But to the wicked person, God says: “What right have you to recite my laws or take my covenant on your lips? – Psalm 50:16

Today’s Scripture Reading (May 23, 2016): Psalm 50

The Scottish Indie rock band “Franz Ferdinand” released their fourth studio album, “Right Thoughts, Right Words, Right Actions,” in August 2013. It was the band’s first studio release in four years. The first single from the album was the catchy title track simply called “Right Action.” Apparently the track was inspired by a postcard that the lead singer, Alex Kapranos, found in a London flea market. The postcard read “come home, practically all is nearly forgiven.” These words form the opening lyrics to the song -

Come home practically all is nearly forgiven
Right thoughts, right words, right action
Almost everything could be forgotten
Right thoughts, right words, right action

In many ways, the song seems to mock the things that we say, and correctly maintains that there is a sequence of our actions that must be followed. The reason why every other line in the song almost seems to be nonsense is that that right sequence has been short-circuited. Maybe the second verse highlights this idea even more clearly -

Sometimes I wish you were here, weather permitting
Right thoughts, right words, right action
This time, same as before, I'll love you forever
Right thoughts, right words, right action.

The words in every case are hesitant. Do you really wish that the one you are singing about is there with you, or is it just a whim based on the weather? (Okay, I have to admit that this is probably my favorite line in the song, weather permitting.) “This time, same as before” reveals a flaw in the thought process. It appears that the same as before didn’t end well last time. It definitely didn’t end with an “I love you forever” moment, so why should we try again. The song almost begs us to think these things through. Right thoughts will lead naturally to the right words, which of course will culminate in the right action. In the song, the words are wrong because the thought process was faulty – and in the end, the action will fail as well. It is the only possible outcome.

 This idea is exactly the thought that the Psalmist is trying desperately to tell his readers. Specifically to the wicked he asks this question - “What right have you to recite my laws
or take my covenant on your lips? I know that you are searching for the right words, but just saying the words is not going to take you where you want to go. You cannot say magic words that will give you the result that you desire. Right words emerge out of right thinking, but that is thinking that you have discarded and thrown away as if it was useless. So the right words, even God’s words, elude you. You don’t understand because it is impossible to understand the words outside of right thinking. Therefore, without right thoughts and right words, the right action will always elude you.

We simply can’t short-circuit the process. Godly action emerges out of godly thinking and godly words. And that is something that none of us can fake. While in our culture we seem to spend a lot of time trying to get the words right, the actual problem is that our thinking is not right – our minds have not been turned over to the things of God. And if we can get our thinking right, then we won’t have to worry about right words or right actions. They will flow from us because we have placed God in control of our thinking.    

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Psalm 73