Psalm 45:10-17 (NRSV)
Read Psalm 45:10-17 on biblegateway.com
Verse 10Hear, O daughter, consider and incline your ear; forget your people and your father's house,
Verse 11and the king will desire your beauty. Since he is your lord, bow to him;
Verse 12the people of Tyre will seek your favor with gifts, the richest of the people
Verse 13with all kinds of wealth. The princess is decked in her chamber with gold-woven robes;
Verse 14in many-colored robes she is led to the king; behind her the virgins, her companions, follow.
Verse 15With joy and gladness they are led along as they enter the palace of the king.
Verse 16In the place of ancestors you, O king, shall have sons; you will make them princes in all the earth.
Verse 17I will cause your name to be celebrated in all generations; therefore the peoples will praise you forever and ever.
Devotion
The mention of the "daughter" in today's lectionary reading seems to invite thoughts of a connection with Rebekah from yesterday's reading. That seems to me to be a bit of a stretch. But this idea of leaving your family and your father’s house is definitely challenging—what an extreme faith! It helps to emphasize what the psalmist is telling us, that our identity comes from God alone. Safety, socioeconomic status, future success and self-consciousness are a few things that many of us—and probably also most characters in the biblical narrative—may attribute to our family trees. To find our identities in God levels the playing field. Instead of being separated into human families, we are all being invited into God’s family. What would it mean for us to fully believe this? What would it look like to put this great trust in God? What would it mean for us and what would it mean for our neighbors?
Prayer
Faithful God, you never abandon us. Inspire us with your consistent compassion. Allow us to see each other as brothers and sisters instead of opponents or enemies. Amen.