Lectionary Year B
March 9, 2003
Psalm 25:1-10

Step II: Disposition
A. Genre

(JFC) The first 7 verses of this lection pray lamentingly, confessionally and requesting God to forget some past sinfulness and to remember the one(s) praying this Psalm. The last 3 verses acclaim God's goodness, righteousness and leadership and teachings the steadfast love and faithfulness. The lines are poetic, even in acrostic form. They plead repeatedly for God's patience while calling for divine judgment, if not punishment, on those who seem to oppose, even oppress the righteous and pietistic pray-er of this passage. They seem to want to focus God's attention and memory on what is worthy of the one praying it. They compliment God's goodness and faithfulness again and again. They call for shame on those who deserve being ashamed of their errors and ignorance, quite different from the righteousness of the one praying. Weiser calls it, "A prayer of lamentation of a pensive soul earnest in its piety."

B. Personal Interaction

(JFC) Although we know better, we still want to discover who are the protagonists the author might have in mind when describing some as waiting on the Lord and others being exceedingly treacherous/deceitful. We long to know if they are identifiable. Do we wonder what sins of the pray-er's youth might have been alluded to? The humble are mentioned only in the latter parts of this lection. Are they synonymous with those waiting for the Lord who want to know God's ways?

C. Organization

(JFC) The treacherous/deceitful are named at the end of verse 3, as those waiting for the Lord are mentioned in verse 3 and at the end of the 5th verse. The sins of youthfulness are in verse 7 and the humble are found in verse 9.



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