Sep 30, 2022
Praise the Lord (1). We have sinned, even as our fathers did (6). Therefore, the Lord was angry with His people (40). But he took note of their distress (44). Save us, O Lord our God (47) Praise the Lord! (48) (Psalm 106).
It's a long song, a full 48 stanzas. But for all of that, it only makes one point. You see, the Hebrews of old understood that those who don't know their history are doomed to repeat its mistakes. And if there was one thing the Jews who experienced the Babylonian exile didn't want, it was to repeat those mistakes.
And so, the song writers got together and composed this hit single. Well, I'm not sure it quite made it to the top of the pop charts; it's more of a county song. Actually, its difficult to pin it to any genre. The opening and closing are catchy enough, but in between it feels more like a dirge.
It's unlikely that the trumpets were blaring this tune as the people streamed into the worship centre. It's doubtful that the children sang it as they splashed in the river or the women as they hauled water from the local well. But it was taught by worship leaders and Sunday School teachers, its lessoned engraved on the hearts of young and old alike.
Much of the psalm recounts the sins of Israel's past. It points out that the division of the 10 commandments into two halves, our relationship with God and our relationship with fellow humans, is artificial at best.
Whenever Israel mixed the worship of other gods with the worship of the Lord, the neighbour paid. The psalm cites the most grievous example - human sacrifice (37-38).
Whenever we put trust in something other than the true and living God, our neighbour will suffer. When we worship wealth, we cannot see to our neighbour's needs. When we pursue power, we do so at the expense of the neighbour. When we deify career, or family, or country, concern for the widow, the orphan, and the sojourner will be tragically subordinated. When we take our eyes off God, everyone suffers.
Today is Truth and Reconciliation Day in Canada. Wealth, power, and the advancement of white civilization were driving forces in Canada’s past and are still in vogue today but maybe more subtly. And yes, we must add that the advancement of white civilization was tied intimately with the Christian church. The result is that first nations folks are deeply scarred, and many remain without necessities like clean water. Is the nation of Canada less guilty of human sacrifice than the Israelites?
Today, we need this psalm. It invites us to remember God, to know his story, and to find our place in his story. In this narrative, it is "not possible not to sin." Thus, to find our place in the story of God is to take up our place in the story of those who have willfully rebelled (43).
Can we do that today as Canadians, as Christian Canadians? Will we allow ourselves to be part of the Canadian story, recognizing the many ways that this nation has caused much suffering? Can we admit that many of the harmful attitudes of the past still linger in our hearts and minds? That is what this psalm invites us to do. “We have sinned, even as our fathers did” (6).
But that is not the end of the story. This song invites us to also take our place in the history of those who have turned and been delivered and forgiven, again and again, by the Lord. It is to take up our place in a relationship of dependence upon the gracious forgiveness of God.
The song is not about our triumphs but about the triumphs of God and His grace: a grace that roots out the attitudes of racism; a grace that gives us the courage to hear the pain we have contributed to; a grace through which we work towards shalom for all people.
We remember that this grace is a gift. None of us deserve it. None of us have earned it. Having received it, we got to join the song, “Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel, from everlasting to everlasting.”