Structure:
l
V1-4: Intro and reason. Saying he loves the Lord
and why he loves the Lord: “heard me”.
l
V5-11: The structure is known to be difficult
here because of the changes in the personal pronouns, switching between first,
second and third persons. Context is temple worship. Something goes terribly
wrong for somebody and that person cries out to Yahweh in the temple. Then they
go home, and Yahweh responds to their plea. In responses to the promises they
made, they come back to do good for Yahweh.
l
V12-19: Response. Offerings (Thanksgiving,
sacrifice), temple worship, fulfillment of vows.
Purpose:
l
Testify the goodness of God to the worshipping
community, so those who are in the worshipping community who are in distress
will turn to Yahweh, so they then too may be delivered, give thanks and
testify.
l
Read communally.
l
Disasters in the contexts of ancient Israel are
most commonly agricultural or childlessness.
l
There’s a temptation for childless women to turn
to fertility gods, and often goods of the lands are used to represent
fertility, eg. Drinking wine etc. That’s why 1Samuel Eli thought Hannah was
drunk. People in desperate circumstances will clutch at any straw. Here the
psalmist says he didn’t clutch at any straw but turned to Yahweh.
Exegesis:
l
V1: “I love! For Yahweh heard.” Seems more like
the exclamation “I love”. You can’t command the affections, but you can command
actions. Love in Deuteronomy speaks of that obedient response. Speaking of the
psalmist’s passionate response to what Yahweh has done. It is a response of commitment,
of dedication and loyalty. Some say it’s theologically problematic to say “I
love Yahweh because Yahweh heard me”. But Yahweh doesn’t seem to mind that one
of the reasons why people love Yahweh is because Yahweh had done something good
for them. It’s a profoundly relational declaration, of a God who’s near and
responsive.
l
V3: Distress and anguish. It’s figurative:
snares of death and pangs of Sheol. The living are not dead, but death
conditions their living.
l
V4: The response is, “I called on the name of
Yahweh”. Demonstrates that he is a faithful Israelite because he calls on the
name.
l
V5: Yahweh’s gracious and righteous. Our God is
merciful and compassionate. “Our”: communal relationship Israel enjoys with
Yahweh.
l
V6: General and specific action of God: God
protects the simple…. He saved me.
l
V7: Place of quiet and safety, it’s the home of
the soul.
l
V8: Parallelism, you delivered… my eyes from
tears, my feet from stumbling. Place of death.
l
V9: Contrast with V8. Place of life. Walking. To
be in the presence of Yahweh is to be in the worshipping community, enjoying
the presence of God.
l
V11: “liars”: How community functioned in the
psalmist’s past.
l
V12: “What shall I render to the Lord for all
his benefits to me?” There’s a bit of bargaining going on. It sounds like
payment for services rendered, which is an unfortunate way of us relating to
God. The best way of understanding this is a thank you present which is
promised in advance as opposed to a fee for service. Eg. If your neighbour
looks after your dog, it can be a bit insulting to pay them to do so. This is demonstrating
your thanks: A costly present you give. A devotive offering is a way of giving
a costly present.
l
V13: Passover celebration: How much meat is in a
sheep? Quite a lot. BBQs going on everywhere in the temple and possibly
extending outside. Cup of salvation is a metaphoric phenomenon but also a real
thing people did. Meals often a way of the worshipping community gathering
together: Chinese churches seem to do it better than Western churches.
No comments:
Post a Comment