A new song in my mouth...what a wonderful expression of conversion, repentance. Is it significant that the song is in the mouth and not in the heart? A song is to be shared, not necessarily treasured. God's work in our life likewise is to be shared and not simply kept to ourselves. Ooops, just read verse 10 again, it pretty much states the same thing. Some may find this psalm to be threatening as it encourages evangelism. But when you come down to it, we're not necessarily to have all the answers but just share with others our experience of God.
Verse 6 is interesting to me: Sacrifice and offering you do not desire, but you have given me an open ear. I find it interesting that God perhaps desires us to listen first rather than act. Something else strikes me here. Many are called to have an open mind, but perhaps it might be better described as having an open ear, i.e. listen generously to others but never let falsehood usurp the truth.
Trying to get an early start this week.
-John near Pitts.
Isn't it strange how two people can read the same words and see something different - when I read in verse 6 that God has given me an open ear, I took it to mean that God's ears were open to me - ie that HE would listen to me (not the other way round - that he didn't need burnt offerings before he would listen.
Can any greek (I presume) scholars cast any light on the true meaning - for me it makes a big difference if I'm asked to listen instead of speak!
Mary in Australia
Certainly the aspect of God lending an ear to us can be found in the scripture e.g. Psalm 71:1,2 In you, O LORD, I have taken refuge; let me never be put to shame. Rescue me and deliver me in your righteousness; turn your ear to me and save me. So I believe it is both ways. A time to listen and a time to speak.
Look at the progression in this psalm. Verses 1-4 the psalmist is talking about God. Verses 5-11 the psalmist is talking to God. True praise and thankfulness speaks to God not about God.
As I was reflecting on this psalm I was thinking about how popular it is for professional athletes to bow in the end zone, or thank God for the victory etc. This has always rubbed me the wrong way. I kind of put my finger on it yesterday. It appears to me that these folks are saying: "Hey God, thanks for allowing me to do this wonderful stuff." I get the impression that the focus is on their ability rather than praise to God.
I think praise to God is focusing on what God has done for us, not what we have done for God. If anything there ought to at least be a balance between what I have done for God and what God has done for me. With this in mind I'm rather uncomfortable with verses 7-10, there is a lot of emphasis of what the psalmist is accomplishing for God. Is the psalmist bragging or pleading? Perhaps it just speaks of the intimacy that the psalmist has with God.
John near Pitts.
Is this a psalm of David? If so then we have some idea of the pit he found himself in as well as the knowing the emptiness of vain glories and the kind of hopelessness that goes with the dispair if God should ever "withdraw his spirit from his servant".
Could this be the psalm of an older King David who has recognized the horribleness of his own arogent behavior and now knows he is absolutely dependant upon the grace of God for any wholeness and meaning to his life? Could it be that he knows the frailties of even the most powerful earthy rulers and that he genuinely wants what Martin Luther King Jr. said in his last speach, "all that doesn't matter now, I just want to do God's Will" ? Manzel
Great thoughts, everyone. I really like the "song in the mouth" insight and the "open ear" questions. I too would love to know the implications in the origional language.
Our community dealt with the suicide of 2 high school students last week. I'm thinking about using both the Psalm and Isaiah text (Israel not just saved for its own sake, but as light to the nations) to help us think about our ministry to the world around us. What if youth ministry wasn't just for our 6-8 kids, but aimed to impact the entire school system? Sure, we're a small, struggling church, but no smaller than Israel in comparison with the whole world. We "love to tell the story, for those who know it best...," but how about telling it to those who've never heard? I feel this as a celebratory sermon, even though it is fairly challenging as well. Ideas, hesitations, guidance, anyone?
Anybody remember the scene at the end of Schindler's List, when he finds something -- another coin? -- in his pocket, and murmers something to the effect of "I could have saved one more"? If you have or recall more details, please let me know here or kayhv@juno.com. Thanks. Kay
Kay, The scene in Schildlers list is his farewell just after midnight when suddenly Jews are no longer endangered and the Gernams are now the fugatives. A ring is made of gold donated by "his Jews" and given to him because they love him, they are grateful to him and because he is now broke and must suddenly flee for his life. He breaks down weeping "I could have done more" because this is the culmination of the long process of having his conscience quickened. At first Oscar Shindler did not hate the Jews but neither did he feel responsible for them or even want to be aware of the humanity of his workers. Partly out of practical reasons he begins to care more and more about them and to be aware of their humanity. My guess is that the eruption of his emotions when he is crying "I could have done more" is not so much a question of the amount of money he spent or could have spent helping them. It is knowing that he was a very influential person who wasted much of his life and resources on things less important than these human beings. His conscience was no longer dulled and it was overwhelming to reflect on the larger picture of his life. When these poor Jews who have nothing left, give the fillings in their teeth to make this ring as a love gift to him, all of the false values crumble, and as is said in a song now popular, only kindness matters, in the end only kindness matters. Manzel
In terms of verse 6 and whether or not God opens the psalmist's ears or if it means that God is listening to the psalmist, here is the translation of verse six in the NIV and KJV.
6 Sacrifice and offering you did not desire, but my ears you have pierced ; burnt offerings and sin offerings you did not require. NIV
6 Sacrifice and offering thou didst not desire; mine ears hast thou opened: burnt offering and sin offering hast thou not required. KJV
It's also interesting to read the entire Psalm.
John near Pitts.
Thanks, Manzel, for Schindler details and your beautiful interpretation. I'll be using it Sunday in some form or another! Kay
To Mary in Australia
The phrase in 40.6 is written in Hebrew (BHS 40.7), and may be transliterated as "aznaim caritha li" (my apologies to true Hebrew scholars). "Aznaim" is the dual form of ear (i.e. ears). "caritha" is the second person masculine singular Qal perfect of the root crh, "to dig". "li" means "to me" or "for me'. Translated literally, the phrase means: "[two]ears you have dug for me". The digging is assumed to refer to the cavity in our ears (think of the Lord making Adam out of clay). The phrase, then, means, "you've given me two ears with which to hear" (see Brown Driver Briggs, p.500). The ears belong to the psalmist, not the Lord.
The NIV notes that the Septuagint (an early Greek translation from 2nd-1st century BC) reads, "but a body you have prepared for me". I haven't the foggiest how the Hebrew turned into that, and I don't have a copy of that, though. The Letter to the Hebrews 10.5-6 quotes the Septuagint version. Symmachus (late 2nd century AD) and Theodotion (2nd century) apparently also translated it in Greek this way. The Dead Sea Psalm Scrolls are of little help, as only the first verse of Psalm 40 has ever been found (11QPsd).
The Jewish Publication Society version (1982) simly translates it "You gave me to understand that ..." and notes that the "Meaning of the Hebrew uncertain"!
Bruce on Pender Island, BC