Thursday Night's Devotional

(I guess I was feeling a little righteous grumpiness...)

Psalm 59:1-2,4-6,14-15

See, the Lord’s hand is not too short to save, nor his ear to dull to hear. Rather, your iniquities have been barriers between you and God, and your sins have hidden his face from you so that he does not hear. …

No one brings suit justly, no one goes to law honestly; they rely on empty pleas, they speak lies, conceiving mischief and begetting iniquity.
They hatch adders’ eggs, and weave the spider’s web; whoever eats their eggs dies, and the crushed egg hatches out a viper.
Their webs cannot serve as clothing; they cannot cover themselves with what they make. Their works are works of iniquity, and deeds of violence are in their hands. …

Justice is turned back, and righteousness stands at a distance; for truth stumbles in the public square, and uprightness cannot enter.
Truth is lacking, and whoever turns from evil is despoiled.

As Christians, we have been warned about pronouncing judgment on fellow sinners. We are taught to forgive as God has forgiven us. The mercy of God is something that can only flow into us, if it is also flowing out of us. And yet…

We are living in very dramatic times. As a nation, indeed as a global community, we are experiencing the consequences of too many years of greed gone wild. Millions of people, including many within our own community, are losing their jobs, their homes, and their health care. And yet, as we listen to the reports of the titans of industry and finance who go to Washington to testify, it’s as if they’re living on another planet.

In times like these, it is comforting to know that when judgments cry out to be made, the biblical witness is there to support us. We can stay true to the path of Christ, even when we occasionally step into the footsteps of the prophets. There are times when the words of scripture are a relief simply because they describe our present situation so well. “Truth stumbles in the public square.” “They cannot cover themselves with what they make.”

That last phrase may seem to have a double meaning in our present situation. In the context of the psalm, it clearly refers to the weavers of this destructive mess who cannot, once their cover has been blown, justify why they were so richly rewarded for moving money around without creating anything new. But standing alone, “they cannot cover themselves with what they make” seems to describe the many families who are making difficult decisions each month about which bills to leave unpaid. As Christians, our call is to pray that both groups will experience the grace of God, whether that means turning away from lives of greed and selfishness, or receiving a helping hand from strangers.

Collect for the Week: Almighty God of Justice and Mercy, who sent prophets throughout the ages to uplift the poor and down-trodden and cleansed the temple of money-changers, grant that we might be filled with the Spirit of your righteousness, that we might cry out for justice and truth, and carry the light of hope to those who are despairing. Through Jesus Christ our Lord and the Holy Spirit we pray, Amen.