Wednesday February 8 Epiphany 5
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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.
Isaiah 59: 15b-21 What’s Isaiah about?
God was appalled that no justice was being carried out as the people were enslaved in Babylon, so God used his strength to put it right. God came like an enormous flood to bring justice back to the land, and that justice will remain in the nation permanently, in the speech of their children and grandchildren.
Mark 10.1-16 What’s Mark about?
Jesus is challenged, first by religious leaders and then by his own disciples, for valuing those who were without status or influence. The religious leaders challenge Jesus about divorce. Men were allowed to divorce their wives arbitrarily but Jesus insists that women are equal and this has consequences for marriage—a highly controversial position.
Children had no rights but Jesus insists they are to be treated as valuable adults. The kingdom is based upon treating everyone with dignity.
This week’s collect:
Merciful Lord,
grant to your faithful people pardon and peace,
that we may be cleansed from all our sins
and serve you with a quiet mind;
through Jesus Christ our Lord,
who is alive and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever. Amen.
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