Forever faithful
Wilfully blind to the effects of their evils, professing Christians have sometimes inflicted grave injustice on others. God, however, sees the plight of the oppressed and will right every wrong.
1 Praise YHWH!
Praise YHWH, my soul.
2 I will praise YHWH as long as I live
I’ll sing praises to my God
my whole life long.
3 Don’t put your trust in powerful people—
mere mortals who have no power to save you.
4 When they breathe their last
they return to dust
and that very day
all their big plans come to nothing.
5 How blessed the person
whose help is Jacob’s God—
who puts their hope in YHWH their God
6 maker of heaven and earth
the sea and everything in them.
He remains forever faithful!
7 He gives justice to the oppressed
and food to the hungry.
YHWH sets prisoners free.
8 YHWH opens the eyes of the blind.
YHWH lifts up those bent low.
YHWH loves those who seek to please him.
9 YHWH protects the resident alien
and provides for the orphan and widow
but he makes the path of the self-seeking
lead to nowhere.
10 YHWH will reign forever and ever—
your God, Zion
will rule through endless ages.
Praise YHWH!
This psalm begins the book’s concluding five-psalm crescendo of praise, listing a whole array of things to thank God for. No sooner does the psalmist* commit to always praising God than she warns against our perennial temptation to rely on the most powerful people around us. Their help often seems so much more real and tangible than God’s. So we’re tempted to rely on them for success—even when doing so involves us in their oppression of the vulnerable. But such people’s power is short-lived while those who trust in Jacob’s God are forever blessed, regardless of the odds they now face. Because—and this is the key point—YHWH remains faithful forever.[1]
YHWH is faithful as both creator and redeemer. He acts on behalf of the oppressed, the hungry, the prisoners, the blind, those weighed down beneath life’s burdens—aliens, orphans, widows. He has a special bond with those who seek to please him also, who actively care for those he cares for. And he actively opposes oppressors, whose self-seeking hurts those he loves.
Because Zion’s God will reign forever, his values—not those of this world’s powerful people—are the order of the day. Though our world is far from just now, our Creator-redeemer is determined to make it a place where all will flourish, regardless of their race, skin color, or any other supposed defects. Hearing this, how can we help but break out into joyful songs of praise?
Jesus, you freed captives, fed the hungry, gave sight to the blind, and lifted up those bent low. You died and rose again to ensure—against all odds—that your values will prevail on earth and your kingdom never end. Thank you, Lord, that you remain faithful forever. Amen.
During your free moments today, meditate on these words:
How blessed the person
whose help is Jacob’s God—
who puts their hope in YHWH their God.
* I imagine the psalmist here as a woman of faith, like Miriam, Deborah, Hanna, or the Virgin Mary (see further, my answer to the question: Who wrote the psalms?).
[1] The psalm’s chiastic structure puts the focus on its central point, God’s faithfulness: A: the psalmist’s commitment to praise YHWH always (1-2), B: the futility of trusting powerful people (3-4), the blessedness of trusting Jacob’s creator God (5-6b), C: YHWH’S ETERNAL FAITHFULNESS (6c), the righteousness of (Zion’s) redeemer God (7-8b), B: the efficacy of trusting YHWH (8c-9), A: YHWH’s eternal reign and praiseworthiness (10).
