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Lenten Meditations 2009
Today's Scripture
Let me hear the sound of joy and gladness, and the bones you have crushed will dance.
*Psalm 51.8 (NJB)
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Do you recall a time you got something off your chest, so to speak, and the something was a wrong you needed to own up to?
Psalm 51 is given a historical context of King David repenting after committing adultery with Bathsheba and having her husband put on the front line in war to be killed? The historical notes at the start of the Psalms, were added much later than many of the Psalms. We do not know the historical context.
That is alright. For the Psalms are for us all, speaking to the human condition in a profound way. The Psalms show us our good and shortcomings, our feelings, and models a way of healing.
Yet, the historical note provides a helpful reminder to us all. Again, what did David do? Adultery - and the wife of the other man got pregnant -, and the King arranges for the husband to be killed in war. So, what is all this? - adultery, lying, abuse of power, political intrigue, premeditated murder. So, you might say, "What I did God can never forgive?" Well, likely you have not matched David in his wrong? So, lighten up, and let Grace have a chance at mending you up.
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Let us focus on feelings for a moment. Note the Psalm speaks of crushed bones. Have you had a broken bone? Ouch! Such is very painful. I had a stress fracture of my fibula: by the time I got taken to Savannah, GA, a two-hour trip in a vibrating car - and with each vibration "Ouch!" - I felt like I would be glad for the doctor to come in and say, "Brian, we are going to cut that arm off. You'll feel better soon."
Imagine the metaphor of crushed bones. How much distress do you believe such an image conveys? Have you ever hurt that much over a wrong you did? I have. Fortunate are you if you have such a recollection - more on that later.
Did the Divine really crush the bones of the Psalmist? Is God a bone crusher? No. Yes. No, God does not punish us for our wrongs. Our consequence of such sin is the natural result of our choices. Yes, in a two-fold sense. First, we can cut ourselves off from the blessing of Sacred Presence by unconfessed sin. Second, pain in light of our sin can signify a healthy, still-very-much-alive conscience.
Here, again, we have blessing amidst crushed bones. The pain shows we are spiritually alive enough to have a conscience and suffer from a loss of Sacred Presence. The really sad thing is to see a person who has lost the graces of conscience and sense of God-Presence.
Have you ever tried to have a close relationship with someone who could not say, "I was wrong. Please forgive me"? Well, if it is so tough for you to get along with someone like that, how do you think God feels trying to love such persons? Sadly, such hardness - which comes over as conviction and strength - is a facade for deep, unhealed woundedness.
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The Psalm leads us into memory, which can be vital in healing. The Psalmist recalls the opposite of the present sensation of brokenness: "the sound of joy and gladness." The "sound" is a metaphor, and it may refer to the celebration of worship, such as in the Temple. Likely, most of the Psalmists were Temple musicians. Possibly, the Psalmist is confessing that he no longer feels the joy in his vocation, which should be one of joyful singing.
If Spirit forgives him, what will result? He says: "and the bones ... will dance." See the conversion. Now, crushed bones. By being healed - forgiven - dancing bones. The rendition "dance" can read "rejoice": either way, the change is clear - from "Mend these bones!" to "My bones can't wait to get out on that dance floor!"
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Many persons think Christianity is constricting, it limits freedom with all the "dos" and "don'ts." Such is not the case. The Scripture provides universal principles that guide us to avoid so messing up that we feel like our bones have been crushed. Scripture, also, provides teachings on confession, reminding us the Divine wills for us not to remain broken up, but to reclaim the joy we lost. Therefore, no, Scripture does not seek to limit our freedom; Scripture seeks to curtail our license, knowing "doing what I want" - when that "I" is not aligned with Sacredness - will lead to avoidable suffering.
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We need to recall the Psalm 51 grew out of a deep relationship with God. This is not the casual prayer of a desperate, miserable, and nominal Sunday Christian. No, this is a psalm mirroring a broken heart, a heart that knows the sin is above all against the Love that is first and foremost in life.
In verse 4 we read: "You are the only one I have sinned against/I have done what you say is wrong" (NCV). The Psalmist uses hyperbole. He is not saying, "What I did was not a wrong against ..." He is saying, "Ultimately, and first, what I have done has been against what you tell me is not for me to do in relationship with you." See, the relationship is the center of focus, not the act itself. The act is wrong, for it violates a sacred contract between the Psalmist and God. Is this not true of us?
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Lent can be a blessed Journey of self-examination before the One we call Our Father. It may entail moments of painful admission. Along the Way, we may need to seek not only forgiveness from God, but ask another person to forgive us as well. These acts, and others, prepare us to enter more wholly into the Resurrection of the Son of God, our Wisdom and Brother.
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*This writing ministry is the offering of Rev. Dr. Brian K. Wilcox, of SW Florida, a Pastor in the United Methodist Church, and Senior Chaplain for the Charlotte County Jail, Punta Gorda, FL. To contact Brian, write to barukhattah@embarqmail.com .
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