June 18thPsalm 113
This is God's Doing
Psalm 113 is the first of a collection of six psalms (Psalms 113-118) that are known as hallelujah psalms and are used in the celebration of Passover. In modern Jewish life, Psalms 113-114 are recited before the Passover meal, and Psalms 115-118 are recited at its conclusion. Psalm 113, classified as a community hymn of praise, is sung at the blessing of the first Passover cup of wine. Calling its hearers to praise the name of the Lord for all of the Lord’s goodness to the people, it is an apt introduction to the Passover story, which is then recounted in the following psalm, Psalm 114.
Two evenly divided stanzas make up Psalm 113, verses 1-4 and verses 5-9, with verse 5’s question, “Who is like the LORD our God?” acting as the centerpiece of the psalm and connecting its two parts. Verses 1-4 are simply joyful testimony to the greatness and uniqueness of this God. At verse 5b the focus shifts to this great God stooping down to lift up and exalt the lowly. We think of Hannah’s song of praise after the birth of Samuel, and Mary’s song after she is informed she will give birth to the Messiah. Later, Paul will insist that this is not dissimilar to the way God was at work in Christ (Philippians 2-5-11).
Psalm 113 also gives testimony to the transcendence of God and is thus a powerful warning against the temptation to conclude, ‘It’s all up to me.’ As one writer puts it: ‘Most of our [churchly] social activism is formed on the presumption that God is superfluous to the formation of a world of peace with justice. [We believe] that fortunately we are powerful people who, because we live in a democracy, are free to use our power. It is all up to us.’ [1] While this may be harsh, it is a warning not to leave God out of the picture when we engage in the work of healing and peace-making.
In 1949, Thomas Merton left his academic career to become a Benedictine monk at Gethsemane Abbey in Kentucky. But he did not isolate himself from the world. Deeply committed to a life of prayer and contemplation, he also saw these as the wellsprings for reflection and comment on his troubled society, the cold war, Vietnam, and the nuclear arms race. From his monastery he wrote movingly and profoundly on these themes and a Christian response. Two quotes from Merton highlight his wisdom on these matters.
‘Prayer does not blind us to the world, but it transforms our vision of the world, and makes us see it, all [people], and all the history of humankind, in the light of God.’
‘The real hope, then, is not in something we think we can do, but in God who is making something good out of it in some way we cannot see. If we can do His will, we will be helping this process. But we will not necessarily know about it beforehand.’
This is also the truth of Psalm 113.
Notes
[1] Hauerwas and Willimon, Resident Aliens, 36.