Psalm 25: A Reflection

I invite you to read the psalm carefully.

The 25th psalm is an acrostic poem in which the initial letter of the lines makes words. The first words in the lines of this poem, however, do not form a word but are the letters of the Hebrew alphabet. There are 22 letters in the Hebrew alphabet and 22 verses in this psalm poem. Its theme is that of the instruction God gives humanity, and therefore may arise out of the wisdom tradition in Israel. Someone likely wrote it sometime between around 1000 BC and around 587 BC.

I am impressed with the honesty of the psalmist. I think of him as a pensive and earnest soul.  He may have composed it as at a lonely time in his life. It speaks to others in that position. I see his honest in using words like shame, shame, enemies, foes, and wait, underscoring the distressing situation the psalmist faces. He says he has enemies without cause. In addition to such an external threat, he admits an internal threat. The psalmist begs God to remember, not his sins or iniquities, but himself. He needs forgiveness. He needs relief from affliction. He also has some theological affirmations that keep him going in the midst of a confusing situation. Thus, the psalmist can pray like this because God's covenant faithfulness, God's chesed, is "from of old." It is forever. The Lord is good. The writer needs something from God in this area. He needs God to remember him out of mercy and compassion, for his own sins is on his mind. Therefore, in the midst of external and internal threats, he is aware that if he is to find a way, it will be through the Torah and worship with the people of God.

 “To you, Oh Lord, I lift up my soul" is the theme of the Psalm. The action of lifting one's soul/life up, however, need not indicate desire in the right direction. One might also "lift one's life/soul" up to worthless things. 

“In you, O God, I trust.” Christian hope rests on such trust. Hope in the Psalms is always in God, which means that the vitality we bring to hope is perishable. When our hope rests or grounds itself in God, the basis is outside us.

I conclude with two points.

First, in verses 11-14, the poet couples the fear of God with the friendship of God and intimacy with God. I wonder if many of us who gather for worship are not looking for some guidance in life. The psalmist expects that intimacy with God will lead to clarity of the path to take. In the midst of complexity, we “lift our eyes to the Lord,” thoroughly expecting that we gain some clarity for some of the difficult circumstances we face.

Second, in verses 15-22, the psalmist is quite honest about his isolation and loneliness. He takes refuge in a gracious God. He is in distress, but his prayer is that God will turn to him and look upon him. Now, I doubt that God actually turns away from us, but it can feel like that. When it does, we need to place the desire of hearts before God. The point of the psalmist, of course, is that if the Lord looks, the one praying expects some clarity as to what to do.