From the Organ Bench

Psalm 147 Praise the LORD who heals the broken hearted.
Psalm 147 is thought to be a compilation of two poems. The first poem is comprised of verses one through eleven and is the source of todays text. The second poem begins at verse twelve and continues to the end of the psalm. Psalm 147 is dated by scholars as belonging to the corpus of post exilic literature. The edict of 538 B.C. allowed the Jewish exiles to return to their country. In the books, Ezra and Nehemiah, accounts of the resettlement process are given. The primary building project during this time was the construction of the Second Temple. This sanctuary was completed in the spring of 515 B.C. The second phase of reconstruction was the rebuilding of the walls and gates around Jerusalem. This project was completed in 443 B.C. The dedication of this event is recounted in the 4th chapter of Nehemiah. Psalm 147 reflects the hopes, history, and to a certain extent the national struggles of Israel, the People of God. Psalm 147 also articulates their covenantal relationship with the LORD. Praise the LORD! How good it is to sing praise to our God! How pleasant and fitting to praise God! The LORD is the one building up Jerusalem, He gathers the exiled ones of Israel. The LORD is the One healing those being of broken heart. The LORD is the One binding up their wounds. The LORD is the One determining the number of the stars; He calls them each by name. Great is our LORD and mighty in power. His understanding has no limit. The LORD is the One sustaining the humble; And casts the wicked ones to the ground. In the Hebrew scriptures there is a connection between sin, guilt and sickness. Sickness was a sign of being forsaken by God. The sick person was marked as being separated from God. To be separated meant being without help, or helpless.

Being apart from God was equivalent to being lost. The sick were not allowed in the precincts of the sanctuary. Among the Hebrews, the priests were the accredited medical officers of health (Lev.14:2). Sacred cleansings of the sick were followed by acts of atonement. Yet, in this psalm the Physician is the Creator. His healing power is great and mighty. His scope of diagnosis is limitless. His understanding is infinite, immeasurable, and unlimited. There is no wound beyond His repair. There is no brokenness of body, mind, heart or country that This One cannot recalibrate, rebuild, or mend. It does not matter if one is lost. It does not matter if a family is lost. It does not matter if an entire nation is lost in exile. God gathers the lost and those who are exiled. The Lord builds them a home; a city; a place of peace, wholeness, and wellbeing, or health. Another distinctive feature of biblical teaching is the idea of humility which was unparalleled in other religious or ethical systems. Just as illness reflected sin, the source of sin had (or has)only one source: pride. Pride places a persons trust in ones self. Or pride places ones trust in a prince, a king, a dynasty, or an army. Humility is to trust in God alone (Ps. 118:8). Humility is the proper attitude before the LORD (Ps. 146:3). Humility is the quality of unpretentious behavior; to live like those of low status. In the LXX, to be humbled was to be brought low or down by compelling circumstances, or sickness. To be humbled was to be afflicted. One could be humbled by poverty or want. In this meaning, to be humbled was to be poor. Other religions and cultures did not value any spiritual merit in the status of the poor. The Stoics believed that men should not entertain humble thoughts about their nature. Humility was the stuff of servitude. In the aristocratic culture of Ancient Greece, the worth of a man was determined by his parentage. Nobility and virtue were inherited. The Greeks detested the Eastern practice of prostration before rulers. Psalm 147 brings into focus the biblical view of humility: The Great and Mighty LORD; The God with a personal name; The King of the Universe concerns Himself; makes it His business to care for, support, and sustain the poor, the marginal, the lowly,

those without a voice, those without any political or religious power, money or inherited nobility.

Delma Rouleau 5th Sunday in Ordinary Time 5 February 2012