THE
BEATITUDES IN PSALMS – The theme of trust forms the final beatitude in the
Psalms; such beatitudes have previously appeared in Psalm 40:4 (Oh, the
joys of those who trust the lord) and in Psalm 33:20-21 (in God our
hearts rejoice for we are trusting in God’s holy name). But not only in
the beatitudes does this relationship between trust and happiness/joy appear,
for as the whole psalter makes clear, "happiness is not the absence of pain
and trouble, but the presence of a God who cares about human hurt and who acts
on behalf of the afflicted and the oppressed." [1]
GOD’S CLAIM – Verse 7 describes God’s universal claim to show compassion on
all of creation. Such a claim, Brueggemann calls "the main claim for Yahweh."
[2] What follows then tells us how God exercises sovereignty through service
to others in need.
THE REIGN OF GOD – Throughout this psalm—its beginning burst of praise, the
instructions in vv. 3-5, and the description of God’s reign in vv. 6-9—we can
anticipate Jesus’ preaching on the reign of God (Mark 1:14-15). In the actual
ministry of Jesus we see the same kind of actions that Psalm 145 envisions in
the coming reign of God. As our Christian communities face the same challenges
that the psalmist and Jesus later faced, so we can also move forward in the
face of challenges from within and without with the encouragement that Psalm
145 offers: " Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven."
A spiritual
life is a life which is controlled by a gradually developing sense of the
Eternal . . . so that our relation to God becomes the chief thing about us,
exceeding and also conditioning our relationship with each other. [3]
Evelyn Underhill
How have you contributed to or collaborated in God’s physical and spiritual
creation through "a gradually developing sense of the Eternal?"
Use this psalm as an
entry way to the topic of singing and praise. When you think about it, Psalm
146 is a radical call to sing God’s praise. For the pious Jew, to praise God
was to live, and to live was to praise God. How can we too sing our praise
both in liturgy and lifestyle?
You might want to incorporate the idea of Brueggemann as you call your
listeners to a liturgy and lifestyle of praise:
Israel holds doxology against the powerful staying force
of the rulers of this age. Israel sings, and we never know what holy power
is unleashed by such singing. Israel sings, and we never know what human
imagination is authorized by such singing. One reason we may not sing is
that such hope is intellectually outrageous. Another reason we may to sing
is that such an alternative is too subversive. But the Church and Israel do
sing! This singing is our vocation, our duty, and our delight. We name this
staggering name—and the world becomes open again, especially for those on
whom it had closed in such deathly ways—the prisoners, the blind, the
sojourner, the widow, the orphan. The world is sung open. Against this Holy
One and this song, death cannot close the world into injustice again. [4]
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[1] The New Interpreter’s Bible IV (Nashville:
Abingdon Press, 1996. page 1264.
[2] Walter Brueggemann, “Psalm 146: Psalm for the Nineteenth Sunday after
Pentecost,” No Other Foundation 8/1 (Summer 1987): 28; cited in New
Interpreter’s Bible IV, page 1264.
[3] The Spiritual Formation Bible (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1999), page 816.
[4] NIB IV, page 1265.
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