January 4, 2023

A Song of Ascents. Of David.

O LORD, my heart is not lifted up; my eyes are not raised too high;

I do not occupy myself with things too great and too marvelous for me.

Psalm 131:1

What might the world look like if, as God’s people, we deliberately pursued this quiet and humble posture in our lives? Whether we grew up in the “you can be anything you want to be” era or not, we all live in a world bent on and shaped by aspirational maxims. They are now so pervasive that one can’t help but wonder if we can even imagine a thing that is too great and marvelous for us. It should strike us that these words flow from the heart of David - a man of greatness if there ever was one.

But we often confuse the heart of David with the results of his actions. He did face down Goliath - but only because he was delivering cheese. He did ascend to the throne of Israel, but only after living an exile’s life out of Godly submission to an ungodly king. Truly, one of the few times we see David grasp for the “rights” according to his worldly status is in 2 Samuel 11 - when he spies upon Bathsheba and takes a married woman for his own. The Kingdom into which God has called us is not a place of passivity though. We ought to aspire to meekness, and humility; to lead lives with confidence placed on God and his goodness not our reputations or resumes. As we consider good resolutions for the New Year: bible reading plans, diets, exercise, a stack of books to read or projects to finish we should stop and see if anything resembling an improved grasp upon Beatitudes is on our hearts.