Psalms 36-39

[wolfpurplemoon]

Psalm 36: Back to the usual tune, the wicked will be cast down, forgiveness not even implied
Psalm 37: Not only cast down but burnt and laughed at by God. While the blessed apparently inherit the earth
Psalm 38: So begging for forgiveness for your heavy burden of sins is probably pointless.
Psalm 39: Another sinner's prayer

Comments

[bill_sheehan.livejournal.com]

There is a sort of twisted narcissistic guilt and masochistic pleasure in these penitential psalms. Oh Lord, I have sinned, and done what is evil in Thy sight... It looks like I'm confessing my sins to God, but it's really all about ME. ME, and MY tender little conscience, and MY paltry little peccadillos, and those people who've trespassed against ME who I so graciously forgive (but won't forget). And I get to have a nice maudlin wallow in feelings of shame and unworthiness. There was an ancient Roman - I can't recall his name at present - who dismissed the new cult of Christians as a bunch of worms disputing about who was the lowest.

Are you familiar with the Book of Common Prayer? The reason I ask is that the General Confession at Evening Prayer is from Psalm 38, among other sources.

"We have left undone those things which we ought to have done, and we have done those things which we ought not to have done, and there is no health in us. But thou, O Lord, have mercy on us, miserable offenders..."

I prayed that almost every night - and all the more fervently if I missed a night. Guilt - the gift that keeps on giving.

(If you don't have a BCP, you can find it online here: http://justus.anglican.org/resources/bcp/england.htm The 1662 is still the authorized version of the C of E.)

[morgian-le-faye.livejournal.com]

I know the Evening Prayer! It's the one we say at church parade on Sunday mornings at reenactments because we are presenting an authentic camp life in the American Revolution. I always have to keep from laughing at the tone of it.

At our last church parade, I forgot what he was reading from, but basically the lesson came out to the following: If at first God does not give you what you want, keep whining and he'll eventually listen. The reading was something about how if your neighbor doesn't help you, continue knocking and bothering him until he does and then do the same to God. Again, I had to keep from laughing. It's all about being lowly sheep. I don't want to be a sheep.