Psalm 105:1-6, 37-45 (NRSV)
1 O give thanks to the Lord, call on his name,
make known his deeds among the peoples.
2 Sing to him, sing praises to him;
tell of all his wonderful works.
3 Glory in his holy name;
let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice.
4 Seek the Lord and his strength;
seek his presence continually.
5 Remember the wonderful works he has done,
his miracles, and the judgments he has uttered,
6 O offspring of his servant Abraham,
children of Jacob, his chosen ones.
Psalm 105:37-45 (NRSV)
37 Then he brought Israel out with silver and gold,
and there was no one among their tribes who stumbled.
38 Egypt was glad when they departed,
for dread of them had fallen upon it.
39 He spread a cloud for a covering,
and fire to give light by night.
40 They asked, and he brought quails,
and gave them food from heaven in abundance.
41 He opened the rock, and water gushed out;
it flowed through the desert like a river.
42 For he remembered his holy promise,
and Abraham, his servant.
43 So he brought his people out with joy,
his chosen ones with singing.
44 He gave them the lands of the nations,
and they took possession of the wealth of the peoples,
45 that they might keep his statutes
and observe his laws.
Praise the Lord!
Psalm 105-Psalm 106 is an historical hymn. I Chronicles 16:8-22 quotes 105:1-15 at a festival. Psalm 78 is like this psalm in its focus upon the mighty deeds and miracles of the Lord. Strangely, it has no mention of anything associated with Sinai. Psalm 105 was originally the first half of a longer psalm, of which Psalm 106 is the continuation. It invokes selected authoritative Torah tradition along with exegetical comments on them in praise of the Lord. The primary theme is the covenant with Abraham to him the Promised Land. This theme is popular in post-exilic times. This covenant was eternal and unconditional. It was still in effect despite the exile and the fact that Jews within and outside the land lived under Persian rule. It provides encouragement and assurance to the post-exilic audience that they are entitled to the land of Israel by divine right. While both psalms present a theological interpretation of the history of Israel, that interpretation includes a confession of the sins of Israel that led to judgment and punishment. This view of Israel's history - that faithfulness leads to blessing and prosperity, while unfaithfulness leads to punishment and suffering - is the dominant theological view of the OT. Only rarely does anyone question it. Most famously, this questioning occurs in the Book of Job. However, even an acknowledgment of Israel’s sins cannot squelch the spirit of thankfulness that characterizes Psalm 105. The psalm must have been part of the covenant festival. The focus of the festival was to help people today remember what God had done among the people of God in the past. This psalm offers a good word, a eulogy, for the Lord.
Psalm 105: 1-6 are an introduction to the hymn. I would point first to the call to give thanks and to call upon the Lord. The focus of worship is to re-direct our attention from our natural inclination to focus upon ourselves and to direct our attention to the Lord. Such re-centering, recognizing the center of our lives is outside us, is vital to our spiritual growth. 1 O give thanks to the Lord, call on his name, make known his deeds among the peoples. Such deeds are those recorded in the Torah, which the psalm goes on to recite and reinterpret. The poet knew some form of the Torah traditions, which had already become authoritative. 2 Sing to him, sing praises to him; tell of all his wonderful works. Yet, a second point centers on the “Magalia Dei” that constitutes large sections of the Old Testament, especially the Torah. The deeds, wonderful works, miracles of the Lord are a summary way of referring to the history of the dealings of the Lord with creation, the Patriarchs, the formation of the Hebrew people or Israel under Moses and the judges, and the continuation of the nation under the kings. Classical rabbinic Judaism never placed much emphasis upon this aspect of the exhortations we find in the Old Testament. All of this is to bring the minds and hearts of the people to a focus upon the Lord. 3 Glory in his holy name; let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice. 4 Seek the Lord in the temple and his strength; seek his presence continually in the Temple. 5 Remember the wonderful works he has done, his miracles, recalling the deliverance from Egypt, and the judgments he has uttered in the giving of the Law at Sinai, 6 O offspring (seed) of his servant Abraham, thereby making them the fulfillment of the promise of the Lord to give Abraham many offspring in Genesis 15:3-6, children of Jacob, his chosen ones, emphasizing the continuity between the patriarchs and the present generation, choosing this people gathered for worship is among the judgments of the Lord. The psalm affirms that the promises of the Lord had small beginnings in that they begin with blessing a family. At the same time, those now gathered for worship are just has chosen as are the patriarchs. The people in the sanctuary assemble as the inheritors of the promises to Abraham and the patriarchs.[1] Even the Patriarchs received the benefit of election or choice of a people.[2] Theological and biblical remembering involves being reconnected and re-placed in the event in a way that its original power is once again re-created. When we do all the things the psalmist asks us to do, we are enabled to better step into the salvific events he described and, thus, better able to appreciate and to praise what God has done for us.
Psalm 105: 37-38 complete a segment begun in verse 27 that relates the escape of these servants of the Lord through plagues against Egypt. Israel left Egypt with silver and gold. Egypt released joyfully. They did not mourn their departure. They had the attitude at that point like many of us have had. Good riddance to bad rubbish. 37 Then he brought Israel out with silver and gold, the justification of which has a long exegetical tradition, and there was no one among their tribes who stumbled. This refers to Exodus 12:33-36. It interprets Exodus 6:26 and 12:33-36, where the Lord took out the Israelites troop by troop. We also find the interpretation in Josephus, Antiquities 14:6, and in traditional Jewish commentaries. 38 Egypt was glad when they departed, for dread of them had fallen upon it.
Psalm 105: 39-41 refer to miracles during the wilderness wandering. In referring to the cloud and fire, the writer paints a picture of a theophany during worship. The cloud has a protective function. 39 He spread a cloud for a covering, a theophany in worship, and fire to give light by night. 40 They asked, well, they did not really ask. They complained — big time. We can see this in Exodus 16:2-15. A form of the word “complain” appears seven times. Moses could have set up a Complaint Desk, but it would have required a 24/7 operation. So, what do we complain about today? Can we expect God to hear us? Can we expect that God will always provide the food “from heaven” that we need? We are complaining now, the night is long and dark, but food is on the way. Joy comes in the morning. They “asked” and he brought quails, and gave them food from heaven in abundance. 41 He opened the rock, and water gushed out; it flowed through the desert like a river. While not mentioned the complaints of which we read in Exodus 16 and Numbers 11, the text affirms the point that the Lord takes care of the needs of Israel.
Psalm 105: 42-45 are the conclusion, returning to fulfillment of covenant promise. The Decalogue may have been part of the covenant festival. In remembering the promise to the servant of the Lord, Abraham, we can see that the election tradition of Israel could speak of the Patriarchs as the elected or chosen ones.[3]Therefore, the Lord brought the people of the Lord, the chosen ones, with joy and singing out of Egypt and to a land already inhabited. The text does not deal directly with the wars and suffering that would occur to possess the land and wealth of these people. The purpose of this move is that these people would live in accord with the laws the Lord graciously gave them. For this history of the Lord dealing with this people, they are to offer obedience and praise to the Lord. The reason for the mighty acts of deliverance is simple: 42 For he remembered his holy promise, and Abraham, his servant. The election tradition of Israel could speak of the Patriarchs as the elected or chosen ones.[4] The Lord made a holy promise to a family that now finds it fulfillment in the formation of a people. There are promises and there are promises. There are solemn promises, such as the vow one makes during a marriage ceremony. There are legal contracts that are legally binding. There are military oaths; there are spurious promises uttered only for effect. And there are election promises, which most people accept as campaign rhetoric, and which will be affected by political realities and compromise. One might promise to take the garbage out or promise to "never do that again." There is the foxhole promise that goes something like this: "God, if you get me out of this mess, I will never take another drink as long as I live." That is a conditional promise. Staying true to the promise is contingent upon some other action taking place. Some promises can be forgotten, ignored or broken. In this text, we learn that God "remembered his holy promise." The promise God made was a holy one. God keeps his promises. 43 So he brought his people out with joy, his chosen ones with singing. 44 He gave them the lands of the nations, and they took possession of the wealth of the peoples, bringing us back to the promise of the land to Abraham at the beginning of the psalm, all this occurring so 45 that they might keep his statutes and observe his laws. The poet enjoins the community to obey the Torah traditions, the same traditions the poet has utilized and reinterpreted to give the community encouragement. 45bPraise the Lord!
No comments:
Post a Comment