Our Psalm study today brings us
to Psalm 36, a psalm of contrast.
The first part of the psalm
speaks about the godless, or one who has known God but then has chosen to turn
his back on Him.
“Sin speaks to the sinner in the depths of his heart. There is no fear
of God before his eyes . . . To such
a one, says the psalmist, all wisdom is
gone. (1,4)
There is one line in this part
of the psalm that we do well to pay attention to: He so flatters himself in his mind that he knows not his guilt. (v
3). I single out this verse because it speaks of something I know I have done
in the past, and perhaps you as well. As we grow closer to God, our consciences
become more refined and we begin to assess things more carefully before acting
or thinking a certain way. At the same time, as our consciences grow stronger,
we sometimes can look aghast at things we have said, thought or done in the
past: this should move us quickly to the Jesus Prayer (Jesus, Son of God, have
mercy on me a sinner), and let we become despondent on our guilt, we need
remember the verse from psalm 103:12 (As
far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our sins) and also
perhaps pray from Psalm 25: Do not
remember the sins of my youth; in your love, remember me.)
The second part of the psalm is
mainly a psalm of praise, exalting the Lord for His wonderful care. All of this
is something which is unknown to the one who chose to tread the path of evil
and sin.
Your love, Lord, reaches to heaven; your truth to the skies. (v6) This love is unfathomable. Allow your thinking
to blast far beyond any boundaries you may have set when thinking of God’s
love. A bit father on, the psalmist exclaims, O Lord, how precious is your love! (v. 7d). (The Hebrew word for “precious”
is the same word used to describe stones, jewels and gems.)
In this precious loving God we
can take refuge: My God, the sons of men
find refuge in the shadow of your wings. (Other translations use the word shelter.)
This God provides us with rich
food and delightful drink (a type of the Eucharist?). God is the source of life (v. 10a), and it is in your light we see light. (v. 10b).
Note here how the sinner in the beginning of the psalm is living in an
ever-growing darkness, not light.
God is also a God of justice,
and that justice is an aspect of His love: Keep
on loving those who know you, doing justice for upright hearts. (v. 11)
The psalm concludes with a plea
to be protected from the wicked, and also predicts their downfall: Flung down, they shall never arise. (v.
13) This verse is especially helpful
when we find ourselves the victim of some form of evil weighing in on us in our
present situation.
I would sum up the contrast in
this psalm in these ways:
abandonment
| protection
darkness
| light
evil
| justice
ignorance
| understanding.
Perhaps you can up with some
contrasts of your own.
God bless you!
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