Marginal Christianity

Notes -another psalm of David. -with Pss.3 and 4 this Psalm provides a morning/evening/morning pattern, perhaps an inducement to regular prayer (Grogan, Psalms : 1117). Exposition A king approaches a greater king in humble supplication (vv.1-3). David models here genuine leadership in the community of faith. Followership grounds every form of true leadership. Without a leader truly submitting him or herself to God, leadership practice gets highjacked into models alien to its true nature – corporate CEO, self-improvement therapist, social justice warrior, etc. But the fundamental identity of a faithful leader in God’s people is leading by following God. This seems self-evident but Israel’s history and our own show how rare leadership based on followership really is. Corporatism, therapist, and social justice warrior are all legitimate functions in the church. But their shape and manner of practice will be different by virtue of this leadership grounded in following from typic...

Notes -though an individual’s experience, it is for the music director to set it to music for worship (see superscription). Thus it becomes a part of the communal memory of God’s saving work on their behalf. -this psalm is best understood as a commentary on 2:12: “Happy are all who take refuge in him” (Grogan, Geoffrey W.. Psalms (The Two Horizons Old Testament Commentary (THOTC)) . Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.. Kindle Edition: 1154). -the point of the psalm is in vv.7-8. The “wake up” of 3:5 and the “lie down and sleep” of 4:8, along with numerous verbal connections between the two psalms, make them a pair, a morning psalm (Ps.3) and an evening psalm (Ps.4). -the NIV is probably right in reading “Give me relief from my distress” ( a plea) rather than the NRSV’s taking the phrase as reference to a past act of God. Exposition 4:1: Prayer for Grace With no delay or pleasantries the psalmist cries out in a demanding tone “Answer me when I call.” Some such chutzpah is in...

Notes This is the first psalm attributed to David. “Selah” (vv.2.4.8) – probably a musical notation but we don’t know for sure. I take it as a pause for reflection: “Stop and ponder.” The superscription sets a context of David’s fleeing the revolt of his son Absalom against him. Instead of the nations revolting it is his own house turning against him, a consequence of his affair with Bathsheba and killing of Uriah (2 Sam 7:11-16; 12:10-14.15). He takes refuge in God, however, and experiences forgiveness and covenant protection from God. David is lifted up here as a model for a faithful follower of YHWH, one whom readers could and should emulate as those likewise included in Israel’s story. This a case where an individual, in deed, “the” individual in Israel, serves as a representative model for the people. “ Absalom’s coup was one incident in the struggle for succession that anticipated David’s death. Dynastic succession was not yet established in Israel, which had ...

The Magi The child born at Christmas carries the story on into Epiphany though he has done nothing at all yet. Lower class blue collar workers (that’s the social status of shepherds in that time) were called to his manger by angels (Luke’s account). For Matthew, it’s a brilliant star that attracts foreign pagan idolaters to the child’s home. They bring him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. (BTW the three gifts do not mean there were only three magi as our nativity scenes assumes. Likely there were more for such a long and dangerous journey. Further, the magi do not arrive at the same time as the shepherds as our nativity scenes also assume. Likely, he a toddler at home, maybe around two years old). The magi, though “Kings” in the Christmas carol, were something like astrologers known also for being interpreters of dreams. Sometimes called “wise” men, their wisdom consisted in these arcane abilities and not in moral wisdom or knowledge. Coming from Gentile lands these...

Part 2: The Slaughtered Yet Standing Lamb (chs.4-11) John Goes to Heavenly Worship (4:1-11) The seven messages of Christ to his churches concluded, we turn to Part 2 of John’s Revelation. This part begins with a scene of heavenly worship in the heavenly temple around God’s throne. This means John is ushered into the innermost sanctum of the temple, the Holy of Holies, where none but the high priest was allowed to enter but once a year on the Day of Atonement. John sees a door standing open in heaven – a door to the very presence of God (see 3:8). That trumpet-like voice that announced his vision of the regal Christ calls him to come up to heaven. Again he is “in the Spirit” (v.2). He sees a throne whose occupant he can only describe as precious stones with a emerald rainbow surrounding the throne (v.3). Twenty-four thrones surround God’s throne seating twenty-four white-robed, gold-crowned “elders” (possibly either angels in the heavenly council, the 24 orders of priests serving...