It’s my privilege to post another “Christian” poem by my favorite “post-Christian” poet, Zane Gilley. Thanks for your contribution, Zane. Beautiful work.
Psalm II Why do the heathens fill themselves with rage And the peoples imagine things in vain? The monarchs of the world themselves engage And rulers counsel and bring forth a plan Against Almighty Jehovah on high And the one he has annointed, saying, “Let us break these bands we are restrained by, And these cords away from us let us fling.” The One enthroned in the heavens will laugh, Jehovah God shall have them to deride. Then he will speak unto them with his wrath With his fury, they shall be terrified. “I have placed upon the holy mountain Of Zion my king, the Anointed One.” I proclaim the words of Jehovah One That he has gracefully made known to me, “Thou hast now become my beloved son Even this day I have begotten thee. Ask it of me, and I shall answer thee Give thee thy inheritance, the heathen And the farthest lands across the wide sea To thee, begotten, for thine possession. With your rod of iron broken are they, And dashed into pieces like pottery.” Now, O kings learn this lesson of wisdom You rulers of the earth are warned of him. Serve the Annointed One with holy fear With much trembing kiss meekly his feet dear, Lest he be enraged, you’ll die in his path, For quickly kindled is his divine wrath. Blessed are all that will Take refuge in him still.Psalm 1 {Guest Post}
A new friend, Zane Gilley, who now ironically is an atheist has sent me a couple of poetic adaptations of the Psalms which it is my pleasure to post here at the savant spot. Enjoy!
Psalm I
Blessed be the man who doeth these things three:
Walketh not in the ungodly counsel,
Standeth not in the way of sinner’s feet,
Sitteth not in the seat of the scornful.
But he places his devoted delight
In the holiest laws of Jehovah.
He, all through the day and throughout the night,
Reverently meditates on the law.
He is like a tree planted by rivers
Of the liquid life giving sustenance.
He beareth fruit in season and offers
Lasting shade for those who under him chance.
Whatever he sets forth to do prospers
Giving the life of his neighbors enhance.
With the ungodly these things are not so,
For they are likened unto the dry chaff
That the winnowing wind that God dost blow
Carries away from the godly with wrath.
Therefore these men ungodly shall not stand
During the final day of God’s judging,
Nor shall these unholy ones have a hand
In holy righteous saints’ congregating.
For the mind of Jehovah Almighty
Knoweth the blessed way of the righteous,
But the accursed way of the ungodly
Will with gnashing of teeth ever perish.
Religious Unbelief
The Bible warns against unbelief but not against atheism per se. How could the writers of the Scriptures have warned against atheism? There weren’t any atheists. I’ve heard commentators on a local Christian radio station aim Psalm 14:1 (“The fool says in his heart, ‘There is no God.’”) at atheists. Of course the implication becomes, “Atheists are fools.” However, should you have met the 10th century B.C.E. Jewish citizen to which the psalmist referred, he would have confessed to a belief in the existence of God. The psalmist was not saying that avowed atheists are fools. He was saying that fools secretly (in their hearts) suppress their awareness of God.
So who are the fools? The rest of Psalm 14 describes these religious unbelievers as those who elevate themselves by pushing others down. Such people by their actions deny God as their source. They may claim to believe that God exists, but they do not trust him to supply them with security, sustenance or self-worth. They maneuver and manipulate to get for themselves what others have or might acquire. Such people pray and attend religious services but they do not expect God to respond to their petitions. Instead, they engage in these activities to further establish their superiority.
As a case in point, consider Jesus’ very telling question addressed to the religious elite of his day, “How can you believe since you accept glory from one another but do not seek the glory that comes from the only God?” (John 5:44 NIV) These men who stood at the peak of the religious establishment of their day were unbelievers according to Jesus. From their lofty perch they congratulated each other on their moral superiority and derided everyone else. They traded genuine engagement with the Basis of their being for the illusion of relative worth. Rather than find the favor of God, they fed on the “failures” of those whom they defamed. “They devour my people as though eating bread; they never call on the LORD.” (Ps. 14:4b NIV)
Faith, real faith, is a foreign concept. People will seek any alternative to humble reliance on God. Each alternative counterfeits the genuine treasure of our existence. The most dangerous counterfeits most closely resemble the genuine article. Those who accept religious achievement as heavenly currency are among the most desperately deceived. Beware religious unbelief.