Live deep and suck out all the marrow of life Henry David Thoreau. How often is such poetry regarded as a philosophy for life?

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1 What are you going to do with the days you have left on this earth? Whether we are eight years old or eighty years old this question asks us to state our intentions in life. Take a minute to imagine yourself at some point in the future are you healthy? Are you satisfied? What have you managed to achieve in your life? Maybe I don t have that many days ahead of me and so, to ensure that I don t die disappointed, maybe I should put together a bucket list I hope to achieve. Maybe something like this. How much can you fit into your life? Our thirst for experiences - to be more, do more, live more is almost insatiable. No matter what age we are, there is a voice in our ear which tells us to grasp after more. It is evident in the exultant cry of the poets when they are celebrating life in all its fullness. Carpe Diem Horace Live deep and suck out all the marrow of life Henry David Thoreau Live life to the lees Tennyson How often is such poetry regarded as a philosophy for life? We want to experience life to its fullest to travel the world, have fun and enjoy the good things in life while we can. And, why not, if God has blessed us with the means to enjoy his creation? We find at the end of the book of Job that Job had been blessed by God with everything that is good about this life. 12 The LORD blessed the latter part of Job s life more than the former part. He had fourteen thousand sheep, six thousand camels, a thousand yoke of oxen and a thousand donkeys. 13 And he also had seven sons and three daughters. 14 The first daughter he named Jemimah, the second Keziah and the third Keren- Happuch. 15 Nowhere in all the land were there found women as beautiful as Job s daughters, and their father granted them an inheritance along with their brothers. 16 After this, Job lived a hundred and forty years; he saw his children and their children to the fourth generation. 17 And so Job died, an old man and full of years. (Job 42:12 16) Living a long life, being blessed with children, wealth and prosperity is a good thing. We know of this goodness firsthand here in the developed world, living on the northern beaches of Sydney. But this is not the experience described in this psalm. In fact, the sorrow, pain and anguish described in this psalm is perhaps closer to reality for the vast majority of people living throughout history.

2 Instead of being blessed like Job (and remember, that prior to being blessed in this way, he suffered greatly), we expect that there will be times of suffering, times of tears and pain as we live in a broken and fallen world. Even where we live, it is impossible to ignore the realities of death and illness. Although we have been blessed with incredible wealth combined with one of the best health systems in the world these are not enough to protect us from the harsher side of life and death. This side of heaven we must expect times where we understand only too well what the psalmist is going through. Have a look at how the psalmist describes his anguish. In verse 3, he describes how his days pass away like smoke, and the pain in his bones is like the burning sensation of a furnace. His bones cling to his flesh in verse 5, and in verse 6 his enemies taunt him and use his name for a curse. Finally in verse 11 he suggests that he is withering away like grass. To me, this is the voice of someone close to dying, whose efforts in this life have resulted in ignominy rather than acclaim. Much of this echoes the concerns expressed in Psalm 90 which Johnny spoke about last week, where the psalmist was, in a similar way, conscious of his own mortality and ephemeral existence. But in verse 12 we see a remarkable change in the tenor and emotional content of this psalm. But you, O Lord are enthroned forever; you are remembered throughout all generations (Psalm 102:12) Just like in Psalm 90, we are made aware of the contrast between our fleeting existence and the eternal existence of God. But what is far more evident in this psalm is the eternal rule of God. He not only exists forever, but is enthroned forever. His plans for this world have been put in place and his purposes will be achieved. His plans involve the restoration of Zion, the nation of God, the place where God is King. And the psalmist expresses confidence that God s restoration of Zion will be complete and all nations on earth will know the greatness of God. So did this happen? Did God raise up Zion to be feared and respected by all nations as in verse 15? Did God set the prisoners free (verse 20), did he hear the prayers of the destitute (verse 17)? Did the nations come together to worship the Lord in Jerusalem (verse 22)? Finally, did the people of Israel dwell in security, with their children established before God (verse 28)? My knowledge of Israel s history is not great but I m fairly confident that since the writing of this psalm, the people of Israel have not become the dominant nation on earth and the people of Israel have not experienced the security described in this psalm. There is something incomplete about this vision of the future if we look at the Old Testament alone. But when we come to the New Testament, we start to get a deeper picture of how God s plan will be fulfilled. First of all, when Jesus walks on earth, we see Jesus setting the prisoners free those who are enslaved by evil spirits and physical ailments. We see the prayers of the destitute being answered, whether they are widows, lepers, blind or lame. Furthermore, we see the nations starting to be blessed through the people of

3 God. In Acts Chapter 2, people from all over the world hear Jesus proclaimed as King and ruler over the whole world. Later in Acts 10, we see the very first Gentile convert to Christianity and the good news about how God became King in the person of Jesus spreads to the ends of the earth. But the work of the kingdom continues through to this day and will one day be fulfilled when God establishes the new heavens and the new earth. In verse 25-28, the psalmist writes Of old you laid the foundation of the earth, and the heavens are the work of your hands. They will perish, but you will remain; they will all wear out like a garment. You will change them like a robe, and they will pass away, but you are the same, and your years have no end. The children of your servants shall dwell secure; their offspring shall be established before you. (Psalm 102:25 28) This world and the heavens will be destroyed; they will wear out like a piece of clothing and then be replaced with a new piece of clothing that will last forever. This picture of the coming new heavens and new earth appears again in 2 Peter 3 where Peter describes how the old heavens and earth will melt, and be replaced by the new heavens and the new earth. 11 Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives 12 as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming. That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat. 13 But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, where righteousness dwells. (2 Peter 3:11 13) We see this same picture of the new heavens and the new earth in the book of Revelation where the final point, the vanishing point of history is seen in the nations glorifying God. 9 After this I looked, and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands. 10 And they cried out in a loud voice: Salvation belongs to our God, who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb. (Revelation 7:9 10)

4 Look at verse 21 and 22 of Psalm 102, which says something very similar So the name of the LORD will be declared in Zion and his praise in Jerusalem 22 when the peoples and the kingdoms assemble to worship the LORD. (Psalm 102:21 22) This is what it will look like when the Jewish people will come together to worship the Lord, but it is not only the Jewish people all kingdoms on earth will one day worship God. It is this hope that shines into the darkness of the psalmist s suffering and gives him reason to praise God. What do we take from this psalm as we read it today in the 21 st century? What insight do we gain into our experiences of suffering and what impact does knowing that God will bring about the new heavens and the new earth in His time, and not necessarily in our time, have on our lives today? The first thing to say is that we need not be surprised or lose hope in the face of suffering. God does hear our prayers, and in this psalm we see how God answers the calls of the distressed and the afflicted in verse 17 and in verse 20. But in this psalm, we also see an example of a time where God doesn t intervene and take away the psalmist s affliction. Even after exulting in God s great plans to bring about his Kingdom on earth, the psalmist returns to his lament in verse 25 In the course of my life he broke my strength; he cut short my days. (Psalm 102:25) This side of heaven, we will die. We will know firsthand suffering, heartache and disappointment. God s people in the old covenant and in the new are not immune from the suffering that is the common lot of humanity. But this suffering does not lead to despair. Instead, the psalmist reminds us that God will bring about his kingdom rule and this plan is bigger than our lives, extending into eternity. Instead of looking for experiences or achievements to give our lives meaning and purpose, we are called, therefore, to live as people of the coming kingdom. Being filled with this hope of the coming restoration, the writers of the New Testament encourage us to live as people of the kingdom in this world. Have another look at what Peter says to his readers in 3: Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives 12 as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming. That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat. 13 But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, where righteousness dwells.

5 14 So then, dear friends, since you are looking forward to this, make every effort to be found spotless, blameless and at peace with him. (2 Peter 3:11 14) What we do in this life matters not because we need to try and be good enough for God. Peter doesn t write, If you live like this, you will enter the kingdom of God. He turns it around. We were brought into the kingdom through the death and resurrection of Jesus. Having been welcomed into his kingdom, we are called to make every effort to become the people of the kingdom, trusting that God, through his spirit, will one day complete the work of transforming us so that we might live with him. To examine what this actually looks like would require a lengthy study of the New Testament. But we could summarise it as learning the language of heaven. If we are thinking of living in Spain or France, we would be wise to spend time learning Spanish or French in preparation for living in these new countries. Likewise, if we are looking forward to living in God s kingdom, it makes sense to get ready by learning the language of heaven. This will involve patiently working at developing habits which become part of our character that character which we will one day put on more fully in the new creation. The New Testament scholar Tom Wright describes it in the following way. If we are to learn in advance the language we shall be called upon to speak in God s new world, these are among its main features. Worship and stewardship, generating justice and beauty: these are the primary vocations of God s redeemed people. And the habits of heart, mind and life to which we are called are designed to form us, gradually and bit by bit, into people who can, with the hard- won second nature that we call virtue, freely and gladly take forward these tasks (Tom Wright, Virtue Reborn (2010)) The primary vocations of God s people what we will be doing into eternity is worshipping God, caring for his people and his creation, generating justice and creating moments, art works, music, relationships and communities that are beautiful. To fulfil these vocations, Wright argues, we will need to be people characterised by Christian virtues which include, for example, the fruits of the spirit that are outlined by Paul in his letter to the Galatians. So whether we are suffering or experiencing joy, every day gives us the opportunity to become the people we one day hope to be - people of God s kingdom in perfect relationship with God and each other. Perhaps we could work on a bucket list that reminds us how we might become people of the kingdom. Have a closer look at the list I put up earlier. I suspect this person is to some degree a Kingdom person judging from some of the items on her list. Whether we are people who make lists or not, my main point is that our hope in the coming kingdom of God gives us the motivation to live as kingdom people today. Despite the suffering and pain we might experience in this life, despite the possibility that our lives could be cut short in this broken world, we are encouraged to pursue the life of the kingdom in this age, being conscious of the eternal plans of God to bring about heaven on earth.

6 The reality of God s coming kingdom should lead us to consider what we might do today, while we still have breath, to be people who are learning the language of heaven worshipping God, caring for his creation, seeking justice for the oppressed and being agents of change whose lives generate moments of beauty. And we need to consider how we might become people with the character to fulfil these vocations people of compassion, grace, humility, kindness, faith, hope and love. (Pray). This is described by Tennyson as living life to the lees Do you feel like time is running out? That you have so many things you want to achieve, accomplish, experience while you can? Is this right?

7 1) Start with a recognition that within our time, there will be suffering, dissatisfaction, pain and discomfort that is, in some respects, brought on us by our own desire to be God. (Some say the message of the Bible can be summarised as There is a God, and you ain t him ) 2) In our time, we need to remind ourselves of God s time which extends into eternity and achieves his purposes of establishing his kingdom on earth. While the Seven Penitential Psalms are sometimes associated with the Seven Deadly Sins, they also form a kind of spiritual ladder. Cardinal Pierre d'ailly ( ) for example, assigns successive virtues to embrace with each psalm - fear of punishment (6) sorrow for sin, then confession and remission (32) hope of grace, then more fear, followed by hope again (38) love of purity, mercy bestowed (51) longing for heaven (102) distrust of your own strength and confidence in divine mercy (130) and joy (143). God s time and our time the current reality through which we are sustained by reflecting on the work of God and his glorious future. Note: this psalm is regarded as a psalm of repentance alongside psalms such as Psalm 51, although there is only one verse which hints at a recognition of wrongdoing (verse 10) Thematic links with Psalm 90. The ephemeral nature of our lives and the eternal existence of God, several close connections between 102 and 90 come to the fore: the transient nature of man (102:4, 12; 90:5-6, 9-10); a contrasting view of the eternality of God (102:12, 25-27; 90:1-2, 4); the wrath of God poured out because of mankind (102:10-11;90:7-8); and the hope that the descendants of the psalmist would dwell secure (102:29; 90:7-8). In Psalm 102, these connections are put within the context of YHWH s eternal enthronement ( yšb), a theme already established in Psalms (cf. Ps 99:1)

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