Psalms

Psalm 104 - sermon Jan 28, 2024

To understand the Bible you have to think like an artist, or a painter, who describes God's work in the world full of meanings, symbols, analogies, images that draw you in and point you to deeper and higher truth. To read it literally is to fall into the trap of thinking "truth" is only what can be counted and measured, and ignoring the world of experience in the Spirit. Based on Psalm 104. By Pastor Lars Hammar

Will You Be Angry Forever? - Psalm 79:1-8

After the city of Jerusalem was sacked and God’s temple burned to the ground, the survivors continued on amidst the destruction wondering when God was going to let up on his anger, and maybe look at everyone else who’s done wrong. Why me? Why us? What about them? The natural process of grief takes us through feelings of both humility and the whataboutism that tries to deflect accountability. By Pastor Lars Hammar

O God, the nations have come into your inheritance; they have defiled your holy temple; they have laid Jerusalem in ruins.

2 They have given the bodies of your servants to the birds of the air for food, the flesh of your faithful to the wild animals of the earth.

3 They have poured out their blood like water all around Jerusalem, and there was no one to bury them.

4 We have become a taunt to our neighbors, mocked and derided by those around us.

5 How long, O LORD? Will you be angry forever? Will your jealous wrath burn like fire?

6 Pour out your anger on the nations that do not know you, and on the kingdoms that do not call on your name.

7 For they have devoured Jacob and laid waste his habitation.

8 Do not remember against us the iniquities of our ancestors; let your compassion come speedily to meet us, for we are brought very low.

Psalm 79:1-8

I Will Utter Dark Sayings - Psalm 78:1-8

Are we embarrassed or ashamed of trying to tell the story of God’s work in our lives to our kids? Do we worry about eye rolls and accusations of “pushing religion”? We’re not alone, and this is not new, but something that’s as old as the Bible itself. The Psalmist tells us to bring back the stories of God’s work in our lives and teach them to the young generation. By Pastor Lars Hammar

Give ear, O my people, to my teaching; incline your ears to the words of my mouth.

2 I will open my mouth in a parable; I will utter dark sayings from of old,

3 things that we have heard and known, that our ancestors have told us.

4 We will not hide them from their children; we will tell to the coming generation the glorious deeds of the LORD, and his might, and the wonders that he has done.

5 He established a decree in Jacob, and appointed a law in Israel, which he commanded our ancestors to teach to their children;

6 that the next generation might know them, the children yet unborn, and rise up and tell them to their children,

7 so that they should set their hope in God, and not forget the works of God, but keep his commandments;

8 and that they should not be like their ancestors, a stubborn and rebellious generation, a generation whose heart was not steadfast, whose spirit was not faithful to God.

Psalm 78:1-8

I Meditate on Your Work - Psalm 77:11-20

In the heat of the moment it can feel like what we are going through is eternal, insurmountable, and will never change. But the moment can obscure our sense of context, and cause us to forget the work that God has done in our lives in the past. Remembering this can give us the patience to see life in the long run, and get through with hope. By Pastor Lars Hammar

11 I will call to mind the deeds of the LORD; I will remember your wonders of old.

12 I will meditate on all your work, and muse on your mighty deeds.

13 Your way, O God, is holy. What god is so great as our God?

14 You are the God who works wonders; you have displayed your might among the peoples.

15 With your strong arm you redeemed your people, the descendants of Jacob and Joseph. Selah

16 When the waters saw you, O God, when the waters saw you, they were afraid; the very deep trembled.

17 The clouds poured out water; the skies thundered; your arrows flashed on every side.

18 The crash of your thunder was in the whirlwind; your lightnings lit up the world; the earth trembled and shook.

19 Your way was through the sea, your path, through the mighty waters; yet your footprints were unseen.

20 You led your people like a flock by the hand of Moses and Aaron.

Psalm 77:11-20

You Keep My Eyelids Open - Psalm 77:4-10

When you wake up in the middle of the night, your mind can begin processing all the repressed stress and anxiety you’ve been pushing aside in the busy-ness of the day. It can, however, be a time when God is showing you your self, and giving you the chance to really reflect on and come to terms with your self, and just be, honestly and authentically. By Pastor Lars Hammar

4 You keep my eyelids from closing; I am so troubled that I cannot speak.

5 I consider the days of old, and remember the years of long ago.

6 I commune with my heart in the night; I meditate and search my spirit:

7 "Will the Lord spurn forever, and never again be favorable?

8 Has his steadfast love ceased forever? Are his promises at an end for all time?

9 Has God forgotten to be gracious? Has he in anger shut up his compassion?" Selah

10 And I say, "It is my grief that the right hand of the Most High has changed."

Psalm 77:4-10

I Groan When I Think of God - Psalm 77:1-3

Sometimes our conversations with God are less than upbeat, and instead of being pleased with God we’re so frustrated that we get sick of even thinking about him. Our nights are not resting in peace, but bitter and inconsolable. We’ve all been there, and so has the Psalmist. Psalm 77 puts to words what you might be going through, and gives a voice to spiritual struggle. By Pastor Lars Hammar

I cry aloud to God, aloud to God, that he may hear me.

2 In the day of my trouble I seek the Lord; in the night my hand is stretched out without wearying; my soul refuses to be comforted.

3 I think of God, and I moan; I meditate, and my spirit faints. Selah

Psalm 77:1-3

Cup of Foaming Wine - Psalm 75:2-9

If wickedness didn’t feel good, if it didn’t give us a payoff, if we didn’t somehow enjoy it, we wouldn’t do it. Nobody thinks of themselves as bad people, yet we gladly take in the things that harm us. In the Bible, the image of a cup of wine is used to describe God’s will – for good or bad, for judgment or praise – that we drink in gladly and feel accordingly. By Pastor Lars Hammar

2 At the set time that I appoint I will judge with equity.

3 When the earth totters, with all its inhabitants, it is I who keep its pillars steady. Selah

4 I say to the boastful, "Do not boast," and to the wicked, "Do not lift up your horn;

5 do not lift up your horn on high, or speak with insolent neck."

6 For not from the east or from the west and not from the wilderness comes lifting up;

7 but it is God who executes judgment, putting down one and lifting up another.

8 For in the hand of the LORD there is a cup with foaming wine, well mixed; he will pour a draught from it, and all the wicked of the earth shall drain it down to the dregs.

9 But I will rejoice forever; I will sing praises to the God of Jacob.

Psalm 75:2-9

Envy of the wicked - Psalm 73:1-14

While we would like to believe that the world rewards the kind and pure-hearted with prosperity and success, and punishes the arrogant and cruel, we all know that, too often, the exact opposite is how it works. Why are we so drawn to people who are mean, cruel, arrogant – jerks? Why do we envy them, instead of standing against them? Why do we make them popular and try to emulate them? It’s not God’s will. It’s our human nature. In this Psalm the writer reflects on the inherent injustice of how people are, and confesses to almost falling into envying the wicked as well.

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You Made Me See Troubles - Psalm 71:19-21

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Is it only God's job to show us the comforting things, the things that make us feel good about ourselves and our beliefs? Or is it also God's job to push us to see things we don't want to, things that are painful and difficult, to push us out of our apathy towards being more loving and conscientious people? Reflection on Psalm 71:19-21 by Pastor Lars Hammar