Psalms 16-20: Reading the Psalter Missionally (and briefly)
Here is a devotional reflection on Psalms 16-20:
Psalms 16-20
Our journey through the Psalter continues with the poignant laments of Pss 16, 17, and 20. They move our souls to lift up our own needs and concerns to God, but they also remind us of the suffering of others.
Pss 18-19 break up these laments by returning us to the themes introduced in the initial two psalms of the Psalter: kingship and Torah. Ps 18 is a psalm praising the LORD for his protection of the son of David sitting on the throne of Israel. It is a reminder of God’s reign over the earth. The nations may rise up against God’s messiah, but they will not prevail. As followers of Jesus the Messiah and the Son of David, we are reminded of God’s ultimate victory and inspired to persevere in the service of Jesus’ kingdom. We can live boldly today because the final chapter is secure in the hands of God.
Ps 19 ends with a favorite prayer of preachers before a sermon: “Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable to you, O LORD, my rock and my redeemer” (v. 14). Yet this profound meditation was not written as an introduction to a message in the context of a Church. Verse 14 is a reminder and a call to the necessity for God’s people to be shaped and transformed for mission in the world. This majestic Psalm begins with the recognition of the reality of Creation’s witness to God, but also recognizes its limitations. Creation sings its song, but its message is not obvious to humanity (v. 3). There is only one unambiguous witness to the LORD of Creation—the Torah. The Torah alone has the effectual power to change lives (vv. 7-11). Hearing the Scripture brings reflection and the recognition of the need for the work that only God can do—inward cleansing and empowerment for living. The psalmist recognizes this and ends with a poignant prayer for a transformed inner life so that he or she can join the chorus of creation in praising God.
How do I need to change in order to function fully as God’s mouthpiece in the world?
…And what if the Torah (Scripture) in its perfect efficacy is the heat of the sun from which nothing can be hidden… What if I could rise daily with the consistency of the sun to the missional circuit to which I have been called to carry forth that heat… How much more fully might I function from a kingdom perspective?
Great imagery Dave! I love it.
How does one capture a consistency in mission? John Wesley did it for fifty years after his Aldersgate experience.