Lent Course 2024

Lent Course 2024

Praying the Psalms for Today

Introduction Canon Kevin Walton Week 1: Psalm 1 Canon Kevin Walton Week 2: Psalm 2 The Revd Calum Zuckert Week 3: Psalm 13 Canon Will Gibbs Week 4: Psalm 84 Dean Jo Kelly-Moore Week 5: Psalm 122 Canon Kevin Walton The image on the front cover is found in the Alban Psalter, created in St Albans Abbey in the 12th century, and now in Hildesheim, Germany. The image depicts David, the Shepherd King, traditionally associated with the psalms, inspired by the Holy Spirit. The image at the end of this booklet, also found in the Alban Psalter, depicts the entry of Jesus into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday. A facsimile copy of the Psalter is on display in the Cathedral’s exhibition area, with the page turned to that of King David for the duration of Lent.

The images are used with the permission of the Dombibliothek Hildesheim.

Introduction The psalms are a great spiritual treasure. As well as being the hymnbook of the Old Testament, they have been the backbone of Christian worship through the centuries, not least in the monastic roots of St Albans Abbey.

They are, of course immensely popular, and are indeed the part of the Old Testament which is most quoted in the New. Psalms express the whole range of human emotion and experience: joy, praise, lament, cries for help, desire for justice and even revenge. Some reflect personal situations (sickness, forgiveness, isolation), and some communal situations (coronations, weddings, national catastrophe, battle).

The psalms in this course have been chosen to represent a variety of type or genre: wisdom psalm (Ps 1), royal psalm (Ps 2), psalm of lament (Ps 13), psalm of Zion (Ps 84), and pilgrimage psalm (Ps 122). Each had its own setting in life, stretching from the time of the monarchy to the second Temple period after the exile.

However, in most cases we know little of when the psalms were written.

Most psalms have headings, the most common of which is ‘to/of David’.

In the Hebrew text, unlike our English translations, these headings are part of the main text and counted as the first verse. However, it is highly unlikely that the headings were part of the original text: they might give us an indication of how a psalm was understood at some point, or in some cases how it was performed (as perhaps in the case of Ps 84), but they should not be seen as proof of authorship.

The psalms are often called the ‘hymnbook of the Temple’, or more precisely ‘of the second Temple’ which was rebuilt after the exile. This recognizes their place in communal worship. Indeed the Hebrew word for the book is Tehillim (‘Songs of Praise’), a word related to the word Hallelujah. On the other hand, the English word ‘psalm’ is derived from the Greek word for playing or plucking an instrument (hence the picture of David with the lyre on our opening cover).

Within the Book of Psalms there is an implicit division into five books, mirroring the division of the five books of the Torah (or Pentateuch) at the start of the Hebrew Bible. The first four sections end with psalms 41, 72, 89, 106, each concluding with a formulaic blessing of God and a liturgical 1

‘Amen.’ In the case the very ending, the last five psalms begin and end with the Hebrew word Hallelu-jah (‘Praise the LORD’), which is also repeated on each line of the very last psalm. Thus whilst it is true that laments dominate in the psalter, and especially early on in a collection of ‘Psalms of David’ (Psalms 3-41), there is a sense in which the whole book of psalms moves from lament to praise.

We can see this mirrored in our own journey through Lent and Holy Week, especially as Jesus himself speaks a psalm of lament (Ps. 22) from the Cross, but this sense of disorientation gives way to the ‘Alleluia’ of Easter.

One question you might discuss in your groups, is how we can pray a particular psalm when the experience it describes is not our own at that particular time. One response is that it encourages us to enter into the story and experiences of God’s people, not just at an intellectual level, but also emotionally. Furhtermore, prayer is never in isolation, and in making a psalm of lament our own, we identify with those for whom the suffering is a reality: whether sickness, or exile, or loss.

A note on reading the psalms: they are poetry and should be read as such.

Emotions expressed are very human, sometimes very raw. And metaphor and imagery are used to delight and to stretch meaning. Therefore, they should not be read as sources for doctrine or religious teaching. Rather the psalms reflect the prayers of individuals and communities, and teach us about authentic prayer.

At the end of each study is a prayer which develops a theme of the psalm. Apart from that of week one, these are all are printed with the corresponding psalm in Common Worship. It is suggested that at the end of each session, either the whole psalm is read through slowly and prayerfully, or that each person is encouraged to read out a particular verse which has struck them (it does not matter if there is any repletion), and then the prayer is used.

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Week 1: Psalm 1 1 Happy the one

who does not walk in the advice of the wicked, and in the path of sinners does not stand, or in the seat of scoffers does not sit; 2 but in the teaching of the LORD is his pleasure, and on his teaching he meditates day and night.

3 He is like a tree

planted by channels of water, which gives its fruit in its season, and its leaves do not wither, and in all that he do, he will prosper.

4 Not so the wicked,

but they are like chaff that the wind drives away.

5 Therefore the wicked will not stand up in the judgement,

nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous; 6 for the LORD knows the way of the righteous,

but the way of the wicked will perish.

(Own translation)

This psalm is usually classified as a wisdom psalm or ‘Torah’ psalm.

As such it does not address God but the listener in order to encourage right behaviour. In this way it has similarities to the Book of Proverbs. Along with other such passages, it contains the idea of ‘two ways’, one leading to blessing, the other perdition. Unlike many psalms, its original purpose was literary rather than for oral delivery, to be read in a devotional way and perhaps even specifically to introduce the Book of Psalms.

For this reason, it is assumed that this psalm is one of the later ones to be written, during the period of the second temple after the 3

time of exile. One feature of this period is that even within Israel there is a distinction between the righteous and the wicked. These wicked are those who do not adhere to God’s ways.

Does this clear division between the righteous and the wicked encourage a sense of moral superiority? It is always a risk, but such clear cut categories are an effective teaching method in presenting stark choices. Importantly also, those who are righteous are not so because of some of innate moral goodness, it is simply that they dispose themselves to God. To do so is like tapping into a stream of water. On the other hand, the wicked are those who think they have no need of this grace and life. By depriving themselves of this sustenance, they wither like chaff.

It is important to note the Hebrew word ‘Torah’ (twice in v. 2 – see notes below). Within the Old Testament this refers to the teaching of priests which eventually became codified in the first five books of the Bible, the written ‘Torah’.

Furthermore, whilst Torah is commonly translated ‘Law’, including in the New Testament, a more accurate translation would be ‘teaching’ or ‘instruction’. This is important because Christians often see the ‘Law’ as something negative, to condemn us. This is partly because of the way it features in letters of St Paul, who is writing into a particular debate about the place of the Torah for Gentile converts, especially in relation to circumcision and food laws. What is striking here is that ‘Torah’ is a source of grace and delight. As Christians, we might reflect on how that is so for us.

It is also important to note the intentional position of this psalm as opening the Book of Psalms. Indeed, it is the view of scholars that together Psalms 1 and 2 make a double opening, one focusing on the Law, and the other on the King as God’s anointed (in Hebrew: messiach /Messiah), with led to expectations of a future messianic rule. It is therefore significant that this opening to the psalms gives a strong pointer to the Torah. On the one hand, it indicates the foundational importance of the Torah to Jewish faith. On the other 4

hand, because the Book of Psalms, like the Torah, is constituted of five books, there is the suggestion that the Book of Psalms is also worthy of mediation. Thus this opening psalm is an encouragement to treat the psalms as a book on which to meditate and from which to learn.

Finally, we should note the psalm’s positive outlook. Like the Book of Proverbs it suggests that by acting in accordance with God’s commands, we will be blessed. On the other hand, things go bad for those who do not act in this way. This is consistent with the didactic nature of the psalm, encouraging us to behave in the right way with the promise of reward or the warning of consequences.

Nevertheless such a positive outlook is striking because, after Psalm 2, there follows a large group of psalms of David (Psalms 341), which are mostly laments, with a more negative outlook.

Perhaps by the placement of this psalm here, we are reminded that lament, whilst valid, should not be assumed to be the ‘norm’ of belief and practice, just as nearly all laments ultimately find an element of resolution and praise.

The psalm is structured as follows: vv1-2 v.3 v. 4 vv5-6

Opening contrast Simile 1: tree of life Simile 2: chaff Concluding statement

Notes •

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V. 1 ‘Happy’ – one of 25 beatitudes in the psalms, each commending a particular attitude. The fact that Ps. 2 ends with a beatitude is perhaps deliberate, linking these two psalms as a double introduction to the book of Psalms.

Vv. 1-3 ‘the one’, ‘he’ – unlike the NRSV, this translation maintains the singular of the original Hebrew – ‘the man’.

What is important is not the gender but contrast of the faithful 5

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individual and the crowd of the wicked, sinners, scoffers (all plural nouns in Hebrew).

Note the triad ‘walk’, ‘stand’, ‘sit’ to describe the totality of human behaviour. In Jewish thinking ‘walking’ (halakah) is the way a Jew is directed to behave in every aspect of life, in particular by following the Torah.

V. 2 ‘teaching’ – the Hebrew word ‘Torah’, often gets translated as ‘Law’, but ‘teaching’ is a more appropriate translation. Whilst it can mean God’s teaching generally, it probably does refer also to the Torah (Genesis-Deuteronomy).

Importantly, it is teaching with a view to how we should behave, so has a moral quality.

V. 2 ‘meditates’ – the word hagah can mean ‘moan’, ‘growl’, ‘utter’. It probably means the low muttering sound of reading in a culture where there is no silent reading. It suggests reading as something active and engaging the whole person.

In post Biblical Hebrew it takes on the meaning of ‘meditate’.

V. 3 ‘channels of water’ – either artificial or natural. The point is that at the heat of summer in a semiarid climate a supply of water is essential for fruit to grow and ripen.

V. 4 ‘the wicked’ – here the noun is plural.

V. 4 ‘chaff’ – from the rooted, well-watered, leafy tree, the image changes to chaff. After the harvest, the farmer piles up a heap of the grain and tosses it into the air with a fork. The grain itself falls back to the ground whilst the lighter husks (chaff) are blown away by the breeze. It is an apt image of what is insubstantial and passing. See also Lk 3:17.

V. 5 ‘stand up in the judgement’ – this refers to being able to stand and defend yourself in the court of your peers, where cases were argued out and decided. However, the verb, which really means ‘arise’, can refer elsewhere to the rising of the dead – see Isaiah 26:14,19. Subsequently, therefore, this verse came to be seen as a reference to the Day of Judgement. In the wider context, perhaps we can hold both perspectives together.

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V. 6 Note the contrast of ‘The LORD knows the way of the righteous’ and ‘the way of the wicked will perish’. In one, God actively knows and watches over of the righteous, in the other, the wicked are simply left to perish, rather than receiving a direct punishment from God. Interestingly, the first word of psalm 1 (‘happy’) begins with the first letter of the Hebrew alphabet, ‫( א‬Alef), whilst the last word ‘Perish’ begins with ‫( ת‬Taw), the last letter of the alphabet. Even more interestingly, the same pairing of words occurs at the beginning and ending of Ps 112, which has other similarities to Ps. 1 in content and structure. This framing pair of ‘happy’ and ‘perish’, beginning with letters at either extreme of the alphabet, underlines the stark alternatives facing the reader.

Questions for discussion 1. What strikes you about the imagery and other poetic features of the psalm? How does the writer seek to persuade?

2. Think of ‘walking’, ‘standing’, ‘sitting’ in v. 1 – how do these complementary verbs bring nuances to how we are and act with others?

3. Are you surprised to see the Torah (or the ‘Law’) as an object of pleasure and delight? What do you learn from this and can you identify with this idea?

4. Think of the image of the tree in v. 3 and the chaff in v. 4.

What ideas do they convey?

5. This psalm sees reading scripture as an act of prayer, where learning and praying go together. What do you make of this connection? How can we do this in our own prayer and Bible reading?

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6. In this psalm we are urged to shun the company of those it describes as wicked. Do you find this helpful? How do we square this with the ministry of Jesus which was to befriend sinners? Is it possible to do both at the same time?

7. Do you agree with the premise that by living God’s ways we will be blessed? How do we square this with those times when things go wrong?

8. Thinking of the psalms as a book on which to meditate, what place do the psalms play in your prayer and worship?

Psalm Prayer Christ our wisdom, give us delight in your law, that we may bear fruits of patience and peace in the kingdom of the righteous; for your mercy’s sake.

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Week 2: Psalm 2 1 Why do the nations conspire,

and the peoples plot in vain?

2 The kings of the earth set themselves,

and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD and his anointed, saying, 3 ‘Let us burst their bonds asunder, and cast their cords from us.’

4 He who sits in the heavens laughs;

the LORD has them in derision.

5 Then he will speak to them in his wrath,

and terrify them in his fury, saying, 6 ‘I have set my king on Zion, my holy hill.’

7 I will tell of the decree of the LORD:

He said to me, ‘You are my son; today I have begotten you.

8 Ask of me, and I will make the nations your heritage, and the ends of the earth your possession.

9 You shall break them with a rod of iron, and dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel.’

10 Now therefore, O kings, be wise;

be warned, O rulers of the earth.

11 Serve the LORD with fear,

with trembling 12 kiss his feet,[a] or he will be angry, and you will perish in the way; for his wrath is quickly kindled.

Happy are all who take refuge in him.

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For many of us, any vision that we had of a coronation until last year was from old Pathé footage of the 1953 Coronation, enjoyed during mindless hours of Youtube scrolling. But then, last year, the colour, the pageantry and the rituals all became real and living. This coronation had more alterations than perhaps any other over the last 1,000 years. There was a real effort made by the Church, the State, and the Crown to include those who would historically have been excluded. And yet, at the heart of it, the crucial words and imagery go back to the days of the Old Testament. Priests have anointed kings with holy oil for thousands of years. Evidence for this is drawn from across the Hebrew Scripture, as well as historical records.

In the psalms of the Old Testament, there are many indications of the intersection between priesthood and kingship. For the Hebrew people the resonances confluence of imagery between the anointed one and kings are clear. The psalms that include royal overtones include those of coronation: Psalms 2 and 110; marriage: Psalm 45; battles: Psalms 18, 20, 144. You may enjoy looking through a number of these psalms this week, but we will focus our discussion on the first of these, Psalm 2.

Psalms 1 and 2 may be taken as a pair. Psalm 1 offers the duality of life: happy, fulfilled life lived in delight of the Law of the Lord contrasting with the wicked who turn aside from the ways of God. The sense given is that there is a binary choice for each person to make. The conclusion of Psalm 1 is that the ungodly are blown away and will not be able to abide the coming of the Lord. And then the opening of the second Psalm is to take up this theme, drawing a distinct parallel between the individuals that chose this and the nations that they form.

As a theme of Psalm 2 is a sense of the holy, royal nation, following the King that the Lord has ordained. But the psalm dwells initially on those who oppose the ways of the Lord. The devious, plotting people are led by the kings and rulers who devise schemes to ‘cast 10

off’ the bonds of the Lord. The stability of the trees growing by living water in Psalm 1, then, is seen as a bond by the vain plots of the earthly in Psalm 2.

All this is opposed by the heavenly laughter of God. It is hard to imagine exactly how this is: at a first reading it feels like a sort of cruel laughter, where God angrily derides the leaders of the world.

But, in fact, it seems to me that this is a laughter to break through the threats of the earth. I wonder if you have ever been watching a programme or film on TV, where the tension is being built up: creepy music, dark, tense images, silence, slow movement – you know the kind of thing. And then you realise that you don’t like the symptoms that this is inducing in you: the racing heart, clammy hands, fear, etc., Have you ever then pressed pause, and watched something amusing for a few minutes, or finished the washing up, or chatted to a companion or friend, and then returned to the viewing feeling a bit fresher? It feels to me that this is the spirit of God’s laughter.

It cuts across the dark sinfulness by undermining it.

Immediately, this is validated by the Lord naming the one whom he has set on his throne. Rather like at the coronation when the King needs to be acclaimed by the various corners of the nation, so the King is acclaimed by God. This is the king who actually holds the power. The one who is appointed by God and sits on a throne and with the authority that God has destined for him. For the Hebrew reader of this text, this particular anointed person is the one who is set to free all the nations of the world. The Messiah (‘Messiah’ is simply Hebrew for ‘anointed one’ - v. 2) is the one anointed not with oil, but by the hand of God, and with the power to set all peoples free.

For us, who are looking forward to celebrating the dominion that Christ has won for the world at Easter, we recognise this figure as Jesus. He is the one that we will happily understand to have been ‘begotten’ of God. We will read into the various stories that we celebrate during the season of Epiphany that Jesus the Christ’s 11

inheritance is – indeed – the nations. We recognise, too, the role of the Word of God in this royal authority. And, bearing in mind the words from the Prologue to John’s Gospel, we know that this is Jesus.

But all this royal and Messianic imagery speaks into our relationship with the Prince of Peace too. Firstly, it is up to us to choose our heavenly nation. Whereas on earth we are born into one – as a family – and can make some small amendments of where we find ourselves, it is for our hearts to choose our heavenly nation.

We have the power and autonomy to choose that the royalty that stems from the King of Kings and Lord of Lords is where we find our heritage. And this we do because by choosing this royal heritage we claim a stake in it for ourselves too. We are each part of a royal priesthood by being chosen to be born into relationship with Jesus.

Questions for discussion 1. What strikes you about the psalm, its imagery and tone?

2. How does it feel to contrast the earthly kingdoms with the Kingdom of the Lord?

3. How might we go about choosing between earthly and heavenly kingdoms? Can our Lenten disciplines help in these decisions?

4. What might God laugh at in our lives or in our world? How does that feel?

5. In what ways do we consider Christ to be our anointed King?

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6. In the Gospels, whilst Jesus is portrayed as a king, we are told that his kingdom is not of this world and his glory is displayed in service and on the Cross. How do we hold the notion of kingship in this psalm alongside that of servant king?

7. In what ways do we consider ourselves to be sharing in Christ’s Kingship?

Psalm Prayer Most high and holy God, lift our eyes to your Son enthroned on Calvary; and as we behold his meekness, shatter our earthly pride; for he is Lord for ever and ever.

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Week 3: Psalm 13 1

How long will you forget me, O Lord; for ever?

How long will you hide your face from me?

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How long shall I have anguish in my soul and grief in my heart, day after day?

How long shall my enemy triumph over me?

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Look upon me and answer, O Lord my God; lighten my eyes, lest I sleep in death;

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Lest my enemy say, ‘I have prevailed against him,’ and my foes rejoice that I have fallen.

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But I put my trust in your steadfast love; my heart will rejoice in your salvation.

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I will sing to the Lord, for he has dealt so bountifully with me.

‘Human kind cannot bear very much reality’. This famous quote from Burnt Norton, the first of T.S. Eliot’s Four Quartets, rings true.

I think it is why we see only a fraction of the people in church on Good Friday compared to Easter Day. It is tough and heart wrenching, visceral and deep if we dare to stand at the foot of the cross and contemplate the death of Christ and our own sinfulness and mortality. But Easter doesn’t make very much sense if we don’t also plumb the depths. It is too shallow and near the surface, too easy and glib, if we’re not careful.

This is why I believe that facing up to pain and despair and being honest about them before God is important. God is big enough to withstand our railing and profound sadness and, at times, anger.

Sometimes there is resolution and we feel better for it. At other times, we just need to say it out loud and acknowledge the loss, 14

and pain, and sorrow and hold it there before God until such a time as we heal and hurt a little less.

Psalms of lament When a psalm is read or sung in church, you are much more likely to hear a psalm of praise than a psalm of lament. Are we missing something that can help us face the suffering in our own lives and the world? I think we might be if we always seek the gloss and the joy. As has been said many times, all human emotion can be found within the psalter and whilst the lectionary might tend towards the psalms of praise and thankfulness, there are actually more psalms of lament than any other type. Whilst some of the psalms are hard to categorise or they can be argued to be a mix of two or more styles of psalm, there seem to be around 60 psalms of lament amongst the 150.

In the tough times, which we must all face at some point, we need to know that we can ask tough questions of God and express all emotions and thoughts to God. Nothing is off limits. Moreover, the psalms of lament help us to continue to be people of faith – however tenuously – by giving us the tools we need for times such as these.

Reflection: Psalm 13 This psalm can be read as a study in profound grief, in which faith and hope are tested to their limits. It begins with a howl of despairing rage. As this profoundly hurt person screams their rage into a terrible sense of absence, the depth of their despair is amplified by them ending their cry with a further question which contains within it, its own despairing answer.

How long will you forget me, O Lord; for ever?

Three further ‘how longs’ follow, suggesting that the passage of time has become for this person, a kind of torture, so acute is their loss. The anguished restlessness of their grief is harrowing them day after day, and they can see no end. As the first line of v. 2 15

concludes there is a further double question, again with its own despairing answer, ‘How long shall I have anguish in my soul and grief in my heart, day after day?’

We don’t know the cause of this grief. Perhaps this person has been bereaved of their wife or husband, their intimate friend and lover, or their very closest friend, since their loss of days and nights seem endless and the grief never goes away, hence the four-fold repetition: How long?

Then in v. 4 the psalmist introduces the idea of an enemy. We might ask, who is this who so clearly appears to be triumphing, and who may yet totally prevail?

The answer is that the enemy which gnaws at this person at this person night by night, morning by morning, day by day, is the grief itself which, we sense, is becoming pretty unbearable. In the second line of v. 3 there is the suggestion that this person is contemplating taking their own life – ‘lighten my eyes, lest I sleep in death’. Any of us who have known such loss will be able to identify with the raw expression of grief in this psalm.

And the degree of anger and pain only goes to show more fully the depth of the intimacy that was previously known and experienced, and is now lost.

We may see this as an intimacy lost with a loved one who has died, but the psalmist takes us deeper. The intimacy that has been lost was with the power of life itself. Hence their rage against God. ‘How long will you hide your face from me?’ This person has known what it is like to have the strong sense of life and wellbeing and feeling fully alive through the relationship with the one they loved. Now it would seem that the brightness and light of all of this has been eclipsed and their world has become overshadowed. The psalm speaks of anguish and grief, of terrible restlessness, of tossing and turning. Of nights with little or no sleep and of days filled with tears.

It is almost as if the person has lost touch with the depth and peace 16

of their own soul, with that place deep within them where previously they felt most fully alive. That place where they felt that God was.

Then at the end of v. 4, there seems to be a great silence. Somehow the questioning and soul searching, the crying out in despair, the very direct outburst into the void where God used to be for them, where God is hidden – all this has done its work.

Perhaps the silence between v. 4 and v. 5 is very long. But in that silence, something strange and wonderful happens. There appears to have been a kind of visitation. Into the void and abyss something has entered. And that something is Grace and it is like soothing cream and a bandage on a raw wound.

Now this person experiences not just unending absence and loss but the glimpse of hope and presence. And time is no longer just the vessel of anguish and emptiness, but one of fullness. And pangs of pain and grief and despair have given way to at least the possibility of joy. They are helped to believe again and dare to trust that there will be a future.

They even find, such is their new sense of a strange bountifulness, that they can sing! And, somehow, this was possible because they have had the courage to be honest and to acknowledge and articulate the depth of their pain.

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Questions for discussion 1.

What strikes you about the imagery used in this psalm? What feelings does it evoke? How do these develop through the psalm?

2.

In what sense, if any, do you express lament to God? What is the nature of this lament? (Please note, that this could be about your own situation or about the situation of our society or our world.)

3.

If we can be honest, what does God lament about us and our world?

4.

How easy do you find it talk about sadness and pain? How can we do so more openly? Does being honest about sadness, anger and loss help us to value life more fully in all its variety?

5.

Spend some time thinking or talking about people who have experienced the kind of grief and despair touched on in Psalm 13. How did they respond? Is there anything you admire about their approach?

6.

What can psalms of lament teach us about our life of prayer, individual or corporate?

Psalm Prayer Jesus Christ, Son of God, who passed through the dark sleep of death, remember those who cry to you in shame and silence and defeat and raise them to your risen life, for you are alive and reign for ever.

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Week 4: Psalm 84 To the leader: according to The Gittith. Of the Korahites.

1 How lovely is your dwelling place, O LORD of hosts!

2 My soul longs, indeed it faints for the courts of the LORD; my heart and my flesh sing for joy to the living God. 3 Even the sparrow finds a home, and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may lay her young, at your altars, O LORD of hosts, my King and my God. 4 Happy are those who live in your house, ever singing your praise. Selah 5 Happy are those whose strength is in you, in whose heart are the highways to Zion.]

6 As they go through the valley of Baca they make it a place of springs; the early rain also covers it with pools.

7 They go from strength to strength; the God of gods will be seen in Zion.

8 O LORD God of hosts, hear my prayer; give ear, O God of Jacob! Selah 9 Behold our shield, O God; look on the face of your anointed.

10 For a day in your courts is better than a thousand elsewhere.

I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than live in the tents of wickedness.

11 For the LORD God is a sun and shield; he bestows favour and honour.

No good thing does the LORD withhold from those who walk uprightly.

12 O LORD of hosts, happy is everyone who trusts in you.

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I am sure that for many of us our first encounter with the psalms was in singing them – even if we didn’t realise that was what we were doing. In the same way, if today people were asked which psalms they know the best, for many it would most likely be the ones that we sing. In this fourth of our Lenten studies we pause to consider one which is in the genre of psalms recognised as hymns.

As we look at psalm 84 (one of my favourite psalms) there are some general points to bear in mind about the thirty-five psalms that come into this category. First, and perhaps most importantly, these psalms were composed for corporate use, likely seasonal and other important festivals, and in this case most likely for use on the pilgrimage to the temple in Jerusalem. In addition, in form most of this genre of psalm are also directed solely towards God, and in a repeated form throughout the psalm declares God’s praise and either the time to offer that praise or the reason for doing so.

The psalm we look at this week is among a small group of hymn psalms that are known as psalms of Zion (46, 48, 84 and 87), the subject of which is Zion, as the city of God. This mountain top place is where God’s presence is to be found and the focus of these psalms is the impact of that truth.

The instruction at the beginning, ‘according to the Gittith’ is most likely a reference to a musical instrument, further evidence of this as a hymn for shared use. ‘Selah’ which appears throughout the psalm is debated, it could be a pause (like the red diamonds in our daily offices) or a call to praise – either support this psalm being a shared hymn.

The fourth Sunday of Lent, Mothering or Laetere Sunday, is one of refreshment and rejoicing and as we turn to the text of psalm 84 it exudes joy and confidence that, beyond all doubt and for all eternity, the place of true blessing is in the presence of the Lord.

‘How lovely is your dwelling place, O Lord of Hosts’ the psalmist proclaims.

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As we are experiencing in all these studies, every stanza of a psalm is filled with layers of history and the story of God’s people that help us understand even more what these prayers have to offer us. So it is in psalm 84 and the writer begins with the title for God ‘Lord of Hosts’, repeated four times in the psalm. This echoes its use in relation to the Ark of the Covenant, the symbol of God’s presence with God’s people, even when it is a struggle to be there (v2 - the journey to Jerusalem was often not an easy one), nothing will deter the psalmist from this pursuit and this truth.

The power of the next two accounts from v 3 to v 7 we find that being in the presence of the God gives not only a home, but new life, strength, purpose and protection. Hidden in here also are what are recognised as Old Testament Beatitudes, ‘happy are those/blessed are those who live in your house’ and as a result walk in your way.

First, we find the sparrow with her young. All creation is sustained and renewed in God. I think that one of the things we are repenting of at this time in history is our failure to see how all creation is grafted into God’s salvation story, not just human beings. The psalms are clear about this.

Secondly we enter the Valley of Baca (the valley of weeping), a desolate wilderness covered in balsam trees. It is used in the Old Testament as a reference to a difficult time or situation, a place of despair. It is the God of Gods whose presence brings water, and oasis, in this wilderness and strength for the journey.

In vv8-9 these pilgrims on their way to the temple echo that prayer of guidance and protection for themselves.

It is at this point in the psalm that it all falls into place when we consider the suggested authors in the rubric at the beginning ‘of the Korahites’.

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The Korahites were set aside for works of service and were ‘guardians of the thresholds of the tent’ in the camp of the Lord (1 Chronicles 9:19). They knew what it was to be a doorkeeper, the image used throughout this psalm, opening the door to others to join worship, to enter the presence of God. The importance of their story also brings v10 to life. In Numbers 16 and 17 we read of Korah and others leading a revolt against Moses and Aaron, challenging their leadership. They were unsuccessful and sealing their failure the ground opened up and swallowed them up. The few who survived, the sons of Korah who would not have been in battle, clearly now understood ‘I would rather be a door keeper in the house of my God, than live in the tents of wickedness’. In the presence of God, nothing is beyond transformation and redemption. ‘No good thing does God withhold from those who walk uprightly’.

On Mothering Sunday, the day on which traditionally people went home to their family and parish, this psalm in this week’s study reminds us that our home is in God, and there is our hope and joy, our protection and transformation, whatever life puts before us. As we ‘pause’ the Lenten fast for refreshment Sunday, while avoiding the ‘A’ word (!), we can let ourselves raise our voices with the psalmist’s joy in this hymn of praise ‘O Lord of hosts (the God who is present to us) happy is everyone who puts their trust in you’!

Questions for discussion 1. How many Psalms can you think of that are hymns that we sing? Do you have a favourite?

2. What strikes you about the tone and imagery used in this psalm? How did it make you feel as you read and prayed it in preparation for this conversation?

3. Zion, City of God, is the place God’s presence. How can we know God present with us now?

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4. The psalmist is clear that the fundamental life of creation, the sparrow and its chick, are found in God. How can this and other psalms help us in understanding the place of creation in God’s economy and our responsibility to the environment?

5. How can we know the presence of God, of which the psalmist assures us with great confident and trust, in the places of weeping and desolation in our world and in our lives?

6. The Korahites are a story of redemption and transformation.

What does this have to say to each of us on our Lenten journey and as we prepare for Easter?

7. We know that music inspires us and reminds us of God’s presence with us – you might like to listen to some music to gather your prayers or be bold and sing together!

Psalm Prayer Lord God, sustain us in this vale of tears with the vision of your grace and glory, that, strengthened by the bread of life, we may come to your eternal dwelling place; in the power of Jesus Christ our Lord.

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Week 5: Psalm 122 1 A song of ascents. For David

I rejoiced when they said to me, ‘Let us go to the house of the LORD. 2 Our feet were standing in your gates, Jerusalem.

3 Jerusalem, built like a city

tightly joined together.

4 There the tribes go up, the tribes of the LORD. A precept for Israel to praise the name of the LORD. 5 For there are standing the thrones of justice, the thrones of the house of David.

6 Pray for the peace of Jerusalem,

may those who love you be at rest.

7 May there be peace in your rampart, prosperity in your palaces.

8 For the sake of my family and friends I will say, ‘Peace be within you.’

9 For the sake of the house of the LORD our God, I will seek your good.

(Own translation)

This is one of a series of psalms from 120 to 134 with the title ‘A song of ascents’. It is not totally clear what the Hebrew word really means, but it is derived from the verb ‘ascend’, and the most widely held view is that it refers to the journey made ‘up to Jerusalem’ for the annual pilgrimage festivals. As such, it is possible that this collection of mostly short psalms were used by pilgrims both on the journey and on arrival.

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In both form and content these psalms are all quite different, suggesting that they were originally independent and only later brought into a collection. Nevertheless, there are certain key motifs: Jerusalem/Zion, peace, blessing, protection. Furthermore, it is possible that the ordering of some of these psalms convey the sense of the journey, with the first psalm, 120, expressing the longing of the pilgrim before setting out, psalm 121 the pilgrim on the way, and psalm 122 the arrival. The final psalm 134 suggests a final benediction as pilgrims both bless and are blessed, perhaps before returning home. Within psalm 121, moreover, there is progression towards the centre of Jerusalem: through the gates (v.

1), the outer defences (v. 7a), the inner buildings (v. 7b).

The pilgrimage destination is clearly Jerusalem, and the psalm plays on a popular etymology for the name (Yerushalayim) as meaning ‘city of peace’ (shalom). Shalom is a wide-ranging concept, and here embraces security, reinforced by physical defences, but also justice (v. 6), prosperity (v. 7), relationship (v. 8), and the unity of the tribes coming together in worship of God (v. 3).

Peace is closely associated with coming to the house of God, the focus of God’s presence on earth.

Jerusalem was reputed for being impregnable. For centuries, it remained an independent city state ruled by the Jebusites, only to be conquered by David in a dramatic feat of military prowess (2 Samuel 5:6-10). This also tells us that the city was subsequently known as the city of David. Zion is another name for Jerusalem, referring more precisely to the tallest hill within the city.

After David, it was Solomon who built the Temple, and later on, Hezekiah famously stood out against a siege by the Assyrians after increasing the city defences (2 Chron. 32:5). From this all, there arose the myth of Sion’s inviolability, a city strongly associated with God through the Temple, such as expressed in Ps. 46 and reflected in this psalm. The psalm therefore encourages the pilgrim to put their trust in God’s reliability and defence, as embodied in the 25

fortress city of Jerusalem with its glorious Temple and the centre of royal rule.

A later king still, Josiah, expanded Judah’s borders further, and in particular centralised all worship around Jerusalem, destroying all other shrines. This indeed might be the original setting for this psalm which speaks of all the tribes coming to Jerusalem.

However, we know that is not the end of the matter: within a few years of Josiah’s death, Jerusalem was conquered by the Babylonians, the Temple in ruins, and the priestly and ruling classes exiled. Furthermore, although the Temple was rebuilt and reached its final glory under Herod the Great, it was finally destroyed in AD 70 after a bitter war against the occupying Romans, leaving only the Western Wall. The tragic paradox of this great building and symbol, soon to be destroyed, is expressed in the exchange between Jesus and his disciples (Mk 13:1-2).

All this serves as a warning not to think that God is contained to a particular place or building, or that God’s promises of peace and salvation can be taken for granted. Thus, the people who is here urged to pray for the peace of Jerusalem is later urged to pray for the shalom of Babylon, its new home in exile (Jer. 29: 7). There too they can find blessing, although the pull back to Jerusalem never dies away, as expressed strongly in Psalm 137 (vv5-6).

We cannot, of course, read this psalm without being mindful of Jerusalem today and of the gap between the unity and peace expressed in this psalm and today’s reality, though perhaps there has always been such a gap. For Christians, this has prompted the idea of our true citizenship in heaven (Philippians 3:20) and of the ‘heavenly Jerusalem’ (Rev. 21:2), though this is still connected to earthly reality as heaven meets with earth (Rev. 21:1).

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It would therefore be all too tempting to ‘spiritualize’ the psalm, thinking of it only in non-earthly terms, but the place of the physical Jerusalem for God’s covenant people Israel cannot be nullified. The psalm bids us to pray and work for the peace of Jerusalem, holy to Jews but also now to Christians and Moslems.

In this psalm we are also encouraged to rejoice in our own sense of pilgrimage, as pilgrims ourselves and, in St Albans, as welcomers to pilgrims. We might also think about the solid resilience of our own building through its changing fortunes, and how it might be a sign to us of God’s faithfulness and a home to those who gather there; but also about our responsibility to seek its good and sustainability for future generations for the glory and worship of God. Finally, Jesus was himself a pilgrim, many times to Jerusalem. In Luke’s gospel, this includes his early years, in John’s gospel, several times in his adult life, and in Mark, Matthew, and Luke, the focus is on Jesus’ last journey to Jerusalem for the Passover celebration. As we prepare to celebrate the triumphal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem, we might think of him and his disciples reciting this psalm of pilgrimage.

Notes •

•

V. 1 ‘For David’ – in Hebrew, leDavid. This is hard to translation. It would be ‘for’, ‘about’, ‘belonging to’ David.

Whilst traditionally it is thought to have indicated authorship, it perhaps indicates more an association with David or the house/line of David (see v. 5). In any case, since the psalms refers to the Jerusalem Temple, built after David, it could not have been written by him.

V. 1 ‘Rejoiced’ – the first word in the Hebrew, giving emphasis to the sense of joy. The joy here is the anticipation of the pilgrim setting off on the journey.

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•

•

• •

•

• • •

•

V. 1 ‘house of the LORD’ – this appears both at the start and end of the psalm (v. 9) where the pilgrim pledges to seek the good of Jerusalem for the sake of the Temple. The double placement of this phrase at the start and end forms an inclusion around the whole, adding to the sense of unity and order.

Note also that in most English translations, LORD stands for the Hebrew letters YHWH, the name of God. Traditionally this is not pronounced but replaced by the Hebrew word for ‘Lord’ (Adonai).

V. 2 ‘were standing’ or ‘are standing’ – to translate as past tense gives a sense of progression, since the pilgrim has now past through the city gates. ‘tightly joined together’ – each word in this phrase emphasises tight construction. Primarily, this is a comment on the defences of Jerusalem, regarded as impregnable. Perhaps it carries too a symbolic sense of unity.

V. 3 ‘Jerusalem’ – this word ends the first section, then is picked again immediately at the start of the second section, and appears once again at the start of the third section. This repetition emphasizes the importance of the city.

V. 4 ‘Go up’ – the verb from which the word ‘ascents’ is formed. This is the technical term for going on pilgrimage to Jerusalem.

‘Tribes of the LORD’ – literally ‘of Yah’, an abbreviated, poetic form of the name of God. V. 5 ‘house of David’ – to be contrasted with ‘house of the LORD’ in v. 1. In 2 Samuel 7, Kind David intends to build a house for God, but God declares that it is not for David to do this, but for his son, Solomon. Instead, God promises that David’s house shall last forever (v. 16).

V. 6. As well as the verbal link between ‘Jerusalem’ and ‘Peace’ (see introduction), the ‘sh’ sound is prominent in the four Hebrew words for ‘ask’, peace’, ‘Jerusalem’, ‘at rest’, which all follow in succession. This emphasises the Shalom attached to Jerusalem (Jerushalayim).

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• •

• • •

V. 6 ‘who love you’ – Jerusalem is now directly addressed as ‘you’ – feminine singular form of ‘you’ in Hebrew, since Jerusalem is regarded in feminine terms.

V. 7 ‘rampart’ – this is the outer defence as opposed to ‘palaces’ or ‘citadels’ which are inside the city. The pilgrims are processing further into the city, wishing blessings on its landmarks as they pass by. ‘prosperity’ (in Hebrew: shalvah)– another word play as the first three of the four consonants of this word are identical to Shalom, again to emphasise Jerusalem’s peace. v. 8 ‘family’ – in Hebrew, ‘brothers’ ‘Peace be within you’/‘your good’– ‘you’ again is feminine singular (i.e. Jerusalem).

The psalm is structure as follows: vv 1-2 vv 3-5 vv 6-9

Opening statement: the pilgrim’s joy Praise of Jerusalem Prayers for Jerusalem

Questions for discussion 1. What strikes you about the imagery used in this psalm and the way it is crafted? What feelings are conveyed?

2. What picture does it give to you of Jerusalem?

3. Can you see any connection between Jerusalem as a place for pilgrims in this psalm and the function of our Cathedral as a place of pilgrimage? What message do you think that our building communicates to those who come?

4. Can you imagine a time when our building might no longer be standing? How does it make you feel?

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5. What is your own sense or experience of being a pilgrim?

Note that in this passage, it is very much a communal activity. Does that ring true of your own experience?

6. What connection do you see between the vision of a new Jerusalem as part of the new heavens and the new earth (Rev. 21:1-2) and the earthly Jerusalem?

7. ‘Pray for the peace of Jerusalem’ – how can we do that in an informed and sensitive way today?

8. How helpful is it to think of Jesus as a pilgrim? Can you imagine him and his disciples praying this psalm? What insights does that bring to you?

Psalm Prayer God of our pilgrimage, bring us with joy to the eternal city founded on the rock, and give to our earthly cities the peace that comes from above; through Jesus Christ our Lord.

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