pSummer in the pSalms - Psalm 42

“As the deer longs for the water brooks, so my soul longs for you, O God.”  I can’t say the number of times that verse (Psalm 42:1) has comforted me in times of distress, expressing my anxieties over challenging circumstances that seemed, like the Psalmist's "enemies" (42:3), to be gaining the upper hand over my life.  And yet, increasingly, it is becoming less a reaction to discouragement and more an expression of my heart, desiring to live ever more fully aware of God’s presence in my life and in the world around me.  

The psalm for this Sunday (6/9) is Psalm 42, and it provides several rich "points of traction" to explore in a sermon, beginning with observation that this psalm begins "Book 2" of the Psalter.  Turns out, the Psalter is organized into five books, presumably to connect the Psalter's significance to that of the Torah, the Pentateuch (the first five books of the Bible and the core of sacred Scripture for the Hebrews).  What of this?

A second point of traction is the ascription, "A maskil of the descendants of Korah".  (Note that "maskil" appears to mean "contemplative poem" - or "psalm", as we think of the word.)  What is the significance of this?  Who was Korah?  What can we discover about a collection of psalms attributed to Korah's descendants?  What about this contextual note helps us interpret this collection of psalms?  

Finally, we get into the psalm itself and find much in the way of imagery that ignites our imagination.  I mentioned briefly last Sunday a very meaningful panel discussion held at Duke Divinity School  in February (2013) among 3 highly respected scholars in the fields of Bible and theology in which the panelists discussed the need for cultivation of a rich Scriptural imagination, necessary for interpreting and embracing the many Biblical messages in out time.  (Here's the link if you wanted to check this out: http://divinity.duke.edu/si-panel)

Images of deer panting for water brooks (or streams of water), enemies, the psalmist's lamentous recollections of "walking amidst crowds of worshippers" no longer a part of his/her life, and the ever-faithful and hopeful turn at the end of the psalm.  

All of this in addition to the opportunity to explore the existential condition applicable to all of us, independent of our Sitz im Leben (situation in life): the thirsting of our soul for God and what that means.  

Kind of makes me wonder..."As the deer pants after the water brooks..." - Is this "weak escapism" or deep spiritual reflection?  

What do you think?  See you Sunday - 

Pastor Steve

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