Saturday, March 21, 2020

Seder 3: Psalm 92---Praising God and His Works

Psalm 92 is headed, "A Psalm.  A Song for the Sabbath Day".  According to the Mishnah (Tammid 7:4) it was used by the Levites in Temple worship on the Sabbath.

One rabbinic midrash asks why the heading mentions "a psalm" and then "a song".  R. Isaac explained this apparent redundancy by explaining that this was a Sabbath psalm, and for the Sabbath everything is doubled.  During the Exodus there was a double portion of manna for Friday/Saturday.  The daily sacrifices at the Temple were doubled (Num 28:9).  Isa 58:14 promises a double blessing for delighting in the Sabbath.  The Sabbath commandment includes two parts:  Remembering the Sabbath and keeping it holy.

The song "It Is Good" by Israel's Hope comes from this psalm.  

Psalm 92:1 says that it is good---appropriate, beneficial, pleasing to God---to praise God, and to give thanks:  

Verse 2 says that we praise God's love (chesed) and faithfulness (emunah).  We carry out that praise in morning and night--all the time.

Verses 2-3 give a hint of this psalm being used performed in conjunction with morning and evening sacrifices.

From God's love and faithfulness spring his great works of creation and redemption--v. 4.  (One midrash says that Adam praised God's creation when he first saw it.)  These works include rewarding the righteous and judging the wicked (verses 7-12).   God's activities in this regard are a big theme in the Psalms, starting with the very first one.

Judgment and reward aren't carried out necessarily by an immediate "measure for measure" response.  God's plan is "very deep" (v. 5), beyond our comprehension.

Some don't recognize this (v. 6).  In the short term the wicked may prosper (v 7),but God, who is eternal (v 8), is playing "the long game", with everything being set right at the end.

The psalmist (perhaps David) thanks God for raising him up and defeating the wicked.  Verse 10 ("you have poured over me fresh oil") reminds us of Psalm 23.  David is an anointed one, a type of the Messiah.

Ultimately the righteous flourish like the palm tree and cedar, trees known for strength, longevity, desirability, fruitfulness.  The righteous are close to God ("planted in the house of Adonai").  They "still produce fruit" in old age---like Abraham, who had a second family late in life.

The final word:  God is upright "and there is no unrighteousness in him."  A midrash says that Adam recognized this and admitted that his being expelled from the Garden of Eden was his fault.  His situation can be compared to a patient who is told by the doctor what to eat and what not to eat.  He didn't follow the doctor's orders, and so he became sick.

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