Why do you boast, O proud peoples, of your decisions that hurt the poor?
All day long, you plan exploitation.
Lies are on your tongue as you turn from the truth.
You love riches more than justice, burying your heads in sand like an ostrich,
So you are deaf to the crest of the oppressed, blind to their impoverishment.
Yet justice will prevail in the end; your riches will turn to rags,
you will die separated from Love.
Those who live in truth, will now the joy of Love Divine.
They will see the emptiness of those who turn from Love,
who place their trust in abundant riches, who seek security in wealth.
Blessed are those who are like the strong oak in the house of the Beloved.
Blessed are those who trust in the gentle love of the Counselor
and hear the Voice of Love.
Gratitude flows from their hearts as they walk in truth,
as they live in unity and peace in the presence of the Beloved.
Nan C. Merrill Psalms for Praying
Reflection:
This psalm was written for a time when wealth and power combined for the good of a very small group of elite or perhaps one person. The wealthy have power and control and have chosen to use it for their own betterment regardless of what might happen to others. Greed cannot be satisfied and those with little will have even less because the powerful care only about holding wealth and resources for themselves.
My comfort (from this psalm) comes from the idea that it is ancient; that this pattern of a powerful and wealthy person wreaking havoc on people who are already poor and marginalized has happened before (and more than once). My hope is that like before, this period will end. It will be terrible (and for many it already is) but what is happening in the USA now is not sustainable. This awful moment in our history will be just that, a moment. We can make change and we are certainly being encouraged to do so while we still can by those who have studied history and political climates. We aren’t living in unprecedented times, this has happened before and can be overcome.
We must choose what is good for all of us and not what is most advantageous for ourselves as individuals. I believe we have enough resources for everyone if only some would share. And more than that, I believe in abundance, that there is in fact more than enough for everyone. This belief is in direct opposition to the scarcity mindset that those in power are using to convince us that there won’t be enough because of immigrants, poor people, or whomever they are trying to blame for their greed. The rich and powerful are the cause of the suffering we are experiencing.
Poverty exists not because we cannot feed the poor but because we can never satisfy the rich.
My hope is that we (those not in the upper elite wealthy powerful few) will be able to reverse the damage done and create a community, a country, a world, in which everyone has what they need. May God help us. May the God of justice and mercy amend our ways. May the God of abundance, peace, and love dwell among us.
Check out other psalm reflections in the links below or find more of my writing published in Presbyterian Outlook or listen to my experiments in podcasting on the Period Pastor Podcast. Follow me @periodpastor
I began writing Psalm reflections during Lent of 2020. Shortly after, we decided to close the church building, work from home, and worship via zoom. Many churches use the Revised Common Lectionary (RLC) that rotates scripture on a three-year cycle (A, B, and C). Starting in Advent 2019, the church decided to worship with the texts from Year D, which is still not circulated as are years A, B, and C. Year D was created with the goal of including scriptures that were left out or not used as frequently as others. While we were using Psalms in year D, most other lectionary followers were using Year A. In Advent of 2020 we rejoined those who use the lectionary in year B. Advent of 2021 year C. When we returned to in person worship, we took the psalm reflections out of the order of worship. I continued to write them for the blog. Advent of 2022 year A. I left church work in July of 2023 but continued the practice of writing psalm reflections. Advent of 2023 year B.
I use the Vanderbilt Divinity Library’s resource for lectionary readings to make text selections.
1st Sunday in Advent Psalm 25, 2nd Sunday in Advent instead of a Psalm the lectionary gives Luke 1:68-79, 3rd Sunday in Advent instead of a Psalm the lectionary gives Isaiah 12:2-6, 4th Sunday in Advent Luke 1:46b-55 or Psalm 80, Christmas Eve or Christmas Day Psalm 96, Psalm 97, Psalm 98, 1st Sunday after Christmas, Psalm 148, New Year’s Day Psalm 8, 2nd Sunday after Christmas Psalm 147, Epiphany Psalm 72, 1st Sunday after Epiphany Psalm 29, 2nd Sunday after Epiphany Psalm 36, 3rd Sunday after Epiphany Psalm 19, 4th Sunday after Epiphany Psalm 71, 5th Sunday after Epiphany Psalm 138, 6th Sunday after Epiphany Psalm 1, 7th Sunday after Epiphany Psalm 37, Transfiguration Sunday (Sunday before Lent) Psalm 99
Lent: Ash Wednesday Psalm 51, 1st Sunday in Lent Psalm 91, 2nd Sunday in Lent Psalm 27, 3rd Sunday in Lent Psalm 63, 4th Sunday in Lent Psalm 32, 5th Sunday in Lent Psalm 126, 6th Sunday in Lent (Palm or Passion Sunday) Psalm 118 or 31
Easter: Easter Psalm 118 or Psalm 114, 2nd Sunday of Easter Psalm 118 or Psalm 150, 3rd Sunday of Easter Psalm 30, 4thSunday of Easter Psalm 23 or 114, 5th Sunday of Easter Psalm 148, 6th Sunday of Easter Psalm 67 or 109, Ascension Psalm 47 or Psalm 93, 7th Sunday of Easter Psalm 97 or Psalm 2, Day of Pentecost Psalm 104
Season After Pentecost (Ordinary Time): 1st Sunday after Pentecost (Trinity Sunday) Psalm 8, 2nd Sunday after Pentecost Psalm 42 and Psalm 43 or Psalm 22, 3rd Sunday after Pentecost Psalm 77 or Psalm 16, 4th Sunday after Pentecost Psalm 30 or Psalm 66, 5th Sunday after Pentecost Psalm 82 or Psalm 25, 6th Sunday after Pentecost Psalm 52 or Psalm 15, 7thSunday after Pentecost Psalm 85 or Psalm 138, 8th Sunday after Pentecost Psalm 107 or Psalm 49, 9th Sunday after Pentecost Psalm 50 or Psalm 33, 10th Sunday after Pentecost Psalm 80 or Psalm 82, 11th Sunday after Pentecost Psalm 71or Psalm 103, 12th Sunday after Pentecost Psalm 81 or Psalm 112, 13th Sunday after Pentecost Psalm 139 or Psalm 1, 14thSunday after Pentecost Psalm 14 or Psalm 51, 15th Sunday after Pentecost Psalm 79 or Psalm 113, 16th Sunday after Pentecost Psalm 91 or Psalm 146, 17th Sunday after Pentecost Psalm 137 or Psalm 37, 18th Sunday after Pentecost Psalm 66 or Psalm 111, 19th Sunday after Pentecost Psalm 119 or Psalm 121, 20th Sunday after Pentecost Psalm 65 or Psalm 84, 21st Sunday after Pentecost Psalm 119 or Psalm 32, 22nd Sunday after Pentecost Psalm 145 or Psalm 98 or Psalm 17, 23rdSunday after Pentecost Psalm 98, 24th Sunday after Pentecost Psalm 46.
Sources and notes:
“What is the strength that sustains life? Is it the power of the lie and riches, or is it the strength of the steadfast love of God? What makes life endure? the tis the question on which Psalm 52 turns.” Mays p. 204
“The psalm has three sections. The first section (vv. 1-4) is the descriptive denunciation of a destructive person in the style of direct address. The second (vv. 5-7) warns the addressee that God will destroy him in a way that instructs the righteous in the fear of the LORD. In the third, the psalmist confesses his trust in God (v. 8) and offers God thankful praise for vindicating the trust of the righteous (v. 9). The confession ins make and the praise offered before the faithful (v. 9) for their instruction and encouragement. The style of direct address seems to suggest the setting of confrontation between the psalmist and someone who has inured him. But the style is rhetorical, a dramatic way of personalizing a warning against the character and conduct described. If such people are present in the congregation, let them take heed and consider the destiny that God has in store for them. The faithful are assure that they will see the downfall of the wicked as confirmation that the righteousness of god does prevail (v. 8).” Mays p. 204
“The vocative “mighty man” (gibbor) is certainly derisive. The term often refers to a warrior. Here it comes across as “big shot,” “big operator,” or “tycoon” would in our vocabulary. The characterization of the “mighty man” is conventional: boasting, having deceptive injurious intent and speech, loving evil instead of good, trusting in riches instead of taking refuge in God. The portrait is that of a person who turns human capacities and possession into the basis of his existence. The psalm was composed for a time when power joined to wealth was destructive of the social order and a tribulation and scandal for those who loved good and trusted in God. Its basic theme is the conflict between the wicked and the righteous in a world governed by God. See Psalms 11; 12; 14; 37; 49 and 73.” Mays p. 205
“The basic confidence of Psalm 52 is that God will overrule the way of the wicked. The psalmist commends the way of trust in God with a testimony that compares his won life to “a green olive tree in the house of God.” The simile of the flourishing tree represents an existence rooted in a relation to God that draws on all the resources of worship and instruction provided in the temple (1:3; 92:12-15; Jer. 17:7-8).” Mays p. 205
“The superscription attributes the psalm to an incident in David’s life when Doeg the Edomite told Saul that David had gone to the priest Ahimelek at nob for help when David was feeling from Saul (1 Samuel 21-22; note 21:7 and 22:9). This information resulted in the murder of many of the priests at Nob. The scribe who searched out the scriptural setting for the psalm took Doeg as a character who exemplified the “might man” addressed in verse 1 (see Psalm 3, sec. 4). His words “devoured” an entire cadre of priests of the LORD (v. 3). Mays p. 205
“The words of Psalm 52 would be appropriate in various settings, ranging from the life of David to the post-exilic era to the contemporary scene. In other words, the central issue with which Psalm 52 deals is perennial one: the nature of enduring security, wealth, and power. The temptation to live for ourselves at the expense of others is both as ancient as humanity itself (see Genesis 4) and as contemporary as today’s date.” NIB p. 452
“The alternatives presented in Psalm 52 are still very real, and the psalmist’s words and example are a timely witness for those of us who live in circumstances in which trusting gGod will be both increasingly difficult and increasingly important.” NIB p. 452
“Psalm 52 expresses the primary wisdom there of the Two Ways–the contrasting ways of the righteous and of the wicked and their consequences– first introduced in the Psalter in Psalm 1. …. Wisdom influence can be seen throughout the Psalter, especially in book 5 (e.g., Ps 119). In the postexillic period wisdom is personified as Woman Wisdom (Prob 1-9; Wisdom; Sirach), and becomes embodied as Torah (Sir 24), “thereby inviting the reader to hear the voice of Woman Wisdom, the feminine interaction of YHWH” in wisdoms psalms like Psalm 52 (see also Pss 1, 32,37, 49, 73, 78, 112, 119, 127, 128, and 145).” W p. 81
“The Canaanite fertility goddess Ashram functioned as God’s consort of personified God’s more feminine attributes in popular folk religion centered in the family where women played a major role; this folk religion clashed with the “official” religion of the Deuteronomists. If Lady Wisdom is speaking in Psalm 52, and she is described as “a tree of life to those who lay hold of her” (Prov 3:18), then she is perhaps reclaiming this tree imagery in a positive way for the faithful, especially women.” W p. 84
“Like the long-lived, useful olive tree, the righteous psalmist is planted firmly within the temple (Psalmist 92:13-15), unlike the wicked, who are “chaff” blow away by the wind (Ps 1:4) or “uprooted” (Ps 52:5).” W p. 84
Alter, Robert. 2007. The Book of Psalms: A Translation with Commentary New York: W. W. Norton & Company
WBC Allen, Leslie C. 1983. Word Biblical Commentary: Psalms 101-150. Vol. 21. Waco, TX: Word Books, Publisher.
Bonhoeffer, Dietrich. 1974. Psalms: The Prayer Book of the Bible. 8th ed. Minneapolis, MN: Augsburg Press.
Bourgeault, C. (2006). Chanting the psalms: A practical guide Audio Book. New Seeds.
Brueggemann, Walter. 2007. Praying the Psalms: Engaging Scripture and the Life of the Spirit. 2nd ed. Eugene, OR: Cascade.
Brueggemann, Walter. 2014. From Whom No Secrets Are Hid: Introducing the Psalms. Edited by Brent A. Strawn. 1st ed. Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press.
Brueggemann, Walter. Davis Hanskins, Editor. 2022. Our Hearts Wait: Worshiping Through Praise and Lament in the Psalms Westminster John Knox Press, Louisville KY.
Brueggemann, Walter. (2002). Spirituality of the psalms. Augsburg Pub. House.
Brueggemann, Walter. (1984). The Message of the Psalms: A Theological Commentary. Minneapolis: Augsburg.
Chilson, Richard, ed. You Shall Not Want: A Spiritual Journey Based on the Psalms. Ave Maria Press, 2009.
Chittister, Joan. (2011). Songs of the heart: reflections on the psalms. John Garratt Publishing.
Cudjoe-Wilkes, G., Wilkes, A. J., & Moss, O. (2022). Psalms for black lives: Reflections for the work of Liberation. Upper Room Books.
WBC Craigie, Peter C. 1983. Psalms 1-50–Word Biblical Commentary. Vol. 19. Waco, TX: Word Books.
Creach, Jerome Frederick Davis. 1998. Psalms: Interpretation Bible Studies. Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press.
DAFLER, J. (2021). PSOBRIETY: A journey of recovery through the psalms. Louisville, KY: WESTMINSTER JOHN KNOX.
W de Claisse-Walford, Nancy L. WISDOM COMMENTARY: Psalms Bks. 4-5. Edited by Barbara E. Reid. Vol. 22. Collegeville, MN: Liturgical, 2020.
Green, Barbara. 1997. Like a Tree Planted: An Exploration of Psalms and Parables Through Metaphor. Collegeville, MN: Liturgical Press.
W Hopkins, Denise Dombkowski. WISDOM COMMENTARY: Psalms Bks. 2-3. Edited by Barbara E. Reid. Vol. 21. Collegeville, MN: Liturgical, 2016.
NIB Keck, Leander E. 2015. The New Interpreters Bible Commentary. Vol. 3. Nashville, TN: Abingdon Press.
Lewis, C. S. (2017). Reflections on the Psalms. Harper One, an imprint of Harper Collins Publishers.
Mays, James Luther. 1994. Psalms. Louisville, KY: John Knox Press.
McCann, J. C. (1993). A theological introduction to the book of Psalms: The Psalms as Torah. Nashville, TN: Abingdon Press.
McCann, J. C., & Howell, J. C. 2001. Preaching the Psalms. Nashville, TN: Abingdon Press.
Merrill, N. C. (2020). Psalms for praying an invitation to wholeness (10th Anniversary Edition ed.). London, England: Bloomsbury Publishing.
Miller, Patrick D. 1986. Interpreting the Psalms. Philadelphia, PA: Fortress Press.
Morgan, Michael. 2010. The Psalter for Christian Worship Revised Edition. Westminster John Knox Press.
Schlimm, Matthew Richard. 2018. 70 Hebrew Words Every Christian Should Know. Nashville, TN: Abington Press.
Spong, M. (Ed.). (2020). The words of her mouth: Psalms for the struggle. Cleveland, OH: The Pilgrim Press.
WBC Tate, Marvin E. 1990. Word Biblical Commentary: Psalms 51-100. Edited by David Allan. Hubbard and Glenn W. Barker. Vol. 20. Waco, TX: Word.
Weems, Ann. 1995. Psalm of Lament. Westminster John Knox Pres
OTL Weiser, Artur. 1998. Old Testament Library: Psalms. Translated by Herbert Hartwell. 3rd ed. New York, NY: Manchester University Press.
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