Psalm 95 The rock of our salvation

This is an unusual psalm. Generally, our psalmist starts out with a lament of woe. “O Lord, how many are my foes!,”[1] “Answer me when I call, O God of my right!,”[2] “Save me, O God, by your name, and vindicate me by your might.”[3] At the very least, they begin with doubt and misgivings “Hear my prayer, O Lord; let my cry come to you.”[4] And then they generally move on to a period of introspection within the psalmist, ending with thanksgiving for the Lord and hope. But not this one. Nope. This one starts out all joy and sunshine and ends with despair.

“O come, let us sing to the Lord; let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation!”

“Therefore in my anger I swore, “They shall not enter my rest.””

Not every story has a happy ending. This is a modern concept not an ancient one. The ancient Greeks loved their tragedies, so did Shakespeare. Theater mimicked real life. Stories were written to convey the truth. No matter how far-fetched a story may seem, a message of truth lies within the folklore. Stories were about education, not just entertainment.

So, when God said that for forty years, he loathed that stiff-necked generation that grumbled and complained, not trusting in their God to provide for them, God’s not joking. God loathed that generation that tested Them and put Them to the proof though they had lived to see the miracles of the Exodus.

The psalmist is reenacting through song the story of the Israelites. Those who toiled under the hardened heart of the Pharoah, those who were set free by Moses, those who crossed the Reed Sea and watched as the Egyptians were drowned behind them. Those who received mana from heaven and quail from the sky. Those who cried out for God to be loving and remember them, despite the fact that those same people failed to uphold their promise to trust, and instead of shouting for joy each day, grumbled and moaned that they were tired of the bread that fell from the sky tired of not having fresh water to drink. Those who doubted by thinking that this God who saved them was just going to leave them to die after rescuing them.

Imagine having seen all that and still doubting.

Imagine having four walls to protect you, a roof over your head, food on your table, clothes on your back, and still doubting. Grumbling because the walls aren’t freshly painted, the roof isn’t high enough, the food isn’t to your liking, and the clothes are out of style. Grumbling because life isn’t exactly the way you want it to be. Doubting because what God is providing you isn’t good enough for you.

We who can sing all day of the blessings God has given to Their people. Our freedom to gather and worship in peace, however we see fit. Our freedom to marry whomever we choose. Our freedom to seek employment in whatever field we may be qualified to work in, and sometimes even find jobs we’re not qualified to do. And yet we grumble! We doubt! We complain!

If God doesn’t loathe our generation, that may be more of a testament to God’s love for us than the giving of God’s own Son. Our ancestors witnessed that miracle, and still here we are, doubting away, grumbling away, as if our lives are so terrible, so hard. Who do we think we are to not be loathed by God?

Who do we think we are that we, who have all that we need to survive,  continue to demand proof of God despite having borne witness to Their work in the world around us. If that’s not one of the greatest tragedies ever written, I don’t know what would be.

But, like the story of the Israelites, our story is not yet over. There is still time to repent. There is still time to change. There is time to start embracing the hope that has been gifted to us, living in that hope, and carrying out that hope to others.

We do so many things worthy of being loathed. The winter is too long, the snow is too deep, it’s too cold, it’s too wet, there’s not enough sun! Church is too early, I can’t hear, there aren’t enough people, not enough children, the pews are uncomfortable, I don’t like to sing, there’s too much standing up and sitting down! The drive is too long, the roads have potholes, people drive too slow, people drive too fast! We grumble about the weather, we grumble about church, we grumble about driving, we grumble about others. If it can be grumbled about it boy, we grumble.

And don’t even get me started on those darn kids today! The grumbling about the next generation is something that has gone on generation after generation after generation. We teach our children to grumble by grumbling about them! How dare they try to do things differently from us after we fought so hard to gain our own independence from the generation that came before us? We are such hypocrites! Don’t they know what their ancestors did for them?

God gave us this beautiful book to teach us history. That we might learn from those who came before. That we might remember all that God has done for our ancestors before us, will do for us, and will do for those who come after us, and yet… we grumble. Just because we have had food everyday, clothing everyday, shelter everyday, just because God has come through for us each and every day, we doubt that he would do so today, or tomorrow, or the next day.

We demand more proof. We test.

Today we sing to the Lord making a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation. We come into his presence with great thanksgiving. We praise his holy name for an hour and then we forget. The grumbling will probably start on the way home with whatever it is we’re going to have for lunch, whatever it is we’re going to choose to do with our Sabbath Day. We fail to acknowledge how blessed we are that we get to ask what’s for lunch and what’s for dinner and not just eat manna and quail! We fail to acknowledge that we get to choose what we do today, and we are not subjected as slaves who can do only what they are told and get no rest.

Truly, we are loathe-worthy ungrateful people. Even a day that begins with such joy of praising and singing to the Lord together, we will turn against God with ingratitude. Our hearts are hardened indeed.

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[1] Psalm 1:1

[2] Psalm 4:1

[3] Psalm 54:1

[4] Psalm 102:1