Those lacking in understanding may say, “There is no Divine Presence.”
They have not yet opened their hearts to the Divine Guest,
to the Beloved, who dwells within.
The Holy Spirit seeks our hearts that have been broken,
Ever ready to heal the with strength and new life.
Even when a heart remains closed, seeking its own will,
The Beloved waits with abiding courtesy to hear the inward call.
Many there are who know not Love, laboring only for money and power,
Becoming greedy and dissatisfied, oppressing the poor and the weak.
There they are; fear besets them–fear that others will steal their wealth,
that their riches will be scattered and lost;
they live in prisons of their own making.
O, that deliverance would come for them!
For, when they seek the Treasure within, they will be blessed and know the joy,
friendship, and love of the Beloved in all hearts.
Nan C. Merrill Psalms for Praying
Reflection:
Fools act as if there is no God, no divine presence that connects all of creation in love. They lack the loving-kindness that we share with God, neighbor, and creation. The fools are greedy, arrogant and selfish.
The wise, who are aware of the deep love of God, act differently. They know that we are one and seek to do good for the benefit of all. These are the co-creators of the reign of God.
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, 21, 53, 64, 81, 131, 134, 135
Sources and notes:
“Psalm 53 begins by quoting an enemy attacking God. This quotation functions “to set up a theological problem that the psalmist answer in the rest of the psalm”: “Fools [the Hebrew is the singular] say in their hearts, ‘There is no God'” (Pss 2, 3, 11, 14, 115). Gerhard von Rad long ago called this “practical atheism” rather than theoretical atheism meaning “the fool believed God is not active and present in the world in any effective way.” Walter Brueggemann notes that the real problem in not the refusal to speak about God (atheism) “but the temptation to enter in wrong speech” about God (idolatry). Similar but not identical is Psalm 14. Psalms 14 and 53 were probably part of separate palm collections, creating a doublet when the collections were brought together. Many interpreters call Psalm 53 a phosphatic psalm (cp. Ps 50), while others not that the contrast between the “fool” and the righteous is typical of wisdom instruction (cp. Ps 49). Nevertheless, (“fool”) appears twice in Psalm 74 (vv. 18, 22), which is not a wisdom psalm, challenging the connection.” W pp. 87-88
Wisdom Commentary suggests First Samuel 25 and 2 Samuel 13 for intertext for Psalm 53.
“Psalms 53 and 14 are slightly different version of the same poem. In Psalm 53 the superscription contains two additional items. “God” is used instead of “LORD” in conformity with the practice in Psalms 42-83, a group in which “God” as a name occurs where “LORD” would be expected elsewhere in the Psalter. The most noticeable difference is found in verse 5 (cf. 14:5-6), which describes God’s terror as it falls on the evildoers (the text is uncertain). In Psalm 14, the corresponding lines describe the terror of God as God’s action to protect the poor. The two versions were in different smaller collections of psalms that were later incorporated into the emerging Book of Psalms. See comment on Psalm 14.” Mays p. 206
Psalm 14:
“Psalm 14 instructs and encourages the lowly righteous in the face of prevalent and dominant wickedness. In this purpose it is like Psalm 12. It develops a theme heard repeatedly in Psalm 10 (see 10:3-4, 11, 13). Psalm 53 is a slightly different version of Psalm 14. The translation in the Greek bible offers yet another expanded version of the psalm, important because it is the one quoted in Paul in Romas 3:13-18.” Mays p. 80
“… the lament is authentic and bears the hurt of those who suffer from things as they are.” Mays p. 81
Opening sentence: “… nabal does not mean things like dumb, inept, silly, clown, buffoon. …. A nabal is a person who, whether shrewd or powerful, makes a mistake about reality.” Mays p. 81
“The psalm is not concerned with the question of whether people accept the existence of a supreme being. It is concerned with whether people acknowledge the reality of the LORD, the God of Israel, by calling on the LORD in need and seeking the LORD in the decisions of life. That is the prudent conduct the LORD looks for among human beings.” Mays p. 82
“Verses 1-3 seem to say that all have played the fool by thinking of life as though it were not accountable to the LORD.” Mays p. 82
“The wish prayer with which the psalm ends (vs. 7) shifts the focus from oppressors and oppressed in the society to the whole people and its future. The prayer yearns for a salvation that would change the present time of distress to one of rejoicing in the LORD, a time that includes oppressor and oppressed alike.” Mays p. 83
“The double occurrence of the psalm in the Psalter, together with the implications of the titles to Pss 14 and 53, indicate that over the course of time both psalms became used frequently in Israel’s worship and they were not confined in use to the wisdom schools, despite their origin there.” WBC p. 146
“The psalm is examined in two sections: (1) wisdom’s lament (14:1-6); (2) the anticipation of deliverance (14:7).” WBC p. 147
“… the opposite of folly in the wisdom literature is lovingkindness…” WBC p. 147
“In other words, for the righteous, God’s presence among his people could not be merely a passive symbol, but must become an active force in securing real deliverance from actual trouble. That deliverance, when it came, would result in the joy and exultation of the people of God.” WBC p. 148
“The intent of Psalm 14 is to counter the temptation that humankind can manage the world in ways better than Yahwheh’s way (cf. Isa. 55:8-9). The alternative of the haughty ones is to reorder life’s good for they own benefit at the expense of the vulnerable ones (cf. Exek. 34:20-24). The psalms asserts and guarantees that life will not be so easily reorganized. God’s will endures. God has made the world with some built-in protections for the weak against the strong, and that must not be mocked (cf. Isa. 10:12-14)” Brueggemann The Message of the Psalms p.45
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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