ˆConstant comfort”
By Rev. Michael Stonhouse
Meditation – Monday, January 31, 2022
Psalm 57 (Forward, p. 94) CEV p. 588
It is highly interesting to try to trace the changes in usage and meaning of various English words—the word ‘comfort’, for instance. Today, we have a whiskey liqueur called ‘Southern Comfort’, a line of mattresses and bedding called ‘Constant Comfort’, and a whole range of foods known as ‘comfort foods’. The odd thing is that the word ‘comfort’, when used as a verb, originally meant to ‘surround with strength.’ That is its meaning in the familiar and much-loved 23rd Psalm: ‘thy rod and thy staff, they comfort me’ and the Beatitude: ‘blessed are they that mourn; they shall be comforted.’
This meaning of the word ‘comfort’ certainly suggests something far more lasting and satisfying that a wee nip of alcohol, or a good night’s sleep, or some item of food that evokes an image of the past and provides a sense of peace and tranquility. It is this deeper sense of ‘comfort’ that comes to mind in today’s psalm.
David is on the run from a furious and clearly paranoid King Saul. Saul is out for blood, David’s blood, to be exact, and so David is hiding in the caves surrounded the Dead Sea. Here it brings to mind the many caves around Qumran and Ein Gedi, and particularly the caves where the Dead Sea Scrolls were first discovered back in 1946-1947. That they were not found for some two thousand years after being placed there, says something of the remoteness and inaccessibility of these caves. Such were David’s hiding places.
Interestingly, this psalm saves absolutely nothing about these hiding places per se. Instead, he dwells only on the Lord and how the Lord will send him help, protect him, and wreck vengeance upon his enemies. Indeed, his confidence in God is such that he lapses into song (see verses 7b-9). I can just imagine him sitting around a campfire ‘out in the boonies’, strumming his harp and singing, unheard by any but a few of his closest friends and companions. Such was his trust and confidence in their God. Such trust, such confidence, should serve as a reminder to all of us and inspire us to continue in that same trust and confidence as he evidenced. Here, truly, God will be our ‘constant comfort’, our source of strength. Amen.
Forward notes: “Exalt yourself above the heavens, O God, and your glory over all the earth” (verse 11).
“My church sings worship songs of the working class. We call them coritos. God’s name and mercy for the working class are exalted loudly on Sunday mornings. The whole church comes alive during worship because these coritos are carried on intergenerationally. From young to wise, the lyrics are imprinted on our hearts. These songs summon strong memories of grandparents and great-grandparents and stories of resilience, love, and thanksgiving.
“Perhaps you have a song that instantly stirs you because you know that your ancestors sang it as well. The familiar melody and the spirit of the song bring you closer to the Holy Spirit.
“As a group of people striving for the common good, we sing the songs of our ancestors as reminders to continue the work of justice, peace, and mercy. What songs do you carry intergenerationally that bring you closer to God?”
MOVING FORWARD: “Hum or sing your special song out loud. Let its melody imprint itself on the land around you.”
