“They have greatly oppressed me from my youth,” let Israel say; “they have greatly oppressed me from my youth, but they have not gained the victory over me.” – Psalm 129:1-2

Today’s Scripture Reading (July 30, 2019): Psalm 129 & 130

I appear to be frequently told what it is that I cannot do. People seem to want me to know what it is that will not work. And often, the message that I receive is repeated regularly. “We have never done it that way before” becomes the mantra of those who do not want to violate the status quo. If we have never done it that way, then it follows that is should not be done that way, at least, in the minds of some. The hope, of course, is that if we are told something enough times, that we will stop trying. If we are told enough that our ideas won’t work, we will stop trying to come up with new ways of doing things. If we are told enough that we are not good enough, maybe we will get the message and stop trying to accomplish things. If we are told enough that we are worthless, perhaps we will fade into the background and stop bothering people. If we are continually oppressed, maybe we will identify the oppression as just a reality of life and stop straining against the chains.

The opening words of Psalm 129 are another place where I slightly prefer the King James Version rendering over that of the New International Version. In the King James, the translation is; “Many a time have they afflicted me from my youth,” may Israel now say: “Many a time have they afflicted me from my youth: yet they have not prevailed against me.” (KJV) Many a time, so often that I can’t give you the accurate count, have my enemies told me that I was worthless, that my ideas didn’t measure up, that I wasn’t worth the breath needed to keep me alive. Too many times to remember have they tried to defeat me. They have taken away my food, and they have barred my path to water. Too many times, my enemies have surrounded me, or alternatively, they have ignored me as if I was not worth listening to, and they have let my pleas for help to go unanswered. But what they have not been able to do is defeat me.

Many a time, repeated twice. So many times that Psalmist can’t name them all. But Israel survived instead of giving in to “Many a time.” There were opportunities to give up, times when no one would have blamed them for saying enough is enough, we quit. Israel will be no more. We will fold ourselves into the peoples of the other nations and be called by their names instead of being called the children of Jacob or Israel.

Many a time. We know some of these oppressors, both before the Psalmist wrote this Psalm, and the many that have come afterward. We call them the Egyptians, Canaanites, Philistines, Assyrians, Babylonians, Syrians, Greeks, and the Romans. The ones who have oppressed the Jews were called Athenians, The Roman Catholics, the city kings of Europe, the Muslims, the Czars, and the Nazi’s. There are others and more in the “Many a time” of the Psalmist.

And yet, Israel still stands as a distinct group of people with an incredible history. A history that the Christian Church often wants to share with them, because, like Israel, we want the world to know that we are not going anywhere.

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Psalm 146