Psalm 24 reminds me that reflecting on God’s sovereignty
sets me straight.
Overview: Ps 24 consists of three movements: 1) An opening reflection on the sovereignty
of God (1-2), 2) A “catechism” about who is qualified to draw near to such a
God (3-6), and 3) a processional litany, probably of the Ark of the Covenant
being brought into Jerusalem (7-10).*
Verse 1 uses three literary devices that emphasis its teaching: parallelism,
ballast, and a merism (use of two opposites to indicate a whole, such as, “I cried
DAY and NIGHT).
To Yahweh belongs
the earth and
its fullness,
[To
Yahweh belongs] the world and all who dwell in it;
The color coding shows the parallel word play. “To Yahweh belongs” in brackets indicates how
the audience is led to fill in this “ballast” that balances the two lines. [Note: "Yahweh" is an approximation of the proper name Israel used for God, often translated as "LORD."] The merism is that the Hebrew word of “earth”
refers primarily to its physical features, and the word for “world” refers to
living creatures, as can be seen by the two following phrases. Together, they express the totality of the structures and living beings of creation.
Verse 2 uses similar devices in the same pattern, creating the sense of a stanza or unit of thought.
for He founded it upon the
seas
and [for He]
established it upon
the rivers.
“Seas” and “rivers” here are meant to evoke destructive forces of chaos, reminding the audience of the creation imagery of Genesis 1 in which God speaks order into chaos (watery deep) and makes the creation fit to receive life.
Reflection: These verses remind me to “open my eyes” (something I rarely do) and to see the whole world around me as a testimony to the sovereignty of God, who overcomes chaos and establishes all forms and life. The world belongs to God, and I am an infinitesimally small part in it. In Romans 1:18-23, Paul speaks about the glory of God being revealed to people and the consequences of people not glorifying and thanking God.
Lord, forgive me for my tunnel vision on myself and “my” world. Help me each day to "see" and to marvel in your greatness to your glory. Amen.
*Psalms, as they were used in the Temple, were not merely poems or songs. They were part of dramatic rituals that help to make tangible the matters of God which are essentially intangible. They helped Israelites to see, hear, smell, and sometimes even taste the reality of abstractions such as sin, grace, mercy, and fellowship with God. They provided words and actions for thanking, lamenting, and petitioning. Ps 24 was a celebration, possibly commemorated annually, of an event of the Presence of God, probably symbolized by the Ark of the Covenant, entering their presence, probably the Temple gates or gates of Jerusalem. (Jews today sometimes use it in a procession of the Torah scroll. Christians have tended to use verses 7-10 to think about how the gates of Hades could not hold Jesus.)
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