This hymn declares God’s care for the
oppressed, the hungry, the prisoners, the blind, those who are bent down, the
strangers, the orphans and widows.
How does God do these things? It is usually
through people who are willing to be involved in leadership but who do it as
God’s servants.[1]
Psalm 146 as a sermon by Rev Dr Andrew Sloane (OT636 lecture week 13):
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Sometimes songs can be
dangerous: to change the world. In the 1960s in USA, there was a movement to
free the African American. It also costed the lives of some, particularly
Martin Luther King.
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It opens with a ringing praise
of God. The praise with which this psalm ends is how the life with God ought to
end. Psalm 150 is pure praise. Ps146 is the opening of the closing of the
psalter. It shows the fact of why we praise God.
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Pop songs can desensitise, eg.
Beatles songs, eg. “all you need is love”, sometimes tell us to escape from
reality. Some Christian songs are also like that. Psalms calls for us to engage
with reality, to run to the world, not away from the world, in dangerous faith.
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“Put not your trust in princes”,
even if they are Christians. Sometimes we believe our rulers are trustworthy.
The politicians often promise the world, eg. Recently in India’s election,
where a village was promised free rice and saris. But they just cannot keep
their word. Many years ago, Andrew Sloane was studying with his wife in Morling
College about missions, and a mission organisation that was supporting him told
them there was a financial crisis and the whole plan was gone. “Put not your
trust in princes.”
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While we cannot trust princes,
there is someone we can trust. We can trust in God in part because God’s power
endures. V5-6: Blessed is the one whose God is the God of Jacob. There’s power
beyond imagining and power without end. This is the God who is faithful and
trustworthy forever. The princes’ powers come to an end when they do. God’s
plans come to fruition. Alternative plan of God for Andrew Sloane is also good,
and now he still gets to preach in India. What they thought they were to do
didn’t turn out, but God’s plan is still a good plan.
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V7-9: This is the one who
upholds the cause of the oppressed and gives food to the hungry… sustains the
fatherless and the widows. Christians in India knows what it’s like to be
oppressed. God is in the business of establishing justice for them. This is a
God who sets the prisoners free: this is probably speaking in the context of
Israel in exile. God is the one who opens the eyes of the blind: God is
concerned about those with physical needs. God lifts up those who are bowed
down. God looks after foreigners: people who are not Israelites living in
Israel’s territory. These dislocated people do not have family networks and are
socially vulnerable, and mostly day labourers. These people are socially and
economically disadvantaged, in the margins of the socioeconomic system. They are
the ones Yahweh protect. It’s interesting to see how Yahweh’s power work. This
is different from the political system of the world which plays favourites.
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This God rules forever, and
aren’t we glad, for this God rules like this, and this God calls us to trust
and praise. This comes to no surprise the psalm ends as it does.
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How do we show how we really
trust this God? True worship is not just a matter of singing songs. Some of us
might find ourselves in circumstances of need. To trust and praise this God is
to put your hope in Yahweh, and recognise that all other potential sources will
fail you. Many of us find ourselves in positions of power. In fact, we are
among the most well educated 2-3% in the world. This liberates and helps us
understand the world and navigate our ways through it and to help others. So,
we are amongst the wealthiest and most powerful people in the world! This means
being like God, radically, to justice. Therefore, this is a dangerous song. To
sing this song means our world will change. Dangerous like the songs of
America’s south. It’s a song that can change the world. Will you sing it with
me?
