Wednesday March 23 Lent 3
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Psalm 119 Part 5
Psalm 119 is a meditation on responding to God’s call to justice. Each of the 176 verses is a variation on the theme of what it means to follow God’s call to justice, using terms such as “command”,”law”, “word”, “statute”, and the like. The psalm is arranged in 22 groups of eight verses—one group for each letter of the Hebrew alphabet. Within a group, each of the eight verses starts with the same letter of the Hebrew alphabet, and the groups are in Hebrew alphabetical order. So the first group of eight verses all start with A, the second group all start with B and so on. The first seven verses mirror the seven days of creation, with the eighth sometimes pointing to the next group. This very careful construction mirrors God’s creating the universe by overcoming chaos with order.
In the human world, justice, dignity and fulfilment – the outcomes of justice—are the human expressions of order. Thus the human world and the rest of creation are united in the same foundation. Today’s three sections begin with the letters M, N, and S (in Hebrew alphabetical order). As you read them, imagine the effect of each line in today’s first section beginning with “M” and so on.
Genesis 45.16-28 What’s Genesis about?
The brothers return to their home and Jacob finally accepts that all twelve sons are alive. God’s promises are going to come true despite everything!
The journey to Jacob may anticipate the subsequent journey centuries later when they escaped from Egypt—the immense gifts that the Pharaoh sends with them as they return may anticipate the riches with which the later Egyptians would shower the Israelites when they were escaping to the Red Sea, and the admonition to not quarrel on the road may anticipate the grumbling of the people as they wander in the wilderness following their escape.
The entire story also reflects the disaster and hope the Jews were experiencing around 600 B.C. when these stories were compiled and arranged. The stories suggest that if God could accomplish such things in ancient times in Egypt, God could do the same in their own time and arrange a glorious return from slavery in Babylon.
Mark 6.13-29 What’s Mark about?
John the Baptist is executed for challenging the Roman rulers in his re-enactment of the claiming of the promised land by passing through the Jordan in the same way Joshua had in the ancient past.
As Jesus’ cousin, this casts the shadow of fear that the same may happen to Jesus.
Notice the parallels which Mark has drawn between the execution of John and the execution of Jesus—the Roman authority is protective of both men but is forced into the execution due to public pressure, which uses almost the same words in both cases. For both men, disciples come and place the body in a tomb, and in both cases resurrection is in the background.
This week’s collect:
Father of mercy,
alone we have no power in ourselves to help ourselves.
When we are discouraged by our weakness,
strengthen us to follow Christ,
our pattern and our hope;
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever. Amen.
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