Sermon Series: Psalm 73, A God-Centric Life, Part 4

The Plot
Aristotle said that a plot is a unified action with a beginning, middle and an end. One of the central principles of plot is transformation. Stories rarely end where they begin. Change, growth and development are the essence of good storytelling.

Simply put, the songwriter of Psalm 73 is telling the story of a transformed life.

The transformation takes place in three scenes:

Opening Scene (vv. 2-3; 13-16) –“Truthful Angst”. The story’s opening scene presents a person with a heart-wrenching struggle. The major conflict of the story, as we have seen, is the collision of the theological setting and his raw experience. The lengthy description of the “arrogant-wicked” character shows his preoccupation with them. The songwriter has studied them; he has observed their every move it seems. Moreover, he has appears to have been able to discern their motives. Apparently, he has allowed his untamed imagination to fill in the blanks. His angst has made him unrealistic in his assessment of both the wicked and himself. Of course in truth, the wicked are no more unaffected by humanly struggles as he is affected.

In the first scene the songwriter paints an honest, albeit messy, portrait of himself as he wrestles together truth and life. There is however a glimmer of hope in the first scene as he instinctively realizes that to think and speak in these angst-ridden ways is to betray the truth. He keeps in his mind the legacy he will leave with his words and actions (v. 15).

Middle Scene (vv. 17-24) – “The Divine Encounter”. The middle scene presents the climax of the story bringing the resolution to his conflict but not in the way one might have expected. After attempting, to the point of exhaustion, to understand his conflict with this mind, for some reason he enters God’s sanctuary. In the sanctuary he meets God and his life is transformed by it. In a moment of divine encounter his blurry vision is cleared. With a glimpse of God, he sees reality as it really is. He perceives both the end of the wicked and the vindication of the righteous. And perhaps as profound, he gains perspective on his own life.

I find two points here powerful. First, the opening scene’s Truth Angst is not considered “sin” or “evil” or “wrong”. It maybe “brutish”, “ignorant” and “beast-like”, but nevertheless in this state he sees that God was with him the whole time. The songwriter realizes that in the midst of that dark place of his life God was walking him through. Second, it is important to note that nothing in the writer’s circumstances has changed. His divine encounter transformed him, not the external reality around him. But it is this perspectival transformation that makes all the difference. He sees his life, you might say, God-trospectively.

Final Scene (vv. 25-28) – “A God-ward Preoccupation”. The final scene presents the aftermath of the climax. And here we have some of the most intense language in the Bible: “Whom have I in heaven but you? And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you. My flesh and heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever” (vv. 25-26). The songwriter becomes totally enraptured by God. The songwriter’s divine encounter has left him spellbound, infatuated, and gripped. But that’s not all. Lest we think of him as fixated and immobilized, he concludes the song with a newfound mission. A God-ward preoccupation is ultimately a vocation.

This story is not, however, a “once in a life time journey” one takes. But, rather, is meant to show the rhythm of life lived as one in relationship with God.

The plot gives us our third characteristic:

Characteristic Three: A real relationship with God is characterized by transformations: a God-centric life on mission.

Sermon Series: Psalm 73, A God-Centric Life, Part 3

The Characters

In a story character is what produces action and the action of the character moves the plot. In every story there is a central character called the protagonist and any character that is set against them is referred to as the antagonist. Also, antagonists often function as foils for the main character. In other words, the antagonist’s function is to accentuate or clarify or reinforce the qualities of the central character by presenting something like the photographic negative. One more point about characters: the protagonist’s experience is presented in a story as an “experiment in living” and is “representative”. Storytellers use the main character to teach something true about life. In this case what a real relationship with God is like. Let’s look at the protagonist and the antagonist of the story.

The Pure-in-heart person (vv. 2, 13, 28). The main character of the story is the author himself. He uses the first-person throughout the song. We should take the terms in verse 1, “Israel” and the “pure in heart”, to be a self-identification: The author is a member of the people of God and is faithful to the covenant. He says as much in fact in verse 13 although sardonically: “All in vain have I kept my heart clean and washed my hands in innocence”. The storyteller’s most encompassing description of himself is as one who is “near God” (v. 28).

The Arrogant-wicked person (vv. 3, 4-12, 27). By comparison however, the songwriter says a great deal more about the antagonist in the story, the “arrogant-wicked” person. The songwriter paints a profile of the arrogant-wicked person with a litany of poetically tailored phrases in verses 4-12. 

• v. 4a – They are described as “having no pangs until death” (ESV). In other words they don’t suffer in this life.
• v. 4b – They are “fat and sleek” (ESV); another translation renders this “their bodies are healthy and strong” (NLT).
• v. 5 – They are not “in trouble as others are” and not “stricken” like everyone else; their carefree. As the NLT usefully translates, “They’re not plagued with problems like everyone else”
• v. 6b – “Violence covers them like a garment”
• v. 7 – “Their eyes swell out through fatness”. The NJB more graphically renders this “From their fat oozes malice”. In other words, their obesity results in sin.
• v. 8 –  “They scoff and speak with malice and “threaten oppression”. 
• vv. 9-10 – The Hebrew text behind verse 10 is uncertain. Translations vary from our ESV to the NET, which reads “Therefore they have more than enough food to eat, and even suck up the water of the sea”. Given the context I’m persuaded that the NET Bible’s got this one right. Therefore, verses 9 and 10 are saying that the wicked hoard and consume all the natural resources; they perpetuate injustice by their insatiable appetites.
• v. 11 – “They say ‘How can God know? Is there any knowledge in the Most High?’” They are unbelieving.

The songwriter rounds his description off with a summary: “These are the wicked: always at ease, they increase in riches” (v. 12).

In presenting such a comprehensive description of the “arrogant-wicked” person, I’m compelled to reflect on what the author is trying to say. Has the songwriter’s intention been to present a  profile of a real person or group of people? Does such a kind of person exist in reality? Can anyone, save the rare exception, be described by this profile? Well some interpreters will no doubt take the depiction as accurately presenting those far from God. But I’m not so sure.

If fact, I’m inclined to think that if we do—if we take the writer’s description at face value, we’ll miss his point at best and at worst will come away with a sectarian attitude toward those who are not in a relationship with God that is false. Mishandling a text like this can undermine our relationships with those outside the church. It is not uncommon for some conservative Christians to see the people in only binary terms. It can be surprising and disturbing when we meet people who are not Christians, who have no interest in God or the church, who are, nevertheless, wonderful people.

If this is not to be taken as a straightforward description, what does it mean? Let’s consider the arrogant-wicked character through a narrative lens: what is the function of the “arrogant-wicked” person in the story? When the Psalm is viewed as a story the antagonist is obviously the foil to the protagonist. Thus, there is a literary purpose for the lengthy and comprehensive profile of the “Aarogant-wicked person”. It is not however to be a taken as a true or real description of any particular person or group. The profile serves to accentuate and clarify the nature of the “pure of heart” person. The antagonist represents the photographic negative of the protagonist.

The function of the profile is to expose the nature of the “Pure in heart person”. The person who has a real relationship with God lives a certain kind of lifestyle and it is seen in contrast to the portrait of the wicked. Let’s go back through the list. A person in relationship with God is

• humble,
• vulnerable,
• frugal,
• trustful,
• just,
• peaceful,
• satisfied, and 
• persevering.

The characters in the story, then, have given us our second characteristic:

Characteristic Two: A real relationship with God is characterized by a life of justice, humility, faith, peace, frugality and perseverance.

John Chyrsostom, the late fourth-century church father, who had the nickname “golden mouth” because of what a fine preacher he was, believed this deeply. He once sold the golden chalices that were used during the Eucharist to give the proceeds to the poor. He declared: “you make golden vessels, but Christ himself is starving”. He believed that one cannot be rich without keeping others poor: “To grow rich”, he said, “without injustice is impossible”.

Now turning finally to the plot. 

Sermon Series: Psalm 73, A God-Centric Life, Part 2

The Setting (vv. 1, 18-20, 24, 27)

The setting of a story is a container for the interaction of the plot and the characters. Generally speaking storytellers use a setting that is appropriate for the action of the story. A good example of this is the setting for the TV drama Lost, which, by the way, is in its final season and airs Feb 2. The setting for Lost is an Island in the Pacific Ocean. The events in the story are largely center on survival in a very hostile and mysterious environment. The interplay between characters and plot would be inconceivable in a setting, of say, downtown Manhattan. In other words, the actions of the characters and the sequence of the events fit comfortably in the setting of an island in the Pacific. Sometimes a storyteller will intentionally place the interaction of character and plot within a setting this is jarringly incongruent. This incongruence creates surprise, interest and conflict. Story like Hotel Rwanda represents just such a case. Here is a true story whose power is in the fact that in face of the perilous setting of civil war an individual showed extraordinary courage to save the lives of thousands of Tutsi refugees.

Our story in Psalm 73 will reveal a similarly jarring incongruity.

The setting of this story is laid out for us in verse 1. “Truly God is good to Israel”. The setting for the story is a theological idea. The world within which the plot and the characters interact is the world where God is good. There is a second theological idea that serves as the story’s setting, although it is more implicit. The setting of the story is a world where God is both good and also sovereign. God controls the affairs of human beings. Ultimately human beings will have to give account to God. Furthermore, while it can appear that God is absent from this world, the setting of this story presumes God’s orchestration actions and guidance in and through those actions.

What is so interesting when you reflect on the setting of this story is the theological setting is jarringly incongruent with the events of the story. In other words, the collision of the setting, that is the presumption that God is good and sovereign, with the actions of the story, namely the prosperity of the wicked and the suffering of the righteous, create the tension within the story. The conflict seeking resolution is the result of the collision of the setting with the action of the characters in the story. There would be no story without this specific setting.

God is good; God is sovereign. If you believe this, if, like the songwriter, your worldview begins with the twin convictions that God is good and God is sovereign, you will invariably find yourself in the same story. No believer can avoid the “jarring incongruity”. What is so profound about this song to me is the brutal honesty with which the songwriter speaks. How rare it is to hear in the context of Christian community such honesty and vulnerability! But oh how refreshing! It is so encouraging to hear someone express authentically the reality of a life of faith. He does not attempt to soften the tension or ameliorate it. And the thing is, you can’t. You can’t believe that God is good and sovereign and not at times experience deep angst. If you don’t wrestle, not even occasionally, you’re not being real. Or worse, you don't really believe that God is good and God is sovereign. How could we not feel angst while watching the stories of Haiti’s 400,000 plus orphans just this past Friday night during the Hope for Haiti Now television program? Or, while not nearly as dramatic perhaps, how could my friend Julie not be experiencing profound angst?

Julie’s in her late thirties and has been a Christian all her life. She attended a Christian college and married a godly Christian man right after graduation. But after 20 years marriage and in the throws of parenting three children under the age of five, she’s deeply disappointed with her life and depressed. Some may call it a mid-life crisis. Whatever you called it, she is deeply frustrated, discontent and regretful. If she had her life to do all over again she would do it so much differently she’ll say. It’s not as if she isn’t trying to turn it around: she attends women’s small group, she has verses pasted on the refrig, she prays. She’s sought medical help and is taking medication for her depression. She regularly talks to her husband and close Christian friends about her feelings. Still, she feels trapped by her life; mothering is harder and more exhausting than she could have ever imagined and she regularly questions her suitability as a mother; she has to work for the family to make ends meet; and her husband’s prospects for earning a higher salary seem nonexistent given his career path. The future doesn’t look that bright from her perspective. “Yeah God is good and God is sovereign, but why did he give me this life?” she would say.

What I appreciate about Julie is that instead of settling for pat answers and Christian clichés, she’s expressing her struggle and trying to live an authentic relationship with God. She believes God is good and sovereign, and she’s struggling to correlate that belief with her raw experience. She’s continuing to depend on God in the midst of her angst.

I think the songwriter of the Psalm would say that Julie is experiencing a real relationship with God. This is our first characteristic:

Characteristic One: A real relationship with God is characterized by honest expression of spiritual struggle.

Having considered the setting let’s look at the characters in the story.

Sermon Series: Psalm 73, A God-Centric Life, Part 1

This past Sunday, I had the privilege of preaching at Todd Wilson's church Calvary Memorial in Oak Park, IL. While I don't do a great deal of preaching, it is truly one of my great passions. I love preaching God's word. I thought I would disseminate the manuscript of that message through a series of posts. I would present it in one, but the text is over 4000 words which would make for a very long post. So I'll sequentially excerpt portions from it. If you are interested in listening to the sermon you can find it on the Calvary's website. I preached the sermon three times and in each case it came out slightly differently. The manuscript provides a full text of what I intended, but the audio presentation provides the live text. I pray that you are edified by this message.

So let me begin with the introduction.

What do you think about Country Music? Do you like it? Growing up, my dad was a huge country and western music fan. This, mind you, was NJ, not exactly a region known for its Bluegrass. My dad was a cowboy trapped in the life of a rural NJ policeman. In fact after retiring from 25 years of service on the police force his inner cowboy finally came out: he purchased property out in east Texas and built a ranch. His love for country and western music and culture however did not rub off on me. I have purposefully avoided country music for most of my adult life. That is until recently. I started listening to it again. One thing that attracts me now to CM is that it is a storytelling genre.

While other kinds of music tell stories, I think of Pearl Jam’s song “Last Kiss”, CM at its heart is narratival. Often these stories are laments of the consequences of actions taken or not taken. As a genre, CM is rather melancholy. You’ve heard the joke about CM haven’t ya?

What do you get when you play CM backwards?
You get your dog back;
you get your truck back;
you get your money back;
you get your wife back.

But certainly not all of it is gloomy. A lot of it is just good fun. I mean what other genre of music can you have a song like Zach Brown’s Chicken Fried or Sic ‘em on a Chicken.

Chicken Fried, is a song about the “good life” which amounts to hangin out on a Friday night drinking a cold beer, listening to the radio and wearing a pair of good fitting blue jeans. The simple things in life!

Sic ‘Em On A Chicken, on the other hand, is about his old dog Pete who regularly fights with his chickens. Pete distinguishes himself because he’s mean and drinks Jim Bean and water from a broken mason jar. One of the lines of the chorus is

Sic ‘em on a chicken
Sic ‘em on a chicken
Sic ‘em on a chicken and watch them feathers fly

Sic ‘em on a chicken
Sic ‘em on a chicken
Sic ‘em on a chicken
Bring out the butter and the flour we’re ready to fry.

At a deeper level though, CM teaches life lessons through the sharing of life experience. Often these lessons are negative. But even these are offer wisdom. Zach Brown the writer of the previously mentioned songs also has a deeply moving song about the relationship between a Father and Son called Highway 20 Ride. Some of the lyrics of the song go like this:

I ride east every other Friday
But if I had it my way
A day would not be wasted on this drive
And I want so bad to hold you
Son, there’s things I haven't told you
Your mom and me couldn't get along

So I drive and I think about my life
And wonder why that I slowly die inside
Every time I turn that truck around
Right at the Georgia line
And I count the days
And the miles back home to you
On that Highway 20 ride

So when you drive
And the years go flying by
I hope you smile
If I ever cross your mind
It was the pleasure of my life
And I cherished every time
And my whole world
It begins and ends with you
On that Highway 20 ride....

You hear the regret; you feel the pain; you learn the lesson.

You know some of the Psalms are like CM in this way. Some, like Psalm 73, is a story of a believer’s relationship with God. It is an honest story that reveals the characteristics of a real relationship. A relationship that is free of pretence and pretend. It is raw and real and its presented by the inspired songwriter to be an example of what it looks like to walk closely with God. I want to expose the narrative substructure of the song so that we can learn what God, through this inspired songwriter, wishes to teach us.

This morning we’re going to think about this song through a narrative lens. Leland Ryken tells us that biblical narratives, like all stories, are made up of three elements: Setting, Character and Plot. A story is the interaction between the characters and the plot within a particular setting. By thinking through the song using the three elements of story we’ll discover three characteristics of a real relationship with God. So let’s begin with the story’s setting.