 | CLM-2-039 b Psalms on Sundays: 101 - Royal Manifesto |
From: "Clergy/Leaders' Mail-list"
Sun, 24 Feb 2002
Clergy/Leaders' Mail-list No. 2-039 Sunday 24 Feb 2002
Reading: PSALM 101 - A ROYAL MANIFESTO
(From 'Encounter with God' Bible Reading Notes)
Be prepared to ask yourself some searching questions as you
meditate on 'the blameless life' described in this psalm.
Only the thoughtless reader will make a comparison between this
psalm and the prayer of the Pharisee in the Temple.(Luke 18:1O-14)
There are three distinct clues that mark out the difference. The
first is that here the psalmist is declaring his intentions, not
boasting of his achievements. The second is that the speaker is
kingly, not only because of the ascription to David but because he
has power and authority over his people (v 8), and actively cares
for them (v 6). Thirdly, the psalm is a liturgical composition,
designed for regular use in the worship of the Temple, almost
certainly by David's successors in office as they each in turn make
a public declaration of the way they intend to rule the country. It
is in fact a royal manifesto.
The tragedy is that few, if any, lived up to their promises. David
himself notoriously fell short, not only in his private life (but
what can be private in a leader of God's people?) but in the court
intrigues to which he was never immune - and he was a star compared
with some of his descendants. That, however, need not deter us from
making his intentions our own, and using these words to nerve us
for the ethical battles we shall have to face in the coming week.
As in the Ten Commandments, there is a preponderance of negatives
(vs 3,4,5,7,8), reminding us that saying 'no' is still one of the
hardest things to do, and the most necessary. Without such
specific renunciation of evil, the endearing positive intentions of
verses 1,2 and 6 could easily be blurred. The delicate balance of
the whole psalm is well summed up in the phrase 'I will be careful'
(v 2).
The grossly overused parting shot 'Take care!' could take on
new meaning if we interpreted it in the light of today's
reading.
- Bishop John B Taylor
Copyright Scripture Union, 2002
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