“In the hands of God alone”
By Rev. Michael Stonhouse
Meditation – Saturday, November 11, 2023
Psalm 76 (Forward, p. 13) CEV p. 600
Today, in our rather troubled and uncertain world, a world full of tumult and unrest, today’s psalm can be quite dangerous. I say this because of the all-too frequent tendency of humans to take over Scripture and use it for their own means, and messages, removing it from its original context, stripping it of its original meaning and application, and erroneously applying to speak to a situation of its new interpreter’s choosing.
Thus, today’s rather militaristic images and themes can easily be misapplied as speaking to a present day’s conflict. Thus, those arrayed in cultural or political wars in the United States or elsewhere can use it to back up their claims to some success in the future. Or the two sides in the ongoing Ukraine-Russia war or in the newly ‘emerged’ Israel-Hamas outbreak of hostilities can use it to presage or predict both their victory and the defeat of the enemy.
But here three mistakes of interpretation and application are made, two of which I will deal with immediately. Firstly, verses 1-6 speak of a specific occasion, probably the predations of King Sennacherib of Assyria, when God came to the defence of Zion (i.e. Jerusalem) by sending an angel overnight to destroy his army (see Isaiah 37:36). And so, it is an error in interpretation to assume that this kind of divine intervention also applies to each of us, regardless of our cause, in whatever situation we find ourselves in.
Secondly, in terms of misinterpretation, any attempt to apply this psalm to one’s own means runs afoul of the last verses of this psalm, verses 7-12. Here the scope of God’s intervention goes beyond the sectarian and beyond the national, to something that is truly global and world-wide. Here it speaks of God’s judgment over the nations and peoples of the world, all of them, and of God’s concern for justice. Here it can be truly said, that no one comes out ‘scot-free’ in this regard. All peoples, all nations, and all of us, must one-day find ourselves facing up to God for our failures in this.
And here, then, we come to the final mistake that some might make in applying this psalm. None of this ultimately comes ‘by the hand of man’, by
human action or intervention. Peace treaties are fragile, and far too often, rather temporary, given the ‘frailty of man’ and international courts of law can seldom do more than ‘reward the victors’. (This, of course, does not mean that we should not try—on this day of all days—to bring about peace and justice in our world.) But sadly, and unfortunately, peace, victory and justice ultimately lay in the hands of God, and of God alone.
Forward notes: “There he broke the flashing arrows, the shield, the sword, and the weapons of battle” (verse 3).
“Commemoration: Martin of Tours”
“Martin (330-397 CE), a Roman soldier turned bishop, is remembered for his pursuit of justice and care for others. According to tradition, when he was serving in the army, he cut his coat in half to share with a beggar. By some accounts, Martin dreamed of Jesus wearing the other half, while others claim that when he awoke from a vision, the cloak was restored to wholeness.
“He saved prisoners and heretics alike from torture and execution. His advocacy for others became so well known that allegedly some emperors and government leaders would refuse to see him lest he petition them for mercy on behalf of prisoners and those sentenced to death.
“As we remember Martin today, let us remember his steadfast faith and commitment to justice—his new ‘weapons of battle’—and become advocates for others.”
Moving Forward: “In light of Martin’s witness, research organizations like Amnesty International or the Innocence Project.”