Repentance

Psalm 120
A song of ascents.

1 I call on the LORD in my distress,
and he answers me.

2 Save me, O LORD, from lying lips
and from deceitful tongues.

3 What will he do to you,
and what more besides, O deceitful tongue?

4 He will punish you with a warrior's sharp arrows,
with burning coals of the broom tree.

5 Woe to me that I dwell in Meshech,
that I live among the tents of Kedar!

6 Too long have I lived
among those who hate peace.

7 I am a man of peace;
but when I speak, they are for war.

Throughout this passage, what words and phrases reveal how the writer feels about his society?

The opening of the Psalm says it all. You can sense his desperation as he cries out to God for help. He is clearly distressed. Phrases like "save me", "woe to me", "too long have I lived..." and the contrast between "war"and "peace" seems to suggest that he is immersed in an evironment that is unduly chaotic, harsh - a culture of deceit, scaremongering, strife and conflict that he must fight against.

As the Psalmist begins the ascent toward God's temple in Jerusalem, what does he feel distressed about (vv.1-2)?

Lying lips and deceitful tongues. In the Message translation it reads, "Deliver me from the liars, God. They smile so sweetly but lie through their teeth." I wonder if this isn't what we call hypocrisy in today's terms of reference.

What does he ask the Lord to do for him in his distress?

Salvation is what he asks for. He aks the Lord to save him. Curiously, he doesn't exactly ask God to punish them. Not in the same way many of us find ourselves doing in our own times of distress - still smouldering in anger, hurt and resentment, we rain down our judgement and condemnation, and ask God to punish so-and-so because he is the bad guy and deserves it.

I sense a subtle discernment about the Psalmist in this instance. He is aware that his salvation from society's ills comes from the Lord - not in his own ability to exact judgement or punishment. God is the judge, and the Psalmist seems certain of God's will - that liars and hypocrites, those intent on perpetrating war and conflict, these actions are what He will not tolerate.

Note the strong imagery of the punishments in verse 4. Why do you think the deceitful tongue deserves such harsh punishment?

I'm reminded about the way we've been called to live. A faith that is outworked into our lives - that is neccessarily from the inside out. Out of the abundance of our hearts. The fruit that is borne of the Spirit of God that dwells in us.

To borrow the Message translation's figure of speech, these liars smile sweetly but in reality lie through their teeth. This I think, is revealing of the substance that makes them who they are. Hearts that have a divergent intent. They comes across as well-meaning, they deceive others into believing their words and acting upon that false knowledge. But inside, they know better than anyone else.

The highest standard we've been called to live according to is the standard that Christ has set for us. Our ability to lay our lives down for another. Loving your neighbour as yourself. Cheating, lying, deceiving others is obviously antithetical to His purpose and will for humanity, and contrary to what it would look like to reflect His image and His likeness.

How are your own feelings about sin like or unlike what the Psalmist expresses?

I like the opening line in The Message. "I'm in trouble. I cry to God, desperate for an answer.
Sin, I remind myself, is not just about what people do right or wrong. Sin is essentially, and most importantly, focused on the idea of falling short of the mark - of the purpose and destiny of the Creator - and anything deviant from that would only bring about a desperate wandering in the wilderness.

I identify with the Psalmist when it comes to my experinces of living in a world of chaos. The questions asked in the introduction have been probing. What aspects of my world do I find distressing or unsatisfying? Fortunately, I'm able to strike a thick bold line across items like "community" off the list - for it has been within Life Expedition's community of grace, of fellow pilgrims on this spiritual journey that I have recovered a sense of God's purpose and destiny for my life, and opened up my eyes to His vision for this good earth.

By saying this, I of course seem to be suggesting there is this "world" we share within the spiritual community of believers, and there is the "outside world".

Like the Psalmist, I am beginning to realise that my salvation is from the Lord. I am in need of saving: from the messages that assail me each day, trying to entice me, convince me and persuade me to buy into different products and services. Marketing strategies that sell me a concept or an idea that is essentially false. Companies that care more for their bottom-line and would do anything to achieve it, which includes deceiving the consumer.

I feel so powerless to effect change in a culture and society that has little appreciation for the Creator's purpose. Quite the opposite, for easily, we can come across as religious bigots, stuffy minsters, backward, conservative and traditional people who have not moved on with the times.

How does the sin the Psalmist identifies in verse 6-7 compare or contrast with the sin in verses 1-2?

Lying, deceit, hypocrisy, these are the symptoms of a different order, a different vision for the world. It stops those who wish for peace from living a life of peace. And as we live among those who hate peace, we can only call upon the Lord in our distress. He answers the prayers for those who wish for peace. - whose purposes are in line with His purposes and will for humanity and all of creation.

Sometimes sins that are rooted deep in our culture are difficult to identify - and may take deep root in us. How has this been true for you?

Again, when I think about sin as fallen short of His purpose for His image-bearers like you and me, I think about the many variant "messages of salvation" I have subconsciously bought into. Inherently, we are a self-conscious generation. I have grown up in a culture where the badges we wear say everything about who we are. Your profession, the salary you draw, the way you look, what you wear, the kind of education you have received, where you come from, the manner of your speech, the guy/girl you date/court/marry... the list goes on.

In my head I may know that God looks upon us and judges us quite differently from society does, and even more intimately, and heartbreakingly, the way our families deem us to be successful or not. Many times, I find myself trying so hard to please/win the approval of those close to me, as if my life depended upon it.

Sometimes I wonder if my motivations for doing the things I do need to be tested to see if they hold water, and pass muster for the reasons i say I am doing them for. When I go to the gym for example, and watch what I eat - do I care more that this body is the temple of God and I am to be a good steward of it, or is it because I'm worried of being shunned, laughed at, despised? Do I fear losing friends if I weren't the way I looked right now?

It's never really one or the other. We're usually all a mixed bag. Or at least I am. Each day is a new day to wrestle with my inconsistencies and to change my way of thinking.


How does the Psalmist think and act decisively about sin?

First and foremost, he calls upon the Lord for his salvation. He doesn't mince his words. He recognises the destructiveness that believing in a different message brings. He wants nothing to do with it.