The Daily Office for January 20, 2012
Scriptures
Psalm 31
Genesis 11:27-12:8
Hebrews 7:1-17
John 4:16-26
Reading (Psalm 31)
Reflection
The main section of Psalm 31 is a cry for deliverance from pressing danger or trouble; yet it is interspersed with passages of faith and culminates in a great hymn of praise and confidence toward God. It is unquestionably a psalm of David, and the occasion for writing is either David’s escape from the treachery of the men of Keilah or, more probably, the later period of treachery under the rebellion of Absalom.
In the introductory verses we find many familiar and favorite Davidic expressions. There is the expression of trust, the expression of calling upon the Lord to hear his voice, and the expression of calm assurance. It is almost as if David is portraying his life on a stage. When he comes to the conclusion, the last act, he seems to turn away from the other actors and look directly into the faces of the audience and speak words of encouragement in the last two verses of the psalm: "Love the LORD, all you his saints! The LORD preserves the faithful but abundantly repays the one who acts in pride.Be strong, and let your heart take courage, all you who wait for the LORD!"
Collect of the Day
Almighty God, in Christ you make all things new: transform the poverty of our nature by the riches of your grace, and in the renewal of our lives make known your heavenly glory; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who is alive and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.