A Psalm for Sunday (Sabbath)
Psalm 92
A Psalm. A Song for the Sabbath Day.
1 It is good to give thanks to the Lord,
to sing praises to your name, O Most High;
2 to declare your steadfast love in the morning,
and your faithfulness by night,
3 to the music of the lute and the harp,
to the melody of the lyre.
4 For you, O Lord, have made me glad by your work;
at the works of your hands I sing for joy.
5 How great are your works, O Lord!
Your thoughts are very deep!
6 The dullard cannot know,
the stupid cannot understand this:
7 though the wicked sprout like grass
and all evildoers flourish,
they are doomed to destruction for ever,
8 but you, O Lord, are on high for ever.
9 For your enemies, O Lord,
for your enemies shall perish;
all evildoers shall be scattered.
10 But you have exalted my horn like that of the wild ox;
you have poured over me fresh oil.
11 My eyes have seen the downfall of my enemies;
my ears have heard the doom of my evil assailants.
12 The righteous flourish like the palm tree,
and grow like a cedar in Lebanon.
13 They are planted in the house of the Lord;
they flourish in the courts of our God.
14 In old age they still produce fruit;
they are always green and full of sap,
15 showing that the Lord is upright;
he is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in him.
This psalm provides a collection of ideas to reflect on on a Sabbath day, a day when we worship God, and reflect on God’s being and works.
Sabbath (Sunday) is a great day to reflect on the works of God’s hands and to sing and declare our praise (vs.1-4). God’s love, God’s faithfulness, God’s creation, all deserve to be praised and rejoiced in. God who made all things stopped on Sabbath and rested and rejoiced in the world that had been made. It is fitting then that we follow God’s example and also praise God for the works God has done.
Vs. 10,11, remind us that all we have, all we are, is the result of the blessing of God. That is the image in the second part of vs. 10. The oil of blessing has been poured over us by the gracious God of love. Sabbath is a great time to thank God for the blessings that have been poured into our lives. That the God of the universe has acted to bring blessing to us is unimaginable, but it is true.
Vs. 12-15 play with an interesting contrast – a palm tree grows 2 to 3 feet a year. That is quite fast. A cedar or Lebanon grows very slowly but lasts for a very long time. Cedars of Lebanon live for 300 years, and if managed and cultivated can live even longer. Here we are reminded that sometimes life is full of rapid flourishing like the palm. At other times it is slow growth that is solid like the cedar. Sabbath becomes a time to ask in which kind of moment are we. The invitation is to be content with which ever is happening, knowing that both kinds of growth are for our good.
PRAYER:
We rejoice, God of the Sabbath, that you have given us Sabbath. We rejoice in the works of your hands and day in which to rejoice in what you have done. We thank you for the blessings you pour into our lives. And we rejoice in the ways you continue to shape and form our lives to be more like your Son, Jesus Christ, in whose name we pray. Amen.