This Sunday, in churches that use the Revised Common Lectionary, the Psalm appointed is Psalm 36: 5-10. Verses 1-4 and 11-12 get the ax, and followers of this blog will quickly identify the problems that the lectionary editors probably had with those verses. Here is the unedited version that most Episcopalians will not hear today.
36 Dixit injustus
1 There is a voice of rebellion deep in the heart of the wicked; *
there is no fear of God before his eyes.
2 He flatters himself in his own eyes *
that his hateful sin will not be found out.
3 The words of his mouth are wicked and deceitful; *
he has left off acting wisely and doing good.
4 He thinks up wickedness upon his bed
and has set himself in no good way; *
he does not abhor that which is evil.
5 Your love, O Lord, reaches to the heavens, *
and your faithfulness to the clouds.
6 Your righteousness is like the strong mountains,
your justice like the great deep; *
you save both man and beast, O Lord.
7 How priceless is your love, O God! *
your people take refuge under the
shadow of your wings.
8 They feast upon the abundance of your house; *
you give them drink from the river of your delights.
9 For with you is the well of life, *
and in your light we see light.
10 Continue your loving-kindness to those who know you, *
and your favor to those who are true of heart.
11 Let not the foot of the proud come near me, *
nor the hand of the wicked push me aside.
12 See how they are fallen, those who work wickedness! *
they are cast down and shall not be able to rise,
By leaving out verses 1-4 and 11-12, the lectionary editors have created a new Psalm, one that focuses on God's love. That love is lovely, but in so doing they have eliminated the reasons why we should love God's love. We are the ones with rebellion in our hearts, we are the self flatterers, we are the ones with wicked thoughts, we are the proud. The fact that God still loves us stands in sharper contrast to how we think and act when we are reminded of the sorry state of our affairs by reading the whole of Psalm 36.
36 Dixit injustus
1 There is a voice of rebellion deep in the heart of the wicked; *
there is no fear of God before his eyes.
2 He flatters himself in his own eyes *
that his hateful sin will not be found out.
3 The words of his mouth are wicked and deceitful; *
he has left off acting wisely and doing good.
4 He thinks up wickedness upon his bed
and has set himself in no good way; *
he does not abhor that which is evil.
5 Your love, O Lord, reaches to the heavens, *
and your faithfulness to the clouds.
6 Your righteousness is like the strong mountains,
your justice like the great deep; *
you save both man and beast, O Lord.
7 How priceless is your love, O God! *
your people take refuge under the
shadow of your wings.
8 They feast upon the abundance of your house; *
you give them drink from the river of your delights.
9 For with you is the well of life, *
and in your light we see light.
10 Continue your loving-kindness to those who know you, *
and your favor to those who are true of heart.
11 Let not the foot of the proud come near me, *
nor the hand of the wicked push me aside.
12 See how they are fallen, those who work wickedness! *
they are cast down and shall not be able to rise,
By leaving out verses 1-4 and 11-12, the lectionary editors have created a new Psalm, one that focuses on God's love. That love is lovely, but in so doing they have eliminated the reasons why we should love God's love. We are the ones with rebellion in our hearts, we are the self flatterers, we are the ones with wicked thoughts, we are the proud. The fact that God still loves us stands in sharper contrast to how we think and act when we are reminded of the sorry state of our affairs by reading the whole of Psalm 36.
Posts
Oh, Pewster, you're so judgmental! Besides, those people aren't really wicked, they're just the victims of oppression by the self-righteous, right?
ReplyDeleteRight!
Delete