Only Human

Old Mystic, June 21, 2009
Psalms 9:9-20

Summary

David’s poem of thanksgiving and appeal is a reminder that God is gracious and just and will deliver those who seek him and witness to His saving work. In a world of violence and suffering God takes the side of the poor and the oppressed.

Sermon

This Psalm is indeed a remarkable poem in the heart and mind of a young shepherd turned to warrior and king. Even though it is mostly scholarly speculation, many believe that this piece was composed by David shortly after his slaying of the giant Goliath, an epic story that has captured the imagination of generations of children raised in our Christian tradition. I can recall having heard it way back in my childhood read by mother from the thin-paper old Reina-Valera Bible that used to belong to my late grandmother. Who wouldn’t fall in love with the child-hero who came to the rescue of his nation, Israel, God’s people, killing the uncircumcised pagan giant who dared to “defy the armies of the living God?” Many of us, 21st century onlookers, however, cannot help but cringe as we read the ending of the battle between the child and the giant. It took just a stone and a slingshot; yet, in spite of David’s declaration to Goliath that “the Lord does not save by sword and spear,” he finished the giant with his own sword and cut off his head. There might have been political, cultural, and religious reasons for such a display of violence but today, as much as in those days, people of faith must rely on God’s deliverance and God’s ways which we can claim are not violent.

David’s song of thanksgiving is at the same time a declaration of God’s deliverance from suffering, hate, persecution, and oppression, and a reminder that our ways fail, that we fall short of our good intentioned goals, and that we continue to deal violently in this world because we are only human. As David put it speaking of us all, “Put them in fear, O Lord; let the nations know that they are only human.” These words are a very necessary call in this day and age as we struggle with our human failure; failure to realize that we have a small planet and that its resources will be depleted if we continue our trend of unbridled consumption; failure to faithfully respond to God’s implicit summons to be our brother’s or sister’s keeper as we see almost half of the population of the world living with less that two dollars a day. I can continue to speak negatively and endlessly about human failure and describe how much it touches our lives and why we are broken and our relationships are broken. But today’s’ passage is a song of thanksgiving.

“The Lord is a stronghold for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble.
And those who know your name put their trust in you, for you, O Lord, have not forsaken those who seek you.” David’s proclamation of thanksgiving is soothing for anyone conscious of his or her humanity. God is our strength and will not forsake those who seek him. His words are a compelling invitation to seek God, to know God. David knew and trusted God, not because of what he had heard about God, or out of knowledge acquired through training. David had experienced God in a very personal, intimate, and profound way.

There has been much talk about God through the centuries. Systematic theologies have come up with statements and propositions about the attributes and essence of the Divine Being. Paul Tillich calls God “the ground of all being.” We read in Psalms 139 how inescapable God is. He knows us; he knows where we go and we can never dodge his watchful eye. We affirm also with the 24th Psalm that “The earth is the Lord’s and all that is in it; the world, and those who live in it.” We can continue with a long list of things we can say about God, but do we have a relationship with the Living God? Do we engage in conversation with God? David’s trust in God was based on the relationship he had with him. For that reason he was able to honestly plea, “Be gracious to me, O Lord. See what I suffer from those who hate me; you are the one who lifts me up from the gates of death,
so that I may recount all your praises.” David knew God personally and intimately.

And it was because of that knowledge of God, of that close relationship with him, that he could discern the heart of the Living God. Wisdom and discernment—perhaps the most useful gifts for ethical analysis—inspired David to say that the needy will not be forgotten and the hope of the poor will not perish, an assertion that permeates the Scriptures. There are very few teachings in the Bible that continuously recur as the admonition that God takes the side of the poor. As difficult to comprehend as it seems, indeed, God is bias and levels the playing field. Unfortunately, we live in a world where the poor and the oppressed are the ones to blame, the scapegoats. Very often those who have a hard time to secure a job, or make the ends meet find themselves under judgment in a society that does not forgive failure, that consistently fails to deliver justice to many, and is very slow to acknowledge its own failures. We must be cautious about slandering the poor and the oppressed because God is on their side. Jesus’ words in his ministry’s inaugural address are powerful and clear, “the Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor… to let the oppressed free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”

David was not without guilt himself but in that relationship with God he had found the gates open for confession, forgiveness, and healing. He knew that suffering is such a part of the human condition but he knew that God, who is a loving God, is a God of deliverance. And in spite of his own use of violence, he acknowledged that God “avenges blood” and is mindful of the afflicted. And what he means is that God will bring to reckoning those who violently shed blood. It would be perhaps too simplistic to say that if more people come into a personal, close relationship with God they’ll be much slower to commit acts of violence. But it is a starting point; the right place to start.

Knowing and trusting God brought joy to David’s life. He was confident to exhort, “Sing praises to the Lord, who dwells in Zion. Declare his deeds among the peoples.” For him, worship and witness were also rooted in that relationship with the Living God. And we know that there was no economy of words for David when it came to worship, praise, and adoration. It was his reaching to the full understanding of his own humanity and of God’s grace; his ability to express powerfully his feelings toward a God that loved him and delivered him from his enemies. As we inch ourselves into a relationship with the Living God our understanding of worship grows. Our praises, our poems, our songs, and our prayers are not empty formulas. They are addressed to someone who is very present in our midst; they are offerings to a God who delights in them. It is difficult for many of us—due to cultural constraints or personality traits—to be bold about our expressions of worship. And we don’t have to follow the trends, or do what others are doing, or sing a praise song because it is number one in the hit parade of Christian music. Perhaps, we just need to utter sounds, or sigh deeply, or silently open our hearts. Yet, God will honor our wholehearted and sincere worship.

Finally, in spite of the fact that we are only human, God has chosen us as his witnesses. David is perhaps one of the best examples in the Scriptures. His words, inspired by God, stand as a powerful witness to God’s grace. He has been telling for ages to those who are seekers that God delivers. “The Lord is a stronghold for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble.” Many need to be reminded of these words because they have gone astray; they have forgotten about that promise or never heard about it; and either they have abandoned that relationship with God or have never had it. Jesus came into the world to bridge the gap and bring us into that relationship with God.

We are only human and the world entrusted to us by God is a reflection of our failures, the failure of individuals and of nations. David reminds us that “The nations have sunk in the pit that they made; in the net that they hid has their own foot been caught.” Haven’t we dug a hole for ourselves! The worst economic downturn in many decades, two wars, and the prospect of more violence as the looming threat of nuclear proliferation grows are just but a sample of the many challenges humanity faces. How can we solve these problems? David pleas to God: “Rise up, O Lord! Do not let mortals prevail; let the nations be judged before you.” Yes, we are only human. Nonetheless, we can meet and know God, the Living God personally, and we can trust him with all our hearts because God delivers.