Selah

A Reflection for Monday, March 24 by Jeanne Barnes

Lectionary reading for 3/24/2025: Psalm 39, Jeremiah 11:1-17, Romans 2:1-11

Selected passage for reflection:  Psalm 39 (NRSV)

Read

Psalm 39

I said; “I will guard my ways

that I may not sin with my tongue;

I will keep a muzzle on my mouth

as long as the wicked are in my presence.”

I was silent and still;

I held my peace to no avail,

my distress grew worse,

my heart became hot within me.

While I mused, the fire burned;

then I spoke with my tongue.

“Lord, let me know my end,

and what is the measure of my days;

let me know how fleeting my life is.

You have made my days a few handbreadths, 

and my lifetime is as nothing in your sight.

Surely everyone stands as a mere breath.     Shelah

Surely everyone goes about like a shadow.

Surely for nothing they are in turmoil;

they heap up, and do not know who will gather.

“And now, O Lord, what do I wait for?

My hope is in you.

Deliver me from all my transgressions.

Do not make me the scorn of the fool.

I am silent.  I do not open my mouth,

for it is you who have done it.

Remove your stroke from me;

I am worn down by the blows of your hand.

“You chastise mortals in punishment for sin, 

consuming like a moth what is dear to them;

surely everyone is a mere breath.       Shelah

“Hear my prayer, O Lord,

and give ear to my cry;

do not hold your peace at my tears.

For I am your passing guest,

an alien, like all my forebears.

Turn your gaze away from me, that I may smile again,

before I depart and am no more.”

Reflect

As a former English teacher I am always in awe of the imagery presented in this Psalm.  Feeling somewhat sorry for himself, David ponders his situation.  He is enduring the suffering brought on by his sins and he tries to keep silent.  The images he presents -a muzzle, a burning fire- are noticeable for their oppressiveness and harm.  A sense of heaviness surrounds the listener.  It is as if David wants his audience to be weighted down with the sorrow he is feeling.  He is heavy with a burden that is out of his control and we feel that burden, too.

David is keeping silent because he doesn’t want to cry out to God in the presence of those who might misunderstand his intent.  He suffers quietly until the fire within is too strong.  He finds no peace and breaks his silence in order to ask God for wisdom and forgiveness. 

After he speaks, the Psalm turns from a heavy, burdensome tone to one of weightlessness. He uses words that have no structure – breath, shadow.  Once David has turned from a focus on himself to a focus on God, his heavy load is lightened.  With no self-justification and with humility, he asks God how much longer he will have life.  His focus turns from one to all.  Everyone’s life is a mere breath.  At this point, his listeners begin to think not just of David but of ourselves.  There are even pauses  (Selah) written in.  These were initially for the musicians who were to perform this Psalm, but they are important for us, too.  When we pause and ponder how brief life is, we change our focus, sometimes even our plans.  

As the Psalm ends, David becomes bold enough to ask Yahweh to withhold the punishment he knows he deserves.  As listeners we know that David’s sins are great, even including murder and adultery, but we are moved from sympathy to empathy.  We know we aren’t deserving of mercy, but we, along with David, know the measure of our life is short.  And so, we, along with David, humbly ask for joy once again. 

Isn’t this what Lent is all about?  We dwell on the heaviness of those 40 days so that we can eventually experience the lightness of Easter.  We humble ourselves by prayer and fasting with the hope that our sinful suffering will, like life, be fleeting.  We look toward Easter with a renewed sense of joy.  And whether we have many pages left in our life’s story or we are in the last chapter, we can smile again. 

Respond

As the year goes by and we turn each page of the calendar, let’s pause (selah) for a moment and look at that new page. Before we start filling in all our to-do’s, let’s remind ourselves how quickly life passes and ask God to give us wisdom to know the divine plan for our lives.  Finally, let’s add a reminder for that month to pause for a moment or two each day to check that our plans coincide with that divine plan.

Rest

O God, of all wisdom and mercy, give us a glimpse of your divine plan for us and the strength to carry it out. And, most of all, grant us your mercy when we fall short.

About the author

Jeanne Barnes is a retired English teacher living in the small coastal town of Gulf Breeze, Florida.  There she has been instrumental in organizing a weekly faith-sharing group for the past 30 years.  She is also co-chair of the Foster Family Support Ministry, an organization advocating for safe and loving placement of foster children as well as providing financial support and respite care for the foster families.