A Psalm for the Real World
Reading for Tuesday 3.21–Thursday 3.23
The psalms don't lie. Their beauty and their ability to be immediately utilized by contemporary readers lies in their brutal honesty about the way life is. There's something about a vulnerability like this in the presence of God that is deeply spiritual. For all the good we can thank God for, you and I live with the reality that our world is not as it should be.
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Psalm 129 (ESV)
A Song for Justice
1 “Greatly have they afflicted me from my youth”—
let Israel now say—
2 “Greatly have they afflicted me from my youth,
yet they have not prevailed against me.
3 The plowers plowed upon my back;
they made long their furrows.”
4 The Lord is righteous;
he has cut the cords of the wicked.
5 May all who hate Zion
be put to shame and turned backward!
6 Let them be like the grass on the housetops,
which withers before it grows up,
7 with which the reaper does not fill his hand
nor the binder of sheaves his arms,
8 nor do those who pass by say,
“The blessing of the Lord be upon you!
We bless you in the name of the Lord!”
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A Psalm for the Real World.
There is some debate surrounding Psalm 129. The argument revolves around some ambiguous verb tenses. Sparing you the Hebrew grammar lesson, it boils down to whether or not the psalm should be seen as a petition, crying out to God asking for intervention, or of confidence, declaring what God has already done. Perhaps, like any other good art, the song is intentionally ambiguous, leaving the reader space to interpret it as needed.
The psalm's dark tone reflects the harsh realities of life. In typical psalter style, the circumstances, including the particular enemies in mind, are left obscure. The agricultural motif holds the psalm together, serving to highlight the irony of the enemy's fate. In spite of all their plowing (v. 3), they will become an un-reapable harvest (v. 6-7).
The Psalm of Ascent's theme of shalom, seen as God's blessing, God's presence, Jerusalem (or Zion), peace, and familial prosperity in the previous eight psalms, continues here. However, in stark contrast to the earlier psalms, Psalm 129 exists in a world of anti-shalom. The psalmist experiences no flourishing (vv. 1-3) and envisions the justice of God withholding flourishing from their oppressor (vv. 6-8).
The heart of the psalm is God's justice (vv. 4-5). Highlighting God’s righteousness brings to the fore the fact that a righteous God cannot allow oppression to go unchecked. In a world with no peace, the psalmist expects the God of peace to bring it. This rebalancing of the world is the Old Testament idea of justice. For this to happen, Yahweh must break the yoke of the oppressor's plow (v. 4).
Reading this psalm, one can immediately see its power in the hands of the oppressed and the marginalized. It is important to take note of the reality that God sides with the weak, the oppressed, and the abused. In a season like Lent, we ought to take stock of how we contribute to our neighbors' marginalization, exploitation, and oppression.
It is also entirely appropriate to read ourselves into this psalm as the oppressed. We also struggle under the burden of oppression. We live under the thumb of infertility, cancer, mental illness, homophobia, racism, loneliness, and debt, to name a few. And we all live lives in the shadow of death.
The enemy is at the plow, scaring our backs as they try to harvest pain, suffering, and death. But there is one who has cut the ropes of the wicked (v. 4), once and for all.
The ambiguity of the psalm's verb tense allows us to enter into both the psalms petition for help and the psalm's declaration of confidence. We live in a world of chaos, but we have union with the giver of peace. We struggle through a land of darkness and death, but we know the light and life of the world. Along with the psalmist, we too can say, "thank you for saving us, Jesus come quickly!"
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Reflect with a friend
How might you be better able to live a life that sides with the oppressed and the vulnerable? Openly discuss this with your friend. Use this as a time of reflection and confession. Talk through some possible action steps.
What are your oppressors? Replace the ambiguous enemy of the psalm with your specific oppressor. Does this bring you hope? Why or why not?
The first two questions are pretty heavy. Finish your time both personally and in discussion with your friend reflecting on how the message of Easter brings life to both of the above questions.
