Monday prior to Lent 5

 

Psalm 3:3-6, Antiphon, Psalm 3:8, Salvation belongs to the Lord; Your blessings be on Your people! Though threatened by many foes, the psalmist prays confidently to the Lord. A common feature in the prayers of the Psalter is a concluding expression of confidence that the prayer will be heard. David’s confidence becomes a testimony to God’s people. As he stands before God, the psalmist, King David, prays on behalf of the nation.

Psalm 3 – Peace in the midst of a storm

This is the first psalm with a title: A Psalm of David when he fled from Absalom his son. James Montgomery Boice points out that since these titles are in the canonical text of the Hebrew Bible, “They are to be taken with absolute seriousness throughout.” The events are recorded in 2 Samuel 15-18, but the heart of David at that difficult time is recorded in this psalm.

Salvation belongs to the LORD: David understood that salvation – both in the ultimate and immediate sense – was God’s property. It isn’t the property of any one nation or sect, but of the LORD God. To be saved, one must deal with the LORD Himself.

Your blessing is upon Your people: This showed David’s heart in a time of personal calamity. He wasn’t only concerned for God’s hand upon himself, but upon all God’s people. He didn’t pray for preservation and victory in the trial with Absalom just for his own sake, but because it was best for the nation.[1]

The Theme for Lent 5, “Forecast of the Future,” helps us see the purpose and the necessity of the cross. It is a one-time act but has eternal consequences. In the Old Testament lesson (Isaiah 43:16-21), God will do a new thing for His people.  He promises to do a new thing for His people, something good. In the Epistle lesson (Philippians 3:8-14), Christians strain forward to the future goal of Christ. Paul says that he forgets the past and looks forward to the future. In the Gospel lesson (Luke 20:9-19), judgment will come to those who reject God’s Son. This is brought out in the parable of the wicked tenants. The Hymn of the Day Stricken Smitten, and Afflicted is a contemplative hymn, which focuses on Christ’s crucifixion. It is one of the most powerful hymns in our hymnal.

Collect for Psalm 3: Lord God, king of the universe, you deliver your people from adversity even as you delivered your own Son from the grasp of death. Shield us from danger and raise us up on the last day with all your saints to dwell with you in your eternal kingdom; through your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. [2]  -28 March, 2022

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[1] https://enduringword.com/bible-commentary/psalm-3/

[2] Collect for Psalm 3; For All the Saints, A Prayer Book For and By the Church, Vol. I © 1994 The American Lutheran Publicity Bureau, Delhi, NY