For Judah, after fifty years spent longing for home, return from exile came as a shock. Instead of the paradise promised by the prophet Isaiah, the people found ruin and desolation. They celebrate their homecoming, they give thanks, they give thanks--but wow, things have really gone to hell! In Psalm 85, in the midst of thanksgiving, the community implores God's help again; and again they receive the promises.
The psalm has been called one of “turning of destiny.” A variation of the root “return” (shuv) occurs several times, beginning in v. 1 with, “turned our fortune back to the good” (shavta sh'vit). In v. 3, God has “turned back from” (heshivotha) anger and is immediately prayed to “restore us” (shuveinu, v. 4). In v. 6, the people pray to be “returned to life”(thashuv tchayyeinu), and v. 8 speaks of the people's “returning” (yashuvu) their confidence. We may see turnings implicit in the gracious embracings prophesied in the closing verses: truth, mercy, peace and justice, are all reconciled.
The conclusion gives a clue as to how these promises can come true: “Righteousness shall go before him” [v. 13]. As our own community turns to God, we'll see our destiny turn around. Through the efforts of faith restored, God's Kingdom will unfold.
***************
"Turn thou us, O Good Lord, and so shall we be turned.”" (1928 Book of Common Prayer, p. 62)
Isaiah 40:1-11; 2 Peter 3:8-15a; Mark 1:1-8
*********************
Psalm 85 – Questions to Ponder
1. Pray this psalm as part of the people returning home after exile. What were your hopes and dreams on the way to here? Among young and old, what are various feelings when confronting the reality of rebuilding this place that is supposedly "home"?
2. How can mercy and truth, justice and peace, meet? Allow yourself to feel the tension in examples from your experience.
3. Have you ever felt the Lord’s anger? What events made you aware of the consequences of your own sin? Has such a time been a turning point for you?
***************
No comments:
Post a Comment