This is my third installment on the theme of Entering His Presence on Gathering/Assemblies, Worship and Discipleship in the Hebrew Bible. You can read Part One Here; and Part Two Here. These articles are all part of a single argument need to be seen together. Blessings.
Coming Into His Presence in the Psalms
Israel sang
praises to Yahweh long before the “sweet psalmist” David (2 Sam 23:1, RSV). The only proper human response to the
astonishing event of the Exodus was praising God with his gathered people of
God (Ex 15:1-21).[1] In
gratitude for the divine provision of water in the parched desert Israel burst in
thanksgiving song (Num 21:16-17). Near
the end of his life Moses sang from the heart to Israel (Deut 32). Deborah and Barak sang of God’s deliverance
from Jabin (Jud 5). Songs flowing from Israel’s
worshipping assemblies were rooted in the experience of God’s goodness. The rhythms of life provided the grist for
gathering in the presence of God. The
supreme example of this experience of daily life and corporate worship is the
Psalms of Israel.
The Psalter
is a literary sanctuary. Most of the
individual psalms and the book as a whole is situated in Israel’s worshiping assemblies.[2] If
the headings are any guide we note that the Psalms were part of the temple
dedication (Ps 30), the Sabbath (Ps 92), temple worship (2 Chron 29:28, 30; Ps
100). Psalms were integrated into Israel’s
festival calendar. The Hallel (Pss
113-118) psalms were used in conjunction with the New Moon, Passover, Weeks,
Tabernacles and Dedication festivals.[3]
The penitential psalms (Pss 6; 32; 38; 51; 102; 130; 143) are part of the Day
of Atonement liturgy[4]
and the Songs of Ascents (Pss 120-134) are associated with the great pilgrimage
festivals. The Psalter is thoroughly grounded into all aspects of Hebrew
worship.[5] Particularly
prominent in the Psalms are worshiping assemblies. Among the texts are:
“Praise God
in the great congregation;
praise the LORD in the assembly of Israel
(Ps 68:28)
“I will
declare your name to my brothers and sisters
in the midst of the congregation I will
praise you …
From you
comes my praise in the great congregation … ” (Ps 22:22, 25)
“My foot
stands on level ground;
in the great congregation I will bless the
LORD” (Ps 26:12)
“Let the
heavens praise your wonders, O LORD,
your faithfulness in the assembly of the
holy holy ones” (Ps 89:5)
“Sing to
the LORD a new song, his praise
in the assembly of the saints (Ps 149: 1;
cf. Pss 1:5; 35:18; 40:9, 10; 107:22,
43; 111:1)
Israel’s Psalm
collection indicates that praise is the duty and delight of humanity. Indeed, the ultimate vocation of all creation
is the praise of God. Praise is not only a requirement but a basic need.[6] On
a literary level the Psalter mirrors Israel’s vocation as Yahweh’s
kingdom of priests. The Lord carried Israel on
eagles’ wings into his presence. Brought
into a covenant of love, Israel
lived a life of worshipful obedience and was to lead the nations to praise God
as creator and redeemer. The Psalms
collection follows this movement. Psalm 1 functions as an orienting prism
through which we enter the world of the Psalms.
Israel
lived in the world of worship (meditation) that brought her into contact with
the voice of the Lord (Torah). This, according to Psalm 1, is where our duty
and well-being lie.[7] Psalm 1 claims that the songs which follow
can only be sung by those who gladly participate in this Torah-shaped community.
Forming an
“envelope” at the end is Psalm 150.
Psalm 150 which was placed, perhaps written as, the conclusion of the
entire Psalter. Some believe the last five Psalms were written as a conclusion leading
to a crescendo of praise: the Hallelujah Psalms (Pss 146-150). Indeed the last words of the book are “Praise
the LORD” (Ps 150: 6b). The Psalms
characteristically include a call or summons to praise along with reasons or
motivations for that praise.[8] Psalm 117 is an example:
Summons Praise
the LORD, all you nations!
Extol
him, all you peoples
Reasons for
great
is his steadfast love toward us,
and
the faithfulness of the LORD
endures
forever.
Summons Praise
the LORD!
While the other Hallelujah Psalms contain motives and
rationales, Psalm 150, as the conclusion of the Psalter, contains no reason or
motivation for praise. It is the only Psalm completely lacking such motivation.[9] Rather
this Psalm calls for an ungrounded summons to worship for all creatures, all of
life, without qualification or reserve.
It simply demands an utter abandonment of self in the worship of God
without vested interest. No characterization of God is given in the Psalm at
all: it is enough that Yahweh is praised simply as Yahweh. It is “in the sanctuary” and praise “in the highest
heavens” (Ps 150:1)—it is an assembly in the presence of God surrounded by
musical praise by multiple participants.
Psalm 1 and
150 frame the book and likely were carefully selected or created as bookends
for Israel’s
hymnbook. The scope of the book thus is discipleship (obedience, Ps 1) and
boundless praise (worshiping in assembly, Ps 150). There is theological
movement from Pss 1 to 150. Obedience is
the beginning point of a life of praise and praise is the culmination of
discipleship. Only those who take their
vocation as priests seriously are allowed to ascend the mountain into the
presence of God. Though obedience is
taken seriously it is seen as only the beginning point. The faithful begin with obedience but move
beyond duty to communion. Disciples
never leave obedience but, the community transcends obedience for the sake of
communion with God. In the words of
Brueggemann it is a move from “willing duty to utter delight.”[10]
The dynamic
life within the kingdom of priests as bounded by discipleship and praise is
present in Psalm 50 which is a “sunrise” service (50:1) integrated into the
Feast of Tabernacles.[11] The psalm narrates a sacramental encounter in
which the voice of the Lord bursts forth.
God’s voice comes to Israel
rather than Israel’s
voice rising to the Lord in this assembly. Psalm 50 opens with echoes of the great
day of assembly at Mount Sinai (recall our previous posts) and summons
heaven and earth as witnesses to the prophetic encounter (Ps 50.1-5)
The mighty
one, God the LORD,
speaks and summons the earth
from
the rising of the sun to its setting.
Out of Zion, the perfection of
beauty,
God shines
forth.
Our God
comes and does not keep silence,
before him is a devouring fire,
and
a mighty tempest all around him.
He calls to
the heavens above
and to the earth, that he may judge his
people:
"Gather
to me my faithful ones,
who made a covenant with me by
sacrifice!"
In response to being carried on eagles’ wings to the
presence of the Lord, Israel
had covenanted to pursue a kingdom vocation—a nation holy to the Lord as a
kingdom of priests. These saints prepare
to meet God as Yahweh himself comes, and he is not “silent” (Ps 50:3). As a worshiping assembly Israel’s
lifestyle is comes under holy examination.
God challenges Israel’s
temptation to fashion an idol of the mind shaped by Canaanite paganism. Stressing his transcendence Yahweh, again
using language evocative of Sinai, says “I am God, your God” (Ps 50:7c; cf. Ex
20:2). What motivates these assembled Israelites
to bring sacrifices? Yahweh does not need their sacrifices because the whole
earth belongs to him (Ps 50:8-10). Their false assumptions about who God is,
evidenced in their conception of sacrificial worship, are rooted in the
people’s failure to live the covenantal life. “What right do you have to recite
my laws or take my covenant on your lips?” Yahweh asks (Ps 50:16, NIV). The worshipers profane the assembly by
adultery, stealing, deceit and slander.
In this assembly
the voice of God confronts Israel
with her hypocrisy. She has been
enthusiastic in her sacrificial worship but has failed to see that worship is
also loving obedience. This Psalm envisions
assembled Israel
at Sinai for a fresh encounter with Yahweh but here Yahweh confronts his people
with the last half of the Ten Commandments given on that mountain. The Lord had
endured Israel’s
covenant breaking but now rebukes them.
God confronts Israel
with the words “you thought I was altogether like you” (Ps 50:21). Israel,
however, was supposed to be like the One who said “be holy because I, the LORD
your God, am holy” (Lev 11:44; 19:1; 20:7).
When the holiness of God is trivialized there is a corresponding cheapening
of life and assembly.[12]
Yet the
holy and transcendent One is also the redeeming Lord that brought Israel
to himself on eagles’ wings. God calls
even the less than perfect into communion with him. It is not Yahweh’s goal to shame Israel through
rejecting her flawed corporate worship or cast her out of his presence because of
the fallenness witnessed in their lives.
Rather Israel’s
encounter with her Lord in the assembly is medicine for the soul—it is a
transforming encounter. In light of God’s
holiness Israel
becomes conscious of her need for grace.
The holy presence that reveals her flaws is also what provides her healing. By assembling on the mountain and coming into
his presence Israel
finds God transforming her into the very thing she professed to be—a kingdom of
priests and a holy nation. With this
realization of the grace of God in corporate worship, rather than rejecting
liturgical worship, God calls the assembled saints to (Ps 50: 14-15, 23)
Sacrifice
thank offerings to God,
fulfill your vows to the Most High
and call on me in the day of trouble;
I will
deliver you, and you will
honor me …
He who
sacrifices thank offerings
honors me,
and he prepares the way so
that I may show him the
salvation of God.
Psalm 50 links in the rhythm of Israel’s life with obedience and
praise. The daily life of Israel
witnessed to her missional priestly vocation on behalf of the world. She
lived worship through honoring the covenant.
Yet through sacramental encounter on the mountain with God Israel finds
the gracious transforming power of God to mold her into the vocation she
confessed.
Discipleship
and Gathering in the Prophets
In the nineteenth
century liberal critical scholarship commonly posited a serious breach between Israel’s
prophets and the cultic (i.e. liturgical) worship prescribed in the Torah. The prophets were seen as religious geniuses
who moved away from the crass and materialistic ideas associated with Israel’s religious
life. The prophets, it was said, pleaded for a more satisfying vision of the
spiritual life concerned with ethics rather than “formal” worship. That
nineteenth century vision of the prophets is a modern rather than ancient
reality. [13]
The
prophets are the conscience of Israel indeed.
They protested injustice. They insisted that our lives themselves are sacrifices to the
Lord. Amos and other prophets evaluated Israel’s
worship and found the assembled worshipers
wanting. Rather than outside or above
the Torah the prophets were indebted to Israel’s worship traditions for
many of their indictments. In fact many of the prophets themselves often come out of Israel’s
priestly and liturgical tradition.
Jeremiah and Ezekiel were raised in priestly families (Jer 1:1; Ezk.
1:3). Habakkuk was probably a temple
prophet (3:1, 19c). Psalm 50 and the
prophetic indictments of vain worship through empty sacrifice stand in the same
tradition.
The
prophets attacked the false deities that we often worship. Israel found herself guilty of
idolatry, giving homage to gods of their own creation. The prophet Jeremiah brings these idols under
examination in a single passage (9:23-24)
Thus says
the LORD: Do not let the wise boast in their wisdom, do not let the
mighty boast in their might, do not let the wealthy boast in their wealth; but let those who boast boast in this, that
they understand and know me,
that I am the LORD; I act with steadfast love, justice and righteousness
in the earth, for in these things I delight, says the LORD.
Not every idol is made out of wood, stone, or metal. The gods of knowledge, power and money are
sly and demand servitude that is rightly understood as a form of worship. Sounding quite contemporary Jeremiah calls
for a microscopic heart exam. Whatever is
enthroned in our heart finds expression in our lives. The life we live proclaims the god we
serve. This is why the prophets chastised
Israel
who, in spite of her careful religious observance, did not live the covenant
life that proclaimed the true God.
Though carefully executed, Israel’s worship assemblies were as
dead as their lifeless idols. Amos revealed the
extent of the hypocrisy (Amos 8:4-6)
Hear this
you that trample on the needy,
and bring to ruin the poor of the land,
saying,
“When will the new moon be over
so that we may sell grain; and the Sabbath
so that we may offer wheat for sale?
We will
make the ephah small and the
and
the shekel great,
and practice deceit with false balances,
buying the
poor for silver
and the needy for a pair of sandals,
and selling
the sweepings
of the wheat.
The Israelites were scrupulous about “going to church!” But when they came into Yahweh’s holy presence
as Gathered as his People they conspired to abuse the powerless and boost the profits. The only gods encountered in these assemblies
were money and power. One of Israel’s most basic covenant requirements was
“to remember that you were slaves in Egypt” (Deut 5:15; 10:19) as the
foundation for generosity and justice. Rather
than being “living sabbaths” for the sake of those around her, however, Israel became a
reincarnated Pharaoh. Fulfilling the
evil planned in assembly, powerful Israelites “covet fields, and seize them”
(Micah 2:2; cf. Isa 5:8); the “righteous are sold for silver and the poor for a
pair of shoes” (Amos 2:6); judges “who take a bribe” deny the poor justice
(Amos 5:10, 12, 15); women are sexually abused (Amos 2:7b); and the merchant
class are criminals (Amos 8:4-6). When
this group of Israelites decided to look good by going to Yahweh’s holy convocation
the voice of Amos exploded (Amos 5:21-24; cf. Isa 1:10-20)
I hate, I
despise your festivals,
and I take no delight in your
solemn assemblies.
Even though
you offer me your
burnt offerings and grain offerings,
I will not accept them;
and the offerings of well-being
of your fatted animals
I will not look upon.
Take away
from me the noise of
your songs;
I will not listen to the melody
of
your harps.
But let
justice roll down like waters,
and righteousness like an everflowing
stream.
Israel
had mistakenly believed that the sine qua
non of worship was making sure the rituals were done properly and the
priests were feed.[14] Rather than a sweet smelling sacrifice such
assemblies were nauseating to Yahweh. Israel’s assemblies, rather than
being holy convocations, had become base profanity. The prophets protested this continual
profaning of the assembly that eventually drove the glory of the Lord from the
temple (Ezk 10).
Returning
from exile many Israelites were not as enthusiastic about corporate worship as
their grandparents. The temple remained
in ruins. Yahweh had made it possible
for his people to return to the land of promise though only a small remnant did. This remnant once again succumbed to the scourge
of materialism as they built “paneled houses” while the house of God remained
in desolation (Hag 1:3). Haggai noted
that their feelings of dissatisfaction with the rhythm of life stemmed from the
failure to renew temple worship (Hag 1:5-6).
Rather than
condemning the temple’s worship assemblies, Haggai - in the midst of the Feast of Tabernacles itself, exhorted the returned exiles
to renew their relationship with God by returning to his presence in
worship. Zerubbabel and Joshua rallied
the people to hear the word of God and built Yahweh’s palace. It was apparently a poor palace: some thought
it was practically nothing (Hag 2:3).
But the point was not its grandeur. Rather the place of worship was
assurance for a tiny people; it was the promise of God, “I am with you” (Hag
1:13; 2:4). Through temple assemblies
God assured his people “my Spirit remains among you” (Hag 2:5, NIV). In the presence of the Lord the Israelites,
surrounded by enemies, from within and without, were not afraid (Hag 2:5).
The
prophets dreamed of that day when Israel would truly be a holy
nation, a kingdom of priests, fulfilling her missional vocation to lead the nations into
the praise and worship of Yahweh. There
would be a new Jerusalem and a pure temple for the gathered people of God.[15]
The nations would assemble on God’s mountain and bring their lives to the Holy
One of Israel. Word of God came to
Isaiah (2:2-3; Micah 4:1-5)
In days to
come the mountain of the LORD’s house
shall be established as the highest of the
mountains,
and shall be raised above the hills;
all the
nations shall stream to it.
Many
peoples will say,
“Come, let us go up to the mountain of the
LORD,
to the house of the God of Jacob;
that he may teach us his ways
and we may walk in his paths.”
For out of Zion shall go forth
instruction,
and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.
The prophet also saw the day when the Egyptians would erect
an altar in honor of the Lord (Isa 19:19).
In that day both of Israel’s
ancient oppressors, Egypt
and Assyria, would join the assembly and worship Yahweh (Isa 19:21-25, NIV) and
Yahweh himself “will bless them, saying, ‘Blessed be Egypt
my people, Assyria my handiwork, and Israel my inheritance’” (Isa 19:25,
NIV). Ancient enemies not only forget
their hatreds in the Gathered assembly before the Lord, but are transformed into
partners to further the work of God in bringing shalom back to his vandalized creation.
Ezekiel
longed for the day when God’s people would undergo heart transplants and be
filled with the Holy Spirit to be a devoted kingdom of priests (Ezk 36). Rather than leading the nations into worship,
Ezekiel laments that Israel
had actually led the nations to profane his name. Appealing to the image of the Garden of Eden,
Ezekiel prophesies that Israel
will experience a resurrection by the gracious power of Yahweh (Ezk 36:35;
37:1-14). Resurrected Israel, planted in the new Eden, will have an idyllic temple flowing
with the river of life. Israel will
never again profane the name of the Lord (Ezk 43:7) and the glory of the Lord
will fill the temple. The renewed, Spirit-filled, Israel will dwell in this land, and
much like Adam and Eve, in the presence of the Lord. For Ezekiel promises, indeed his last words
are, “THE LORD IS THERE” (Ezk 48:35b, NIV).
Conclusion
Does it
make biblical and theological sense to affirm we “gather in God’s presence.” The theology of sacred space in the Old
Testament teaches us that saints do indeed gather on the mountain in the
presence of the Holy One. Or better, in
his grace Yahweh comes to his people who have gathered in his name.
There is a
difference between God’s omnipresence and his redemptive presence.[16] While not using these technical theological
terms the biblical narrative clearly affirms both of these realities. Scripture affirms God’s omnipresence. “Where can I go from your Spirit?” the
Psalmist writes. “Or where can I flee
from your presence?” (Ps 139:7; cf. 139:8-12; Jer. 23:23-24). The Bible clearly teaches that all space is
present to God. Yet, Scripture also
teaches there is a different kind of “presence” that we have explored at length
in this chapter. This presence is God’s
holy communion which he shares with those he redeems and covenants with. This presence is what confronted Moses’ at
the burning bush, what went with the Israelites through the Exodus, and filled
the tabernacle and temple. This is the presence
of which the famous “As the Deer” passage speaks (Psalm 42:1-2)
As the deer
longs for flowing streams,
so my soul longs for you, O God.
My soul
thirsts for God, for the living God,.
When shall
I come and behold
the
face of God?
We assemble
on the mountain. We assemble before the
throne. We assemble in the name of the
Lord bringing lives that have been freely offered upon the altar for him. We assemble as the Gathered People of God in anticipation
of seeing God face to face.
[1] Peter C.
Craigie believes the Exodus is the beginning of Israel’s Psalm tradition, cf. Psalms 1-59 (Waco, TX: Word, 1983),
25-26.
[2] Sigmund
Mowinckel, The Psalms in Israel’s Worship,
2 Vols. (Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1962)
[3] Andrew
Hill, Enter His Courts With Praise,
205.
[4] See
Walter Brueggemann, The Message of the
Psalms: A Theological Commentary (Minneapolis: Augsburg, 1984), 94-106.
[5] Sigmund
Mowinckel, The Psalms in Israel’s Worship,
Vol. 1, 1-22.
[6] Geoffrey
Wainwright, “The Praise of God in the Theological Reflection of the Church,” Interpretation 39 (1985): 39.
[7] See
Walter Brueggemann, “Bounded By Obedience and Praise: The Psalms as Canon,” Journal for the Study of the Old
Testament 50 (1991): 64-65; and J. Clinton McCann, Jr, A Theological Introduction to the Book of Psalms: The Psalms as Torah
(Nashville: Abingdon, 1993), 25-27, 32-40.
[8] Walter
Brueggemann, Israel’s Praise, pp.
74-87.
[9] Walter
Brueggemann, “Bounded by Obedience and Praise,” 67.
[10] Ibid.,
71.
[11] Peter
C. Craigie, Psalms 1-50, p. 364.
[12] Walter Brueggemann,
The Message of the Psalms, 91.
[13] Joseph
Blenkinsopp, A History of Prophecy in Israel,
Revised and Expanded (Louisville, KY: WJK: 1983, 1996), 16-26.
[14] Douglas
Stuart, Hosea-Jonah: Word Biblical
Commentary (Waco, TX: Word, 1987), 355.
[15] Gerhard
von Rad, The Message of the Prophets,
(San Francisco: Harper SanFrancisco, 1962, 1965), 258-263.
[16] See
Tremper Longman III, Immanuel in Our
Place, 21-23.
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