February 12thPsalm 135
The Hour of Worship
Psalm 134 told us of waiting for the hour of worship. Now, Psalm 135 tells us what to say when the hour comes.
Our psalmist begins with a call to ‘praise’ – three times in vs. 1 and once in vs. 3. ‘Name’ is also a key word. This psalm is a defence of God’s character or reputation, especially over against the gods. YHWH is fundamentally good and reliable. True to the Divine character, YHWH will set things right for God’s chosen people, as opposed to those who make and trust in idols.
In the Jewish and Christian theological traditions worship is reserved for the one true God alone. To flinch from this obligation in even the smallest way is tantamount to what the Bible calls idolatry. The jealousy of Israel’s God is acute when it comes to worship: the Lord will brook no rivals, for in fact there are none. Our psalmist notes the striking contrast: The activity of God versus idols who do absolutely nothing. They do not speak, do not see, do not hear, do not breathe. They are absolutely impotent, unworthy of trust.
Tim Keller in his book, Counterfeit Gods: The Empty Promises of Money, Sex, and Power, and the Only Hope that Matters, observes that those of us from Western cultures incorrectly assume idolatry is the worship of bad things. In truth we are far more tempted to make idols of God’s very best gifts. “The greater the good,” Keller wrote, “the more likely we are to expect that it can satisfy our deepest needs and hopes. Anything can serve as a counterfeit god, especially the very best things in life.
Most of us Christians do not put figurines of elephant gods or Ganesha on our dashboards but we still have idols we trust to guide us through life. We take very good things...our family, our work, our country, our ministry, our mission, our dreams, our goals, our doctrines...and we make them into ultimate things. We allow them to direct the course of our lives, and we put our trust in them when navigating the perilous roads of the world. This is a grave error. Our trust belongs in God alone, and never in the generous gifts he gives us, no matter how good they may be.
Keller describes it this way: “One of the signs that an object is functioning as an idol is that fear becomes one of the chief characteristics of life. When we center our lives on the idol, we become dependent on it. If our counterfeit god is threatened in any way, our response is complete panic. We do not say, ‘What a shame, how difficult,’ but rather ‘This is the end! There’s no hope!'”
Keller says fear and panic are signs that we’re devoted to a false god, but they’re not the only ones. The need to defend our idols will also result in anger and outrage at anyone who threatens our weak god. Unfortunately fear, panic, anger, and outrage are all too common in many Christian communities. The ugliness and acrimony spewed by Christians is then justified because “We’re defending God.”
But the God revealed in Psalm 135 needs no defenders. “YHWH does whatever pleases him” (verse 6). I’m pretty sure God can handle internet trolls and cable news pundits without our help. YHWH alone creates, saves, delivers, deposes (kings), and cares for the least and lowly.
The psalm ends with a triumphant note:
21 Oh, blessed be God of Zion,
First Citizen of Jerusalem!
Hallelujah!