Psalm 50 opens with an announcement of coming of God to call the people of the covenant to account. On the day of judgment God shines forth and “does not keep silent” but speaks forth. The reader of this psalm should remember the nonsilence of the heavenly Judge with some trepidation on arrival at verseContinue reading “You thought that I was one just like yourself (Psalm 50)”
Author Archives: James Ernest
What I have seen and where I stand: my Democratic manifesto
Why and how I have come to believe that as a Christian citizen of the United States of American in 2021 I must support the Democratic Party.
My voice to the Lord (Psalm 142)
How shall I use my voice? The opening lines of Psalm 142 are striking, with their repeated “qoli le-Adonai”: “My voice to the Lord . . . my voice to the Lord.” I have a voice too. How will I use mine? To whom will I direct mine? I am not in the situation ofContinue reading “My voice to the Lord (Psalm 142)”
When the crowds of followers gather, watch for hypocrisy—in our leaders, in ourselves
“While the crowd was gathered together by the thousands, so as to trample upon each other, he began to speak to his disciples first: take heed to yourselves from the leaven, i.e., hypocrisy, of the Pharisees. And nothing is concealed that will not be revealed, and hidden that will not be made known. So whateverContinue reading “When the crowds of followers gather, watch for hypocrisy—in our leaders, in ourselves”
How to pray for the peace of Jerusalem (Psalm 122)
Zion, Zionism, and Christian interpretation of the Psalms of Ascents.
Whose friend can I be? (Psalm 119:63)
What do we mean when we say, “I am a companion to all them that fear thee”? What are the aims and limits of friendship in Christ?
Divine child abuse, or human God abuse?
You don’t have to be paying excessive attention to theological questions to know that some theologians have denounced certain ways of understanding the atonement (for example) as tantamount to portraying God as an abusive parent, and that some people have reacted—using what I think of as the (non)logic of NYA-nya-nya-NYA-nya, which in the past severalContinue reading “Divine child abuse, or human God abuse?”
How to pray for government leaders: a biblical model (Psalm 72)
Talk to God. Praise God ALONE. Prayer for the leader is focused on the leader’s serving the good of the poor of your people.
Who is the “you” in “fret not yourself” (Psalm 37) ?
To cover complacency, inaction, and complicity in injustice by appropriating to oneself the “Fret not” that was spoken to someone else is bad faith.
You, me, them: the moral mindset of Psalm 26
Worship and prayer depend on a certain self-location vis-à-vis the divine “You” and the profane “they/them.” In the attached display of the ESV text of Psalm 26 I have used blue highlighting for the divine “You,” green for the worshipful and morally resolute “I,” and yellow for the profane “they/them.” It would be a mistakeContinue reading “You, me, them: the moral mindset of Psalm 26”
Verba Sparsa 