Saturday, August 2, 2014

Psalm 143:1-12 rA


... in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.  Amen.  Through the prayers of our holy Fathers, Lord Jesus Christ our God, have mercy on us and save us.  Amen.  Glory to You, our God, Glory to You.

O Heavenly King, the Comforter, the Spirit of truth, You are everywhere and fill all things, Treasury of blessings, and Giver of life: come and abide in us, and cleanse us from every impurity, and save our souls, O Good One.

Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal, have mercy on us (three times).

Psalm 143:1-12[1]

A Psalm of David.

Hear my prayer, Lord.  Give ear to my supplication.  In Your faithfulness answer me, in Your righteousness….  Enter not in judgment with Your servant: for in Your sight shall no man living be justified: for the enemy has persecuted my soul.  He has struck down my life to the ground.  He has made me dwell in darkness, as those who have been long dead.  Therefore my spirit is overwhelmed within me.  My heart is desolate within me.  I remember the days of old.  I meditate on all Your works.  I meditate on the work of Your hands.  I stretch forth my hands to You.  My soul [thirsts] for You, as thirsty land.  Consider.

Hear me speedily, Lord.  My spirit fails.  Hide not Your face from me, lest I be like those who go down to the pit.[2]  Cause me to hear Your lovingkindness in the morning: for in You I trust.  Cause me to know the way where I should walk: for I lift up my soul to You.  Deliver me, Lord, from my enemies.  I flee to You to hide me.

Teach me to do Your will:[3] for You [are] my God.  Your spirit [is] good.  Lead me to the land of uprightness.  Make me alive, Lord, for Your name’s sake.  For Your righteousness’ sake, bring my soul out of trouble.  And of Your mercy cut off my enemies.  Destroy all those who afflict my soul: for I [am] Your servant.[4]



[1] David prays in deep distress.  Nowadays, we are so concerned about being positive, that we have denied ourselves emotions like distress: when distress comes we cannot cope, we often cannot even pray.  We are told to have nothing to do with negative people; consequently we develop false ideas about life.  What we really need is Truth.  Sometimes the Truth hurts.  David is not afraid to explore the full gamut of his emotions in his prayers.  Distress is one of them.  It’s okay to feel distress.  Pray about it.  David is not suffering from delusional paranoia; there really was a madman chasing him around in the wilderness, trying to kill him: some days the fatigue and fear got to him.  Perhaps this is the day that he longed for a drink from the well of Bethlehem (2 Samuel 23:13-17), which is associated with David’s dying prayers (2 Samuel 23:1-7), which would explain why these Psalms, that seem to be out of place, are located here.
David is failing, and as he faces death, he continues to look for God’s deliverance.  He does not want to die like those who are simply thrown in the grave.  David knows that there is more than the grave; he longs and prays to find his hiding place in God, looking at God’s face.
David is realistically humble; he knows that none of the good things of life come from the self.  He can never be so smart, so strong, so wise that he doesn’t need God’s incessant teaching, God’s unfailing leadership.  Today that leadership is promised in the gift of the Holy Ghost, Who is freely given to all who ask in sincerity and truth.  David sees a new land, “the land of uprightness,” a place where he is no longer hunted like an animal, is he looking to heaven?  He sees a new life, is he thinking of the resurrection from the dead?  He seeks a place without trouble, without enemies, without affliction, is he putting his hope in God’s eternal Sabbath rest?  Because David is God’s servant, he finds all these things in God’s righteousness.
[2] A whole essay could be written about the many Bible passages, which show that Jesus Christ did descend into Hell, “trampling down death by death, and bestowing life on those in the tombs.”  As historic fact there was a partial bodily resurrection immediately after the time of Jesus’ death and resurrection (Matthew 27:52-53).
The icon “Descent into Hell” is one representation of this Biblical truth (http://orthodoxwiki.org/Resurrection.
[3] For David, this is a plea to be directly instructed by God in obedience to Torah.  David understood that such obedience was the gracious gift of Yahweh, to be received in works of faith, hope, and love.
[4] If you have been blessed or helped by any of these meditations, please repost, share, or use any of them as you wish.  No rights are reserved.  They are designed and intended for your free participation.  They were freely received, and are freely given.  No other permission is required for their use.

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