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LECTIO DIVINA Psalm 138 21st Sunday in Ordinary Time - Year A Fr. Michael Brizio, IMC www.frmichaelbrizio.com Free email newsletter: click here

1) OPENING PRAYER:

Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful and kindle in them the fire of your love.

Send forth your Spirit and they shall be created. And you shall renew the face of the earth.

O, God, who by the light of the Holy Spirit, did instruct the hearts of the faithful, grant that by the same Holy Spirit we may be truly wise and ever enjoy his consolations.

Through Christ, our Lord. Amen.

2) READING OF THE WORD (What the Word says): Psalm 138

1 I thank you, Lord, with all my heart; in the presence of the angels to you I sing.

2 I bow low toward your holy temple; I praise your name for your mercy and faithfulness. For you have exalted over all your name and your promise. Page 2 of 11

3 On the day I cried out, you answered; you strengthened my spirit.

4 All the kings of earth will praise you, LORD, when they hear the words of your mouth.

5 They will sing of the ways of the LORD: “How great is the glory of the LORD!”

6 The LORD is on high, but cares for the lowly and knows the proud from afar.

7 Though I walk in the midst of dangers, you guard my life when my enemies rage. You stretch out your hand; your right hand saves me.

8 The LORD is with me to the end. LORD, your mercy endures forever. Never forsake the work of your hands!

3) EXPLANATION (What the Word means):

Composition and Context

Psalm 138 appears to be an individual thanksgiving, but its classification is by no means assured.

It follows the form of an individual praise in the first three verses, but in verses 4—6 it becomes more communal.

This has led a number of commentators to conclude that the psalm was the thanksgiving of the community, with an individual speaking on behalf of the people.

Accordingly, many suggest that the setting for the praise was in the forecourt of the temple because of a few hints in the passage, such as the psalmist’s praising “before / in the presence of” the Lord or bowing toward the temple.

But it can be demonstrated that such phrases were used for prayers offered in other places but directed to the Lord (Jonah 2).

There is not much agreement on the date of this composition.

One common view is that the community was praising God in the sanctuary for deliverance from the exile.

Support for this interpretation comes from similarities with Isaiah 40-66, including the ideas of Israel’s role as a witness to the pagans, and of kings responding to the glory of the Lord.

But, the ideas expressed in the psalm are not limited to the later periods.

Some commentators classify the psalm as a royal psalm because of its similarities to passages like Psalm 18; this would fit the superscription “of ,” of the psalm and make the date pre-exilic at least.

The use of “temple” in the psalm would not nullify the idea of Davidic authorship, because the word was used for the tabernacle as well (:7). Page 3 of 11

Then, concerning the setting of the praise, we have a final collection of attributed to David placed here at the end of the , Psalms 138—145.

The Psalter is moving to the grand finale, the praise of the Lord in psalms 146—150, but not without a last burst of lament.

These eight psalms bring forward the major motifs of the earlier collection of Davidic laments, namely, the awareness of enemies, the need for divine help, and prayer for deliverance.

Psalms 138 and 145 provide a framework of praise for these eight; is a meditation in the midst of enemies, and the remaining five are laments. Even Psalm 138, a praise psalm, ends with an appeal for the Lord not to abandon his people.

Moreover, Psalm 138 clearly develops the major theme of this section, namely that the Lord watches over all who love him but will destroy all the wicked.

But as far as the message of the psalm goes, it matters little if the psalm is individual praise, or communal expressed by an individual.

v.1a: I thank you, Lord, with all my heart;

The psalm opens with the psalmist’s acknowledgment of the loyal love and faithfulness of the Lord.

The thanksgiving is a public acknowledgment of the Lord. And it will be set forth in song (Psalm 33:2).

The object of the praise is not named until v. 4.

v.1b: in the presence of the angels (lit. gods) to you I sing.

Understandably, the word “gods” has been given different interpretations.

First, it has been interpreted to mean “angels.” This was the view of the Greek .

One difficulty is that in the Old Testament angels are not said to be witnesses to praise.

Second, it has been interpreted to mean “judges” or “kings.” This is the understanding in the Targum, the Syriac, Rabbinic literature and a number of modern translations and commentaries. Page 4 of 11

This would mean that the leaders of the country, or perhaps of the worship in the sanctuary, witness the praise. It is unclear what the significance of the expression would be in this case.

Third, it has been rendered “before God,” meaning before the ark, or in the sanctuary.

But this would be awkward as the verse would then say: before God and I give you thanks.

The fourth and most likely interpretation, especially in view of vv.4-6 is that it refers to pagan gods.

Other passages in this part of the Psalter refer to the pagan gods as well (Psalm 95:3; 96:4-5; 115:3-8).

The psalmist praises the greatness and glory of Yahweh “in the face”—so to speak, of false gods.

This would render the false gods as witnesses to the glory of the true God, and therefore bring confusion to their devotees.

David himself had been among such pagans and no doubt felt the tension between the religions as well as the demonic power—but the Lord proved superior (1 Samuel 26:19).

The point would be that Yahweh’s power was greater than the nations and their gods.

If this is the correct understanding, the verse does not restrict the setting to Israel’s sanctuary.

v.2a: I bow low toward your holy temple;

The psalm also seems to locate the praise in the forecourt with the mention of the temple, but bowing down to the Lord’s holy temple can mean looking toward the sanctuary in prayer just as easily (Jonah 2).

The word “bow low” (Psalm 95:6) depicts the obeisance of the worship—making oneself low to the ground in worshiping the Lord.

Here we see the other side of the psalmist: in addition to his boldness in acknowledging the greatness of God before the gods, we see his humility in bowing down toward the temple.

In bowing down towards the temple, the psalmist meant that he was bowing to the Lord in his holy temple.

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v.2b: I praise your name for your mercy and faithfulness.

This praise is given to the name of the Lord.

“Name” is a common designation for the nature of the Lord (Psalm 20:1).

What he specifically focuses on here are the attributes of his loyal love and his faithfulness.

These two words, “mercy” (:6) and “faithfulness” (Psalm15:2), are often together and can be taken as a hendiadys, one idea through two words wherein one of the words is a modifier—“faithful mercy.”

But there is also a relationship between these words that must be clarified. God has been faithful to his covenant promises because of his steadfast love.

v.2c: For you have exalted over all your name and your promise.

The Lord’s fulfillment of his promise to the psalmist surpasses all other manifestations of God’s works.

This idea would work well with praise for the return from the exile, if that were the sure occasion.

v.3: On the day I cried out, you answered; you strengthened my spirit.

God gave the psalmist the boldness or courage as the means for answering the prayer.

On the other hand, some have followed the Greek translation and read, “you increased strength in my life.”

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v.4a: All the kings of earth will praise you, LORD,

The focus of the psalm turns now to a prophecy concerning the nations.

The psalmist reiterates the prophecy that all the kings of the earth will also give thanks to the Lord and sing of his ways (Psalm 68:29-32; 72:10-11; 102:15-16).

In a sense he is indicating that it is not enough for praise to come from him, or even the community in Israel. Such a great God must be acknowledged by kings and their kingdoms the world over.

v.4b: when they hear the words of your mouth.

The reason that they will praise the Lord is that they will hear the words of his mouth and realize how great he is.

The verb “hear” is a perfect tense in the passage but should be taken as a prophetic perfect looking to the future reality.

It means they will respond with understanding and faith to what God is doing.

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v.5: They will sing of the ways of the LORD: “How great is the glory of the LORD!”

What they will hear is the revelation of the works and the will of God.

This would include God’s fulfillment of the promises he has made to his people, individually and collectively.

The “ways” of the Lord that will fill their songs refer to his glorious acts. No more will they sing of love and war but of the glory of the Lord.

v.6a: The LORD is on high, but cares for the lowly

The “glory” of the Lord is a broad expression; it embraces all the wonderful works and amazing revelations that attest to his greatness and importance above all others (:1).

The psalmist explains what form the revelation of God’s glory took in the people’s experience: his heavenly majesty and greatness were displayed by his grace.

And so, although the Lord is high (:10), he sees the lowly (Psalm 113).

The “lowly” refers to their humble and lowly status, which would indicate that they do not have the ability to deliver themselves from oppressors.

But God knows them. He is aware of their plight and takes care of them—he provides for them by his grace (Gen. 22:8, 14).

Almighty God is exalted high above all things; he has all the greatness and the glory; and yet he cares for the lowly (Isaiah 57:15).

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v.6b: and knows the proud from afar.

On the other hand, the Lord knows (:2) the proud from afar.

The idea that God knows the proud is not in itself difficult, for he knows everything and everyone (Ps. 139).

To know them from a distance means that they are not near him, either by their refusal to draw near or his rejection of them because of their pride.

Unlike the lowly in spirit who must rely on the Lord, these are the people who think they are self-sufficient and need no divine help.

v.7: Though I walk in the midst of dangers, you guard my life when my enemies rage. You stretch out your hand; your right hand saves me.

The psalmist expresses his confidence, the confidence of every believer who “walks in the midst of dangers.”

In a psalm that praises the Lord for answer to prayer and anticipates that praise will be given by the kings of the earth, the psalmist must return to the present reality.

His course of life may very well take him into situations where he is again in trouble, in a bind as it were.

But even there he is confident that the Lord will preserve his life.

No doubt his present experience of being delivered has built his confidence to face the future.

He is confident that the power of God will oppose his enemies. He expresses this by the statements that God will stretch out his hand (Proverbs 31:20), i.e., the power of God will be against them, and that God’s right hand will save him (:2). Page 9 of 11

This salvation could be by direct intervention; but it could also be by God’s strengthening of the psalmist as attested in this psalm.

v.8a: The LORD is with me to the end. LORD, your mercy endures forever.

So here we see the balance of the spiritual life: even while praising the Lord for delivering him and reiterating the confidence that the kings of the world will submit to the Lord, the faithful know that times are still difficult.

But they are also confident that God is not finished yet with his plan of redemption. They know he will finish it.

The Lord will fulfill his purpose. He made a covenant with his people and in it promised them his faithful and everlasting love which would mean their complete and eternal salvation from everything evil.

And so, the psalmist rehearses this cardinal creed of the faith, “Your mercy endures forever” (a common doxology in the psalms: Ps. 118:1-3; 136).

v.8b: Never forsake the work of your hands!

But faith in the love of God is to be expressed in prayer.

Prayer is the expression of faith by those appropriating the promises of God—it is praying according to the will of the Lord.

On the human level the psalmist knows that if God “forsook” his works, then his purpose for the redeemed would not be fulfilled.

But it will be; this is what the righteous believe, and this is what they pray for in the midst of trouble.

Message and Application

Here we have the confident faith of a believer who is trusting the Lord to deliver him from his enemies and perfect his plan for his life.

And this is what every believer desires. Page 10 of 11

But the psalmist bases his confidence on the Lord’s loyal love and goodness, displayed so clearly in his answering the prayers of his people and in his championing the needs of the lowly.

Here is the point of the psalm, namely, that the grace of God is his greatness—not something that the kings of the world embrace, but that they will acknowledge in the end when they see his glory.

Because the Lord by his grace answers prayer and rescues the lowly, those who trust in him know that he will perfect his plan for them and inspire universal acknowledgment of his greatness.

The point is expressed powerfully in Isaiah 52:13-53:12, which prophesies that the kings of the earth will be astounded and shut their mouths when they see the glory of the Lord, for his greatness and his glory is due to the fact that he suffered and died for the sins of the world so that he could justify many and bring them everlasting peace. No king in the world could have even dreamed of doing all of this.

The Gospel of John emphasizes the idea that the glory of Christ Jesus is his gracious work of redemption at the cross where he conquered sin and death (John 1:14; 17:1-5) and made provision to lift up the lowly to bring them to glory.

But the believers now remain in this world and must endure opposition and trouble.

And so they pray for deliverance, but they pray with confidence, for like the psalmist they trust the Lord and so “are confident of this one thing, that he who has begun a good work in them (you) will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ” (Philippians 1:6).

4) MEDITATION (What the Word suggests to me): a) We read the Word again. b) Select the word or a brief phrase which touched you or impressed you. Repeat this word/phrase aloud and slowly 3 times. Between each repetition allow a moment of silence for the Word to penetrate into our hearts. c) We will remain silent for a few minutes, and let the Lord speak to us. d) We now share what the Lord has given us in this word. We avoid discussions or sermons or comments on what others have said. We share what the Lord has told us personally by using such expressions as, “To me this word has said …”

5) QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION (What the Word asks me): a) Do I give God thanks always and for everything? b) Do I respect everyone because they are temples of God? c) How can I deepen and enliven my prayer life? d) Do I recognize and celebrate the Lord’s care in the events of my life?

6) WORD OF LIFE (What the Word reminds me):

The Lord is with me to the end

7) ACTION (What the Word invites me to do): Page 11 of 11

I will show due respect and veneration for the Church, the temple sanctified by his presence.

8) PRAYER (What the Word makes me pray): PSALM

And may the blessing of God the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit descend upon us and with us remain forever and ever.