Psalm 135
I tried something with this chapter that I haven’t done in a
while, I read it out loud. Reading anything out loud forces you to focus on
what you’re reading better. I guess it’s because you are reading it and hearing
yourself say it. The speech somehow reinforces the truth and it becomes more
real. It also makes the reader feel confident in the power of the words.
Ever heard those annoying TV and radio ads where they say
the name of product 3 times consecutive?
Actor: “So where can I get this incredibly effective hemorrhoid
crème?” Pitchman: “Oh
that’s easy just go to sitcrème.com and make the pain go away; that’s
sitcreme.com…sitcreme.com to start feeling relief again.”
Maybe it’s not the best example but you get the point.
Humans don’t retain information that well unless we’re overwhelmed with it. Three must be the magic number.
In a sense I think this Psalm was written for the idea of
restating certain truths. It begins with a call to worship for the One Who is
worthy. “Praise Him, O you servants of the Lord! You who stand in the house of
the Lord, In the courts of the house of our God, Praise the Lord, for the Lord
is good” (verse 1-2)
It spends the next
third talking about the works of the Lord and the victories over Israel’s enemies,
and their heritage in the land.
“He destroyed the firstborn of Egypt, both of man and beast.
He sent signs and wonders into the midst of you, O Egypt, Upon Pharaoh and all
his servants. He defeated many nations and slew mighty kings—Sihon king of the
Amorites, Og king of Bahan, and all the kingdoms of Canaan—and gave their land
as a heritage, a heritage to Israel His people.”(verse 8-12)
Why is this important? It’s on the writer’s heart (likely a
respectable leader) and needs to be shared because we forget. The children of
Israel were just like us, in need of reminders of Yahweh’s deeds. When left
alone we drift from important truths and God’s central role in our lives gets
replaced in small moves. We let work or family or hobbies take the place of our
meditation time with the Father. Our peace starts to drain out like a leak in
an oil pan just dripping slowly on the concrete. When we do recognize it our
car needs repair to prevent further problems. Sometimes we don’t catch our mistake
until the car seizes up, destroying the whole engine. This is a life in
freefall, one that’s ignored the warning lights for some time and is
comfortable heading into the abyss.
After reading it out loud I’m convinced that this is like a
pep talk before a big game. It’s not written to the Lord, as some are, it’s
written to the people to get them to appreciate again the significance of
their Redemption. We can only speculate about the real world implications.
Maybe a sense of apathy is infecting leaders or a feeling of hopelessness in an
upcoming battle. Possibly this is a warning about the proverbial oil leak. Some
Psalms are contemplative and some, designed to offer thanks to God. This one is
thankful with the intention of motivating a group to action. Of course this is
just my opinion but it sounds a lot to me like a coach reminding his team of
their greatness in Christ. It’s a bold letter.
The Chapter finishes with a demand and an example of the 3
times principle. “Bless the Lord, O house of Israel! Bless the Lord, O house of
Aaron! Bless the Lord, O house of Levi! You who fear the Lord, bless the Lord!”
(verse 19-20).
Just to broaden it out, all the scripture works like this.
It’s critical for Christians to understand how to remind themselves and each
other in good times. Most would say it’s critical is tough times, but the trick
is to maintain a close relationship when everything around you is prosperous,
healthy and peaceful. When we’ve seized up the engine it’s easy to turn to
God for direction. What else can we do? We messed up and we know it. But
remembering His goodness in the good times is where the challenge lies-when the
car is humming along and the weather is clear.
Fortunately we have hope. It’s a book, a promise, a record.
Read it out loud. Read it three times and remember it.
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