Advent 1
Preaching
Aids To The Psalms
Exploring The Message
Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel,
you who lead Joseph like a flock!
You who are enthroned upon the cherubim, shine forth
before Ephraim and Benjamin and Manasseh.
Stir up your might,
and come to save us!
Restore us, O God;
let your face shine, that we may be saved.
O Lord God of hosts,
how long will you be angry with your people's prayers?
You have fed them with the bread of tears,
and given them tears to drink in full measure.
You make us the scorn of our neighbors;
our enemies laugh among themselves.
Restore us, O God of hosts;
let your face shine, that we may be saved.
Alternate Image
The Singer prepares incense to burn during his prayer time. He
carefully looks through his selection of incense that he has
found pleasing to him, and selects his favorite and lights it. He
goes to his CD library for some good background music to aid his
meditation. He selects a favorite and plays it on his elaborate
sound system. The Singer closes the windows to shut out the
outside noises that might distract him from his prayers. He
disconnects the phone, which might interrupt his contemplation.
He turns on soft lights. The Singer robes himself in loose
fitting garments that will not restrict his circulation while
ruminating. With all the preparations made, the Singer begins
to gather his thoughts to prayer for the well-being of his
country, which appears in turmoil.
A few minutes into the Singer's meditation, the room shakes,
the windows burst, the CD player goes dead, the lights fail and a
mighty wind extinguishes his incense. Arms and legs akimbo, the
Singer hears the voice of God say, "This stinks!"
Reflection
John Calvin wrote on this passage saying, "...the smoke of
God's wrath." There appears to be an implicit allusion to the
incense, which was used in the sacrifices under the law. The
smoke of the incense served to purify the air; but the Israelites
complain that the heavens were so obscured by a different smoke,
that their signs could not be heard by God. As our air is
polluted by our inattention and lack of care of the environment,
so our prayer life can also be polluted by selfish interest
rather than a desire to be in tune with God's will. When our own
agendas dominate our prayer and meditation thoughts, God is
angry, incensed with our prayers. There is nothing wrong with
creating an environment conducive to prayer, but the focus of
prayer is to always be toward the one to whom we pray.
you who lead Joseph like a flock!
You who are enthroned upon the cherubim, shine forth
before Ephraim and Benjamin and Manasseh.
Stir up your might,
and come to save us!
Restore us, O God;
let your face shine, that we may be saved.
O Lord God of hosts,
how long will you be angry with your people's prayers?
You have fed them with the bread of tears,
and given them tears to drink in full measure.
You make us the scorn of our neighbors;
our enemies laugh among themselves.
Restore us, O God of hosts;
let your face shine, that we may be saved.
Alternate Image
The Singer prepares incense to burn during his prayer time. He
carefully looks through his selection of incense that he has
found pleasing to him, and selects his favorite and lights it. He
goes to his CD library for some good background music to aid his
meditation. He selects a favorite and plays it on his elaborate
sound system. The Singer closes the windows to shut out the
outside noises that might distract him from his prayers. He
disconnects the phone, which might interrupt his contemplation.
He turns on soft lights. The Singer robes himself in loose
fitting garments that will not restrict his circulation while
ruminating. With all the preparations made, the Singer begins
to gather his thoughts to prayer for the well-being of his
country, which appears in turmoil.
A few minutes into the Singer's meditation, the room shakes,
the windows burst, the CD player goes dead, the lights fail and a
mighty wind extinguishes his incense. Arms and legs akimbo, the
Singer hears the voice of God say, "This stinks!"
Reflection
John Calvin wrote on this passage saying, "...the smoke of
God's wrath." There appears to be an implicit allusion to the
incense, which was used in the sacrifices under the law. The
smoke of the incense served to purify the air; but the Israelites
complain that the heavens were so obscured by a different smoke,
that their signs could not be heard by God. As our air is
polluted by our inattention and lack of care of the environment,
so our prayer life can also be polluted by selfish interest
rather than a desire to be in tune with God's will. When our own
agendas dominate our prayer and meditation thoughts, God is
angry, incensed with our prayers. There is nothing wrong with
creating an environment conducive to prayer, but the focus of
prayer is to always be toward the one to whom we pray.
