{"id":88559,"date":"2021-02-09T15:04:46","date_gmt":"2021-02-09T13:04:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/?p=88559"},"modified":"2021-02-09T15:04:46","modified_gmt":"2021-02-09T13:04:46","slug":"when-the-harp-becomes-a-weapon","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/when-the-harp-becomes-a-weapon\/","title":{"rendered":"When The Harp Becomes A Weapon"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[281],"tags":[],"acf":{"old_id":"88559","type":"no","iframe":"","writer":36535,"related_cahpter":"675","type_929":"2","show_author_image":false,"old_create_date":"","old_url":"","post_main_content":{"description":"Turing sentiments of universal brotherhood into nationalistic jingoism\r\n\r\n","content":"

It feels as if Psalm 108 is comprised of two, unconnected psalms.<\/p>\n

The first, a positive psalm about waking up and making music to praise God. It\u2019s almost universalistic, in a way. In Psalm 108:4, the psalmist writes \u201cI will praise You among the \u2018peoples\u2019, O Lord, sing a hymn to You among the \u2018nations\u2019. And in 108:6, \u201cExalt Yourself over the heavens, O God; let Your glory be all over the earth!\u201d<\/p>\n

If we were to stop there, it would be similar to a dozen other psalms in which God is praised, with musical instruments and song. I\u2019d read that the psalmist is praising God from within all the citizens of the world. The \u2018nations\u2019 and the \u2018peoples\u2019 don\u2019t seem negative, and the request for God to let His glory be known all over the earth is a beautiful sentiment.<\/p>\n

And then we read Psalm 108:7-14, in which it becomes very personal and somewhat angry. In short, \u201cGod reneged on His promise to me that I would be ruling over all these other nations (Moab, Edom, Philistia). Our army lost because you were not with us. You\u2019ve rejected us.\u201d<\/p>\n

And then he announces to the reader, \u201cWith God we shall triumph; He will trample our foes.\u201d<\/p>\n

To me, the question isn\u2019t why the psalmist included the final seven verses, but why he included the first six. Why even pretend to be positive? Why use language of harmony, when you seek destruction and dominance?<\/p>\n

The two should not and cannot coexist.<\/p>\n

Everyone knows the quote from Isaiah 2:4 speaks about \u201cbeating swords into plowshares and spears into pruning hooks.\u201d That verse also references the nations of the world. He is talking about God bringing peace between nations, and cessation of all wars.<\/p>\n

Our psalmist converts a harp into weapon.<\/p>\n

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