For the leader. On stringed instruments. A maskil of David.I
Listen, God, to my prayer;
do not hide from my pleading;
hear me and give answer.
I rock with grief; I groan
at the uproar of the enemy,
the clamor of the wicked.
They heap trouble upon me,
savagely accuse me.My heart pounds within me;
death’s terrors fall upon me.Fear and trembling overwhelm me;
shuddering sweeps over me.I say, “If only I had wings like a dove
that I might fly away and find rest.Far away I would flee;
I would stay in the desert.“I would soon find a shelter
from the raging wind and storm.”II
Lord, check and confuse their tongues.
For I see violence and strife in the city
making rounds on its walls day and night.
Within are mischief and trouble;
treachery is in its midst;
oppression and fraud never leave its streets.For it is not an enemy that reviled me—
that I could bear—
Not a foe who viewed me with contempt,
from that I could hide.But it was you, my other self,
my comrade and friend,
You, whose company I enjoyed,
at whose side I walked
in the house of God.III
Let death take them;
let them go down alive to Sheol,
for evil is in their homes and bellies.But I will call upon God,
and the LORD will save me.At dusk, dawn, and noon
I will grieve and complain,
and my prayer will be heard.He will redeem my soul in peace
from those who war against me,
though there are many who oppose me.God, who sits enthroned forever,
will hear me and afflict them.For they will not mend their ways;
they have no fear of God.He stretched out his hand at his friends
and broke his covenant.Softer than butter is his speech,
but war is in his heart.
Smoother than oil are his words,
but they are unsheathed swords.Cast your care upon the LORD,
who will give you support.
He will never allow
the righteous to stumble.4But you, God, will bring them down
Psalms 55:1-24
to the pit of destruction.k
These bloodthirsty liars
will not live half their days,
but I put my trust in you.
It seems that this psalmist was hurt by someone close to him. Now he wants God to punish his enemy. But maybe more importantly, he wants public vindication to repair his own reputation, as well.
I suppose this is a human response to such betrayal, but I continue to be puzzled by the tendency of Old Testament writers to portray God as a force for vengeance. I have heard a theory that the human writers of Sacred Scripture often portrayed God in ways that they felt it would make sense to the human readers of their work. As such, they ascribed human emotions and responses to God.
For example, there are Old Testament passages that talk about a moment when God remembers his covenant with the people, as if their punishments before that time happened because God forgot. Of course, God doesn’t forget. Presumably, the author was just trying to paint the picture of a change in circumstances, and it seemed more likely for the people to understand it in those terms.
But that makes me wonder, how do I see God? How do I try to understand God’s influence in the world? Do I rely on my understanding of human behavior when I think about God’s actions? Am I truly open to the idea that I can never fully understand?
I suppose that’s what faith is all about. I know that God has a plan for each one of us, and God certainly knows, better than we do, what is best. In a lot of ways, acceptance of that reality is a great comfort. That kind of faith allows us to get through the difficult times in our lives, and takes us closer to that enduring joy that God wants for every single one of us.
So I appreciate the Old Testament people and their struggle to understand God. I feel so fortunate that I get to live in a time when we already know the good news of Jesus Christ in our world. Even when things seem to be spiraling out of control, we know that our God is a God of love and mercy and forgiveness. How can I be anything but joyful?!