Today we finish the book of 2 Kings and, in doing so, the historical
record that includes 1 & 2 Samuel and 1 & 2 Kings. There is no doubt
that this historical record ends on a distressing note. Even though
King Josiah enacted incredible reforms in Judah and got rid of the
idolatrous practices that had existed throughout the monarchy, it was
too late. It's a reminder that no human effort can cleanse us from
sin. Judah is taken into exile, the temple is destroyed and the walls
of Jerusalem are torn down.
The anguish of the people is evident as we read the writer's detailed
account in Chapter 25 of the destruction that occurred.
(Unfortunately, I tend to hear the voice of the narrator from How the
Grinch Stole Christmas reciting these verses "He too their all their
pots and their snuffers and dishes, their pillars and sea and he
dashed all their wishes…") If God's salvation story ended here, it
would be beyond depressing. The lament that is Psalm 137 captures the
mood perfectly, "By the rivers of Babylon – there we sat down and
there we wept when we remembered Zion…"
God's salvation story doesn't end with destruction and exile. The
prophets Jeremiah and Isaiah remind us of the hope we have in God even
in the midst of the most trying circumstances. Still, it is good not
to move past the distress of exile too quickly. Israel's sin did as
sin always does. It leads to separation from God from neighbor and
from our true selves. It leads to exile. The history of Israel as a
nation is also our history as human beings created in the image of
God. It is exile from Eden. It is exile from God. And even though we
know God's promise that even in exile we have a future with hope (Jer.
29:11) we shouldn't minimize the significance of sin and its results
or try to rush past them too quickly. Otherwise we miss how incredible
God's love and mercy are.
On the other hand, our Psalm readings today are Psalms of praise
rather than lament. They are Psalms that celebrate God for who God is.
If the Psalms are a school for prayer, these Psalms teach us about
prayers of praise and thanksgiving. Praise is, in essence,
complementing God on God's character. It is highlighting God's glory
and power and majesty and creativity, etc. Thanksgiving, on the other
hand is thanking God for what he has done.
I don't know about others, but praise and thanksgiving are often
neglected parts of my prayer life. I often move right into prayers of
supplication (bringing my own needs to God) or intercession (bringing
the needs of others to God) without praising and thanking him first.
The Psalms are a good reminder and example of the importance of praise
and thanksgiving in our life of prayer.
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