Bible perplexities, small group leadership

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Psalm 2: Hope in the Midst of Injustice

Terrorists murder and maim. Con artists bilk the elderly. The rich exploit the poor. Abusers scar children. The promiscuous mock the chaste. Liars lock the innocent behind bars. Those who’ve sworn to uphold justice overturn it.

What is our hope in the midst of injustice? Psalm 2 tells us.

It’s a psalm originally composed for singing at the coronations of kings descended from David. It’s one of about ten psalms categorized as royal psalms because they’re about the Davidic monarchy.

Psalm 2:1-3 The root of injustice

Psalm 2:1-3 shows us from where injustice comes

A good, effective king was a cause for rejoicing. Such a king fought wickedness, judged righteously, executed justice, defended the poor, and crushed oppressors. A godly king brought the hope of justice and righteousness to the kingdom.

Since ancient Israel was a type of the heavenly kingdom, and King David was a type of King Jesus, royal psalms often have elements that apply to the kingdom of heaven and to Jesus’ reign. Psalm 2 is no exception, and the New Testament quotes it frequently, applying its words to Jesus, the Son of David. It foretells the crowning of Jesus the Anointed One—the Messiah—so it is also a Messianic psalm.

So what does Psalm 2 tell us?

God Decreed His Son King

Psalm 2:7a is the psalm’s center and tells us the psalm’s theme:

I will tell of the decree:

The rest of the verse explains the decree:

The Lord said to me,
“You are my Son;
today I have begotten you.”

This refers to the decree God made regarding King David. When David wanted to build a temple for the Lord, he asked the prophet Nathan to ask God if that would be acceptable.

That night the Lord spoke to Nathan and told him to tell David no, David would not build a house (that is, a temple) for God, but rather God would build a house (that is, a dynasty) for David. God decreed that he would establish the throne of David’s son’s kingdom forever (2 Samuel 7:13). These sons of David would be called sons of God—a political term in those days because lesser kings (vassals) were called “sons” of the greater king (suzerain) whom they served. David and his sons were to be vassals of God.

The first son of David to reign would be Solomon. Most Bible translations capitalize “Son” so you don’t miss that the last Son is Jesus, not son in the same political sense as David’s other sons—that was mere foreshadowing of the Son of God born of a virgin. It is Jesus’ throne that will last forever.

Well and good, but what does that have to do with the evil we see around us? For that we look back to the beginning of the psalm.

Many Rebel Against the Decree

Psalm 2:1-2 (see figure) tells of a rebellion of those who don’t want to submit to the newly crowned king. Newly crowned kings often faced rebellion from those ready to test their strength. In Jesus’ case, the religious leaders rebelled and turned Jesus over to Rome to be crucified on trumped-up charges. They celebrated, thinking the threat to their authority demolished. They didn’t know God had raised Jesus from the dead and anointed him king on the heavenly Mount Zion.

Psalm 2:10-12 the final answer to injustice

Psalm 2:10-12 Those who refuse God’s Son’s rule will perish, but those who embrace it will be blessed

When Jesus ascended to heaven, his followers proclaimed that Jesus was the Messiah who had sat down at the Father’s right hand. They offered the grace found in Psalm 2’s close: Be wise and warned, serve the Lord God, and “kiss the Son” (that is, pay homage to him as ruler) so that you will not perish, but have eternal life.

Today, Christians continue to spread this message in a world in which most still rebel.

For one day, trumpets will sound and the Lord will return (Matthew 24:31). On that day, it will be seen that all the plotting to reject his rule will be in vain (Psalm 2:1), and every knee will bow. Some will bow as the conquered bow, yielding to the inevitable before perishing. But those who willingly bowed on earth will bow then in gladness and joy, the hope of Jesus’ reign finally come.

“Blessed are all who take refuge in him” (Psalm 2:12). Yes, truly blessed: They will be in Jesus’ kingdom where there will be no injustice, no tears, no pain. All will be made right.

That is our hope in the midst of injustice today.

His Kingdom Comes!

Until that day, we pray, “Maranatha!” There in one word is the cry, “Our Lord, come!” (1 Corinthians 16:22). It encapsulates what Jesus teaches us to pray: “Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven” (Matthew 6:10).

When we pray for God’s kingdom to come, we express our yearning for that kingdom in which our Lord rules with righteousness and justice. We offer ourselves as obedient servants longing to dwell under his reign. We agree that God’s commands are right and holy, and that justice demands sin’s wages be paid. We give thanks for Jesus paying the penalty for our sins through his death on the cross in order that we might live. We trust that as he rose from the dead, so shall we.

Maranatha!

Adapted from Discovering Hope in the Psalms (Harvest House, 2017)

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Art as Worship

Whether you consider yourself to be artistic or not, you can worship God through art. It doesn’t have to be a masterpiece, for God sees the heart: “For if the willingness is there, the gift is acceptable according to what one has, not according to what he does not have” (2 Corinthians 8:12).

Worship is an offering of ourselves “as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God” (Romans 12:1-2). It involves adoration, submission, proclamation, and service, all of which can be done through art.

Stained glass art as worship

Stained glass portraying Saint Luke | Cathedral Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi

Art has played a significant part of Christian service: Consider Handel’s Messiah, the medieval illuminated manuscripts, Milton’s epic Paradise Lost, and the stained glass of the great cathedrals. Even culinary arts are represented during feasts that celebrate Christ’s birth and resurrection—particularly when lamb is served for Easter accompanied by an explanation of Jesus being the Lamb sacrificed for our sins.

Take a look at how the arts played a part in Israel’s worship of God. Here is just a sample.

Art as Worship in the Bible

Performing Art as Worship

Members of three choirs greeted worshipers at the temple’s gates, played music, and sang throughout the temple facility. Men and women alike wrote and sang songs commemorating God’s mighty works. All the people acted important historical events, such as Passover—where families dressed and feasted in the way the Israelites did on the night God freed them from Egyptian slavery—and the Feast of Tabernacles—where they lived in palm booths for a week to reenact the wilderness experience and the entrance to the Promised Land.

Literary Art as Worship

Moses, Miriam, and other men and women in the Bible wrote songs for others to sing so they would remember God’s instructions and mighty deeds. At least one shepherd boy (David) wrote psalms for use in personal worship. Later, worship leaders wrote psalms to be sung by the choirs and recited by the masses. Some wrote histories and testimonies to teach others about God. Church leaders wrote letters to encourage, admonish, and bless.

Culinary Art as Worship

Illuminated mss is art as worship

Illuminated manuscript (Genesis) | Wenceslas Bible, 1389, from freechristimages.org

Worship included feasts, the elements of which often symbolized an aspect of God’s care. For example, the spring Passover feast included lamb to represent the Passover Lamb slain that they might live, and unleavened bread signifying the haste with which the people fled Egypt. The summer Feast of Weeks included leavened bread in celebration of the grain harvest God provided in the Promised Land; to the early church it symbolized the falling of the Seed that produced the harvest of the church. The fall Feast of Tabernacles celebrated the year’s final harvest; it also symbolized the Last Day’s harvest of souls.

Visual Art as Worship

At homes, Scripture adorned doorposts and gates, providing teaching opportunities. But where the visual arts really stood out was at the temple. There wood carvings, gold inlays, intricate embroidery, and bronze statues reminded worshipers that this was the temple of the Creator of all in heaven and earth. He was holy and they drew near him through sacrifice. The artistry reminded people who God was so they could worship appropriately.

Why Attempt Art as Worship?

Many of us have enjoyed stained glass windows in cathedrals and Bible stories in plays or movies. But this level of art as worship is beyond the skills of most: We can enjoy it, but not do it.

Still, artistically expressing what we’re learning in Scripture has these benefits:

  • Deepens our involvement with the passage
  • Helps us remember the passage’s message
  • Gives us a means to easily and vibrantly share the passage with others
  • Is a part of loving the Lord with our whole being: heart, soul, mind, and strength
Art as worship deepens our involvement, helps us remember, & gives us a means to share Click To Tweet

Simple Ideas for Art as Worship

Art as worship: Psalm 1:3

“A tree planted by streams of water” (Psalm 1:3) | Art doesn’t have to be skillful to be meaningful–I enjoyed creating this and was blessed by the layers of meaning that came out

So what are some simple ways to use art as worship? Here are ideas based on Psalm 1, most of which could be used with any Scripture passage:

Performing Arts

  • Find a musical version of the psalm to play or sing (such as that of Kim Hill)
  • Act out the psalm as you read or recite it aloud to music (spoken word poetry)
  • Write music and lyrics based on the psalm

Literary Arts

  • Write a psalm similar to Psalm 1 based on a particular biblical instruction.
  • Form this psalm’s message into a poem of any type you like

Culinary Arts

  • For a picnic, gather chaff (papery seed covering) from plants that have gone to seed (or weeds if you can’t find chaff) and place it on a container. Prepare fresh fruit and place it on another container. Show children or friends the contents of the two containers. As you explain how chaff is good for nothing, toss it in the air and let the wind drive it away (or pour it into the trash if the day is windless). Serve the fruit as you explain how healthy and desirable it is. Explain what Psalm 1 says about our lives being like chaff or well-watered fruit trees.
Art as worship can be simple

Clockwise from top: 1. cross stitch in progress; 2. stamped tile; 3. bookmarks; 4. scale as reminder of justice.

Visual Arts

  • Create a container garden with a small plant pruned like a tree and tiny rocks suggesting a stream
  • Write part or all of the psalm in calligraphy
  • Create an art journal: sketch, paint, and affix photos and words from magazines
  • In a journaling Bible, pick one verse to illuminate in the wide margin
  • Overlay a verse on top of a photograph of a fruit tree by a river
  • Create a diorama or sculpture or piece of jewelry
  • Create fabric art using cross stitch, embroidery, or applique
  • Turn what you are learning into an artistic expression to encourage others: bookmarks, greeting cards, t-shirt, coaster
Art as worship in a laundry room

“‘A merry heart createth a cheerful countenance’ Proverb 15:13” | My MIL Rae disliked housework so she painted her laundry room in a way that would remind her that her service was worship.

My favorite ways of creating art as worship are writing new psalms based on other psalms, turning a passage into a story or poem, sketching passages, and fabric art. My husband, Clay, has written several encouraging psalms during difficult times. I have a friend who makes coasters from tiles, another who illuminates verses in a journaling Bible, one who made a container garden to illustrate the Parable of the Sower, and still another who makes bookmarks.

What ways have you used art in worship? What might you try?

Adapted from Discovering Hope in the Psalms (Harvest House, 2017)

Whether you consider yourself artistic or not, you can worship God through art Click To Tweet

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How to Understand Psalms

I used to dislike the Book of Psalms because the psalms kept repeating themselves instead of proceeding point-by-point to a nice conclusion in the first line of the last stanza. After all, essays put the main point in the first sentence of the last paragraph. That’s why we call it a “conclusion.” The psalms didn’t do that.

The problem was that I didn’t understand Psalms’ genre. Not understanding the genre of a book of the Bible leads to not understanding the book. You see, every kind of writing has a genre. We read a newspaper differently than a love note or a poem or a bank deposit slip. We read Philippians differently than Proverbs.

It wasn’t until I learned a bit about Hebrew poetry that I began to not only appreciate, but love, Psalms. Here’s what I needed to know.

To Understand Psalms, Find & Compare Parallel Elements

The psalms are Hebrew poems. A Hebrew poem’s basic unit is a poetic line. Most lines have two segments, though some have three or four, and a few have only one.

Most line segments in Hebrew poetry use parallelism. They often say something similar in multiple ways, giving us different ways to grasp the poet’s meaning. The best part about parallelism is that it translates well, so we don’t have to know Hebrew to enjoy it. God was planning ahead when he helped the Hebrews develop their poetry!

Here are the parallel elements of Psalm 1:1 lined up:

Understanding Psalms 1:1

Parallel elements in Psalm 1:1 are below each other

What I thought was pointless redundancy was an invitation to compare the parallel elements to see how they relate. In this case, they intensify, which lead me to ponder how to avoid the progression by not taking the first step.

In the verse above, the parallelism is illustrated like this: ABCD/B’C’D’/B’’C’’D’’. Sometimes the parallel elements are placed in a pattern like this: AB/B’A’. This is called a chiasm (KEY-asm; chi is the Greek name for the letter “X”). In the chart below, the lines drawn between the parallel elements of Psalm 1:2 cross in the shape of an X:

Understanding Psalms 1:2

Parallel elements in Psalm 1:2 form an X shape

When I compared the parallel elements in this verse and considered what delight and meditation have to do with each other, I realized that the righteous so delight in the Lord’s instructions that they meditate on it all the time. We naturally think about that which delights us. Delight brings meditation, and meditation increases delight.

By this time I was delighting in parallelism.

To Understand Psalms, Note the Type of Parallelism

Knowing the most common types of parallelism helps us interpret psalms.

In synonymous parallelism, the parallel units use words with similar meanings to express the same idea in a similar way. Both of the above verses use synonymous parallelism, and I showed you how pondering on how the units are similar brings greater understanding of the verse.

In antithetical parallelism, the parallel units use words with opposite meanings to contrast ideas. In Psalm 1:6, “knows” is parallel to “perish”; in the Bible, those whom God knows he watches over and keeps from perishing:

For the Lord knows the way of the righteous,
but the way of the wicked will perish.

In synthetic parallelism, the parallel units do something else, such as complete a thought. In Psalm 1:4, the first line segment tells us the wicked are not like the well-watered fruit trees from the previous verse, and the second line segment tells us what they are like. That invites us to compare the functions, value, and endurance of fruit trees with that of chaff.

The wicked are not so,
but are like chaff that the wind drives away

To Understand Psalms, Find the Theme from Parallelism

It’s not just segments within a poetic line that have parallelism. The entire poem may have parallel elements. Often the first and last words or lines are parallel, in which case they’re the clue to the theme. Psalm 1’s first word is “blessed” and its last word is “perish” (antithetical parallelism); both lines refer to “ways”; therefore, the theme is There is a way that is blessed and a way that perishes.

Sometimes the first and last stanzas are parallel, as are the second and second-to-last stanzas, and so on, forming a chiasm of stanzas in which the center is the psalm’s theme. Psalm 71 is such a chiasm:

Understanding Psalms 71

Parallel stanzas in Psalm 71 form a chiasm

In other words, I’d been looking for the “conclusion” in the physical conclusion. But in Hebrew poetry, the central point is often in the center! Compare all the stanzas equal distance from the center to understand psalms with chiasm, and you’ll find the poet’s thought progressions.

As you can see …

If you want to understand Psalms, parallelism is the key Click To Tweet

Adapted from Discovering Hope in the Psalms (Harvest House, 2017)

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Seven Tips & Tricks to Memorize Psalms

By Jean E. Jones @JeanEstherJones

Did my last post, Why Memorize Psalms? 10 Good Reasons, leave you wondering just how anyone would go about memorizing psalms?
Now, I know people who can read a long passage a few times and it’s memorized. I’m not like that. So when I decided to memorize some psalms, I first read up on memory tricks. Here are six tips I’ve found particularly helpful.

1. Pick a Bible Version that Aids Memorization

Indented lines help you memorize psalms

Tips 1+3. Indented lines help you memorize psalms–so does drawing in your Bible

Memorizing will be easier if you choose a Bible version that breaks the psalms into stanzas and lines rather than printing them as paragraphs. Hebrew poetry consists of poetic lines with parallel parts, and being able to see those parts one above the other will help you see their relationships, and that will help you memorize. For example, look at Psalm 30:5 as it’s indented in ESV (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version)) below:

For his anger is but for a moment,

and his favor is for a lifetime.

Weeping may tarry for the night,

but joy comes with the morning.

See the relationships? That helps you remember.

2. Recite Aloud Every Day with One New Verse per Day

Andrew M. Davis wrote a helpful little book called An Approach to Extended Memorization of Scripture. In his method, you review every day and add one new verse per day, using these three steps.

  1. “Yesterday’s verse first”: Begin by reciting the verse you added the day before ten times aloud, looking if you need to.
  2. “Old verses next, altogether”: Recite everything you’ve memorized to date aloud, peeking if you forget anything.
  3. “New verse”: Begin memorizing the next verse in the passage by saying it ten times while staring hard at the words.
Memorize psalms with linked pictures

Tip 3. Hyssop linked to snow to remember Psalm 51:7

Davis emphasizes saying the verses aloud and “photographing the verses with your eyes.” To help me “photograph” the line, I cover everything below it with a white card while I say it and stare at it. When I’ve said it enough times to remember it, I’ll cover the line, picture it in my mind, and say it, then immediately uncover and read the line to reinforce it.

3. Use Linked Mental Pictures

Harry Lorayne and Jerry Lucas in The The Memory Book: The Classic Guide to Improving Your Memory at Work, at School, and at Play explain that “thoughts may be associated to each other, so that one thought will remind you of the next thought” (p. 24). They advise you to think of a mental image that reminds you of the first item you want to remember, and then associate it with a picture of the second item you want to remember. Then take the second picture and associate it with an image of the third, and so on until you’ve linked all the items you want to remember.
This is very easy with visual psalms such as Psalm 23, but let me show you how to do it with a passage that has intangibles. Here’s Psalm 51:7-8 with a key word in each line in bold:

Linked pictures help you memorize psalms

Tip 3. Snow linked to hear (ear) to remember Psalm 51:7-8

Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean;

wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.

Let me hear joy and gladness;

let the bones that you have broken rejoice.

For intangibles, substitute an image of something that sounds similar (ear for “hear” or Mary for “marry”) or connects in some way (a hand holding a tissue for “blot”). The pictures demonstrate how to associate each key word with the next. You can also sketch the pictures in your Bible.

4. Review with a Recording

When I’ve memorized several verses of a psalm, I play a recording while I recite it. This seems to engage a different part of the brain than reading: I stumble in different places! You can use the audio feature of Bible apps such as YouVersion or record yourself reading the psalm slowly and with feeling into your cellphone’s recording app, pausing between stanzas. (I usually start with YouVersion and switch to my own recording when I’m just about done with the psalm. By that time, I know how I want to read it.)

Memorize psalms with linked pictures

Tip 3. Hear linked to bones to remember Psalm 51:8

Of course, if you’re musically inclined, put the psalm to music like the Israelites did and you’ll learn it even faster.

5. Remember the Stanza Flow

Make a mental note of each stanza’s central point so you can remember their order. Here’s Psalm 30 by verse numbers:

  • 1-3: Praise
  • 4-5: Divine description
  • 6-7: Dilemma
  • 8-10: Dilemma’s prayer
  • 11-12: Thanksgiving

6. Pay Attention to Parallelism to Memorize Psalms

The most significant aspect of Hebrew poetry is its use of parallelism. Parallelism is a huge help in memorizing, as you can see in Psalm 1:1:

Parallelism helps you memorize psalms

Tip 6. Noticing parallelism helps you memorize psalms

See how much easier it is to remember how the line flows when you see the parallel parts laid out like this? The structure here is diagrammed like this: A / B C D / B’ C’ D’ / B’’ C’’ D’’. Most Hebrew poetic lines are either A B / A’ B’ or A B / B’ A’. Paying attention to how the parallel elements relate to each other helps your memory. I often write out stanzas with the parallel items stacked so I can visualize them better.

7. Use Tricks for Synonyms to Memorize Psalms

Memorize psalms with memory tricks

Tips 3+7. Face linked to blot and lips sighing (SI=Sins Iniquities) to remember Psalm 51:9

I found Psalm 51 difficult to memorize because of all the synonyms for sin. So I made a mental picture of “TIS” next to the first stanza (standing for Transgressions, Iniquity, Sin) and “TSSE IS” next to the second stanza (Transgressions, Sin, Sinned, Evil, Iniquity, Sin). For the third stanza, I took the mental picture of face linked to blot and added sighing lips to remind me of “SI” (Sins, Iniquities; see the illustration).

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There you have it: the seven tips and tricks to help you memorize psalms!

Have you used these tips and tricks? What additional tips and tricks help you memorize?

Related Links

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Why Memorize Psalms? 10 Good Reasons

When I first read Gorden Wenham’s careful and convincing chapter in Psalms as Torah [1] that the Psalms were meant to be memorized, I asked myself, “So why haven’t you memorized any psalms?” Answer: I find memorizing long passages difficult—very difficult! But I’d recently read a book on memory tricks, so I resolved to give it a try. Besides, I loved praying psalms and knew that would be a way to add psalm praying to my regular prayer time rather than my Bible reading time.

Memorize Psalms

When we memorize Psalms, we store them in our heart

Was I surprised: I now love memorizing psalms! And it’s easier than I thought.

Here’s why.

1. When I memorize psalms I can pray them any time

Most psalms are inspired prayers meant to be sung.[2] Psalms teach us how to pray, and I’ve prayed them for years. Now that I’ve memorized four psalms, they’re available to me to pray at any time. I usually walk during my main prayer time, and I absolutely love beginning with something memorized.

2. When I memorize psalms they increase my joy & peace

I wanted to add a thanksgiving psalm to my regular prayers to help me give thanks for answered prayers. I chose the beautiful Psalm 30. Wow. Beginning each day extoling God for salvation and remembering how he brought me to him is so uplifting that it makes my heart sing. It increased my joy by leaps. It reminded me that just as God miraculously saved me, so he can get me through that day’s troubles, and that brings me peace. Yet those weren’t my goals. They are side benefits: I aimed to bless God and he blessed me!

3. When I memorize psalms I’m more likely to do what they say

Praying psalms commits me to obeying what they say. Praying, “Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked” (Psalm 1) commits me to obeying God, not the world. Praying, “I will extol you, oh Lord” (Psalm 30), commits me to extolling God—to magnifying him and to telling others of his good care. In fact, I now regularly follow reciting this line with a prayer, “God, how can I best extol you today?” In the midst of memorizing this psalm, I jumped at the chance to speak on overcoming fear, knowing this would be a perfect means to glorify God. Frankly, until I memorized Psalm 30, I wasn’t actively looking for ways to publicly glorify God for what he’s done in my life.

4. When I memorize psalms they prepare me to face any circumstance

Confidence songs like Psalm 23 (“The Lord is my Shepherd”) can be on my tongue the instance a difficulty strikes. This one is full of imagery, and just picturing the mental images I focused upon while memorizing this psalms brings me the peace of the psalm even before I recite the words.

5. When I memorize psalms I meditate on God’s words more frequently

The blessed man meditates on God’s words day and night (Psalm 1). In ancient times, you couldn’t meditate on God’s words at night unless you had them memorized: Torches just weren’t that efficient. With psalms memorized, I can meditate even when my Bible’s not open.

When Clay was a child his agnostic father would come into his room at bedtime and recite Psalm 23 with him. Clay quickly memorized it and remembers walking down the street to grade school reciting it to himself. He found this encouraging and spiritually formative as he was growing up even though he didn’t become a Christian until several years later in junior high.

6. Reciting psalms makes my sleep more peaceful

This was another surprise. When I awake in the middle of the night and my thoughts start racing, I can calm them by reciting psalms. This is turning out to be a good way to get back to sleep. The psalmists apparently knew this since they talk about night songs (Psalm 42:8), meditating in bed (Psalm 63:6), and awakening at night in order to meditate on God’s promises (Psalm 119:148).

7. Poetry is easier to memorize than prose

Martin Luther “described the Psalter as a mini-Bible, which sums up the whole message of the Scriptures.” [3] Since poetry is easier to memorize than histories and letters, it’s a good way to get more of God’s words into my heart.

8. Memorizing psalms is a good mental challenge

Okay, there’s nothing particularly spiritual about this. But keeping my brain active could give me more years to actively serve God.

9. Jesus memorized psalms

WWJD? Jesus quoted psalms regularly: He had them memorized. We’re called to imitate him.

10. The psalms were meant to be memorized

Why not memorize them if they were meant to be memorized? This was the clincher for me. I decided if the ancients could do this, then I could do it.

Coming next : Tips & tricks to make memorizing psalms easier

Related posts

Disclosure of Material Connection: Some of the links in the post above are “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will add value to my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

  1. [1]Gorden Wenham, Psalms as Torah: Reading Biblical Song Ethically (Studies in Theological Interpretation) (Grand Rapids: Baker, 2012), 41-56. ↩
  2. [2]Ibid., 63. ↩
  3. [3]Gordon Wenham, The Psalter Reclaimed: Praying and Praising with the Psalms
    (Wheaton: Crossway, 2013), 40. ↩
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Psalm 137 and Dashing Babies on Rocks

What does Psalm 137:8-9 mean: “O daughter of Babylon, doomed to be destroyed, blessed shall he be who repays you with what you have done to us! Blessed shall he be who takes your little ones and dashes them against the rock!”? Why would a supposedly righteous person use such an awful image? How can the psalmist call someone who does such a thing “blessed”?

Shocking, isn’t it?

Poets use gut-wrenching imagery to get others to feel what they feel. The Jews had watched Babylonian troops tear down Jerusalem’s walls, loot the temple, and burn their buildings. The invading soldiers slaughtered them with swords and dashed their babies on rocks.[1] Then they shackled survivors and exiled them to Babylonia (today’s southern Iraq). [2]

The writer of this psalm is one of those exiles. He’s grieving the loss of home and loved ones—perhaps even his own child. He’s written this psalm to help the community of exiles grieve.

The Imagery of Psalm 137 Symbolizes the Horrors the Jews Suffered

Synecdoche: a poetic device in which a part of something represents all of it


Of all the horrors the psalmist saw, he chooses one as emblematic of their suffering: murdered infants. The psalmist uses a common poetic device called synecdoche, in which a part of something represents all of it. The dashed babies is the one horror he most wants to see Babylon repaid for, and so he uses it as a symbol for the total repayment he knows is coming.

Why did he think Babylon would be repaid?

Psalm 137:9 Quotes Prophets

The prophets who foretold Judah’s exile also said the exile would last just seventy years. Then the Medes would conquer Babylon, repay her for all she did to Judah, and send the Jewish exiles home. One of the things the prophets said would happen to Babylon is this: “Their infants will be dashed in pieces before their eyes” (Isaiah 13:16). So the psalmist isn’t making some gruesome punishment up: he is quoting what the prophet Isaiah foretold. He uses one image from what the prophets said would happen to Babylon to stand for the whole of the oracles about Babylon. Thus, his statement is a proclamation of faith in God’s promise that Babylon would fall and the exiles would come home.

The Imagery Represents Eye-for-eye Justice

The Jews’ concern with equal repayment may seem foreign to us, but it’s important to understand that they lived under a talionic (eye-for-eye) justice system where punishment matched the crime. One should be treated as one treated others. They had no problem wanting God to repay wrongdoers, especially when they knelt powerless before a cruel oppressor. Gordon Wenham explains: “The psalmist is asking for justice, not revenge. This will demonstrate to others that God hears prayer and intervenes on behalf of the poor and oppressed.” [3] The Jews wanted eye-for-eye justice because it showed God cared about righting wrongs.

Wenham adds an important note: “In these psalms there is no suggestion that the psalmist will personally intervene; vindication is left to God.” [4] God always gets it right.

Additionally, in Psalm 137:9 it’s important to note that the psalmist is not asking God to have babies killed; rather, he is commenting on the state of those who fulfill the prophecies of Babylon’s fall.

The Imagery Symbolizes Ending a Dynasty

There’s another piece of symbolism here. Ending a reign in ancient days meant eradicating the royal line. Leaving an heir to the throne alive invited future rebellion. Psalm 137 speaks of the coming of the end of Babylon’s ruling dynasty.

Erich Zenger, who was Professor of Biblical History at the University of Münster in Germany, says this:

Psalm 137 is a political poem: It deals with the end of Babylon’s reign of terror. This is also important with respect to the image of the children of the daughter Babylon, who are to be smashed against the stone pavements of the capital city. “The children” are those of the royal house, that is, of the dynasty (cf. Isa. 7:14-16; 9:1-6). The horrible image means to say that this dynasty of terror ought to be exterminated completely (“root and branch”).[5]

But Why Call Him “Blessed”?

So the psalmist uses emotive imagery to symbolize the horrors that the Jews suffered, the whole of the prophecies about Babylon’s demise, the eye-for-eye repayment he considered just, and the end of a cruel dynasty.

Painting of Rembrandt's "Belshazzar's Feast," for Psalm 137:8-9

“Belshazzar’s Feast” by Rembrandt [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

Still, why would the psalmist call the one enacting punishment on Babylon “blessed” or “happy”? It is not that he would be happy to kill babies. It is simply this: he would be happy to end a cruel and tyrannical regime.

On the night Cyrus the Great, King of the Medes and Persians, invaded Babylon, the Babylonian King Nabonidus was absent. His son Belshazzar was partying with holy vessels plundered from Jerusalem’s temple. The overthrow was relatively bloodless, but Belshazzar died that night (Daniel 5:30), and there is little doubt his children died too to prevent a future challenge to the throne.

Even the Babylonians were happy about the dynasty’s demise: “The inhabitants of Babylon greeted Cyrus not as a conqueror but as a liberator, and spread green branches before him.”[6]

Blogs on other Bible questions
See also

Here are four excellent books that discuss the more difficult psalms, in order of reading ease.

  • In A Theological Introduction to the Book of Psalms: The Psalms as Torah, J. Clinton McCann Jr. discusses Psalms 109, 137, and 82 in his chapter, “Prayer and Activity: Vengeance, Catharsis, and Compassion.” He writes for a general audience.
  • Gordon J. Wenham’s The Psalter Reclaimed: Praying and Praising with the Psalms is very good. It’s a compilation of lectures and therefore doesn’t read as smoothly as his book below, but it covers a broader range of topics. The chapters, “Praying the Psalms” and “The Imprecatory Psalms” are helpful; he quotes McCann’s and Zenger’s books. His audience is the more serious student of the Bible, seminary students, and church leaders.
  • Gordon J. Wenham’s excellent Psalms as Torah: Reading Biblical Song Ethically (Studies in Theological Interpretation) has two chapters particularly relevent to understanding the harsher psalms: “Laws in the Psalter” and “Appeals for Divine Intervention.” He summarizes McCann’s and Zenger’s books. Here his audience is seminary students.
  • In A God of Vengeance?: Understanding the Psalms of Divine Wrath, Erich Zenger argues that the psalms that cry out against injustice are essential in a world of violence. Zenger was a German Roman Catholic priest and a professor of biblical history, and his take on the German churches’ wrestling with psalms of violence after the world wars is culturally fascinating. The audience is church leaders and scholars.

Disclosure of Material Connection: Some of the links in the post above are “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will add value to my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

 

  1. [1] These and other horrific acts were meant to terrorize kingdoms into submission. ”The dark realities of warfare in the ancient Near East often doomed the innocent to destruction. While soldiers and men were often subject to dismemberment and impalement, women and children might also be ravished and slaughtered…. Pregnant women might be lacerated in order to extract the fruit of their wombs for sport, and infants were smashed on the ground….” John W. Hilber, “Psalms,” Zondervan Illustrated Bible Backgrounds Commentary: Volume 5, John H. Walton, gen. ed. (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2009), 432. ↩
  2. [2]Jeremiah 40:1.↩
  3. [3]Gordon J. Wenham, Psalms as Torah: Reading Biblical Song Ethically (Grand Rapids: Baker, 2012), 171.↩
  4. [4]Ibid.↩
  5. [5]Erich Zenger, A God of Vengeance? Understanding the Psalms of Divine Wrath, trans. Linda M. Maloney(Louisville: Westminster John Knox, 1994), 50.↩
  6. [6]Edwin M. Yamauchi, Persia and the Bible (Grand Rapids: Baker, 1990), 87. ↩
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Review: “Why Do You Believe That?”

Here’s a terrific Bible study guide for women who want to grow better at talking about their faith: Why Do You Believe That? A Faith Conversation.

Image of "Why Do You Believe That?" member book

“Why Do You Believe That? A Faith Conversation” by Mary Jo Sharp

Author Mary Jo Sharp packs six weeks of personal Bible study into 160 pages. She’s sprinkled Confidence Builders throughout that address handling tricky conversations. A helpful leader guide at the book’s back suggests discussion questions and even supplies weekly social media samples. Interspersed within the seven video lectures are eye-opening clips of Mary Jo talking to atheists and former atheists about their conversations with Christians.

When I announced I was leading a women’s apologetics Bible study using this book this summer, so many women signed up I offered two sessions. Women truly felt a need to be better able to give reasons for their faith to their friends, co-workers, and teens. By the end of the study, we felt not only better equipped to answer questions, but that we’d developed better relationship and conversation skills.

Review

Why Do You Believe That?  Study Guide

The personal study guide examines how Jesus handled faith conversations. It addresses conversation conundrums that women regularly face: “All religions teach basically the same thing”; “Religious people believe in spite of evidence”; “Why do you Christians always push your morality on others?” There’s a summary of what different religions teach about Jesus that was a unanimous favorite.

Each weekly personal study section is broken into five daily lessons that average about 35 minutes, except for week two (55) and week three (45). The homework length and topic make the study best for those with prior Bible study experience.

Daily lesson titles and key questions begin each lesson and provide good focus. The material is laid out attractively with teal and gray highlights that are easy to read. Often Mary Jo asks how you would respond to a situation before giving her suggestions. Good trick! We eagerly read on as we imagined ourselves being in that situation.

Chapters begin with a Group page listing questions from the previous week’s homework in case you prefer that over leafing through the pages; these lacked page numbers for looking up one’s responses, however.

Several chapters have sample statements to practice responding to out loud. Practicing in the group was enlightening—you could tell if you sounded sarcastic or timid, and watching someone with a particularly gentle manner gave everyone something to imitate.

In our group discussions, I encouraged the women to first share examples of when they’d actually encountered the situations we were discussing. Hearing real-life stories added lots of excitement and drove home the practicality of what we were studying.

There are a few minor issues, all easy to work around. The questions are not numbered, making it a little more difficult for people to find questions during the discussion, especially those using a digital format. The table of contents lists “Week One,” “Week Two,” etc., but doesn’t give chapter titles, making it impossible to know what the book covers from Amazon’s “Look Inside” feature (not to worry: I list the chapter titles and content at the end of this blog).

Week Two’s daily homework averaged nearly an hour per day, and if I offer the study again, I’ll cover the chapter in two weeks. This is an excellent chapter, but day three’s homework was a bit tricky. The Confidence Builder on the minimal facts defense of the resurrection (p. 39) was apparently edited down to where it doesn’t accurately represent the argument. This made it difficult for women to answer the question about it. This was easy to get around, though. I gave the group members a Minimal Facts handout that not only quoted the minimal facts, but had a hyperlink to an example of how apologist Clay Jones uses them in faith conversations: http://www.clayjones.net/2010/09/my-200-word-resurrection-witness/.

Videos

Everyone loved the seven session videos. They’re clear, well taught, and visually exciting. Rather than the typical lecture-only videos, Mary Jo’s lectures are nicely interspersed with vignettes of her talking to atheists and former atheists, and of her answering her editor’s questions. Scripture references and answers for the video guides stay on the screen long enough to write down. Graphics are top-notch. Most session videos are twenty to thirty minutes, except for the last which is nine minutes. The videos are designed to be shown at the end of a session since they introduce the following week’s homework. They’re available on DVD in the separately sold Leader Kit or by download.

Leader Guide

The leader guide at the back of member books is exceptional. It has promotion ideas; suggestions for weekly Facebook, Twitter, and email announcements; proposed discussion questions with page numbers (these differ somewhat from the discussion guides); and optional session exercises.

Conclusion

Why Do You Believe That? is an excellent Bible study for women with previous Bible study experience. I will probably offer it again, splitting Session Two into two parts and teaching on the minimal facts approach to explaining the evidence for the resurrection. In all, the lessons engendered lots of excitement because they talked about issues Christian women regularly face.

Go to top

Chapter Summaries for “Why Do You Believe That?” Member Book

Week One: Introducing Apologetics

What is apologetics, why do we need it, and how can we use it in a godly, loving manner?

Week Two: Knowing Your Beliefs

A very basic introduction to apologetic topics: Jesus is the only way; Jesus is different in different religions; Jesus’ resurrection is foundational to Christianity; Jesus uses good reasoning; Jesus’ story has been reliably transmitted.

Week Three: Listening to Others

How to develop good listening skills and an introduction to fallacies. (Click here for my Session 3 Practice Responses handout, which you are free to use and distribute.)

Week Four: Questioning Others

Asking questions as an essential communication skill (my favorite chapter!).

Week Five: Responding to Others

Tips on how to respond to errors, recognize conversation stoppers, deal with the sawed-off shotgun approach, and reply when time is short.

Week Six: Roadblocks

Dealing with our own roadblocks; others’ intellectual and emotional roadblocks; feeling inexperienced.

Week Seven:  Wrap-up & Challenge

Video guide for the last session, which is a challenge to get out and talk about faith.

Women looking for a small group Bible study should definitely consider Why Do You Believe That? It’ll build skills and confidence in having faith conversations in ways new to most women.

Sharp, Mary Jo. 2012. Why Do You Believe That? A Faith Conversation. Nashville: Lifeway. Available from LifeWay and Amazon.

Related:

Disclosure of Material Connection: Some of the links in the post above are “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will add value to my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

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Was Martha’s sister Mary a prostitute?

Was Martha’s sister Mary a prostitute? What about Mary Magdalene? Was Martha’s sister Mary the same person as Mary Magdalene, from whom seven demons were cast?

I hear these questions surprisingly often. Here’s why.

Stained glass of Martha and Mary: Was Mary a prostitute?

Stained glass of Martha and Mary in St. Nicholas Church, Orebro, Sweden. Public domain photo by David Castor.

The gospels have an account of Mary of Bethany—the sister of Martha and Lazarus—anointing Jesus’ feet and wiping them with her hair, and an account of a sinful woman doing the same. Many people wonder if both accounts are of the same event.

Additionally, popular culture often identifies the sinful woman as Mary Magdalene and depicts her as a prostitute. For example, medieval paintings, the musical Jesus Christ: Superstar, and Mel Gibson’s movie The Passion of the Christ all show Mary Magdalene as a prostitute.

Thus it’s no wonder people ask if Mary of Bethany was a demon-possessed prostitute.

But was she?

The short answer: Mary of Bethany and Mary Magdalene were different women and neither Mary was a prostitute. Let’s break this into separate issues.

Mary of Bethany and Mary Magdalene were different women

The New Testament differentiates between about eight women named Mary by noting to whom they’re related or from where they come. The siblings Martha, Mary, and Lazarus lived in Bethany, a village in Judea. “Magdalene” means “of Magdala,” so Mary Magdalene came from the town of Magdala in Galilee.

  • Mary of Bethany: This Mary sat at Jesus’ feet while her sister Martha took care of guests. She watched Jesus raise her brother Lazarus from the dead. She anointed Jesus’ head and feet with expensive perfume. (See Luke 10:38-42; John 11; and John 12:1-7 for passages about this Mary.)
  • Mary Magdalene: Jesus cast seven demons from her. She traveled with Jesus and the disciples, taking care of their needs. Mary Magdalene was at the cross and was the first to see the resurrected Jesus. (Passages about Mary Magdalene include Luke 8:2; Mark 15:40; and John 20:11-18.)

Mary of Bethany and Luke’s sinful woman were different women

The gospels recount similar events in which a woman wiped Jesus’ feet with her hair at the house of someone named Simon. John’s account speaks of Mary of Bethany and Luke talks of an unnamed sinful woman. This is why people sometimes think Mary of Bethany is the sinful woman. But Luke’s account differs significantly from the others and must be a separate event:

 

Mary of Bethany
Unnamed “woman of the city who was a sinner”
wiped Jesus’ feet with her hair wiped Jesus’ feet with her hair
after anointing his feet and head with expensive nard after anointing his feet with her tears and an unnamed ointment
at the house of Simon the leper at the house of Simon the Pharisee
in Bethany in Judea in Galilee
offending Judas Iscariot because of wastefulness offending Simon the Pharisee who wouldn’t let a sinful woman touch him
at the end of Jesus’ ministry at the start of Jesus’ ministry
in preparation for his burial as an illustration of Jesus’ ability to forgive sins
Matthew 26:6-13; Mark 14:3-9; John 12:1-8 Luke 7:36-50

 

Additionally, Simon the leper and Simon the Pharisee cannot be the same person because a leper could not be a Pharisee.[1] While it might seem odd that both foot perfumings happened in the house of someone named Simon, that name was extremely popular in Jesus’ day: The New Testament lists about nine men named Simon, including two of Jesus’ disciples and one of his brothers.

The Bible calls neither Mary a prostitute

No Scripture portrays Mary of Bethany as a prostitute. It’s only when people confuse her with Luke’s sinful woman that this becomes a question.

Luke’s account does not name the forgiven sinful woman’s sin, but the possibilities include prostitution, adultery, debt, and being married to someone with a dishonorable occupation (such as tax collecting).[2]

It’s popular to identify this unnamed woman as Mary Magdalene and to see her as a prostitute. But the Bible nowhere links Mary Magdalene to her. In fact, there is no Scripture anywhere suggesting Mary Magdalene was a prostitute.

What drove calling Mary a prostitute?

How did the idea become so prevalent? One reason, according to AmericanCatholic.org, is this: “Pope Gregory, who became pope in 590 A.D., clinched Mary’s mistaken reputation as sinner when he delivered a powerful homily in which he combined Luke’s anonymous sinful woman (Lk 7:36-50) with Mary of Bethany and Mary Magdalene.” Vatican II corrected this notion and confirmed Mary Magdalene was neither the forgiven sinner of Luke 7 nor Mary of Bethany.[3]

Bottom line: neither Mary a prostitute

So there we have it: The Bible depicts neither Mary as a prostitute, but all three women as forgiven of their sins and followers of Jesus the Christ.

  1. [1]Darrell L. Bock, Luke Volume 1: 1:1-9:50, BEC (Grand Rapids: Baker, 1994), 690.↩
  2. [2]Bock, 695.↩
  3. [3]Carol Ann Morrow, “St. Mary Magdalene: Redeeming Her Gospel Reputation,” The Catholic Update, AmericanCatholic.org, May 2006,http://www.americancatholic.org/Newsletters/CU/ac0506.asp [accessed 2/15/2014].↩
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Why did Jesus say, “Eat his flesh”?

Jesus fed the multitudes before saying we must eat his flesh

“The Feeding of the Five Thousand” by Jacobo Bassano

Question: I was chewing on the passage where Jesus says we have to eat his flesh and drink his blood. How would you approach why Jesus would use these words?

That is a great question. After all, Jesus’ words in John 6:53-57 caused many people to stop following him. Let’s look first at the context of what Jesus said, then at what the words mean, and finally at why Jesus would use such a distasteful phrase.

The Context

The day before, Jesus fed 5,000 men and an unknown number of women and children from five small barley loaves and two fish. This miracle reminded them of the miracle of manna that their ancestors ate in the desert when Moses led them out of slavery. Many Jews of Jesus’ day were expecting “the Prophet”—someone God would send who would be like Moses (Deuteronomy 18:15-19)—and this supper caused them to exclaim: “This is indeed the Prophet who is to come into the world!”

They planned to force Jesus to be king (5,000 men were plenty to start a rebellion), but he slipped away. The next day they found him on the other side of the sea. Jesus warned them that they sought him not because of what the sign signified, but because they wanted full bellies (John 6:26). He refused to give them more bread and instead made claims they considered outrageous: he was the bread of life; he came from heaven; he could grant eternal life; and he could satisfy spiritual hunger and thirst.

This was not what they wanted. They wanted Jesus to lead a rebellion against Rome and keep filling their stomachs.

When they argued, Jesus proclaimed:

I tell you the truth, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. John 6:53-54 (NIV)

They replied, “This is a hard saying; who can listen to it?” Many not only stopped listening to him, they stopped following him.

What does “eat his flesh” mean?

Jesus’ initial point is that Jesus is the bread of life in that he satisfies spiritual hunger and gives eternal life, just as barley cakes and manna satisfy physical hunger and give physical life (6:35, 48-51).

Continuing the bread of life motif, “eat his flesh” is equivalent to believe in Jesus and thereby partake of all that his body’s death on the cross offered, including payment for sins and eternal life. As research professor of New Testament and commentator D. A. Carson puts it, It is appropriating Jesus through faith. [1] (If you’d like to see the verses that explain this, see “A Little Deeper: Equivalent Expressions” at the end of this blog.)

Why would Jesus say something so offensive?

Still, referencing cannibalism and drinking blood was offensive to Jews. Why would Jesus say something which would cause so many to abandon him? Here are three considerations.

Jesus wanted people to seek understanding

Jesus often used words with spiritual meanings that could be misunderstood if taken literally. Those who believed he was the Messiah could seek to find out what he truly meant, while those who weren’t listening for spiritual truth could shake their heads and walk away. Jesus often said, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear”—those without ears to hear he didn’t pursue.

Jesus wanted true followers

Those who left were at odds with Jesus’ mission: they wanted him to lead a political rebellion and perform daily miracles to meet their physical needs on earth. Presenting a difficult teaching drove away the distraction of false followers attempting to mold him into what they wanted rather than accepting from him what he offered.

Jesus’ metaphor would stick so they might later understand

The words were so graphic that the hearers would never forget them. Jesus spoke mainly in figures to the crowds, and when he plainly told the Twelve about his coming death and resurrection, they didn’t understand (Luke 9:21-22, 44-45). After the resurrection, Jesus’ disciples understood the significance of the crucifixion and openly preached that Jesus had died for the sins of the world. Those who quit following Jesus on this day who later heard of Jesus’ death and resurrection would be able to then understand that Jesus was saying that they needed to partake of his eternal sacrifice for them—if they finally had ears to hear.

***

A Little Deeper: Equivalent Expressions

How do we figure out what Jesus meant in this passage? First, John 6 is rich in imagery and metaphors that mean similar things. Looking at which expressions in Jesus’ sermon are equivalent helps us understand what he means.

  • Jesus equated laboring “for the food that endures to eternal life” to believing in him (John 6:27, 29), so we obtain the bread of life by believing in Jesus.
  • “The bread of life” is also “the food that endures to eternal life”; “the true bread from heaven”; “he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world”; and Jesus’ “flesh” that he would “give for the life of the world” (6:35, 27, 32, 33, 51).
  • Jesus gives eternal life to and raises from the dead those who (a) believe in him; (b) eat the bread of life; and (c) feed on his flesh (6:40, 51, 54), so all three are equivalent.

Second, “eat” is clearly metaphorical. Just as you used “chewing on” in your question and I used “distasteful” in my first paragraph, so we often use phrases related to eating metaphorically: we drink in a sunset, taste the good life, swallow the hard truth, and eat humble pie. We usually mean something like partaking of or participating in.

Third, John 1 tells us Jesus was the Word who “was with God” and “was God” and “became flesh”; this flesh is what he would give for the life of the world (John 1:1, 14, 6:51). He offered his body to be sacrificed in place of ours in order to pay for our sins, and thus showed himself to be “the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world” (Hebrews 9:28, 10:10; John 1:29).

Fourth, Jesus explained his meaning further during the Last Supper when he instituted communion so that his followers would eat bread and drink wine in memory of what he accomplished on the cross (Luke 22:17-20).

  1. [1]Carson, D. A., The Gospel According to John (Eerdmans: Grand Rapids, 1991), 305.↩
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Trying to Turn Things into What They’re Not

When I was a child, I tried to turn a Chihuahua into Lassie.

I wanted a dog like Lassie, that heroic TV collie who had long orangish/brown fur, bits of black around her perky ears, and a huge white mane that fluffed softly from her chest and was always clean and brushed. Every week I watched her rescue little Timmy from danger.

I thought if I had a dog like Lassie, she could rescue me if a river swept me away, attack bad people that tried to hurt me, and run for help if I were trapped in a collapsed mine. Then she would lick my face while sweetly whining, just as Lassie licked Timmy’s face at the end of every show.

Trying to turn things into what they're not

My sister Karen, brother Tony, and I playing in the sprinklers with Moosie, the tiny blob in front of us

But I didn’t have a Lassie. I had Moose: an irritable, golden blonde Chihuahua whose girth nearly matched her height. The top of her head sported a large, bald soft spot I wasn’t supposed to touch. She scurried about on spindly legs while her toenails went clickety-clickety-clickety. When I disturbed her frequent naps, she growled and bit my fingers with needle-like teeth.

Nonetheless, I was sure Moosie could be like Lassie with a little nudging.

So one day when a group of kids big enough to go to school were hanging out on the sidewalk in front of our small stucco house, I decided to bravely walk outside with Moosie by my side. I called her. She ignored me. I picked up all eight pounds of her and carried her to the front door. “Come on, Moosie, we’re going outside,” I coaxed. I set her down and she put her wiggling, wet nose on the crack where the door opened. I turned the doorknob and pulled on the door. She jumped out the door and I followed her. But as soon as she saw the school kids, she ducked her nose onto the ground, whipped her skinny tail under so far it nearly touched her pointed chin, twisted the front half of her body around like a hairpin, and dove back into the house.

The big kids stared.

A Lassie she would never be.

Trying to turn things into something they're not

Moosie standing on the armrest of a chair staring at my grandmother’s parakeet

Although I wanted a dog to protect and befriend me, what I didn’t know is I had someone infinitely more reliable, infinitely mightier, and infinitely more concerned for me than Lassie ever could be for Timmy. Lassie, after all, was mortal, besides being fictitious. Her successes depended on a storywriter’s will to keep the dangers facing Timmy within Lassie’s ability to overcome. There was no Lassie that could protect me from the dangers of the real world in which I lived.

It wasn’t a Lassie I needed, then as a child or later as an adult. I needed, and have, the Good Shepherd. This Shepherd knows my heart and thoughts, as well as the heart and thoughts of all around me. There is no story line bigger than his abilities to overcome. Not even death.

And yet … we sometimes try to mold people and situations and things into being that which only the Good Shepherd can be for us. When we try to make creation do what only the Creator can do, we set ourselves up for disappointment and unhappiness.

  • We may try to mold our spouse into being everything we emotionally need, rather than seeking all we need from God
  • We may turn our environment into never-ending entertainment, rather than taking our nagging and tumultuous thoughts to God for examination
  • We may feign illnesses so family members will prove they’ll always care for us, rather than trusting God for our future
  • We may form our deeds into exceptional works to prove we’re good people, rather than accepting the forgiveness God offers through Christ Jesus
  • We may habitually dull pain and sorrow with alcohol or drugs, rather than seeking the lasting comfort that only God can give
  • We may chase positions, possessions, and people to gain worth, rather than pursuing the eternal glory God offers
  • We may shape our work to gain approval from people, rather than being satisfied that the only approval which counts is God’s
  • We may manipulate others into doing what we want, rather than acting in honest ways and trusting God to provide for us
  • We may try to control others, rather than committing ourselves to prayer and trusting God with others’ lives

Have you been looking to mold someone or something into that which only God can be, just as I tried to mold Moosie into Lassie? It won’t succeed. Only the Good Shepherd can guide and care for you as you need.

The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.

He makes me lie down in green pastures.

He leads me beside still waters.

He restores my soul.

Psalm 23:1-3a

 

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Who are “the Righteous” in Psalms and Proverbs?

Today I’ll address a common question:

The Bible says no one is righteous, so to whom are the Psalms and Proverbs referring when they talk about “the righteous”?

That’s a great question. We read that all have sinned and no one is righteous in both the Old and New Testament: “…no one living is righteous before you” (Psalm 143:2); “…None is righteous, no, not one” (Romans 3:10).

So what do we make of verses like these?

The righteous are like trees near water

Psalm 1 says the righteous take in God’s words like trees planted near streams take in water, causing them to flourish

for the Lord knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish. ~Psalms 1:6

teach a righteous man, and he will increase in learning. ~Proverbs 9:9

The lips of the righteous know what is acceptable, but the mouth of the wicked, what is perverse. ~Proverbs 10:32

Though the question arises most often about Psalms and Proverbs, verses about the righteous occur elsewhere:

Again, if a righteous person turns from his righteousness and commits injustice … ~Ezekiel 3:20

If he rescued righteous Lot … ~2 Peter 2:7

And they [Zechariah and Elizabeth] were both righteous before God, walking blamelessly in all the commandments and statutes of the Lord. Luke 1:6

The answer has to do with the different ways the word righteous is used.

“The Righteous”

The standard for righteousness is God’s righteousness, and no person is righteous on his or her own. We can’t be righteous on our own because “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23).

However, Scripture calls some people the righteous: these are those whose faith in and love for God causes them to order their lives according to God’s laws (Psalm 1:2; 1 John 3:7); God bestows righteousness on them because he counts faith as righteousness (Genesis 15:6; Philippians 3:9).

In the New Testament, God makes righteous those who put their faith in Jesus. In both Testaments, the righteous aren’t sinless, but when they sin, they seek God’s forgiveness, and God cleanses them of unrighteousness (Psalm 51:9-10; 1 John 1:9).

Beeson Divinity School professor of Old Testament and Hebrew, Allen P. Ross puts it this way:

The basic meaning of “righteous” has to do with conforming to the standard; in religious passages that standard is divine revelation. The righteous are people who have entered into covenant with God by faith and seek to live according to his word. The covenant that they have makes them the people of God—God knows them, and because God knows them, they shall never perish. They may do unrighteous things at times, but they know to find forgiveness because they want to do what is right. [1]

In contrast, the wicked are those who live as they see fit. The word translated wicked in Psalm 1 above can refer either to those who simply don’t love God, or to those who reject God’s laws,[2] or to those committed to violence and oppression.

Righteous Living versus Righteous Standing

When reading Scripture, it’s important to differentiate between righteous living—ordering one’s life by God’s commands, including the command to love God—and righteous standing—the righteousness God gives people who live by faith (justification).

Righteous living without faith (simply keeping a certain moral code) never leads to righteous standing, whereas righteous standing based on faith always leads to righteous living.

Just keeping a moral code cannot lead to righteous standing because no person is sinless and God gives righteous standing to only those with faith in him (Romans 3:20). Additionally, those without faith in God always break the greatest command:

And he [Jesus] said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment.” ~Matthew 22:37-38

On the other hand, righteous standing always leads to righteous living because those with faith in God love and trust him enough to obey him (albeit imperfectly) and because God works in them to change them (Psalm 94:12; Philippians 2:13; Hebrews 12:11; 1 John 3:10). It may take time to overcome weaknesses and old habits, but the Holy Spirit will produce growth.

For you bless the righteous, O Lord; you cover him with favor as with a shield. ~Psalms 5:12 (ESV)

 

  1. [1]Allen P. Ross, A Commentary on the Psalms: Volume I (1-41) (Grand Rapids: Kregel, 2011), 193-194.↩
  2. [2]Ross, 185-186.↩
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Encouraging More Talk in Quiet Discussion Groups

A small group leader asks: “My discussion group is quiet, and I seem to be doing most of the talking. The group members complete a workbook at home, but they’re not sharing their answers much. Do you have any ideas about how to encourage more discussion?”

Encouraging More Talk in Discussion Groups

A reminder to ask my group to summarize a passage appears in the upper right of my workbook

This is a question I’ve spent a lot of time praying about over the years! Here are twelve tips that have helped me draw quiet people out more so that everyone feels enriched by the discussion and group members help each other grow.

Before the Group

Pray for the discussion

Before the meeting, I pray that the group members will learn from God’s word, share openly and honestly, feel safe, and help each other grow. I also pray for the Holy Spirit’s presence, wisdom, and guidance.

During the Meeting

Ask quietest people to read

I mark Scripture passages and quotations in my study guide that I want read during the meeting. I ask the quietest people to read them. Often hearing their own voice is enough to prime the pump and get the words flowing. Even if not, it helps them feel like they’re participating.

Replace summaries with leading questions

When a lesson covers a Bible passage too long to read, I don’t summarize it myself. Instead, I ask the group to summarize the passage. If no one volunteers immediately, I ask leading questions until I’ve drawn out all pertinent facts. “This lesson had us read the story of Moses sending the explorers into the Promised Land; who would like to summarize what happened? … What did Moses ask them to do? … When they returned, what did Joshua and Caleb say? … How did that differ from what the other ten spies said?”

Make silence your friend

Quiet people wait for silence before talking, so you need to provide silent pauses. I ask a question and then smile as I look around the group expectantly. I let the silence encourage talking. If I see hesitation in someone’s face, I nod encouragingly. If the silence continues, I ask, “Who has thoughts on this?”—which suggests partial answers are fine and usually draws responses.

If, however, there’s more silence, I rephrase the question, perhaps breaking it into simpler parts. The original question may have been too hard or may have been worded unclearly, so if needed, I’ll ask leading questions until the group understands the question and comes to answers that satisfy them.

Say when a discussion question has no wrong answers

Opinion and personal questions usually have no wrong answers. Saying, “There are no wrong answers on this question, so what are your thoughts?” gives people the freedom to express their opinion without fear of judgment and encourages those who hold strong opinions to keep their tone soft. This builds acceptance of differences in non-essentials,  makes the group members feel sharing is safe, and encourages more talk.

Give everyone who wants to a chance to share

On questions with multiple answers, I make sure everyone who wants to share has a chance by looking back and forth between those who haven’t answered yet and asking, “Does anyone have more to add?” Making sure everyone participates who wants to lets group members know their input is valuable and encourages more sharing.

Affirm answers

Thanking people as they share and especially affirming open, insightful answers encourages more sharing. If I hear several thoughtful answers in a row, I’ll tell the group: “You’re giving great answers! Who else has something to share?” That helps everyone feel sharing is safe.

During the meeting, when I get to a question that was hard to answer, I say something like, “I had to come back to this question and really think.” This models what I hope they will do at home and encourages group members to spend time reflecting on answers so they’ll have more to share.

I seldom correct mistakes; correct answers usually come out as the discussion continues. If someone obviously misinterprets a question, I might say, “You know, I understood the question a little differently. Did anyone interpret this question another way?” (Since that’s the same thing I say if a question has multiple interpretations, no one feels corrected.)

Ask group members to share one answer each on list questions

For questions that ask for a list of answers, I ask people to share one answer each until everyone has shared.

Don’t answer non-personal questions yourself, or answer last

On fact questions or discussion questions that aren’t personal, I try to draw out all the answers from the group. If I have anything to add, I answer last.

Answer first on personal discussion questions

For personal questions I answer first to set the example of openness and brevity. I’m honest and open about my shortcomings and struggles, and this helps others to feel safe enough to do likewise. Small group members are seldom more transparent than the group leader, so this encourages open sharing.

(If I have a talkative, transparent group, though, I’ll answer first at the beginning of the discussion to set the example of how long to talk, then I switch to answering last.)

After the Group Meeting

Affirm transparency

People often second-guess sharing intimately and worry that their openness will lead to others thinking poorly of them. I call or email those who show vulnerability, expressing thanks for their transparency and assuring them that their openness will help the other group members grow and feel safe enough to share openly too.

Ask the reason for quietness during discussion

If someone talked little, I’ll privately ask, “I noticed you didn’t share much. Was there something going on?” Here are common replies and how I usually respond:

“I had a fight with my husband and was in a funk.”

People distracted by worry are always grateful for a listening ear and heartfelt prayer. And they’re so glad you asked what was happening. They’ll feel loved and accepted, essential to open sharing.

“I didn’t get my homework done.”

I assure people who didn’t finish their lessons that I’m glad they came anyway, and to always feel free on the personal questions to listen to the other answers to get their gist and then jump in with their thoughts.

“I’m new to the Bible and don’t want to look stupid.”

I tell them I’m glad they’re there and assure them everyone has felt that way at some point and can relate. In future meetings, I include some simple fact questions and look to them to answer first (without being obvious) so their confidence builds. I call a couple days before future meetings and ask if they have any questions about the homework.

***

If you’re a small group leader, what are  ways you’ve successfully encouraged more talk in quiet groups?

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