“Come, O Children, Listen to Me…”

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Meditation on Psalm 34

Oct. 28, 2012

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I will bless the Lord at all times;
   his praise shall continually be in my mouth.
My soul makes its boast in the Lord;
   let the humble hear and be glad.
O magnify the Lord with me,
   and let us exalt his name together.
I sought the Lord, and he answered me,
   and delivered me from all my fears.
Look to him, and be radiant;
   so your faces shall never be ashamed.

This poor soul cried, and was heard by the Lord,
   and was saved from every trouble.
The angel of the Lord encamps
   around those who fear him, and delivers them.

O taste and see that the Lord is good;
   happy are those who take refuge in him.
O fear the Lord, you his holy ones,
   for those who fear him have no want.
The young lions suffer want and hunger,
   but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing.

Come, O children, listen to me;
   I will teach you the fear of the Lord.
Which of you desires life,
   and covets many days to enjoy good?
Keep your tongue from evil,
   and your lips from speaking deceit.
Depart from evil, and do good;
   seek peace, and pursue it.

The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous,
   and his ears are open to their cry.
The face of the Lord is against evildoers,
   to cut off the remembrance of them from the earth.
When the righteous cry for help, the Lord hears,
   and rescues them from all their troubles.
The Lord is near to the broken-hearted,
   and saves the crushed in spirit.

Many are the afflictions of the righteous,
   but the Lord rescues them from them all.
He keeps all their bones;
   not one of them will be broken.
Evil brings death to the wicked,
   and those who hate the righteous will be condemned.
The Lord redeems the life of his servants;
   none of those who take refuge in him will be condemned.”  (Psalm 34)

***

      Even though he felt kind of conspicuous, he came to the Bible study anyway.

      Henry, at 100 years old, told me that he was pretty sure he was the oldest person at RenVilla, the nursing home, or Meadows, the assisted living center where we were gathering last Tuesday for our first Bible study together. 

    And he would be the oldest one there. 

    Henry’s friend, who had come along to be his guide, grinned and quipped, “Somebody has to be!  Somebody has to be the oldest!”

     “Look at me,” I said, feeling kind of conspicuous myself.  At 47, I was a youngster. “We’ll be a great pair,” I said. “The oldest with the youngest.”

    I had arrived early to meet Henry at his room and make sure he had someone to escort him to the study.  Henry had never walked from his room to the elevators and the long, sometimes twisting hallways that would take him to the Meadows activities room.

    When I arrived, Henry’s friend was just arriving, too.

    Henry shook his finger at me and laughed, “You wanted to make sure I was coming!” 

    We had some time before the study began, so we three sat down and talked. 

     As usual, Henry told me how blessed he is.  Every time I visit, that’s what he says. He has become like the Psalmist describes, someone who blesses and praises the Lord at all times. And then Henry tells me how he has no idea why he is so blessed.  He doesn’t deserve God’s blessings. But he thanks God for another day.  And for feeling as well as he does.

   He wanted to go to the Bible study to learn, he said.  But he worried about not being able to see well enough to read, even large print.  And he is quite deaf, so if you are talking to him, you have to lean in real close and speak as clearly as possible in a voice that we former teachers of young children used to say was an “outdoor voice” rather than “indoor.”

    But someone—I don’t recall if it was Henry or his friend—said, “You’re never too old to learn.” 

     And then we made our way through the long hallways, to the elevator Henry had never ridden in, and more long hallways and twists and turns he had never walked before.

    We talked as we walked.  Mostly I listened. Henry doesn’t need much prodding when it comes to sharing his life stories and the ups and downs of his faith.

***

     The stories of people and their encounters with God are what I like the most about the Old Testament.  But often I find myself turning to the Psalms in my personal prayer and devotional time.

      The Psalms read like poetry, but really they are songs, ancient Israel’s hymnal. Some “Psalms” were composed and sung as early as the Bronze Age – 1600 to 1200 years Before Christ.  But all still convey a sense of immediacy, urgency, and raw human emotion; joy, sorrow, fear, anger, loneliness, triumph, despair—you can find them all in the Psalms.  

     The Psalms have the power to soothe fears, calm swiftly beating hearts, and remind us how personal and intimate our God really is. They are filled with the promises of God, assurances of His goodness, mercy, and faithfulness. They draw us back to the One who is for us, always with us, and never against us. The One who has redeemed us.

“O magnify the Lord with me,
   and let us exalt his name together.
I sought the Lord, and he answered me,
   and delivered me from all my fears.
Look to him, and be radiant;
   so your faces shall never be ashamed.”

And

O taste and see that the Lord is good;
   happy are those who take refuge in him.
O fear the Lord, you his holy ones,
   for those who fear him have no want.
The young lions suffer want and hunger,
   but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing.

     But the Psalms are not just songs. They are scripture, the writers inspired by God. Paul often quoted from the Psalms when he was preaching on his missionary journeys. The Psalms would have been well known to Paul’s Jewish audience.

     The Psalmist speaks of what it means to live as His people, humble people who are saved by grace.  People who fear and respect the Lord, seek His face, praise His name, and attempt to walk in His ways.

    And when the Psalmist cries out,

    “Come, O children, listen to me;
   I will teach you the fear of the Lord,”

    he doesn’t just mean “children” as in youth and little kids.  He means children as in Children of God—people of faith.  He’s talking to all of us!

     Because learning about God and studying His Word is a lifelong endeavor. The Spirit that comes to us at our baptisms is our teacher. We are called as Christians to study His Word with other Christians and seek Him in prayer so that we may continue to grow, Spirit transformed more and more into new Creatures every day. 

***

    When we baptize Khloe Grace in a few moments, she, too, will be a new creature, claimed by Christ and filled with the Holy Spirit.  We will welcome her into the Body of Christ, a member of not just this congregation, but the Church in all times and places. We will also recommit our lives to the Lord and vow to join with her family to raise Khloe in the nurture and admonition of Him—to show and tell her what it means to live as a Christian and to grow in faith alongside her.  We will pray that she will be an active member of a loving Christian worship community, where people care for one another and faith is nurtured the whole life through.

   Because as Henry knows, you are never too old to learn, even if you are the oldest person in the Bible study.   Even if you are 100 years old!

   And you are never too old to share the stories of your faith and life.

   To say to God’s people,  “Come, O children, listen to me;
   I will teach you the fear of the Lord.” 

Let us pray.

Heavenly Father, thank you for Your Word that speaks of your mercy, compassion, and faithfulness to us, though we have not always been faithful to you. Transform us by Your Spirit into the humble children of God You want us to be. Remove all distracting thoughts from our minds, Lord, as You draw us nearer to You, so near we may we truly “taste and see that the Lord is good!” Give us the desire to dig deeper into Your Word and listen, really listen to Your voice, eager to obey.  Give us wisdom and love to nurture one another in the faith until we see Christ face to face. In Him we pray.  Amen.