{"id":4469,"date":"2020-03-28T21:36:32","date_gmt":"2020-03-29T02:36:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/iphc.org\/gso\/?p=4469"},"modified":"2020-03-28T22:21:47","modified_gmt":"2020-03-29T03:21:47","slug":"psalms-of-lament","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/iphc.org\/gso\/2020\/03\/28\/psalms-of-lament\/","title":{"rendered":"How Long, O Lord?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Psalms of Lament for Such a Time as This<\/h3>\n
\n\t

The United States and world have essentially shut down during this novel coronavirus pandemic. We are encouraged to remain at home. I have been grateful to see numerous appeals to Scripture. These appeals have included scriptural reminders that God is with us, that we be encouraged, that we remember to pray, that we repent, that we care for those around us. All of these are appropriate and call us to a renewed commitment to follow Jesus.<\/p>\n

Many of the scriptural passages I have seen have come from the Psalms, especially the Psalms of Lament. These psalms sometimes feature the voice of an individual (such as Ps. 13, 22, and 86). At other times, such as in Psalm 12, we hear the voice of the larger community of faith. We hear their familiar words twenty-five hundred years later:<\/p>\n

\n

\u201cHow long, O Lord? Will You forget me forever? How long will You hide Your face from me?\u201d (Ps. 13:1)<\/p>\n

\u201cMy God, My God, why have You forsaken Me? Why are You so far from helping Me, and from the words of My groaning? O My God, I cry in the daytime, but You do not hear; and in the night season, and am not silent.\u201d (Ps. 22:1, 2)<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

The New King James Version capitalizes the personal pronoun in Psalm 22 because this is also a messianic Psalm. These words are spoken by Jesus on the Cross (Matt. 27:46).<\/p>\n

Many commentators have recognized that the Psalms were the prayer book of Jesus (Bonhoeffer, Life Together<\/em>). The book of Hebrews tells us that Jesus was made perfect through what He suffered and that He experienced every temptation humans experience (Heb. 2:10, 17, 18; 4:15). Thus the laments in the Psalms are more than the despairing voices of Israel\u2019s David and others. They are the voices of broken, sinful, and grieving humanity, taken up by the voice and experience of the sinless Son of God, the Messiah of Israel. In other words: we are not alone! Indeed, \u201cGod is with us\u201d (Emmanuel<\/em> in biblical Hebrew).<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve often thought about this over the past two weeks. I am personally aware of three families\u2014personal friends\u2014that are walking through an unusual period of grief. These families have had loved ones die and have been unable to go through the usual process of grieving with a funeral and burial, where comforters attend a public service or take time to visit at a funeral home. I\u2019ve listened to pastors talk about the difficulties of carrying on the pastoral care that usually accompanies these circumstances. These pastors themselves are grieving, too\u2014grieving for their sheep, and grieving because their usual expressions of comfort feel lost.<\/p>\n

The laments in the Psalms are taken up
\n<\/em>by the voice and experience <\/em>of the
\nsinless Son of God, the Messiah of Israel.<\/em><\/h3>\n

The grief those around us feel goes beyond the death of a loved one. Millions around the world have lost jobs, have lost health, have lost normal life routines. And they are grieving through these losses.<\/p>\n

I write these words on March 28, as we prepare for the Fifth Sunday of Lent. It is appropriate that the lectionary readings for this Sunday come from Psalm 130 and John 11.<\/p>\n

Psalm 130 is a lament sung as worshippers made their way to the Jerusalem Temple:<\/p>\n

\n

\u201cOut of the depths I have cried to You, O Lord; Lord, hear my voice! Let Your ears be attentive to the voice of My supplications\u201d (Ps. 130:1, 2)<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

John 11 recounts the death and resurrection of Lazarus. Lazarus had been dead four days when his sisters Martha and Mary confronted Jesus when He arrived in their hometown of Bethany. \u201cLord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died\u201d (Jn. 11:21, 32). The grief they felt was as real as the grief in the world today. Jesus saw that grief; that is why \u201cJesus wept\u201d (Jn. 11:35).<\/p>\n

In John\u2019s chronology, the raising of Lazarus occurred in the season leading to Passover. In my mind, Jesus, Mary, and Martha likely heard pilgrims singing Psalm 130 as they made their way through Bethany towards the Jerusalem Temple. Besides the plaintive cry of those first verses, they would have also heard these words:<\/p>\n

\n

\u201cI wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in His word I do hope. O Israel, hope in the Lord; for with the Lord there is mercy, and with Him is abundant redemption\u201d (Ps. 130:5, 7)<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Yes, we grieve. We cry, we remember, we wait. But as St. Paul reminded us, we do not \u201csorrow as others who have no hope\u201d (1 Thess. 4:13). So let us read and pray the Psalms of Lament with one another, certain of the hope that lies before us in Jesus Christ. Amen.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"excerpt","protected":false},"author":29,"featured_media":4470,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","episode_type":"","audio_file":"","cover_image":"","cover_image_id":"","duration":"","filesize":"","date_recorded":"","explicit":"","block":"","filesize_raw":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-4469","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-bishops-blog","8":"entry"},"title_es":""\u00bfCu\u00e1nto tiempo, Se\u00f1or?" Cantando Salmos de Lamento","content_es":"Estados Unidos y el mundo se han cerrado esencialmente durante esta nueva pandemia de coronavirus. Nos alienta a permanecer en casa. He estado agradecido de ver numerosas apelaciones a las Escrituras. Estas apelaciones han incluido recordatorios b\u00edblicos de que Dios est\u00e1 con nosotros, que nos alientan, que recordamos orar, que nos arrepentimos, que cuidamos a los que nos rodean. Todos estos son apropiados y nos llaman a un compromiso renovado de seguir a Jes\u00fas. Muchos de los pasajes de las Escrituras que he visto provienen de los Salmos, especialmente los Salmos del Lamento. Estos salmos a veces presentan la voz de un individuo (como los Salmos 13, 22 y 86). En otras ocasiones, como en el Salmo 12, escuchamos la voz de la comunidad de fe m\u00e1s grande. Escuchamos sus palabras familiares mil quinientos a\u00f1os despu\u00e9s:\r\n

\u201c\u00bfCu\u00e1nto tiempo, Se\u00f1or? \u00bfMe olvidaras para siempre? \u00bfHasta cu\u00e1ndo esconder\u00e1s tu rostro de m\u00ed? (Sal. 13: 1) \u201cDios m\u00edo, Dios m\u00edo, \u00bfpor qu\u00e9 me has desamparado? \u00bfPor qu\u00e9 est\u00e1s tan lejos de ayudarme y de las palabras de mi gemido? Oh Dios m\u00edo, lloro durante el d\u00eda, pero no escuchas; y en la temporada de noche, y no estoy en silencio \". (Salmo 22: 1, 2)<\/blockquote>\r\nLa Nueva Versi\u00f3n King James capitaliza el pronombre personal en el Salmo 22 porque tambi\u00e9n es un Salmo mesi\u00e1nico. Estas palabras son dichas por Jes\u00fas en la Cruz (Mateo 27:46). Muchos comentaristas han reconocido que los Salmos eran el libro de oraciones de Jes\u00fas (Bonhoeffer, Life Together<\/em> ). El libro de Hebreos nos dice que Jes\u00fas fue hecho perfecto a trav\u00e9s de lo que sufri\u00f3 y que experiment\u00f3 todas las tentaciones que experimentan los humanos (Heb. 2:10, 17, 18; 4:15). As\u00ed, los lamentos en los Salmos son m\u00e1s que las voces desesperadas del David de Israel y otros. Son las voces de la humanidad quebrantada, pecaminosa y afligida, tomadas por la voz y la experiencia del Hijo de Dios sin pecado, el Mes\u00edas de Israel. En otras palabras: \u00a1no estamos solos! De hecho, \"Dios est\u00e1 con nosotros\" ( Emmanuel<\/em> en hebreo b\u00edblico). A menudo he pensado en esto durante las \u00faltimas dos semanas. Conozco personalmente a tres familias, amigos personales, que atraviesan un per\u00edodo inusual de dolor. Estas familias han tenido seres queridos que han muerto y no han podido pasar por el proceso habitual de duelo con un funeral y entierro, donde los edredones asisten a un servicio p\u00fablico o se toman el tiempo para visitar una funeraria. He escuchado a pastores hablar sobre las dificultades de llevar a cabo el cuidado pastoral que generalmente acompa\u00f1a estas circunstancias. Estos pastores tambi\u00e9n est\u00e1n afligidos, afligidos por sus ovejas y afligidos porque sus expresiones habituales de consuelo se sienten perdidas. El dolor que sienten los que nos rodean va m\u00e1s all\u00e1 de la muerte de un ser querido. Millones en todo el mundo han perdido empleos, han perdido salud, han perdido rutinas de vida normales. Y est\u00e1n afligidos por estas p\u00e9rdidas. Escribo estas palabras el 28 de marzo, mientras nos preparamos para el Quinto Domingo de Cuaresma. Es apropiado que las lecturas del leccionario para este domingo provengan del Salmo 130 y Juan 11. El Salmo 130 es un lamento cantado mientras los fieles se dirig\u00edan al Templo de Jerusal\u00e9n: \u201cDesde las profundidades te he clamado, Se\u00f1or; Se\u00f1or, escucha mi voz! Est\u00e9n atentos tus o\u00eddos a la voz de mis s\u00faplicas \u201d(Sal. 130: 1, 2). Juan 11 relata la muerte y resurrecci\u00f3n de L\u00e1zaro. L\u00e1zaro hab\u00eda estado muerto cuatro d\u00edas cuando sus hermanas Marta y Mar\u00eda se enfrentaron a Jes\u00fas cuando lleg\u00f3 a su ciudad natal de Betania. \"Se\u00f1or, si hubieras estado aqu\u00ed, mi hermano no habr\u00eda muerto\" (Jn. 11:21, 32). La pena que sent\u00edan era tan real como la pena en el mundo de hoy. Jes\u00fas vio ese dolor; es por eso que \"Jes\u00fas llor\u00f3\" (Jn. 11:35). En la cronolog\u00eda de Juan, el levantamiento de L\u00e1zaro ocurri\u00f3 en la temporada que lleva a la Pascua. En mi mente, Jes\u00fas, Mar\u00eda y Marta probablemente escucharon a los peregrinos cantando el Salmo 130 mientras atravesaban Betania hacia el Templo de Jerusal\u00e9n. Adem\u00e1s del llanto quejumbroso de esos primeros versos, tambi\u00e9n habr\u00edan escuchado estas palabras:\r\n
\u201cEspero al Se\u00f1or, mi alma espera, y en su palabra espero. Oh Israel, espera en el Se\u00f1or; porque con el Se\u00f1or hay misericordia, y con \u00c9l hay abundante redenci\u00f3n \u201d(Salmo 130: 5, 7)<\/blockquote>\r\nS\u00ed, nos afligimos. Lloramos, recordamos, esperamos. Pero, como nos lo record\u00f3 San Pablo, no \"lamentamos como otros que no tienen esperanza\" (1 Tes. 4:13). As\u00ed que leamos y recemos los Salmos del Lamento unos con otros, seguros de la esperanza que tenemos ante nosotros en Jesucristo. Am\u00e9n.","author_name":"Dr. Doug Beacham","jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/iphc.org\/gso\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/03\/man-in-black-dress-shirt-with-blue-denim-shirt-sitting-on-720362.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pb62Bx-1a5","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/iphc.org\/gso\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4469","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/iphc.org\/gso\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/iphc.org\/gso\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/iphc.org\/gso\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/29"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/iphc.org\/gso\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4469"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/iphc.org\/gso\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4469\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/iphc.org\/gso\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4470"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/iphc.org\/gso\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4469"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/iphc.org\/gso\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4469"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/iphc.org\/gso\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4469"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}