Reading 14—The Sheep of His Hand
Psalm 95
READ PSALM 95
Have you noticed how the tone of several of the psalms can suddenly change direction? The psalmist may praise God one second and then call for divine retribution on personal enemies. No psalm changes direction quicker than Psalm 95.
The first part (vs 1-7) is, for my money, one of the most beautiful hymns of praise in all of Scripture. It has had a place for centuries in the Matins, or Morning Prayer, order of worship. This part is in the voice of the worshipers. They are exhorting themselves to worship this God who is their rock and the creator of all. Why do this? “For he is our God, and we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand” (v 7a).
Then the tone and voice change completely. Now God speaks. And you would think he would be pleased with the worshipful nature of the preceding verses, but, no. He warns us not to harden our hearts lest the fate of the first generation of Israelites of the Exodus befall us. You will remember that God kept that generation, even Moses, from entering the Promised Land. And, on this note of judgement, the psalm ends.
The two parts of this psalm sound dissonant to the modern ear. How can God, whose definition is Love, loathe his children? As with all human attempts to describe God, language falls short of its goal. I sense that some of this language is hyperbolic to drive home a point. Namely that to truly follow and worship God, we must live in his Love and seek his will. When we insist on going our own way—i.e. hardening our hearts—there are consequences, none of which are good. And not brought on by a vengeful and petulant god but just the result of our being bone-headedly wrong. But even then God’s grace enfolds us.
The psalm ends with a word of Law, a reminder we often need, but the core of its message is that he is our God and we are his people. Let us rejoice in that and worship the rock of our salvation.
To Consider
Where, in our daily lives, do we find ourselves going our own way, hardening our hearts to God’s call of love in Christ? What calls us back to God?
What is your favorite hymn? What about that hymn speaks to you of God’s many attributes? Take a moment now to sing it joyfully. (Or as soon as you are out of the carpool or the line at Starbucks, etc.)
O God, you have called your servants to ventures of which we cannot see the ending, by paths as yet untrodden, through perils unknown. Give us faith to go out with good courage, not knowing where we go, but only that your hand is leading us and your love supporting us; through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.
From ELW Order of Morning Prayer; page 304
Dan Voelkert is a member of Macedonia, Burlington, who loves singing hymns, playing guitar and uke, and accosting strangers on the street with pictures of his grandkids. (You have been forewarned. Of course, I guess it is hard to be post-warned. Funny language this English.).
