November 10, 2024 A God of Justice | Psalm 146

Today we will reflect on Psalm 146, A God of Justice. Psalm 146 is one of the Psalms of Ascent, which the people of Israel would sing as they come up the road to Jerusalem. As they came close to the city they would see the temple, and near the temple, they would see the palace of the king. Psalm 146 reminds the people to place their trust in the eternal God over the kings who came and went. Kings were not always kings of justice, so the temple gave the people hope because our God is a God of justice, a God who hears the cries of his people.

Transcript

A God of Justice
Psalm 146

Psalm 146 is one of the Hallelujah psalms often sung by pilgrims as they made their pilgrimages to Jerusalem and the temple for the various feasts and festivals the Lord called Israel to observe. These psalms focus on praising the Lord for who he is and what he’s done for his people. “Praise the Lord. Praise the Lord, my soul,” is a command. The people are not given the option to not praise the Lord, they are ordered to, no matter whether they felt like praising the Lord, or not. Our God is to be praised! Psalm 146 both begins and ends with the command to praise the Lord, and in between these commands, the psalmist tells us why. 
As the people climbed the mountain to Jerusalem, they would sing the psalms of ascent found earlier in the book, or they would sing the hallelujah psalms. When they would reach the top of the mountain, they would then look down on the city as Jerusalem sits in a bit of a depression at the top. As they looked down on Jerusalem, their eyes would first seek out the temple, as for most of them, this was the reason for coming. The temple reminded them of who God is, and who they are as his people, who they belong to. A large part of Israel’s praise of God was through music; the psalms were Israel’s songbook, but praise was also expressed to God through how they treated each other. 
The people, as they looked down on Jerusalem, who also have their eyes drawn to the palace of the king, the second most impressive building in the city. The palace pointed to the power and position of the king in Israel. As you read through the story of God’s relationship with his people in Scripture, we quickly recognize that when the king followed God, the people did as well; when the king didn’t follow God, or rejected God for the idols of the nations around them, many or even most of the people followed the king. It’s easier in many ways to follow a king than to follow God. 
The psalmist points the people’s eyes, focus, and hearts to the temple and who God is by reminding them, “I will praise the Lord all my life; I will sing praise to God as long as I live,” and then tells them, “Do not put your trust in princes, in human beings, who cannot save. When their spirit departs, they return to the ground; on that very day their plans come to nothing.” We easily fall into political idolatry, trusting in politicians over God to create the culture and society we want. We want to trust in princes rather than being God’s representatives here, building the kingdom of heaven from the sanctuary out into our world. God always provided leadership for the people through judges, prophets, and priests, but at the time of the prophet Samuel, the people wanted to have a king just like the nations around them. Samuel warned them that this would cost them, he was angry because it showed the people didn’t really trust in God. Yet God gave them kings, beginning with King Saul. 
The psalmist reminds us that even the greatest empires eventually crumble and fall; all politicians, princes, kings, and dictators die at some point, only God is forever. All our human leader’s lives are in God’s hands and God’s plans always work out over their plans in the end. No matter how big a kingdom they build, no matter how much power they gain, or how much treasure they gather, in the end it all makes no difference because it all ends up in someone else’s hands anyway. 
We are first called to live out the values of God’s kingdom in our homes, families, and church families, and then into our communities. The only things that last are those things we build in the kingdom of heaven and our children and community that align with Jesus’ kingdom. This looks like being true disciples of Jesus, trusting his sacrifice for our sins, his resurrection and grace, and allowing the Holy Spirit to shape us according to Jesus’ teaching, life, and death as we build community rooted in who Jesus is and his values and ethics. God calls a some of us to live out our faith in the public life in places like politics and community leadership. Even then we need to remember that God’s the one in control and at work, and that his timing is often different than ours. 
I’m reminded of William Wilberforce. Wilberforce wrote, “God Almighty has set before me two great objects … the suppression of the slave trade and the reformation of manners.” On February 24, 1807, the House of Commons voted by 283 votes to 16 to end the trade in human slaves in all British territories because of the perseverance and commitment of Wilberforce. It was a long battle. Wilberforce became a follower of Jesus in 1785, and his new faith led him to campaign against slavery and for moral reform. The abolition of slavery was his greatest achievement; yet even with the guidance of John Newton, it took him almost 20 years to convince the British Parliament of the evils of slavery.
We praise God and trust in him because he’s the maker of heaven and earth. No matter where we look, whether it’s the depths of the sea, the vastness of the firmament, the miniscule intricacies of the molecular makeup of the world, all we can do is marvel at it and say, “God made that, hallelujah!” Along with being our creator, we confess, “He remains faithful forever!” 
The psalmist goes on to praise God for being a God of justice, the protector and champion of the oppressed, hurting, poor, and outsiders. His justice begins with each of us personally. Belgic Confession, Article 20 teaches us, “We believe that God—who is perfectly merciful and also very just—sent the Son to assume the nature in which the disobedience had been committed, in order to bear in it the punishment of sin by his most bitter passion and death. So God made known his justice toward his Son, who was charged with our sin, and he poured out his goodness and mercy on us, who are guilty and worthy of damnation, giving to us his Son to die, by a most perfect love, and raising him to life for our justification, in order that by him we might have immortality and eternal life.” 
God also cares about everyday justice. In the Old Testament, the writers use a Hebrew word “anawim,” a word that refers to people like the widows, orphans, and foreigners living in Israel. These were the most vulnerable people at that time, people who were easily taken advantage of and abused. God put all kinds of laws in place in Leviticus and Deuteronomy to protect the poor and disadvantaged so that they didn’t slip through the cracks. It’s not much different today. Even in a place like Lacombe, God has given some a more difficult life to live, and then calls us to hear and see them, and to engage them with his generosity and compassion. I regularly give thanks for the work and hearts of our deacons!
Justice is part of God’s character, it’s also important to many of our youth and young adults. God’s not only the creator, he’s also the protector and champion for the anawim, and he calls us to be a people of justice who step up for the anawim in our own community. The church over the past decade has been challenged to be more serious about justice issues, because God is a God of justice and calls his people and church to be active in working for justice. Jesus even says that when we do justice, we’re serving him. Matthew 25 records Jesus saying, “I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’ “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’ “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.” Who are the anawim in our community; do we hear them, see them, or recognize them? Do we want to, because once we do, we have responsibilities as followers of Jesus to them. 
God reminds Israel that they had been abused as slaves in Egypt and so they must not do to others what had been done unto them. Psalm 146 orders God to be praised because his very character is rooted in being our creator who cares deeply about justice.  This is who the God of Israel is. Imagine the impact on our children and youth’s faith as we serve together as families or ministry groups at places like the Mustard Seed, the soup kitchen, Circle of Friends, among other opportunities. This is faith formation and faith investment living.