Today, I am reading and commenting on Psalms 68-71.

The psalmist calls on God to destroy the wicked while leading the righteous to rejoice.  He points out how God will be a father to those who have no father.  I want to expand on that a bit.  A father protects his children and offers them a model of behavior.  Ideally, the behavior which the father models teaches his children how to survive and thrive in this world.  When we read about God being a father to the fatherless, we often overlook God providing them a model for behavior.  Now that I have said that, I want to remind everyone of the other role a father fills for his children: protection.  Often that protection comes in the form of punishment to those who cause his children harm.  God will avenge the harm done to those whom society views as powerless.  Let me never be the one on whom He seeks vengeance.

Another theme which the psalmist writes about in today’s passage is shame.  In particular, he asks God to prevent him from being shamed for putting his trust in God and from bringing shame on those who put their trust in God.  While there is an element of asking God to do things which reveal that the psalmist’s trust was well-placed when he trusted God, the psalmist asks God to prevent him from acting in ways which bring him shame.  That does not quite sum it up.  He asks God to help him act as he claims to think.  The psalmist says that he puts his trust in God, he asks God to not allow him to act in ways which bely that claim.  It is much like what the father who brought his son to Jesus’ disciples while Jesus was on the Mount of Transfiguration said, “I believe, help me overcome my unbelief.”  Here the psalmist says, “I trust in God, help me not shame myself by not acting as if that were true.”  As part of that request, he also asks God to not allow him to act in ways which bring shame to others who also put their trust in God.

I use the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.