Today’s
Scripture Reading (July 3, 2019): Psalm 80
I have to admit that nothing motivates me more than
someone telling me that I can’t do something. In those moments when I am ready
to throw in the towel and go and do something else, I remember the prediction
about my inability to do the task and imagine the ridicule of those who spoke
the prophecy over me, and I get back to work. I have to admit that I owe a lot
of my accomplishments, from degrees to my job and other things that I have
accomplished to people who have assured me I couldn’t meet my goal. I am not
sure what that says about me other than I am afraid of being mocked.
The Psalmist is in an uncomfortable place. He can feel
the scorn of those around him, and he doesn’t like the feeling. And so he
offers this prayer to God. After all, it is God who has allowed the mockery to
happen because he has withdrawn his favor from Israel as a direct result of the
sin of the nation. Now, in the act of the repentance, the Psalmist comes back
to God, standing in the gap between God and his people and asks for forgiveness
and begs God to allow the nation to prosper once more; removing the guilt and
the shame from Israel.
It was a typical cycle in the history of the
descendants of Jacob. And it is a familiar story in our lives as well. We seem
to be a people who stand continually in the need of mercy and forgiveness. But
the other side of our reality is that our enemies will always be willing to mock
us, never forgiving us for failures. But God stands waiting and willing to run
to us with his forgiveness. And in the end, it is not the derision and mockery
of our neighbors that should really bother us. It is the judgment that flows
from the throne of God. If we are forgiven, then those that mock can go ahead.
Because we know whose we are.
Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Psalm 81 & 82
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