September 1, 2012 – Psalms 48 – 49

48 – The city that is invincible is the city that has God as its citadel, God as its protector.  You could see this as talking about an actual city, possibly even Jerusalem.  I see it as talking about us, our bodies and souls.  When we make God our citadel, our center, we are invincible.  Not in the super hero kind of way, but in the eternal salvation kind of way.  This is talking about military strength, but that imagery can be used in the war for our souls. 

49 – It is very hard to look around and see what others have and what I have not and not be jealous.  When I think that, I hope I remember this Psalm.  17-18 “Do not fear when other become rich, when the wealth of their house grows great. When they die they will take nothing with them”.  How greedy and envious we are.  How much did that hurt this country over and above anything that the politician did.  Credit card debt, mortgage foreclosures, college loans, basically living beyond our means.  The government can be held responsible for some, for encouraging risk, for lending to those that couldn’t pay back, but the government never forced anyone to buy a home out of their range, a 60 inch flat screen, go to a college that would leave you 120,000 in the hole at graduation.  Personal responsibility has to come into play and we are the reason that many of us are struggling right now.