory and can only remember the refrains of these songs. So over and over in my head goes "blessed be the name of the lord, blessed be your glorious name," or "praise Adonai from the rising of the sun to the end of every day," etc. though this is simplicity of praise itself, I sure wish that I could remember the rest of the songs, because hey those words are good to.
But I say fortunately above, about the refrains, because it is good to come back to simplicity of prayers and praises. My morning routine consists of getting up, making coffee, feeding the cats and then going out to smoke and pray --is that heretical??? :) As I was doing the latter this morning I was thinking about my spiritual journey.
It has been a long and interesting journey. Last week as I was filling out a form to become a member in our church (mainly so that I could vote that women can be deacons) I was asked when I "accepted Jesus Christ as my Saviour." It took me back to a picture I have in my head of my sister and I sitting opposite each other on a swing set sometime in 1979. She was 5 and I was 3. She led me to God right there and then. And that is where the journey began.
In the last ten years my journey has been an interesting one. God would insistently tap me on the shoulder (or beat me over the head, one or the other) until I turned to him: then my whole heart, my whole being was striving towards him. For a while. And then I would slowly turn away and take back every thing I had given to him. This has been cyclical and I truly want it to stop. So my prayer -- lifted on the smoke offering of tobacco (come on guys I'm joking here) -- was that God would keep me on his path, and teach me to stay in his will. I knew that I had read a psalm specifically about that last week so I wanted to go find it and study it some more. I did (psalm 143), but before that I found this:
4Make me know Your ways, O LORD; Teach me Your paths. 5Lead me in Your truth and teach me, For You are the God of my salvation; For You I wait all the day. 6Remember, O LORD, Your compassion and Your lovingkindnesses, For they have been from of old. 7Do not remember the sins of my youth or my transgressions; According to Your lovingkindness remember me, For Your goodness' sake, O LORD. 8Good and upright is the LORD; Therefore He instructs sinners in the way. 9He leads the humble in justice, And He teaches the humble His way. 10All the paths of the LORD are lovingkindness and truth To those who keep His covenant and His testimonies. 11For Your name's sake, O LORD, Pardon my iniquity, for it is great.
Psalm 25
And that folks is my prayer for today
Rather, it has been one of those things where a song gets stuck in your head. Unfortunately, or fortunately, I don't know, I seem to have a bad memory and can only remember the refrains of these songs. So over and over in my head goes "blessed be the name of the lord, blessed be your glorious name," or "praise Adonai from the rising of the sun to the end of every day," etc. though this is simplicity of praise itself, I sure wish that I could remember the rest of the songs, because hey those words are good to.
But I say fortunately above, about the refrains, because it is good to come back to simplicity of prayers and praises. My morning routine consists of getting up, making coffee, feeding the cats and then going out to smoke and pray --is that heretical??? :) As I was doing the latter this morning I was thinking about my spiritual journey.
It has been a long and interesting journey. Last week as I was filling out a form to become a member in our church (mainly so that I could vote that women can be deacons) I was asked when I "accepted Jesus Christ as my Saviour." It took me back to a picture I have in my head of my sister and I sitting opposite each other on a swing set sometime in 1979. She was 5 and I was 3. She led me to God right there and then. And that is where the journey began.
In the last ten years my journey has been an interesting one. God would insistently tap me on the shoulder (or beat me over the head, one or the other) until I turned to him: then my whole heart, my whole being was striving towards him. For a while. And then I would slowly turn away and take back every thing I had given to him. This has been cyclical and I truly want it to stop. So my prayer -- lifted on the smoke offering of tobacco (come on guys I'm joking here) -- was that God would keep me on his path, and teach me to stay in his will. I knew that I had read a psalm specifically about that last week so I wanted to go find it and study it some more. I did (psalm 143), but before that I found this:
4Make me know Your ways, O LORD; Teach me Your paths. 5Lead me in Your truth and teach me, For You are the God of my salvation; For You I wait all the day. 6Remember, O LORD, Your compassion and Your lovingkindnesses, For they have been from of old. 7Do not remember the sins of my youth or my transgressions; According to Your lovingkindness remember me, For Your goodness' sake, O LORD. 8Good and upright is the LORD; Therefore He instructs sinners in the way. 9He leads the humble in justice, And He teaches the humble His way. 10All the paths of the LORD are lovingkindness and truth To those who keep His covenant and His testimonies. 11For Your name's sake, O LORD, Pardon my iniquity, for it is great.
Psalm 25
And that folks is my prayer for today
Saturday, February 24, 2007
lemme' 'splain . . . no no lemme sum up
My scripture study this week has consisted of two things.
First, a true study of passages, it was psalms 63 earlier this week, and I am still working on Romans. Though I hope to have something significant to say about that later today, it will be an ongoing study because it is key to a part of my thesis.
The second consists of opening the psalms and either finding a passage immediately that touches me, or flipping through until I do. Not very scientific I know, but hey I grew up in Charismatic Pentacostal churches so some of that pure "leading of the spirit" in my scripture study remains!!
There is an actual reason for this though. Amy and Katie have been reading a book called "The Divine Hours" Edited by Philys Tickle. (That name just fills us with tickles till were pink!). It is a book of liturgical prayers and psalms for the day. Kate has been taking hers to work with her so I haven't had access to it. But the Psalms seem to be working for quite well.
I found two today. One was a psalm of Solomon that the NASB marks as being about "The Reign of the Messiah." This one is good for later comment. on Adamic/Christic thingy.
MY psalm for today though comes Asaph Psalm 73: 25-28
25 Whom have I in heaven but Thee? And besides Thee I desire nothing on earth
26 My flesh and my heart may fail, But God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.
27 For, Behold those who are far from Thee will perish; Thou hast destroued all those who are unfaithful to Thee.
28Bus as for me, the nearness of God is my good; I have made the Lord God my refuge, That I may tell of all Thy Works.
PREACH IT BROTHA'!!
p.s. please excuse any and all typos lately, I have a new Laptop curtesy of Voc Rehab and I am getting used to the millimetric differences in the keyboard.
May God bless you today and keep you in His refuge. In the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit; amen
p.p.s. a reward for anyone reading this who can tell me what movie this post title quotes, and an extra bonus if you can tell me which tv show the actor is now in.
First, a true study of passages, it was psalms 63 earlier this week, and I am still working on Romans. Though I hope to have something significant to say about that later today, it will be an ongoing study because it is key to a part of my thesis.
The second consists of opening the psalms and either finding a passage immediately that touches me, or flipping through until I do. Not very scientific I know, but hey I grew up in Charismatic Pentacostal churches so some of that pure "leading of the spirit" in my scripture study remains!!
There is an actual reason for this though. Amy and Katie have been reading a book called "The Divine Hours" Edited by Philys Tickle. (That name just fills us with tickles till were pink!). It is a book of liturgical prayers and psalms for the day. Kate has been taking hers to work with her so I haven't had access to it. But the Psalms seem to be working for quite well.
I found two today. One was a psalm of Solomon that the NASB marks as being about "The Reign of the Messiah." This one is good for later comment. on Adamic/Christic thingy.
MY psalm for today though comes Asaph Psalm 73: 25-28
25 Whom have I in heaven but Thee? And besides Thee I desire nothing on earth
26 My flesh and my heart may fail, But God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.
27 For, Behold those who are far from Thee will perish; Thou hast destroued all those who are unfaithful to Thee.
28Bus as for me, the nearness of God is my good; I have made the Lord God my refuge, That I may tell of all Thy Works.
PREACH IT BROTHA'!!
p.s. please excuse any and all typos lately, I have a new Laptop curtesy of Voc Rehab and I am getting used to the millimetric differences in the keyboard.
May God bless you today and keep you in His refuge. In the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit; amen
p.p.s. a reward for anyone reading this who can tell me what movie this post title quotes, and an extra bonus if you can tell me which tv show the actor is now in.
Friday, February 23, 2007
Slicing the Gordian knot
Look:
however we want to parse it; however we wish to talk about it; what ever terminology or perspective we are coming from, the fact of the matter is that we are talking about a very simple thing:
Will we choose our Adamic culture and identity
or
Will we choose the Christic culture, the Kingdom identity which Christ has offered freely to us through the Gift of the Spirit.
Will you choose life in communion with the Trinity
or will you chooose death alone.
however we want to parse it; however we wish to talk about it; what ever terminology or perspective we are coming from, the fact of the matter is that we are talking about a very simple thing:
Will we choose our Adamic culture and identity
or
Will we choose the Christic culture, the Kingdom identity which Christ has offered freely to us through the Gift of the Spirit.
Will you choose life in communion with the Trinity
or will you chooose death alone.
Prayer for today
Abba Father I lift high your holy and rightious name. I thank you today for the release from mental pain that I had yesterday and I praise you for an new day and a new creation.
My prayer for today:
1 Hear my prayer, O Lord; listen to my plea! Answer me because you are faithful and righteous. 2 Don’t put your servant on trial, for no one is innocent before you. 3 My enemy has chased me. He has knocked me to the ground and forces me to live in darkness like those in the grave. 4 I am losing all hope; I am paralyzed with fear. 5 I remember the days of old. I ponder all your great works and think about what you have done. 6 I lift my hands to you in prayer. I thirst for you as parched land thirsts for rain.Interlude
7 Come quickly, Lord, and answer me, for my depression deepens. Don’t turn away from me, or I will die. 8 Let me hear of your unfailing love each morning, for I am trusting you. Show me where to walk, for I give myself to you. 9 Rescue me from my enemies, Lord; I run to you to hide me. 10 Teach me to do your will, for you are my God. May your gracious Spirit lead me forward on a firm footing. 11 For the glory of your name, O Lord, preserve my life. Because of your faithfulness, bring me out of this distress. 12 In your unfailing love, silence all my enemies and destroy all my foes, for I am your servant.
My prayer for today:
1 Hear my prayer, O Lord; listen to my plea! Answer me because you are faithful and righteous. 2 Don’t put your servant on trial, for no one is innocent before you. 3 My enemy has chased me. He has knocked me to the ground and forces me to live in darkness like those in the grave. 4 I am losing all hope; I am paralyzed with fear. 5 I remember the days of old. I ponder all your great works and think about what you have done. 6 I lift my hands to you in prayer. I thirst for you as parched land thirsts for rain.Interlude
7 Come quickly, Lord, and answer me, for my depression deepens. Don’t turn away from me, or I will die. 8 Let me hear of your unfailing love each morning, for I am trusting you. Show me where to walk, for I give myself to you. 9 Rescue me from my enemies, Lord; I run to you to hide me. 10 Teach me to do your will, for you are my God. May your gracious Spirit lead me forward on a firm footing. 11 For the glory of your name, O Lord, preserve my life. Because of your faithfulness, bring me out of this distress. 12 In your unfailing love, silence all my enemies and destroy all my foes, for I am your servant.
Thursday, February 22, 2007
Today is "Babel" day . . . hope someone understands
What can I say folks, too much going on at the moment and too much scripture has led me to delay this and delay this blog -- even though I have had some great ideas.
#1) I have been reading/contemplating/meditating/theorizing/theologizing/philosophizing on what is arguably the most crucial FOUNDATIONAL (because paul expounds greatly on it in other places -- thanks Brian) passage for evangelical theology: Rom 5-8. Now even if you don't happen to be the long winded writer that I am, just try saying something short, sweet, and simply about this!!!
#2) Along with everything else that goes along with stewarding the menagerie, my heart is breaking. Breaking for my wife -- for the stress she faces as the sole bread-winner, breaking for my Mom -- in the slow loss of her own mothre, and breaking for myself for the above and other various and different reasons.
#3) I feel as if I have had an atomic bomb go off inside my skull.
So now for something completely different:
My Psalm for the day: Psalms 1o7 23-30
23Those who go down to the sea in ships, Who do business on great waters; 24They have seen the works of the LORD, And His wonders in the deep. 25For He spoke and raised up a stormy wind, Which lifted up the waves of the sea. 26They rose up to the heavens, they went down to the depths; Their soul melted away in their misery. 27They reeled and staggered like a drunken man, And were at their wits' end. 28Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble, And He brought them out of their distresses. 29He caused the storm to be still, So that the waves of the sea were hushed. 30Then they were glad because they were quiet, So He guided them to their desired haven.
this is what I have needed today. I have need the seas to be calmed and be led into my desired haven. And yet, God has not seen fit to do this for me today, as I am sure he did not see fit to do it for David as he cried out so many times.
As for one of the greatest orators/debators/logicians in the history of the world bar none (Paul) I will say this. throughout Rom 5-8 there is much talk about the mind and the flesh. At one point in 6 Paul brings up the heart. Finally in 8 somehow, someway he combines them into a whole where the mortal body is sustained by the Spirit of God and the heart and mind are combined with the same spirit.
Now any of my philosophical colleagues would rail against this barely sketched arguement but I don't have the energy, desire or for that matter the care to make it more focused. Suffice it to say we are talking about a difference between an Adamic vs. Christic Culture. AND THIS WILL BE FOLLOWED UP ON.
my love in Christ to all who read this.
Brad
#1) I have been reading/contemplating/meditating/theorizing/theologizing/philosophizing on what is arguably the most crucial FOUNDATIONAL (because paul expounds greatly on it in other places -- thanks Brian) passage for evangelical theology: Rom 5-8. Now even if you don't happen to be the long winded writer that I am, just try saying something short, sweet, and simply about this!!!
#2) Along with everything else that goes along with stewarding the menagerie, my heart is breaking. Breaking for my wife -- for the stress she faces as the sole bread-winner, breaking for my Mom -- in the slow loss of her own mothre, and breaking for myself for the above and other various and different reasons.
#3) I feel as if I have had an atomic bomb go off inside my skull.
So now for something completely different:
My Psalm for the day: Psalms 1o7 23-30
23Those who go down to the sea in ships, Who do business on great waters; 24They have seen the works of the LORD, And His wonders in the deep. 25For He spoke and raised up a stormy wind, Which lifted up the waves of the sea. 26They rose up to the heavens, they went down to the depths; Their soul melted away in their misery. 27They reeled and staggered like a drunken man, And were at their wits' end. 28Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble, And He brought them out of their distresses. 29He caused the storm to be still, So that the waves of the sea were hushed. 30Then they were glad because they were quiet, So He guided them to their desired haven.
this is what I have needed today. I have need the seas to be calmed and be led into my desired haven. And yet, God has not seen fit to do this for me today, as I am sure he did not see fit to do it for David as he cried out so many times.
As for one of the greatest orators/debators/logicians in the history of the world bar none (Paul) I will say this. throughout Rom 5-8 there is much talk about the mind and the flesh. At one point in 6 Paul brings up the heart. Finally in 8 somehow, someway he combines them into a whole where the mortal body is sustained by the Spirit of God and the heart and mind are combined with the same spirit.
Now any of my philosophical colleagues would rail against this barely sketched arguement but I don't have the energy, desire or for that matter the care to make it more focused. Suffice it to say we are talking about a difference between an Adamic vs. Christic Culture. AND THIS WILL BE FOLLOWED UP ON.
my love in Christ to all who read this.
Brad
Monday, February 19, 2007
Timing is Everything.
For the third night in a week now I have woken up at 1:30 AM almost on the dot, and not been able to go back to sleep. The first night I wrote an email to a Brother-in-Law whom I cherish, and yet because we don't have much in common, and are both silent types in a way, I don't have the relationship I want with him. So, being the writer I am, I shared some stuff with him in the easiest way posssible, and then was finally able to go back to sleep. The second such night (or morning I guess!) I tried to go back to sleep and couldn't so I watched the history channel. Did you know that the US dropped 99 MILLION tons of explosives on Europe in the three years odd years from 1942-late '44, and almost 2/3 of that from the absolutely beautiful B-17 flying fortress? I bet you didn't. But now you do. I have always said that I am an Urn of absolutely useless information and that night added to my stores. Hurray!!!
Anyway, tonight I decided that I would update my blog. I am not the best when it comes to scripture study. Finding the time to get into the "Word" is not easy for me, unless it is academically. When I do, then it is refreshing and fulfilling, but it doesn't often happen. Knowing that this is key to "knowing" God, I have asked for some accountability in this area, and this here ol' space is where that is gonna take place y'know. I am sure that other things then just scripture stuff will pop up, since the menagerie is so much a part of my life but then so is theo-philosophy so they "you can't have one without the ooooooother" (that's a line from a song I think).
So on with the project . . . I have been meditating and contemplating Psalms 63 and some of the passages surrounding it this week.
Considering the fact that we have about six different Bibles laying around the house, and of course one of my favorite research sites bible.com, I read this in many different versions. I liked the NASB for a couple of reasons.
Let me set the scene, as I understand it. Our friend David has been running from Saul's armies for who knows quite how long at this point. Unfortunately, though it might once have been part of a "Fertile Crescent" it ain't so fertile at this particular juncture. The only place where there is fertility is where the towns and cities are: around oases and rivers/streams. Now David, being the smart fellow we know him to be isn't real likely to be hangin' out in those towns and cities. In fact, he is in the "wilderness."
Now, to most of us in the West, we see "wilderness" as vast . . . tracks of land, covered by pine forests, inhabited by lots of yummy things to eat like squirrels, white tail deer, elk and moose (oh yeah, and the occasional wolf, mountain lion, and Grizzly, but hey not everything can be rosy!) And of course the wonderful refreshment of glacier fed streams. Yeah, that ain't David's wilderness.
David is just kinda chillin out in desolate, parched, desert. He must be close to starving, and definitely close to death with dehydration. His tongue is swollen and dry, his lips cracked so deep that anytime he moves them they split and dark claret blood oozes from scabs. And yet, in the NASB translation this is what he has to say:
This is how the NASB translates it:
"1O God, You are my God; I shall seek You earnestly; My soul thirsts for You, my flesh yearns for You, In a dry and weary land where there is no water. 2Thus I have seen You in the sanctuary, To see Your power and Your glory. 3Because Your lovingkindness is better than life, My lips will praise You. 4So I will bless You as long as I live; I will lift up my hands in Your name. 5My soul is satisfied as with marrow and fatness, And my mouth offers praises with joyful lips. 6When I remember You on my bed, I meditate on You in the night watches, 7For You have been my help, And in the shadow of Your wings I sing for joy. 8My soul clings to You; Your right hand upholds me. 9But those who seek my life to destroy it, Will go into the depths of the earth. 10They will be delivered over to the power of the sword; They will be a prey for foxes. 11But the king will rejoice in God; Everyone who swears by Him will glory, For the mouths of those who speak lies will be stopped."
Now, being a chronic pain sufferer I know that pain can become all consuming and I am sure that David was in a lot of pain in a lot of ways. Yet he is not concerned with his physical being. He is crying out to a God who is beyond being, beyond materiality. David's soul thirsts and his body yearns for God, not for water. He has seen God in the "sanctuary" and has seen him in Power and Glory. Now I am not sure what the Hebrew word is but to me this can mean only one thing: David has encountered God in such a way that he was almost pulled into the throne room. That is the only way that I can imagine that at that point in time he could say that God' love is better than life, that he could open those cracked and bleeding lips in joy to praise a God who has not delivered him from the wilderness. It is the only way that he could be satisfied with marrow and fatness in his soul, while his body slowly dies. Experience the love that must abound within the throne room of God is the only way that any man that I could imagine could look back upon the agonies David has experienced to this point and say that God has been his help and he has been under the protective shadow of God's wing. Truly encountering the overwhelming presence of the unthinkable Other which is God in trinitarian community and love is the only way that David could possibly say that his enemies (remember were talking about a large army here folks) would be put to sword.
We, as christians (at least as evangelical christians) commonly call the room in which we sing, have announcements, do baby dedications, and jot down grocery lists while the pastor rambles on about something or other, the "sanctuary." If we look at the word, we have the root "sanct" (now it is 4AM so I aint gonna go get out my research books and get the terminology totally correct here so bear with me) now this root always means holy or consecrated. In the OT sanctuary usually meant the Tabernacle of the Ark. SIMPLY PUT: I get the feeling that "sanct" basically means God's dwelling place, because the only places I know that are holy or consecrated are where God has been.
Now in our modern sanctuary we are often sanctimonious, but that is because we are forgetting, through mere common usage what the "sanctuary" is all about. This is not to say that we should be in suit and tie, or dresses and hats when we enter the sanctuary (I don't think David's Armani suit stood up to well to the rigors of the wilderness). And thought the sanctuary may sometimes become a true sanctuary where God feeds us with fatness and marrow, the sanctuary -- the holy and consecrated dwelling place of that awesome communal Other -- is now no longer within the Tabernacle of the ark of the covenant. It is within us. We are the dwelling place. We are the holy and sanctified place.
So in the end, what does all of this mean? It means that we are ALWAYS under the shadow of the wing of God, we are always being fed with marrow and fatness, our enemies: those who fight against us in our journey of faith, are already scattered, put to the sword and under the earth (notice that David says that little bit first?). And yet, are we singing praises? Are we joyful? Do we see his "lovingkindness"? Do our souls cling to him? Sure sometimes, but hey we are in the sanctuary, we are the sanctuary of the loving trinity that is God ALL THE TIME.
I am off to glory in the presence of the Lord in the sanctuary He has made of me.
Oh yeah, and a side note to Kate: Yes I realize that God may like incense in his sanctuary but tabacco smoke is NOT incense. I'm workin on it babe.
Anyway, tonight I decided that I would update my blog. I am not the best when it comes to scripture study. Finding the time to get into the "Word" is not easy for me, unless it is academically. When I do, then it is refreshing and fulfilling, but it doesn't often happen. Knowing that this is key to "knowing" God, I have asked for some accountability in this area, and this here ol' space is where that is gonna take place y'know. I am sure that other things then just scripture stuff will pop up, since the menagerie is so much a part of my life but then so is theo-philosophy so they "you can't have one without the ooooooother" (that's a line from a song I think).
So on with the project . . . I have been meditating and contemplating Psalms 63 and some of the passages surrounding it this week.
Considering the fact that we have about six different Bibles laying around the house, and of course one of my favorite research sites bible.com, I read this in many different versions. I liked the NASB for a couple of reasons.
Let me set the scene, as I understand it. Our friend David has been running from Saul's armies for who knows quite how long at this point. Unfortunately, though it might once have been part of a "Fertile Crescent" it ain't so fertile at this particular juncture. The only place where there is fertility is where the towns and cities are: around oases and rivers/streams. Now David, being the smart fellow we know him to be isn't real likely to be hangin' out in those towns and cities. In fact, he is in the "wilderness."
Now, to most of us in the West, we see "wilderness" as vast . . . tracks of land, covered by pine forests, inhabited by lots of yummy things to eat like squirrels, white tail deer, elk and moose (oh yeah, and the occasional wolf, mountain lion, and Grizzly, but hey not everything can be rosy!) And of course the wonderful refreshment of glacier fed streams. Yeah, that ain't David's wilderness.
David is just kinda chillin out in desolate, parched, desert. He must be close to starving, and definitely close to death with dehydration. His tongue is swollen and dry, his lips cracked so deep that anytime he moves them they split and dark claret blood oozes from scabs. And yet, in the NASB translation this is what he has to say:
This is how the NASB translates it:
"1O God, You are my God; I shall seek You earnestly; My soul thirsts for You, my flesh yearns for You, In a dry and weary land where there is no water. 2Thus I have seen You in the sanctuary, To see Your power and Your glory. 3Because Your lovingkindness is better than life, My lips will praise You. 4So I will bless You as long as I live; I will lift up my hands in Your name. 5My soul is satisfied as with marrow and fatness, And my mouth offers praises with joyful lips. 6When I remember You on my bed, I meditate on You in the night watches, 7For You have been my help, And in the shadow of Your wings I sing for joy. 8My soul clings to You; Your right hand upholds me. 9But those who seek my life to destroy it, Will go into the depths of the earth. 10They will be delivered over to the power of the sword; They will be a prey for foxes. 11But the king will rejoice in God; Everyone who swears by Him will glory, For the mouths of those who speak lies will be stopped."
Now, being a chronic pain sufferer I know that pain can become all consuming and I am sure that David was in a lot of pain in a lot of ways. Yet he is not concerned with his physical being. He is crying out to a God who is beyond being, beyond materiality. David's soul thirsts and his body yearns for God, not for water. He has seen God in the "sanctuary" and has seen him in Power and Glory. Now I am not sure what the Hebrew word is but to me this can mean only one thing: David has encountered God in such a way that he was almost pulled into the throne room. That is the only way that I can imagine that at that point in time he could say that God' love is better than life, that he could open those cracked and bleeding lips in joy to praise a God who has not delivered him from the wilderness. It is the only way that he could be satisfied with marrow and fatness in his soul, while his body slowly dies. Experience the love that must abound within the throne room of God is the only way that any man that I could imagine could look back upon the agonies David has experienced to this point and say that God has been his help and he has been under the protective shadow of God's wing. Truly encountering the overwhelming presence of the unthinkable Other which is God in trinitarian community and love is the only way that David could possibly say that his enemies (remember were talking about a large army here folks) would be put to sword.
We, as christians (at least as evangelical christians) commonly call the room in which we sing, have announcements, do baby dedications, and jot down grocery lists while the pastor rambles on about something or other, the "sanctuary." If we look at the word, we have the root "sanct" (now it is 4AM so I aint gonna go get out my research books and get the terminology totally correct here so bear with me) now this root always means holy or consecrated. In the OT sanctuary usually meant the Tabernacle of the Ark. SIMPLY PUT: I get the feeling that "sanct" basically means God's dwelling place, because the only places I know that are holy or consecrated are where God has been.
Now in our modern sanctuary we are often sanctimonious, but that is because we are forgetting, through mere common usage what the "sanctuary" is all about. This is not to say that we should be in suit and tie, or dresses and hats when we enter the sanctuary (I don't think David's Armani suit stood up to well to the rigors of the wilderness). And thought the sanctuary may sometimes become a true sanctuary where God feeds us with fatness and marrow, the sanctuary -- the holy and consecrated dwelling place of that awesome communal Other -- is now no longer within the Tabernacle of the ark of the covenant. It is within us. We are the dwelling place. We are the holy and sanctified place.
So in the end, what does all of this mean? It means that we are ALWAYS under the shadow of the wing of God, we are always being fed with marrow and fatness, our enemies: those who fight against us in our journey of faith, are already scattered, put to the sword and under the earth (notice that David says that little bit first?). And yet, are we singing praises? Are we joyful? Do we see his "lovingkindness"? Do our souls cling to him? Sure sometimes, but hey we are in the sanctuary, we are the sanctuary of the loving trinity that is God ALL THE TIME.
I am off to glory in the presence of the Lord in the sanctuary He has made of me.
Oh yeah, and a side note to Kate: Yes I realize that God may like incense in his sanctuary but tabacco smoke is NOT incense. I'm workin on it babe.
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