Fall Quarter: Worship in the Covenant Community
Unit 3: Psalms of Thanksgiving and Praise
By Rev. Adrian Grubbs
We conclude the fall quarter with a look at some songs from the Hebrew Psalter. Psalms 23 is probably the most familiar chapter in the Bible. It begins with the metaphor of “shepherd” and ends with a “host” metaphor. (I remember when I was a child trying to picture the shepherd spreading a fabulous feast for me in the field while enemies stood around drooling. I did not understand that the metaphor changed.) Because we westerners are influenced by the Greek idea of soul, as opposed to the Bible, verse three should be read “life” instead of “soul” – He restores my life. And “righteousness” carries the sense of “justice.” It is most reassuring to know that the Good Shepherd is with us with rod and staff, to protect us from harm and to rescue us when we wander away. Even in the deathly dark valley we are not afraid because the Shepherd walks with us. Verses 5-6 portrays the LORD as a gracious host. “Anointing with oil” is not a sacrament, but grooming – hair slicked back with olive oil. The final phrase, “for ever,” reinforces the previous line, “all the days of my life,” meaning “for many long days.” “The house of the LORD” does not refer to the temple but to being always in the presence of God.
The Book of Psalms ends with five songs of praise, each one beginning and ending with “Hallelujah,” which is second person plural imperative, for “all of you” to “praise the LORD.” In 146:1 “my soul” means “my whole being,” for as long as I have breath. In verses 3-6 human leaders are mere mortals, their plans and promises die when their breath departs, so do not put confidence in them. God, on the other hand, the God of the patriarchs, reigns always and can always be trusted. Pay particular attention to the list of those to whom the LORD pays particular attention (7-9): the oppressed, the hungry, the prisoner, the blind, the downtrodden, the migrant, orphans and widows, and the righteous/just. But He flips the wicked upside down!
Psalms 150 is a doxology to the conclusion of the Book of Psalms. This psalm has twelve “praises,” including the “hallelujah” at the beginning and the end. Many of the psalms call for singing and for orchestral accompaniment; this psalm lists all the types of instruments in the orchestra—wind, strings, and percussion. May we pull out all the stops in giving praise to God!
Appropriately, Psalms 100 is the psalm for the Sunday before Thanksgiving. It calls for ALL people on earth to worship God with joyful singing. The LORD God made us, and, whether we realize it or not, we belong to Him. Praise and a thanksgiving offering go hand in hand.
Psalm 139 is in four parts of six verses each. In the words of Robert Alter [THE BOOK OF PSALMS: 2007 (New York: W.W. Norton & Co., Ltd), p. 479], “…this poem is essentially a meditation on God’s searching knowledge of man’s innermost thoughts, on the limitations of human knowledge, and on God’s inescapable presence throughout the created world.” Not only does God see how we act when we think no one is watching, He knows even our hidden thoughts. Verse 5 is awkwardly translated, but it is the image of a potter working at the wheel, laying his hand on the clay to shape it, as God does to us. The psalm concludes with a plea for God to search me, test me, and lead me.
Winter Quarter:
A King Forever and Ever
Unit 1: Jesus, the Heir of David
For the four Sundays in Advent we study Ruth, 2 Samuel, Luke 1 and 2, then on the Sunday after Christmas, Luke 18.
How did King David become Jesus’ ancestor? The story of Ruth involved two traditions: redemption of tribal property and levirate marriage (for more on levirate marriage see Deuteronomy 25 and Genesis 38). Theoretically, the land belonged to God, and it was apportioned to the twelve tribes, the clans, and the families. It appears that drought drove Elimelech into bankruptcy, and he either abandoned his property or leased it to somebody.
Then he and Naomi migrated to Moab. After her husband and sons had died, Naomi decided to return to Bethlehem, accompanied by her daughter-in-law, Ruth. Naomi had a couple of relatives who had the right to redeem the ancestral land. Boaz was second in line, but the closer relative gave up his right of redemption to Boaz because it would complicate the inheritance of his own children. Anyway, Boaz claimed the right to redeem the property. He was not Elimelech’s son, so the law of levirate marriage did not apply to him. But he took Ruth for his wife, anyway, and their son would inherit the land that had been in Elimelech’s possession. Luke 3 traces Jesus’ family tree through David, Jesse, Obed, Boaz and Ruth, and all the way back to Adam and God. In other words, Jesus was son of David and son God.
Boaz and Ruth were David’s great-grand-parents. When David became king and settled in Jerusalem, his desire was to build a house for the LORD – a temple to house the Ark of the Covenant, which represented God’s throne on earth and was the symbol of God’s presence among His people. But the LORD vetoed that plan, and promised to build a house for David. It was a dynasty that lasted for some four hundred years, until the destruction by Babylon. For the next six hundred years the throne of David was unoccupied, until Jesus, son of David, was born. He was the last descendant of David to occupy the throne. He wore a crown of thorns; His throne was the cross.
John the Baptist was the one chosen to be an Elijah, to go before and prepare the way for the coming Christ, or “Messiah” (Luke 1). His dad, Zechariah, was selected that day to go into the temple to offer incense. While performing his duties he was also visited by an angel who delivered startling news. He and Elizabeth would have a son, they would name him John, he would have the spirit and power of Elijah, and would go before the Christ. The next exchange would be funny if it were not pathetic. Zechariah dared to question the angel and ask for proof, complaining, “I am an old man.” The angel quickly responded, “Well, I am Gabriel! And since you will not listen, you will not speak until the child is born! That is your sign.”
Jesus was born in Bethlehem, connecting him geographically to David, Israel’s quintessential king. Several issues in Luke 2 have been debated by Bible students: the census, the rule of Quirinius, and the inn. The census did not follow Roman protocol, which focused on families regardless of location or ancestry; instead, this census fixated on ancestry. Herod may have been ordered by the emperor or his representative to take a head count, and he did it by having everyone register at their ancestral home.
Secondly, Quirinius was Governor of Syria from 6-9 C.E., about ten years after Jesus was born (Herod died in 4 B.C. after Jesus’ birth). However, Emperor Augustus sent Quirinius to supervise a bloody war in Syria during the time of Jesus’ birth and later became governor.
Thirdly, the Greek word most often translated as “inn” in Luke 2:7 can have other meanings —lodging, guest-room. The same Greek word in Luke 22:11 is translated “guest-room.” It was common practice for families returning to the ancestral home to be given lodging, with beds, cots, and pallets to be placed wherever there was space. People generally slept upstairs, while animals were sometimes kept on the bare ground floor. In the case of Joseph and Mary, apparently, other family members had arrived ahead of them and took up all the space in the living quarters; so, the only space left was on the ground floor. Luke uses two different Greek words for the “lodging” for people (kataluma) and the “stable” or “feeding place” for animals (phatne). Anyway, the manger/stable/feeding-trough (verses 7, 12, 16) and the announcement to the shepherds point to the humbleness of Jesus’ birth. Quirinius and the census highlight the confrontation between the Kingdom of God and the kingdoms of the world. The baby boy who was in the feeding trough is actually the true King of the world!
Luke 18:31 is the seventh time, since 9:51, that Luke reminds us that Jesus is determinedly on his way to Jerusalem with his disciples. And it is the third time that he pointedly tells them that he will die in Jerusalem and be resurrected on the third day—and they still don’t get it. But the blind man near Jericho did. When he heard that Jesus was passing through, he shouted his name, his title, and his business: “Jesus, son of David, have mercy.” The blind man received his sight and followed Jesus.
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