“Inadvertent sin”
By Rev. Michael Stonhouse
Meditation – Friday, February 25, 2022
Psalm 141 (Forward, p. 27) CEV p. 641
Undoubtedly, I have read this particular psalm many times before this, but one thing stood out for me this morning, something that I had never noticed before. It comes in the second part of verse4 and refers back to a group that our psalmist describes as ‘wicked people’. The part that caught my attention was this:
“Don’t let me even taste the good things they offer”
To me, this is most telling. There are ‘good things’ or things that seem to be good that come with those people described as ‘wicked’. Not everything that comes from them is bad or evil, and some things they offer—notice that word, ‘offer’—may actually seem to be very good.
But then, our psalmist begs God to prevent his even ‘tasting’ these seemingly good things. It would appear from this, that he is afraid of being ensnared or seduced or led astray, either by these ‘good things’ or by the people who offer them. In other words, he is asking to be protected from inadvertent sin, and the traps that this kind of people might lay for him (verses 9-10).
Indeed, that seems to be the overall theme of the prayers he makes to God within this psalm. He wants to be careful, guarded, in his speech (verse 3) and he doesn’t want to make the wrong kind of friends (verse 5b) or waste time from being with such people (verse 4). Instead, he wants to surround himself with God’s faithful people, people who will actually hold him accountable, and correct and punish him if need be (verse 5a).
What this says to me is that one can never be too careful, especially in our speech (how easy it is to err in this way, especially in this day of social media and its explosion of ‘opinion’). And again, this can apply to our ‘friends’ (again, just think of all those people listed as ‘friends’ on our home Face Book page, if we have it—friends that may well send up things that may ‘seem’ good and wholesome and truthful but aren’t). And what about all the things in our society that masquerade as good but aren’t really. That said, it is easy to fall into sin inadvertently, that is, without intending to do so. So, our psalmist’s prayer for God’s protection from inadvertent sin is just as pertinent for each of us today. Amen.
Forward notes: “Let my prayer be set forth in your sight as incense, the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice” (verse 2).
“One thing I have learned about incense at church is that people who love it really love it, and people who hate it really hate it. On each side of the debate are justifications, both theological and practical. (For the record, I love incense, but I’m willing to forgo it if it’s going to give somebody an asthma attack.)
“No matter your personal incense preference, there are countless ways to use our senses as we connect with God through prayer. It can be powerful to gaze upon a beautiful image or listen to a hymn, two things we often do in worship. But it can be just as profound to create something as part of a prayer practice. This might mean that knitting, building, drawing, cooking, or something else becomes an act of prayer for you—or it might be as simple as striking a match to light a stick of incense or a candle, creating flame or smoke and watching it rise up as a tiny offering of love to God.”
Moving Forward: “Find a way to engage the senses during your prayer time today.”
