1 May God arise, may his enemies be scattered;
may his foes flee before him.
2 May you blow them away like smoke—
as wax melts before the fire,
may the wicked perish before God.
3 But may the righteous be glad
and rejoice before God;
may they be happy and joyful.
4 Sing to God, sing in praise of his name,
extol him who rides on the clouds;
rejoice before him—his name is the Lord.
5 A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows,
is God in his holy dwelling.
6 God sets the lonely in families,
he leads out the prisoners with singing;
but the rebellious live in a sun-scorched land.
_______________
Up to this point, the psalm is a prayer for God’s victory over the unrighteous enemies. David prays for blessings upon the righteous, but destruction and defeat for God’s enemies.
But in verses 5-6, David describes God, and in so doing gives us a picture of what he is talking about when he uses the words righteous and unrighteous. God is the “father to the fatherless, a defender of widows.” He is the One who “sets the lonely in families, he leads out the prisoners with singing.” In other words, God is identified as One who shows special care and favor to those who are oppressed and left behind: the orphan, the widow, the lonely, the prisoner. In our time, this list might include others, such as the aged, the disabled, the terminally ill, the unborn, the unemployed, those abused by spouses, etc. The picture that David paints of God is that of a God of compassion and grace, especially for those in need.
But this is linked with his words about being righteous, and not being an enemy of God. In this context, what does it mean to be righteous? Simply to have a heart that is filled with the same compassion. If my God is compassionate for those in need, for those who are vulnerable and downtrodden, shouldn’t I be filled with compassion for them as well? And shouldn’t my life demonstrate that compassion by what I do? Notice that in verse 6, the focus is on God’s actions on behalf of the lonely and the prisoner.
So my prayer today is that my heart would reflect my Father’s compassionate heart, and that my life would be a manifestation of my Father’s love.
Live Stream worship each Sunday at 9:30 AM and Wednesdays at 7:00 PM. Please go to this page for more information: https://stjohnslutheran.net/live-streaming-worship-at-st-johns/