The Beloved says to all who will hear,
“Come, walk with Me. Let us give birth to a new Earth!”
For, the Spirit is the One who makes all things new,
and ever awaits our “yes” to the Dance!
Those who offer themselves freely, without reserve,
as guided through life’s rough paths.
Light beckons to light; divine dignity adorns all in holy array.
The Promise holds true forever, to all generations!
“As companions of the Most High, come!
Claim your home in the Universal Heart!”
You, O Divine Breath, dwell within our hearts;
with unconditional Love,
You assuage our fears.
You call us to holiness, to justice, and integrity,
to free those bound by oppression,
to sign light where ignorance and darkness dwell.
Come! Drink from the streams of Living Water.
Come! Feast on the Bread of Life.
Nan C. Merrill Psalms for Praying
Reflection:
Enthronement psalms are tricky in a time when Christian nationalism is a big problem. Just because someone is the elected leader does not make them God’s right hand man. Psalm 110 describes a king/priest ruling at God’s right hand. This anointed person would be someone who embodied the characteristics of a loving God; someone who would care deeply for his people and rule with justice, mercy, and love. By the time this psalm was added into the Psalter, it was likely not in use as a coronation or other cultic service, but was seen as an eschatological vision of the coming reign of God. The messiah it describes was seen as someone who would liberate God’s people from oppression. Many Christian scriptures and texts quote this psalm when describing Jesus as a priest like Melchizedek. This text (and the life of Jesus) can be seen as subversive; describing the messiah who will overthrow tyranny and oppression, and set all people free.
I’m also thinking this psalm is left out of the lectionary because of some translation issue that make some of the meanings of phrases difficult to grasp. Verses 3, 4, 6, and 7 especially. I didn’t record notes on what I read about translation because there didn’t seem to be a satisfying translation and the meaning was unclear that it would be difficult to apply it. It might be intriguing to dig into this psalm, its meaning, why it was included in the psalter… but perhaps another time.
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. Advent of 2024 year C. I finished year C early, so I posted Psalm 119 and began work on missed psalms from Year D and others not in the lectionary. Advent of 2025 year A.
I use the Vanderbilt Divinity Library’s resource for lectionary readings and the PCUSA planning calendar to make text selections.
Year D Psalms that I haven’t come across in the other lectionary years, yet:
18, 144, 44, 110, 73, 75, 76, 28, 12, 61, 11, 88, 108, 64, 60, 10, 120
These are the psalms I haven’t found in any lectionary, yet:
5, 53, 64, 81, 131, 134, 135
Sources and notes:
“The psalm, then, is a prophet text for an event–the incorporation of a person into a primary role in the order of God’s way with the world. The event took place in the sacred proceedings of enthronement; the oracle gave the event the reality of God’s authorization and purpose. The language of the oracle is symbolic and ideal because it speaks about the merging of a human politic office and divine sovereignty. What is said to the Davidide transcends the actualities of Judah’s international relations because it is visionary language about the LORD’s purpose to use this kingship as an instrument of his sovereignty over the kings and nations of the world. In their every claim to autonomous significance and power, they are in the prophetic vision “enemies.” For the religion of Judah, the recurrent enthronement of a Davidic king was the answer to the question of meaning in history, to the question about what power is in control and what is to come of the disastrous hostility among the powers of the world.” Mays p. 352
“Taken by itself, a text like this can be seen as a claim to the divine right of a king, a political ideology that has troubled so much of history, and as a use of religion by politics as its own propaganda. In the context of the Old Testament, however, the psalm is qualified in two important ways. First, there is the prophetic critique of the kings of Israel and Judah that says essentially that royal politics must serve and be judge by the policy of God that they announce and the the person of the king and his relation to God are as important as the office in which he is installed. For the prophets the conduct and character of the king were evaluated by the ideal of the office that God had given him.” Mays pp. 352-353
“Second, there is the eschatological reservation. Prophets, in the light of the failures of contemporary kings, began to speak of an ideal king of the future who would fill the messianic office. The apocalyptic movement saw the victory of the LORD over kings and nations as the climax of a drama played out in a cosmic and universal context. The day of the LORD’s wrath became the climax to world history. By the time Psalm 110 was incorporated into the Book of Psalms, it no longer represented a cultic actualization of Israel’s faith in relation between God’s sovereignty and the nation but instead an eschatological vision of God’s coming kingdom. The location of Psalm 110 in the last third of the Book of Psalms may point to the way it was understood by those who gave the Psalter its final arrangement. It is a sequel to Psalm 89 and its lament over the rejected Messiah. It is a prophetic voice repeating and affirming the promises of Psalm 2 that the LORD will claim the nations through the Messiah. Until God has defeated his enemies, the Messiah is “seated on the right hand””. Mays p. 352
“Psalm 110 implies, based on the comparison of the Israelite monarch with Melchizedek, that the king being enthroned in Psalm 110 is both king and priest.” W p. 106
“The blending of kingly and priestly duties in Psalm 110 speaks of the hope of a future priestly king–a messiah–who will fee the people from foreign rule and oppression.” W pp. 106-107
“The writers of the New Testament quote Psalm 110 some fourteen times, more than any other psalm in the Psalter. For them the words of this psalm were brought to life in the ministry of Jesus, who indeed challenged the forms of politics and powers of his time and thus those of all times. The words of Psalm 110, read in the context of subversion of political power, are a powerful source of hope to those who live in circumstances of oppression brought about by corrupt or misguided politics. In so many instances such oppression is felt most by women, children, and the elderly in society. In the transformative words of Psalm 110, may such find hope that YHWH will indeed “execute judgement among the nations” (v. 6).” W p. 108
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.
Period Pastor Pad 