David Bahn – Reflections

Please pray these psalms with me today as we begin a New Year.

Psalm 8

Psalm 8

I’ve been fighting an upper-respiratory infection for the past three days. I’ve done a lot of sleeping, praying, coughing, “resting,” and yearning for relief. I’ve prayed in Jesus’ name for relief. It is my only source of confidence. No amount of personal pain or misery can avail before God. No amount of groveling moves his heart. No amount of personal piety captures his attention. But Jesus: That’s a different story. There are plenty of people who have it much more difficult than I. Many more who struggle with grave illnesses. Many who are likely more pious than I. But our confidence lies outside of ourselves. And Jesus has the name above all names. He promises that’s when we ask in his name God will hear us. He promises that in Jesus’ name answered prayers yield complete joy.

So you’ll excuse the brevity of this post, and call on God in Jesus’ name for me and all who are ill. His name is majestic. He is the embodiment of grace and truth. No matter the circumstances, Jesus’ name avails.  O LORD, our LORD, how majestic is your name in all the earth!

Psalm 8

Maybe you do it monthly. Some do it weekly. Some not at all. But it is good to take an accounting of your assets on a regular basis. That includes your financial assets (least important), intellectual assets (the intelligence and mental wherewithal that God has given you), physical assets (your health, and ability to use your body for God’s purposes – which includes the time at your disposal), relational assets (people in your realm of influence on whom you can count for help or leverage for good), and spiritual assets (the wisdom, faith, power, and authority God gives his children over every kind of evil). These Five Capitals are assets we have to invest for the sake of God’s kingdom and which we may use for his glory.

David mentions some of these here in this psalm.

Yet you have made him a little lower than the heavenly beings
    and crowned him with glory and honor.
⁶ You have given him dominion over the works of your hands;
    you have put all things under his feet,
⁷ all sheep and oxen,
    and also the beasts of the field,
⁸ the birds of the heavens, and the fish of the sea,
    whatever passes along the paths of the seas. -Psalm 8:5-8.

God has given us these as a trust. We have these things not just for our own benefit, but for the benefit of the whole world itself. God has entrusted these to us for his glory and our good. We are to use them in ways that honor him, and reflect his love to others. And while we often think of things entrusted to us in terms of financial wealth, that is only part of the story.

As we do take an account of all these blessings, it should lead us further to praise God, to acknowledge him as the giver of every good and perfect gift, and to praise him in humble wonder for the trust he has placed in us.

We often think about the wisdom of trusting in God above all things. Here we might stop and ponder how God has trusted us with all these things. Would our use of our assets cause people to praise God, the LORD, whose name is majestic in all the earth? Surely it should.

Psalm 8

We were on a road trip to Colorado. We had turned north to connect with Interstate 25, and our son who had been driving decided he wanted a break. He pulled off the road onto the shoulder and got out. “Everyone out of the car!” He was emphatic. No argument. We wondered what was up. “Look up! Isn’t it amazing?!” It was amazing. The display of the starry hosts was absolutely  stunning. It wasn’t so much like seeing the Milky Way Galaxy. But there were so many stars. The cold night air without the interference of light pollution yielded an unrivaled view of the heavens.

Psalm 19 says, “The heavens declare the glory of God, the skies proclaim the work of his hands.” Psalm 8 says,

When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers,
    the moon and the stars, which you have set in place,
⁴ what is man that you are mindful of him,
    and the son of man that you care for him?

When is the last time you’ve marveled at the expanse of the heavens? And when you do, is it the same for you? Do you marvel at the fact that God is mindful of man? Does it touch your heart to know that in the vastness of the universe, God has a heart for you? Does it give you pause to remember that Jesus said,

Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. ³⁰ But even the hairs of your head are all numbered.³¹ Fear not, therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows. – Matthew 10:29-31

This psalm is about the excellence of God’s name. It is connected with our relative insignificance in the face of the glorious heavenly display of stars, planets, and moon. God is greater than the glory of the heavens. He is also compassionate and caring of women and men. He is truly glorious. Grand. Splendid. Majestic.

We are watching The Star of Bethlehem DVD with our family tonight. It’s about the study of the night skies around the time of Jesus’ birth. Rick Larson has done extensive research on the astronomical realities of the star seen by the wise men. This is yet another facet of the majesty of God – wishing all to know of his Son’s birth. Getting the attention of people from far away, and bringing them to worship the newborn king. They worship him because he is glorious. We believe in him because we know he is also gracious and good. Like no one else.

O LORD, our LORD, how excellent is your name in all the earth! All creation sings his praise. Can we even possibly not join the song?

David Bahn-Reflections Podcast

Psalm 8

O LORD, our LORD,
    how majestic is your name in all the earth!
You have set your glory above the heavens.
²     Out of the mouth of babies and infants,
you have established strength because of your foes,
    to still the enemy and the avenger.

³ When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers,
    the moon and the stars, which you have set in place,
⁴ what is man that you are mindful of him,
    and the son of man that you care for him?

⁵ Yet you have made him a little lower than the heavenly beings
    and crowned him with glory and honor.
⁶ You have given him dominion over the works of your hands;
    you have put all things under his feet,
⁷ all sheep and oxen,
    and also the beasts of the field,
⁸ the birds of the heavens, and the fish of the sea,
    whatever passes along the paths of the seas.

⁹ O LORD, our LORD,
    how majestic is your name in all the earth!

Jesus says that it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter heaven. He also said that with God all things are possible. That means there is hope for you and me. We are all so rich by the world’s standards. But all it takes is faith. Through faith in Jesus we are saved. How hard is that?

My favorite Martin Luther film has Jesus teaching his students in the Wittenberg university. He is teaching them that we are saved by faith, not by works. One of the students asks, “It’s all by faith? No works?” When Luther says yes, the student mumbles under his breath, “It can’t be that easy.” Luther says, “You think faith is easy?”

Faith isn’t just difficult. It is impossible apart from the influence and power of the Holy Spirit. In fact, “No one can say, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ except by the power of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 12:3). So comes the issue of faith in an infant. And how can it be that from the mouth of infants and babies God has ordained praise?

On a purely human level, in my opinion, it is easier for a baby to believe than it is for an adult to believe. We adults have had the secret decoder rings promised on the cereal box turn out to be far less cool than we thought. We’ve learned to read the fine print. The commercials don’t fool us. We are the wiser ones. Little children, on the other hand have yet to learn these hard lessons. They’ll believe anything.

Except faith is not just belief. It is also trust, and love. And that move in the heart is a miracle of the Holy Spirit that moves us to praise him. When God’s Holy Spirit comes to us, and does his work, people are set free. Sins are forgiven. Joy is born. Peace prevails. Praise ensues.

Who alone does this good work in us? Only God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit – in whose name we are baptized. And in that moment, God puts his name on us. We are his. O LORD, our LORD, how majestic is your name in all the earth! We and babies and infants sing your praise.

David Bahn-Reflections Podcast

Psalm 8

O LORD, our LORD,
    how majestic is your name in all the earth!
You have set your glory above the heavens.
²     Out of the mouth of babies and infants,
you have established strength because of your foes,
    to still the enemy and the avenger.

³ When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers,
    the moon and the stars, which you have set in place,
⁴ what is man that you are mindful of him,
    and the son of man that you care for him?

⁵ Yet you have made him a little lower than the heavenly beings
    and crowned him with glory and honor.
⁶ You have given him dominion over the works of your hands;
    you have put all things under his feet,
⁷ all sheep and oxen,
    and also the beasts of the field,
⁸ the birds of the heavens, and the fish of the sea,
    whatever passes along the paths of the seas.

⁹ O LORD, our LORD,
    how majestic is your name in all the earth!

I thought I was prepared. I had name tags and markers. I had a list with many names. All with the meanings attached. But the list proved to be not just unhelpful, but irrelevant. I wanted to ask the children their names and then tell them what their names meant. But their names were all very different. Foreign. African. I had to ask each one to spell her name. Beautiful, but mysterious to me. Not mysterious, but beautiful to God.

So I shared with the children yesterday morning that God knows each of their names. And that he has called them by name. And that he has put his name on them in their baptism. And that he loves them. And they are each special to him. They are part of his family. Then we prayed…in Jesus’ name.

Sunday, January 1, 2023 is celebrated in most Christian churches as the Circumcision and Name of Jesus. Jesus: the name means, “The Lord Saves.” Jesus, name above all names. Jesus of Nazareth: Savior and Lord. And here we have the this beautiful psalm. And its refrain, “O LORD, our LORD, how majestic is your name in all the earth!”

When it is spelled with all caps, it stands for the holy sacred name of God, “Yahweh” (יהוה). It’s the name God gave to Moses when he called Moses, speaking to him through a burning bush (cf. Exodus 3:1-15). It was considered so sacred that the Jewish rabbis and lectors would substitute “Adoni” in place of “Yahweh” when they came to that in the texts of the Old Testament.

This name, LORD, is majestic and holy. So profound that scholars and rabbis have studied it and his works for millenia. Yet it is so accessible that a child can speak it in great power. It puts substance behind our faith. It is more majestic than the highest heavens, yet comes to the most humble of needy in grace and mercy. It instills fear and inspires love in the hearts of all kinds of people, young and old, rich and poor, mighty and weak, religious and those who do not think of themselves so.

God has further revealed his name to be Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. And the name Jesus, most especially, is the name above all names. At the name of Jesus every knee will bow in heaven and on earth and under the earth and proclaim, “Jesus Christ is Lord,” to the glory of the Father, and by the power of the Holy Spirit. Most excellent!

Please pray these psalms with me today as we begin a New Year.

Psalm 1

David Bahn-Reflections Podcast

Psalm 1

Blessed is the man
    who walks not in the counsel of the wicked,
nor stands in the way of sinners,
    nor sits in the seat of scoffers;
² but his delight is in the law of the Lord,
    and on his law he meditates day and night.

³ He is like a tree
    planted by streams of water
that yields its fruit in its season,
    and its leaf does not wither.
In all that he does, he prospers.
⁴ The wicked are not so,
    but are like chaff that the wind drives away.

⁵ Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment,
    nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous;
⁶ for the Lord knows the way of the righteous,
    but the way of the wicked will perish.

I haven’t forgotten. It’s not only because there are still gifts to be delivered and given. It’s because Christmas is not over. The season leading up to December 24 is actually the Advent season of the Christian Church Year. Many people completely ignore it. We’re just not good at waiting. We want it now. So we turn the days after Thanksgiving (if we wait even that long) into a month-long Christmas obsession. Then on the 26th – if not before the end of Christmas Day, the decorations come down. They’ve already removed the wreath from our neighborhood entrance.

But Christmas actually lasts until Epiphany – the Christmas of the Gentiles – January 6. And although you might have wondered (if you’ve been reading this blog for the past few days) whether I’m finished with Christmas. I haven’t said much about it. But today I will. And it has everything to do with what it means to adhere to the warnings and promises of this psalm.

And Joseph. Mary’s betrothed. The earthly father of Jesus. Matthew tells us:

Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. ¹⁹ And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly. ²⁰ But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. ²¹ She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” ²² All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet:

²³ “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son,
and they shall call his name Immanuel”

(which means, God with us). ²⁴ When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him: he took his wife, ²⁵ but knew her not until she had given birth to a son. And he called his name Jesus. -Matthew 1:18-25

Joseph was a righteous man. But he didn’t posture in his righteousness. That was the expertise of the Pharisees. They harrumphed, and judged, and made sure to punish anyone who did not live up to their standards (which were conveniently lax toward their own pecadillos). Joseph in his righteousness did not take the counsel of such self-righteous persons as they. Joseph took the path of love – the truest measure of righteousness. He did not blame. He did not keep a record of wrongs. He bore Mary’s burden. He believed the angel’s message. He hoped to make a life with her. Check out 1 Corinthians 13 and think of how Joseph so graciously lived out that description of love.

Joseph also waited. He waited to know Mary as his wife until after the child was born. He waited to name the child until the proper time, and called him Jesus. He waited for God to reveal his plan before acting. And he was blessed. He provided for their safety when Herod’s threats impinged on the child Jesus. He brought his family to Egypt and then back to Nazareth to raise the boy Jesus. He took Jesus to the temple. He also knew who Jesus’ true father was. It was not Joseph.

And how did all this work out? Jesus grew into a young man who loved God and his neighbor perfectly. I can’t think of a better parenting success story than that.

We don’t know much about Joseph. But we can see the righteousness of his character in the little we do know. Obedience and patience are not often the counsel of the wicked, sinners, or scoffers. Thank God Joseph did not take their counsel, but obeyed God, believed the angel’s message, and waited for God to lead and provide for him: Truly blessed he was indeed.

David Bahn-Reflections Podcast

Psalm 1

Blessed is the man
    who walks not in the counsel of the wicked,
nor stands in the way of sinners,
    nor sits in the seat of scoffers;
² but his delight is in the law of the Lord,
    and on his law he meditates day and night.

³ He is like a tree
    planted by streams of water
that yields its fruit in its season,
    and its leaf does not wither.
In all that he does, he prospers.
⁴ The wicked are not so,
    but are like chaff that the wind drives away.

⁵ Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment,
    nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous;
⁶ for the Lord knows the way of the righteous,
    but the way of the wicked will perish.

Years ago I learned of an interesting way to think of theology. There is Einsteinian theology and Newtonian theology. I wrote about this last May. A simple explanation: Newtonian theology is the application of faith to our outward actions. We are good neighbors, faithful friends, pay our bills, respect those in authority, and behave in a decent and ethical manner. Those are all good ways of loving our neighbor. Anyone can do this. Muslim, Buddhist, Atheist, Christian alike. Only Christians truly love God, however, so there is a distinction between followers of Jesus and others, outwardly speaking.

Looking deeper – which is what God does, he looks at the heart – we have a more important righteousness. It is the righteousness of faith. This is the righteousness of (from) God of which Paul speaks in Romans 1:16-17, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. ¹⁷ For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, ‘The righteous shall live by faith.’” This is Einsteinian theology. It goes to the core of things. It’s not a matter of mere outward observance. It’s a matter of the heart. 

All this is to say that Psalm 1 is speaking of the true righteousness of faith that is revealed in outward actions. And to some extent even those outside the Christian faith (Jewish faith in David’s day) may experience the benefits of outward godly living. That is the basis of decent and orderly society. We experience it every day here in the United States. It’s by no means perfect, but generally speaking people stop at red lights, drive on the right side of the road, and carry out orderly business transactions.

But that’s not the concern I want to emphasize here. I want us to realize that we who focus so much energy on inward righteousness of faith (truly essential) must not neglect acting on that faith. Or as John the Baptizer put it, if we have repented, we must bring forth the fruits of repentance.” (Matthew 3:8) We who believe in Jesus ought to live outwardly in keeping with his commands. After all, Jesus’ Great Commission includes not only the command to baptize, but to teach the nations all that he has commanded us. (cf. Matthew 28:20)

In another previous post I shared an imaginary conversation between Jesus and a good Lutheran:

Jesus: Love your neighbor.
Lutheran: O, Lord Jesus, forgive me. I have failed to love my neighbor as I should. I have hurt and harmed him. Forgive me!
Jesus: I know that. I forgive you. Now, love your neighbor.
Lutheran: Thank you Lord Jesus! And I will try to love my neighbor, but I know I won’t do it perfectly. Even my best efforts will fail to love him as I should.
Jesus: I know that. I forgive you. I will help you. Now, love your neighbor.
Lutheran: Lord Jesus, I will try to love my neighbor, but I don’t want to do it with false motives. I know I cannot please you or earn your favor by loving my neighbor, for I am a sinner.
Jesus: Yes. I know that. But you are also a saint. Now, love your neighbor.

The promises of this Psalm apply to any follower of Jesus who is willing to reject the influences of this world and love his or her neighbor. We won’t do it perfectly. But certainly we must do this – not to gain God’s favor, or even merely to get these promised blessings – because God has loved us so fully in Jesus, and by reflecting that love to others we honor him. That’s what I want to do, and I pray you do also, Dear Reader.

David Bahn-Reflections Podcast

Psalm 1

Blessed is the man
    who walks not in the counsel of the wicked,
nor stands in the way of sinners,
    nor sits in the seat of scoffers;
² but his delight is in the law of the Lord,
    and on his law he meditates day and night.

³ He is like a tree
    planted by streams of water
that yields its fruit in its season,
    and its leaf does not wither.
In all that he does, he prospers.
⁴ The wicked are not so,
    but are like chaff that the wind drives away.

⁵ Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment,
    nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous;
⁶ for the Lord knows the way of the righteous,
    but the way of the wicked will perish.

There are two progressions in this psalm. Both are dangerous and evil. One has to do with the person’s way of life and the way he or she embraces evil influences. Walking, standing, and sitting: these represent a progression of greater and greater opportunities to be influenced for evil. The second progression is the people encountered in each of these postures. Wicked people, sinners, and scoffers: These are not mere poetic expressions of evil. They are increasingly dangerous manifestations of evil to be avoided by righteous people.

Although it is quite possible that wicked and sinner are nearly equivalent, a scoffer is a greater evil. The warning here is to avoid the counsel of the wicked (another translation for wicked is ungodly). According to Jesus, even his followers were evil (cf. Luke 11:13). And remember Jesus even called Peter Satan (cf. Matthew 16:23). Peter and all repentant sinners do not stand with the wicked. We battle against those impulses that war against the will of God. It’s a lifelong battle, and it is only lost if we give up the fight. We don’t stay with the wicked or seek their counsel.

We all sin. We do so because we are sinners. A sinner is one who wanders off the path of righteousness. A sinner is one who misses the mark of God’s will. And although we are sinners, that’s not the final word we claim. We are repentant sinners. We may step out of bounds – in fact we all do. But we do not make excuses for our behavior. We repent. To walk in the path of sinners is to refuse to repent.

But let us beware of a greater evil: taking a seat with the scoffers. These dismiss God and his ways. The scoffer denies God’s word and promises. Scoffers belittle Christians, the Christian Church, godly and decent behavior, and Jesus himself. They sit in judgment of God. They deride everything good. They reject the truth of their sin, which M. Scott Peck describes as the essence of evil. He says that evil people lack “awareness of their own evil” (click this link for the full quote).

A repentant sinner is still a sinner, but not only a sinner, also a saint. So it stands to reason that we will sometimes experience difficulty: withering leaves so to speak. But because we are also new creations in Christ we also produce delightful fruit. The key is to be united to Jesus (cf. John 15).

So how is it that Jesus who lived a perfect life in every possible way did not experience total outward success? Why does his life on earth not look like a tree planted beside the waters? He died a cruel and unjust death. How does that square with the psalm?

First of all Jesus went through the valley of the shadow of death for us, carrying our sin to the cross. He took on the consequences of our wickedness, sin, and scoffing. But God raised him from the dead, and exalted him above all. The ultimate fulfillment of this Psalm is connected to Jesus. Through faith in him we will be exalted in glory with him forever. I’ll have more to say about all this tomorrow.