Wax

James Cathcart May 30, 2017 0 0

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Psalm 68:1-10

Psalm 68:1-10, 32-3

For the director of music. Of David. A psalm. A song.

1 May God arise, may his enemies be scattered;
    may his foes flee before him.
2 May you blow them away like smoke—
    as wax melts before the fire,
    may the wicked perish before God.
3 But may the righteous be glad
    and rejoice before God;
    may they be happy and joyful.

4 Sing to God, sing in praise of his name,
    extol him who rides on the clouds;
    rejoice before him—his name is the Lord.
5 A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows,
    is God in his holy dwelling.
6 God sets the lonely in families,
    he leads out the prisoners with singing;
    but the rebellious live in a sun-scorched land.

7 When you, God, went out before your people,
    when you marched through the wilderness,
8 the earth shook, the heavens poured down rain,
    before God, the One of Sinai,
    before God, the God of Israel.
9 You gave abundant showers, O God;
    you refreshed your weary inheritance.
10 Your people settled in it,
    and from your bounty, God, you provided for the poor.

32 Sing to God, you kingdoms of the earth,
    sing praise to the Lord,
33 to him who rides across the highest heavens, the ancient heavens,
    who thunders with mighty voice.
34 Proclaim the power of God,
    whose majesty is over Israel,
    whose power is in the heavens.
35 You, God, are awesome in your sanctuary;
    the God of Israel gives power and strength to his people.

Praise be to God!

“…as wax melts before the fire, let the wicked perish before God.” What a phrase! Imagine looking at the face of the tormentor, the bully, the cheat, and telling them that just like wax in a fire, they will melt away. The grim satisfaction that would come from thinking that no matter how much pain the hot wax is causing, there is a promise of a bigger fire that will come and turn the tables - in fact set the table and chairs and the whole house alight. Terrible, awful, compelling… incredibly human. Psalm 68 expresses an incredibly human desire for revenge, recompense, and restitution.

It reminds me of that old folk song ‘Run on’, sung in different versions by many - including memorably by Johnny Cash. One of the verses goes like this:

“Well you can hide your rock, hide your hand

dealing in the dark against your fellow man,

but as sure as God made black and white,

what was done in the dark will be brought to the light.”

The chorus warns, that you can “run on for a long time” but that “sooner or later God’s gonna cut you down.”

A cathartic cry from the oppressed, the wronged, the aggrieved. We all feel powerless, overwhelmed and reduced at different times in our life. We want to see pride, dishonour, and cruelty come crashing down. We want God to tear it all down, down, down.

But what will God build in its place?

The satisfaction, not grim and strained - but both light and strong, is that God redeems. God will cut down. But what will he plant in its place?

None of us are beyond reckoning, but none of us are beyond redemption.

Dear God,

May the Word of Life 

shape my conversations with neighbours

and strangers,

with those estranged,

cut off,

separate,

removed,

through pain

made strange.

Guide me.

Amen.