Jon Hauerwas – October 8, 2017 – “Heaven and Earth”
Psalm 19:1-6 and Psalm 19:7-14
I heard them this morning through an open window. The chimes on my front porch. They were dancing in the wind. Singing a song about unseasonably warm weather. Reminding me to wake for worship. They spoke poetically, like the psalms of old. They whispered about the mysteries of God. And then urgently sounded an alarm. I asked a question about the distance between heaven and earth, and they did not answer. Instead, we stood together in silence.
I don’t typically begin my sermons with original poems. But, I’ve spent a lot of time this week reflecting about the nature of the psalms. These verses, as you may know, are not to be taken literally. Instead, they are filled with metaphor, and nuance, and subtlety. Much like Jesus’ parables, they use familiar language and imagery as a baseline for exploring deeper truths. Good poems cause us to ponder, to question, and to rethink old positions.
Today we are exploring the 19th Psalm, whichC.S. Lewis considered ‘the greatest poem in the Psalter and one of the greatest lyrics in the world.’”[1]But, in order for us to understand the depths of this work, I need to provide you with a bit of background. You see, prior to the development of Judaism, which is the world’s first monotheistic faith tradition, the ancient Near East was dominated by polytheistic expressions. In Assyria and Babylon, for instance,gods and goddesses were identified with heavenly bodies like planets and stars, the sun and moon being the most prominent among them. And the same was true in Egypt where the sun god Ra was revered.
The psalmist rightly understood the influence of these other religious expressions. So he employed some of the same language. Here he speaks of the sun, that great celestial star, saying, “In the heavens God has set a tent for the sun, which comes out like a bridegroom from his wedding canopy.” This is our first image to ponder.
Originally published in French, Noel Quesson’sThe Spirit of the Psalms explores fifty of the most beloved works of the psalter. Reflecting upon Psalm 19, the authorreminds us of our total dependence upon the sun by noting that if it“ceased to warm the earth, all life would stop.”[2]Throughout history, the day has been associated with the life-giving and illuminating sun, full of energy and action, while the night represents“rest,”“peace,” and“mystery.” [3] This is what makes the sun such a beautiful metaphor for God. And yet, sun worship was never the psalmist’s intention.
As one scholar writes, “here the sun is not a god. Rather, along with the heavens, the firmament, and day and night, the sun is a created object that testifies to the sovereignty of its creator.”[4] Thus, while Psalm 19 is not anti-science,
it does offer “a view of the universe as something more than an object to be studied and controlled. To be sure, nature is not divine, but it is incomprehensible apart from God. In some sense, nature ‘knows’ God, and thus it can proclaim God’s sovereignty.”[5]
Each Sunday in worship, our liturgist offers a prayer for illumination. At that time, we ask that our hearts and minds might be opened to the mysteries of God in this time and place through the work of the Holy Spirit in the reading and hearing of scripture. Illumination, in other words, is a positive value with enlightenment as our spiritual goal. It seems fitting, then, that Psalm 19 concludes with a popular prayer for this purpose, employed by many who feel called to serve as instruments of gospel proclamation. “Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable to you, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer.”
Prayers such as these, with the intention to illuminate, remind me of a religious teacher who once asked Jesus a question about what is most acceptable in God’s sight:“‘Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?’” In other words, the man was pressing Jesus to rank andorder God’s law with the goal, of course, being illumination and enlightenment. This is how Jesus responded, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the greatest and first commandment. And the second is like it. ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.” Here, Jesus explained that the fruit of our personal and corporate illumination can be summed up in just one word: love – even love of the law.
Yes. The One that we are bold to call God incarnate appears to agree with Quesson when he writes, “no human group can function without laws. Without laws, we suffer war, injustice and anarchy. Without laws, there is no possibility for happiness; and no society can survive without a minimum of rules freely adopted and respected by all its members.” [6]
Even so, “the law of God is even more profound,” for“it rules from within us.”[7]Devout Jews understand this. They view the Law not as a meddlesome hindrance or legalistic or formalistic set of rules, but as a gift from God. Moreover, they affirm that “by revealing divine laws to humankind, God made a covenant with us in order to help us in our daily lives.” The Law, then, “is a source of life,” which“gives wisdom,” “gladdens the heart,” and“enlightens the eyes.”Law is illuminating love. [8]
This is why the psalmist finds great joy in all that God has ordained. He does not seem in the least constrained or coerced by the Law, as if it was imposed upon him from the outside.[9]Instead, he writes that “the law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul; the decrees of the Lord are sure, making wise the simple; the precepts of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the Lord is clear, enlightening the eyes; the fear of the Lord is pure, enduring forever; the ordinances of the Lord are true and righteous altogether. More to be desired are they than gold, even much fine gold; sweeter also than honey and the drippings of the honeycomb.”
I think again of the poem that I wrote this morning about chimes ringing through an open window. And I ask again that question about the distance between heaven and earth. The silence lasts for only a moment. And then, I remember Jesus. And how what was found in him was light, and in him there was no darkness at all. The divine Son/Sun illumines the earth. The organ speaks. The chime sounds. And we have come to worship. May it be so and all thanks be to God both now and forever. Amen.
[1] J. Clinton McCann, Jr. The Book of Psalms, The New Interpreter’s Bible Commentary Volume IV, ed. Leander Keck (Abingdon Press, 1996), 753.
[2] Noel Quesson, The Spirit of the Psalms: A Guide for Reading and Praying Fifty of the Most Beloved Psalms with Israel, with Jesus, and with the Present Moment. (Limoges: Droget & Ardant, 1978), 34.
[3]Ibid. Pg. 35.
[4]Ibid. Pg. 752.
[5]Ibid. Pg. 753.
[6]Ibid. Pg. 36.
[7]Ibid. Pg. 36.
[8]Ibid. Pg. 33.
[9]Ibid. Pg. 35.