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]

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[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.

Psalm 109:1-31

... 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).

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost, as it is now, was in the beginning, and ever shall be, world without end.  Amen.

Psalm 109:1-31[1]

To the Chief Musician, A Psalm of David.

Hold not Your peace, O God of my praise: for the mouth of the wicked and the mouth of the deceitful are opened against me.  They have spoken against me with a lying tongue.  They circled about me also with words of hatred; and fought against me without a cause.  [In return] for my love, they are my adversaries.  But I [give myself to] prayer.  They have rewarded me evil for good, and hatred for my love.

Set a wicked man over him.  Let Satan[2] stand at his right hand.  When he shall be judged, let him be condemned.  Let his prayer become sin.  Let his days be few.  Let another take his office.  Let his children be fatherless, and his wife a widow.  Let his children be continually vagabonds, and beg.  Let them seek [their bread] also from their desolate places.  Let the extortioner catch all that he has.  Let aliens spoil his labor.  Let there be no one extend mercy to him.  Nor let any favor his fatherless children.  Let his posterity be cut off.  In the generation following, let their name be blotted out.  Let the iniquity of his fathers be remembered with the Lord.  Let not the sin of his mother be blotted out.  Let them be before the Lord continually, so that He may cut off the memory of them from the earth.

Because he remembered not to show mercy, but persecuted the poor and needy man, so that he might even slay the broken in heart.  As he loved cursing, so let it come to him.  As he delighted not in blessing, so let it be far from him.  As he clothed himself with cursing like as with his garment, so let it come to his bowels like water, and like oil to his bones.

Let it be to him as the garment [which] covers him, and for a girdle wherewith he is girded continually.  This [is] the reward of my adversaries from the Lord, of those who speak evil against my soul.

But do for me, O God the Lord, for Your name’s sake.  Because Your mercy [is] good, deliver me: for I [am] poor and needy.  My heart is wounded within me.  I am gone like the shadow when it declines.  I am tossed up and down as the locust.  My knees are weak through fasting.  My flesh fails of fatness.  I became also a reproach to them.  They looked on me.  They shook their heads.  Help me, O Lord my God.  Save me according to Your mercy.  That they may know that this [is] Your hand.  You, Lord, have done it.

Let them curse.  But You bless.  When they arise, let them be ashamed.  But let Your servant rejoice.  Let my adversaries be clothed with shame.  Let them cover themselves with their own confusion, as with a mantle.

I will greatly praise the Lord with my mouth.  Yes, I will praise Him among the throngs.  For He shall stand at the right hand of the poor, to save [him] from those who condemn his soul.[3]

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[1] An amazing prophetic picture grows from David’s general complaint about false friends.  These enemies are not Edomites or Hagarenes.  These enemies are not even primarily Israelites, they are fellow Jews, living in Jerusalem who are his chief political adversaries.  As is the usual case, they constantly repay David’s goodness with evil.  Whatever good David does is never good enough to satisfy these vicious liars, and purveyors of bitterness.

Now within the mystery of David’s prayer he begins to speak prophetically of Judas Iscariot.  The imprecations against Judas are so terrifying that we cringe to read them.  The bulk of the fulfillment is recorded in Matthew 27 and Acts 1.  We will not dwell on that which is so frightening.

Now an explanation is given of Judas’ character, the reasons that the prayers against him are so fierce.  The core of the idea is that Judas showed no mercy.  It is simply impossible for unmerciful people to enter the kingdom of God’s mercy.  Evidently, this characteristic of mercilessness was common in Judas’ family judging by the broad scope of condemnation.  When we pray, “You forgave our debts; as we [must] also forgive our debtors,” our response is not optional.  Failure to forgive and holding grudges is a guaranteed path for sharing in Judas’ tragic death.  This lack of mercy is the sure indication of the sin of unbelief: for it makes the loud and clear statement, “I don’t believe that God forgives.”  Lest we be tempted to shrug this off as inapplicable Old Testament material, we haste to point out that this is a major point in Matthew’s gospel as emphasized in chapters 18 and 25.

The final summary imprecation is, let Judas wear this as a garment for the rest of eternity; and may all of Judas’ kind be clothed in similar fashion.

The scene shifts quickly to the trials and crucifixion.  The declaration is clear.  The crucifixion is the work of the Father to the Son.  A far deeper mystery is being played out here than anything that either Pilate or the Jews can imagine.

The crucifixion is a curse in the eyes of men, but with God it is a blessing.  As the near slaughter of Isaac (Genesis 22); and as the cruel imprisonment of Joseph (Genesis 39).  Men intended evil, but God intended good.  When the Son of man is lifted up He draws the world to Himself (Numbers 21; John 3:15; 8:28; 12:32).

The Psalm closes with the victory of the resurrection.  Christ is Risen.  Satan, Judas, and all their ilk are foiled.

[2] Satan means the Accuser.

[3] If you have been blessed or helped by any of these meditations in Psalms, please repost, share, or use any of them as you wish.

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