Psalm Reflection - Week 8

Psalm 32 - A Psalm of Repentance

We have spoken of the randomness of the Psalter. Both in its arrangement and in its variety, the Psalter is as varied as life and just as unpredictable in the way it confronts us. The psalms are as diverse as human experience. There is no apparent order to these as there is no predictable rhythm to our life. It is just all there! Perhaps one thing we can take from this randomness is that we should look for God in every moment of life; that God is the one sure peg in the midst of change.

This week we set our sights on one of the Penitential Psalms. There are 7 of these so identified in the Psalter. In the beginning of summer, I decided on the psalms I would consider in these reflections. When I came to this one on my list, I thought maybe I would change my mind and go for something lighter, after all it is summer time, who wants to think about sin and guilt? Then I thought there must be a reason why this turned up on my list, so let's stay with it. In my own prayer with this psalm, I have found it to be well worth the time given it. It is always of great value when our mind and understanding can be challenged and expanded and here we have an opportunity. Remember our format:

We stay with a psalm for the whole week, praying with it as often as you can (ideally morning and evening)
Take note of words and images the psalmist uses and repeats and their significance. Note other images and words that strike you.
Are there any reminders of other scriptural passages that give richer meaning to your prayer and understanding? (use footnotes and cross references too)
Then LISTEN! How does this prayer challenge or nurture you in your life of faith?

"Happy" , the first word of this psalm is also the first word of the whole Psalter. "Happy are those …whose delight is the Law of the Lord" (Ps 1:1). We commented on Psalm 1 last year in our reflections. Check the "archives"! In the Wisdom Tradition, happiness is highly prized. Typical of the writings in this tradition, it has a worldly aspect to it, yet at the same time, it also conveys the idea that happiness cannot be experienced unless one is in right relationship with God. The way to happiness and the way to blessedness are accomplished in the same way: in seeking the way of God. The two words are often used interchangeably. We are familiar with the beatitudes in the Gospel where we might find either word used depending on the translation. Do we have to adjust our thinking to be at home with this parallelism today? (There is a good article on this in the summer issue of The Bible Today! Check this out!)

So one is happy or blessed… "whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered over,…to whom the Lord imputes no iniquity" (vs 1-2). Notice, one is not pronounced happy who is sinless! The richness of the language here, if we let it, can open us to yet another facet of our relationship with God. A little explanation of the Hebrew words used can lend insight. The word for "transgression" carries the meaning of rebellion, a deliberate refusal to surrender ones will. The word for "sin" is a different word and it suggests falling short of the mark or wandering, going astray. The word for "iniquity" suggests something else again. It conveys the sense of something that has been misshapen by the forces of nature, bowed down and unable to be straight.

Can you see how each element here can add to our own understanding of "sin"? It is not simply about our disobeying a rule. It is not something outside of us, but the burden that weighs on every human person. Who has never felt the resistance to God's grace? Who has not wandered off the path way set for us? And who of us is not burdened by our "human condition", the "baggage" we carry about that makes us who we are with our strengths and our flaws? And don't we cross paths daily with those who share life with us in one or other way? And do they not carry the same weight? And not one or other of us is the true standard of measure for perfection, of "hitting the mark". None of us has escaped unscathed, the forces of life that have shaped us. We will never fully eradicate this from our life as long as we are a pilgrim making our way on this earth. So what are we to do about this?

The psalmist further reveals that he has acted to dismiss the effects of sin, to deny all that we have just considered, but without success. God's hand has been heavy upon him and "strength has dried up as if by summer heat" (vs 4) . Now isn't this an image we can identify with these days? Looking deeply and honestly within ourselves, we cannot escape the effects of the human condition we bear and this brings the psalmist (and us) back to square one: God whose correction and heavy hand was upon him was also the cause of the renewed state of peace that has come to him once he acknowledged his need for God. In the midst of the struggle, he has become a better human being and a partner with God, not simply through the performance of a ritual act, but by being willing to stand before God honestly recognizing "transgressions, sin and iniquity". The hope (as ours) is firmly established in the sure knowledge of God's faithful and steadfast love that is a constant. God can bend our will, lead us back to the straight way and heal the kinks we have taken on as a result of living life.

Carroll Stuhlmueller used to say that we sin mostly where we are at our best and strongest. Our strong points can bring us to God or they can lead us away. I wonder if that is so because when we are strong, we think we can go it on our own. We are at our best when we realize our weakness and insufficiency and our dependence on God to direct us. Then it is truly God's grace and not our efforts that succeed. In vs 8 we hear God say (or perhaps the psalmist):

"I will instruct you and teach you the way you should go;

I will give you counsel with my eye upon you".

A hint of wisdom can be seen here if we compare this verse with the next where the unintelligent (like horse and mule) need the force of a bit and bridle! Is God trying to spare us some trouble here? Many a parent, friend, teacher and guide knows the meaning of these words! But isn't it true that most of us learn life's lessons the long and hard way?

Psalm 51 is another of the Penitential Psalms, likely more familiar than Psalm 32. It might be helpful to add this psalm to your prayer this week. You will detect similar thoughts and wording even though it is different in many ways. What is similar is that God is the one who, in his love and mercy, is just and faithful as the covenant partner, steadfastly committed and the source of our hope. May you peacefully pray this psalm and find in it certain hope!