We Bless You In The Lord’s Name

Meditations on Christ in the Psalms

February 6, 2023

We Bless You In The Lord’s Name

But the Lord is good;

    he has cut me free from the ropes of the ungodly.

Psalm 129:4

Our initial response to Psalm 129 may be one of confusion. As the followers of Jesus, we have been taught to forgive our enemies. We’ve been taught to pray for our enemies. The thought of pronouncing a curse on our enemies seems foreign to our Christian training. However, before we quickly dismiss the psalm as lacking relevance to our era, we should take a closer look at the psalm.

First, while it is true, we have been taught a different attitude toward those who harm us, nevertheless, pronouncing curses is a very common occurrence in our culture. We can be quick to pronounce a curse on ourselves when we hit our finger with a hammer, break a glass or do something we think is stupid. When another person angers us, we may be quick to suggest a final, eternal destination for that person.

Next, let us recall that for the Old Testament people of God, blessings and curses were a normal way of life. God’s call to Abram was founded on this principle: “I will bless those who bless you and curse those who treat you with contempt” (Genesis 12:3a). When God’s people gathered after the Exodus, God’s instructions to them were based on the principles of Blessings for Obedience and Curses for Disobedience. (See Deuteronomy 28)

Finally, our culture teaches us to see things in shades of gray, instead of black and white, to think in terms of “both / and” instead of “either / or.” Even so, there are most definitely absolutes for the followers of Jesus. A person is either in Christ, or in the world, saved for all eternity with Christ, or lost in a Christ-less eternity. I think it was St. Augustine who said we have two choices. We can live under God’s grace or live under God’s wrath. The scripture certainly supports his thoughts: “But he will pour out his anger and wrath on those who live for themselves, who refuse to obey the truth and instead live lives of wickedness” (Romans 2:8); “But everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved” (Acts 2:21).

My Takeaway: For me, as I live securely in the grasp of Jesus, I choose to bless those for whom the love of God is still a stranger, in the hope that they too may call on the name of the Lord.

“The Lord bless you;

    we bless you in the Lord’s name.”

Psalm 129:8b

Sē’lah

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(Selah is a word that appears in the Book of Psalms that I often use as the Complimentary Closing in my correspondence. Its meaning, as I use the word, is to pause and think about these things.)

 

These meditations are written by Alex M. Knight as he seeks the life in Christ as his way of life.  The meditations are published on the BLOG, http://seekingthelifeinchrist.blogspot.com/ and they are also distributed on the Constant Contact email server. You may subscribe to this email service by sending an email to: amkrom812@gmail.com.

 

Copyright © 2023 by Alex M. Knight

 

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.