Sermon for August 2nd, 2020 - Revision history

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Iraneal: Created page with "==Psalm 34:1-22== (Scripture Reading Incorporated Into Sermon) ==Psummer of Psalms: Psalm 34== Of David, when he feigned madness before Abimelech, so that he drove him out,..."

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Created page with "==Psalm 34:1-22== (Scripture Reading Incorporated Into Sermon) ==Psummer of Psalms: Psalm 34== Of David, when he feigned madness before Abimelech, so that he drove him out,..."

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==Psalm 34:1-22==
(Scripture Reading Incorporated Into Sermon)

==Psummer of Psalms: Psalm 34==

Of David, when he feigned madness before Abimelech, so that he drove him out, and he went away.
1 I will bless the Lord at all times;
his praise shall continually be in my mouth.
2 My soul makes its boast in the Lord;
let the humble hear and be glad.
3 O magnify the Lord with me,
and let us exalt his name together.

4 I sought the Lord, and he answered me,
and delivered me from all my fears.
5 Look to him, and be radiant;
so your[a] faces shall never be ashamed.
6 This poor soul cried, and was heard by the Lord,
and was saved from every trouble.
7 The angel of the Lord encamps
around those who fear him, and delivers them.
8 O taste and see that the Lord is good;
happy are those who take refuge in him.
9 O fear the Lord, you his holy ones,
for those who fear him have no want.
10 The young lions suffer want and hunger,
but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing.

11 Come, O children, listen to me;
I will teach you the fear of the Lord.
12 Which of you desires life,
and covets many days to enjoy good?
13 Keep your tongue from evil,
and your lips from speaking deceit.
14 Depart from evil, and do good;
seek peace, and pursue it.

15 The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous,
and his ears are open to their cry.
16 The face of the Lord is against evildoers,
to cut off the remembrance of them from the earth.
17 When the righteous cry for help, the Lord hears,
and rescues them from all their troubles.
18 The Lord is near to the brokenhearted,
and saves the crushed in spirit.

19 Many are the afflictions of the righteous,
but the Lord rescues them from them all.
20 He keeps all their bones;
not one of them will be broken.
21 Evil brings death to the wicked,
and those who hate the righteous will be condemned.
22 The Lord redeems the life of his servants;
none of those who take refuge in him will be condemned.

@@ Line 24: / Line 24: @@
 I also love how the author of Psalm 34 invites his listeners to join him for the ride:  "Magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt his name TOGETHER."
-To carry on the sports metaphor, would you rather root for your team alone, or with like minded friends and fans?  I realize this is bad timing.  If football even happens this fall, we'll all be rooting for our favorite teams alone.  But you get the idea.
+To carry on the sports metaphor, would you rather root for your team alone, or with like minded friends and fans?  I realize this is bad timing.  If football even happens this fall, we'll all be rooting for our favorite teams alone.  But you get the idea.  Community is an important part of our identity, our passions, our worship.
+The next four verses of Psalm 34 are a testimony, almost a back and forth between the Psalmist and his audience.  Listen for the "I did" and therefore "you should" as we read verses 4-7:
-−
-*A Call to Worship.  It begins with "I" and ends with "us."
-*A Teaching Psalm (acrostic)
-*From A to Z (comprehensive instructions)
 I sought the Lord, and he answered me,
@@ Line 41: / Line 37: @@
       around those who fear him, and delivers them.
-*Guardian Angel origins
+Incidentally, that last verse, verse 7, is where we get the idea of the "guardian angel" who watches over us.  But if you look closely at these four verses, what strikes me is that they answer the question, "Who is this Psalm for?"  "Who needs the protection of a guardian angel?  The answer is clear:  Those who are afraid.  Those who are ashamed.  Those who shed tears, and those who are in trouble.  Those are the ones God is especially interested in, the ones God sends his angels to deliver.
 O taste and see that the Lord is good;
@@ Line 49: / Line 53: @@
 The young lions suffer want and hunger,
       but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing.

@@ Line 11: / Line 11: @@
 The inscription to Psalm 34 tells us that it's a Psalm "Of David, when he feigned madness before Abimelech, so that he drove him out, and he went away."
-This refers to events in the book of 1 Samuel, when young King David (before he was King) found himself in the hands of his enemies, and barely escaped with his life, by pretending to be insane. He went from the frying pan into the fire, so to speak, spared by one king but still hunted by another. And yet, in the midst of circumstances like that, the Psalm begins:
+This refers to events in the book of 1 Samuel, when young King David (before he was King) found himself in the hands of his enemies, and barely escaped with his life, by pretending to be insane. After that, he went from the frying pan into the fire, so to speak, spared by one king but still hunted by another.  He went from being the famous David, who killed Goliath, to a man on the run, hiding in a cave. And yet, in the midst of dire circumstances like that, Psalm 34 begins:
 I will bless the Lord at all times;
@@ Line 19: / Line 19: @@
 O magnify the Lord with me,
       and let us exalt his name together.
 *A Call to Worship.  It begins with "I" and ends with "us."

@@ Line 14: / Line 14: @@
 *A Call to Worship.  It begins with "I" and ends with "us."
 *A Teaching Psalm (acrostic)
 I sought the Lord, and he answered me,

@@ Line 71: / Line 71: @@
 The path, or how to get to that point, is simply put, the "Fear of the Lord". Or, changing your perspective.  Putting first things first.  Putting reverence for God above all the things of this world. How do we do that? Verses 13 and 14 are the steps:  Keep your tongue speaking deceit, depart from evil, do good, seek peace (not anger, not revenge, not your own benefit) but peace--What is good for you and me, and all of us--in all your actions, and all your interactions.
-Simple, right?  Yeah, I know that's a lot easier said than done.  We are human, after all.
+Simple, right?  Yeah, I know that's a lot easier said than done.  We are human, after all.  But even when we fail in that goal, when we try but fall short, Psalm 34 tells us that:
 The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous,
       and his ears are open to their cry.
 The face of the Lord is against evildoers,
       to cut off the remembrance of them from the earth.
 When the righteous cry for help, the Lord hears,
       and rescues them from all their troubles.
@@ Line 82: / Line 88: @@
       and saves the crushed in spirit.
 Many are the afflictions of the righteous,
@@ Line 87: / Line 94: @@
 He keeps all their bones;
       not one of them will be broken.
 Evil brings death to the wicked,
       and those who hate the righteous will be condemned.
 The Lord redeems the life of his servants;
       none of those who take refuge in him will be condemned.

@@ Line 54: / Line 54: @@
       but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing.
 Come, O children, listen to me;
@@ Line 65: / Line 67: @@
       seek peace, and pursue it.
-*Wisdom tradition:  Life and long days is the reward.  Fear of the Lord is the path.  The rest (13-14) are the steps.
+This is the heart of the Psalm and its teaching:  The promise, the reward the Psalm offers is a full and fulfilling life:  Which of you desires life, and covets many days to enjoy good?
 The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous,

@@ Line 3: / Line 3: @@
 ==Psummer of Psalms: Psalm 34==
 I will bless the Lord at all times;
       his praise shall continually be in my mouth.

@@ Line 12: / Line 12: @@
       and let us exalt his name together.
 I sought the Lord, and he answered me,
       and delivered me from all my fears.
 Look to him, and be radiant;
-      so your[a] faces shall never be ashamed.
+      so your faces shall never be ashamed.
 This poor soul cried, and was heard by the Lord,
       and was saved from every trouble.
@@ Line 38: / Line 39: @@
       seek peace, and pursue it.
 The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous,