Psalm 135

As I read this psalm it was reminiscent of the cadences we would sing while marching for miles and miles in the Marines.  They had multiple purposes.  Firstly, they were meant to help us stay in step, dictating a specific cadence to our steps as we sung.  Secondly, they reinforced our core values.  Many cadences talk about the Marine Corps creeds, values, and instill our superiority as a fighting force on a psychological level.  Third, they were meant for entertainment on the level of considering the life of a Marine.  Some of them told the story of the hard life of a Marine and expressed the reality of being a warrior sent into battle.  Psalm 135 felt like that to me.  Ironically, I then noticed that this isn’t one of the songs of ascents!  We’re past that part.  I suppose it’s so long, the Jews were not expected to memorize it as a song to sing while travelling miles and miles in a caravan.  It would have been a good one, though, because it accomplishes the task of being a marching cadence that tells the story of being God’s people!

Stay in step

The psalms are songs, so to mention a cadence is a bit redundant, but a deeper understanding here is to stay in step with the Spirit.  This psalm starts with a “hallelujah chorus,” calling the people to praise the Lord.  It highlights who He is as God.  This is the first step!  I remember in boot camp, we had a ditty that was embedded in us, “left foot, drill foot,” meaning we always started to march with our left foot so that we were all in sync.  The first seven verses of the psalm get us all started on the right foot so we are in sync in our praise of God.  Verse 4 highlights that we are a chosen people.  “Wait a second,” you might be thinking.  “It says Jacob/Israel is His chosen people.”  Yes, and we are Gentiles who have come to faith in Christ. Israel was the foreshadowing of all those who would believe in Jesus as their Lord and Savior.  I quoted Ronald Rolheiser’s The Holy Longing a few posts ago and as I continue to read his dissertation on Christian community, he delves into the complexity of all of us being from different backgrounds, upbringings, and faith tracks, but with one commonality: faith in Jesus.  I couldn’t help but think the same of the military.  The majority of us wouldn’t know each other nor be connected if it weren’t for Him and therefore are called to live together, care for one another, and die for each other should the need arise.  There is no discrimination, favoritism, or partiality.  Consider what Paul writes in Galatians 3:

25 But after faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian. 26 For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus, 27 for as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. 28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. 29 And if you are Christ’s, then you are descendants of Abraham, heirs according to the promise. 

Our faith and praise of Jesus is our commonality and that must be our focus and our goal.  We are all “family” in the sense that we are united by one Father.  It doesn’t mean that we will all be best friends with one another or always get along.  It does mean, however, that we are to work together and do our part to contribute to the corps of believers for the sake of Christ.  The end of the psalm also ends with an exhortation to praise God!  The psalmist strategically bookended this song with reminders of our relationship to Him.

Core Values

As a strategic thinker and planner, I have come to understand and see the importance of core values.  Both on a personal and corporate level, these are important!  They are the foundation out of which we live and operate.  Whether we recognize what they are or not is one thing.  When helping an individual or organization develop God’s vision for ministry, we always start with this.  We have them, sometimes we just haven’t put a name or definition to them.  We operate out of our core values and defining them helps us to evaluate when we get off track.  It gives us the ability to see if decisions we are going to make, or actions we have already done, are in accordance with our values.  As humans, we can easily get distracted and veer off course.  As an organization, when you add multiple humans, it is even easier to lose sight of that which is most important.  I consider core values as the pillars holding up a building.  If we get too far out of our house, we start to lean on a different foundation and eventually start building upon someone else’s foundation simply because it seemed like a “good idea.”  It might be a good idea, but it’s also probably not the best idea for you because you slid onto someone else’s foundation.  

Psalm 135 establishes the core values and reminds the believer of what is most important.  We see the call and reality to avoid idols in our lives.  Manmade constructs that are attractive but actually not supported by our core values.  In the psalmist’s context, he talks about actual graven images, physical representations of spiritual beings that captured the hearts of people.  In today’s world, our idols look a bit different, but still manmade!  From antique cars, to video games, digital devices, and even food chemically designed to get you addicted, idols abound in our society and we don’t even recognize them as false gods that we have slipped into worshipping.  By remembering who God is and who He isn’t, we are able to stay founded on our Christian values and make adjustments when we find ourselves getting off track.

The life of a follower

The middle section describes our relationship with God, who He is, and what He has done.  This is obviously the bulk of the psalm.  Much of Jewish tradition highlights what God has done and His goodness to His people.  Lest we forget!  His deliverance is certainly worth celebrating, but also remembering as this applies to our daily lives.  We will most often find ourselves in in a difficult circumstance or debacle in at least one avenue of life at a time.  It is important to keep at the forefront of our minds that He is in control and He will deliver us.  His omnipotence is part of what makes Him God, and if we lose sight of that, we are in danger of allowing our circumstances to steal, kill, and destroy our joy and trust in Him.  This is the enemy’s work.  He uses difficult situations to distract us from the truth of God, His goodness, His provision, His protection, and His work.  This is also why the psalmist reminds us not to follow false gods because it is sometimes easier to rely on them for deliverance instead of trust God for it.

It’s not easy, for sure!  If you reread Psalm 135:8-12, considering what God did, it wasn’t without its conflict.  It’s not like Israel sat back in a cozy upper room and just watched God work.  There was persecution, difficulty, fear, stress, and all sorts of conflict.  But, in the end, God worked it out and saved His people.  This is what we are to remember!  When times get tough, let us not forget that God is working and will see us through.  The life of a believer is one of trusting God amidst adversity, not as a result of the lack of it.