December 12, 2024: Thursday Bible Study on Psalms 2
Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ,
May a vision of the Nativity be in your life every day now as we draw more closely to Christ's birthday. Recently I have heard on the Hallmark channel this phrase about forgiveness. "If you are finally able to forgive someone for something that happened, no matter how long ago it took place, you will discover that the only person imprisoned by that lack of forgiveness was you. Not only is Christmas a season of joy, but it is also another especially Holy time when forgiveness should be freely offered. After all that is why Christ came into our midst, that we might both receive, and forgive, the things that we have allowed to imprison us in our lives.
Today we are reading the entirety of Psalm 2, so it may take more than one day to cover the Psalm we are working on.
As we begin today's study, we need to immediately take note that both Psalms intend to set people free. With Psalm one aimed much more at individuals, it speaks words of renewal and freedom. But Psalm 2 addresses the kings and their nations, actually stating that God laughs at them for their petty and broken leadership. However, both Psalms do indeed speak to God's Covenant with them, His promise to be their God, if, of course, the people and the nations keep God's rule for how they live in the midst of God's world, loving God above all else, and loving the neighbor like a person or nation loves itself. If we would do a brief role play about this situation in Psalm 2, we would find that the U.S. is to take the role of a smaller nation under the dominion of a superpower. However, in this Psalm it is the superpowers who are trying to throw off the "yoke" of God! For nations to act the rogue against God, that nation and her people must be prepared to suffer the consequences, which are the result of what we might choose to see as natural consequences, but on the face of God's created order are indeed the inbreaking of God's anger and frustration in sight of what individual/nation have done to move against God. This approach tells us that God is still the final judge. For Israel it was consequences brought about by their failure to care for widows and orphans, and resident aliens in their midst. Worship was at its breaking point due to the inadequate and manipulative leadership of corrupt priests and leaders. In the constitution of our nation there is intended to be a separation between church and state. But today there are some churches who believe it is Christ's call on them to become more powerful in a worldly sense, and to accumulate great wealth. Their initial motives were probably noble, but today they have moved against the LORD. Their worship can be much more about politics and power, than about God's Grace offered for all people for Salvation and New Life in Christ. In our part of the Lutheran Church (ELCA), it is our belief that the Church's roll with Government is to act as conscience and guide, not with power to unilaterally bring change that on the surface appears to be really good for the Kingdom, but more often than not, creates a powerful evil presence in the work that they have come to do. Usually the nation's people, and a newly forming government will appear to create a new balance for the rule of civil law, and the right place of God's guidance to re-establish a strong faith life for the nation's people. In this I am certainly no prophet, but we need to remember that God is already, even more than ready, to renew his covenant law through His Son and through Loving His children abundantly.
Just a note: the week of Christmas through New Year’s there will be no Bible Studies online. I will be out on vacation taking the time to be with my family. May Christ's light shine ever more brightly in all of our lives. Pastor Kim
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