Psalm 72      I Heard the Bells

Rev. David Holwick   ZL                                  Psalms

First Baptist Church

Ledgewood, New Jersey

December 14, 2014

Psalm 72:1-4,12-14; Luke 2:13-14


I HEARD THE BELLS



  I. Tragedy can be inspiring.

      A. Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's poem.


         Four months after the beginning of the Civil War, the

            Longfellow family, famous for their father's poetry, was in

               their home near Boston enjoying a summer afternoon.

         Henry's wife Fanny was using a candle when a breeze caused

            her dress to ignite.

         She raced into the room where her husband was and he desperately

            tried to put out the flames.


         She died the next day.

         Henry did not attend her funeral because he was too overstricken

            with grief and the pain from his own burns.

         Most photographs show him with a long beard, which he grew

            because he could no longer shave his face due to the scars.


         A year after the incident, he wrote, "I can make no record of

            these days.  Better leave them wrapped in silence.

         Perhaps someday God will give me peace."

         Longfellow's journal entry for Dec. 25th 1862 reads: "'A merry

            Christmas' say the children, but that is no more for me."


         A few months later, Longfellow's oldest son Charles signed up

            in the Union army without telling his father.

         That November, Charles was severely wounded in the Battle

            of New Hope Church in Virginia.


         Coupled with the death of his wife, Henry Longfellow was

            moved to write a poem on Christmas Day in 1863.


               And in despair I bowed my head;

                  "There is no peace on earth," I said;

               "For hate is strong, and mocks the song

                  Of peace on earth, good-will to men!"


         But it was something he heard that Christmas morning that

            gave him new hope:


               Then pealed the bells more loud and deep:

                  "God is not dead, nor doth He sleep;

               The Wrong shall fail, the Right prevail,

                  With peace on earth, good-will to men."

                                                                   #14974


      B. Peace on earth has always been elusive.

          1) Violence and oppression have existed from the beginning.

          2) But that is all the more reason to hope for a change,

                a transformation of the human order.

          3) During the dark days of the Civil War, Longfellow could

                see beyond the hate to a day when Right would win.

          4) The Bible does even better - it tells us how it will win,

                and who will bring it about.


II. Earthly conflict is not limited to wars.

      A. The turmoil of Ferguson, Missouri.

          1) I don't watch much cable news, I know the protests and riots

                were covered non-stop for a long time.

              a) I actually grew up 3 miles away from there, from

                    kindergarten to second grade.

              b) I returned to visit in recent years and was amazed

                    how run-down and poor the area looked.

              c) There are not a lot of opportunities for young people

                    there.  Crime is probably high.

          2) What really happened there?

              a) Did a trigger-happy cop gun down a defenseless kid,

                    or did an officer defend himself in a volatile

                       situation?

              b) The truth will probably always be hidden in two

                    hearts - one won't tell, and the other can't.

              c) But most people feel they know the truth themselves.


      B. The divisions are stark.

          1) Only 47% of whites think the police officer should be

                charged with a crime.

          2) 90% of blacks do - that's twice as many.

              a) Eric Garner's chokehold death on Staten Island

                    produces a similar disparity.

          3) Similar divisions can be seen in politics.

              a) In Presidential elections, both parties hover around

                    50% of voters.

              b) That sounds even but it represents a chasm of opinion.

                  1> It is not uncommon for people to question the sanity

                        and spirituality of those on the other side.


      C. Who is right?

          1) Is one group totally out of touch with reality?

          2) Are we all out of touch?


III. Our viewpoint depends on where we stand.

      A. Our social views are shaped by our wealth, race, education.

          1) If you could instantly change any of these things in your

                life, you would probably have radically different

                   experiences in the world.

              a) If you are middle class, you probably trust the police.

                  1> If you are poor, you probably don't.

              b) But if you are poor, are you more likely to be doing

                    things that will attract the attention of police?

          2) It is hard for a particular person to know, because we

                only get one life to live.


      B. A few people have a toe in both sides.

          1) The Apostle Paul was a Jew and faced discrimination in

                the Roman Empire, but he was also a Roman citizen

                   and had important rights, if he insisted.

          2) In Acts 16:22, Paul is attacked by a mob and then arrested.

              a) They flog him and put him in prison with no trial

                    but the next morning send officers to let him go.

              b) Paul doesn't go quietly; in 16:37 he tells them:


                 "They beat us publicly without a trial, even though we

                     are Roman citizens, and threw us into prison.

                  And now do they want to get rid of us quietly?  No!

                     Let them come themselves and escort us out."


                 And that is exactly what happened.


                 Paul was in a despised minority but he had an edge.

                    Most people don't.


      C. In the Bible, the poor and oppressed saw things differently.

          1) Consider Mary's song of praise in Luke 1:51-53, after

                hearing she will give birth to the Messiah:


             "He has performed mighty deeds with his arm; he has

                 scattered those who are proud in their inmost

                    thoughts.

              He has brought down rulers from their thrones but

                 has lifted up the humble.

              He has filled the hungry with good things but has

                 sent the rich away empty."


          2) Mary portrays God as a great Equalizer.

              a) Rulers are dethroned, poor are lifted up.

              b) Hungry people are satisfied but rich starve.

          3) It sounds socialistic, even communistic.

              a) But it does reveal some important truths about how the

                    Bible views justice.

              b) This viewpoint can also be seen in Psalm 72.


IV. The promise of Psalm 72.

      A. The psalm is written by Solomon, or about him.

          1) The charge given to King David had passed down to his son.

          2) Succeeding generations of leaders had the same duty but

                only the Messiah could fulfill it perfectly.


      B. The best attribute a king can have is a sense of justice.

          1) Justice is not just getting wrong and right straightened

                out.

              a) Balance has to be brought to society.

              b) The little guys have to be taken care of.

                  1> The afflicted, the children, the oppressed.    72:4

                  2> The duty of the king is to rescue them.        72:14

          2) Prosperity is secondary - it results from getting justice

                right.

              a) You know a society is just when spiritual people

                    flourish.                                        72:7

              b) It takes leaders with good values to bring this about.

              c) Ultimately, it will take Jesus.  Someday...


  V. Does Jesus make a difference now?

      A. Our earth doesn't seem very heavenly right now.

          1) Much needs to be fixed.

          2) Jesus himself knew all about injustice.

              a) He was tortured and killed by politicians.

              b) They were more interested in power plays than in truth.

          3) But Jesus accomplished his divine mission by going to the

                cross.

              a) He will return to earth to claim it as his own.

              b) That is when there will be "peace on earth."


      B. The justice of Jesus is already rolling.

          1) Jesus uses his followers to bring it about.

          2) An example in the land of Israel today.


             This summer the BBC reported on a Palestinian Christian

                family which is battling Israel to hold onto its land.

             It is outside Bethlehem and they have owned it for

                98 years.

             Israelis have built settlements all around it and

                recently they bulldozed one of their orchards, saying

                   it was on illegal land.

             The government wants to seize 90% of their property.


             Unlike most Palestinians, the Nassar family has a deed for

                the land, registered in 1924 with the British overlords.

             They hired a surveyor for $70,000 but it did no good.

                The Israelis always demand something else.

             The Nassars know the Israelis just want them to pack up

                and leave.


             But they won't go.  And they won't hate.

                In their words, "We refuse to be enemies."

             Their response to injustice will never be violence.


             They have hosted Jews, Muslims and Christians at their

                farm, all because of their devout father.

             "What we do now, as a family, is fulfilling the dream of

                [our] father that people can build bridges, for hope,

                   for understanding, reconciliation, dialogue, to

                      achieve peace.

              This is the idea."

                                                                   #64444



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SOURCES FOR ILLUSTRATIONS USED IN THIS SERMON:


#14974  He Heard the Bells On Christmas Day, Fredericksburg Bible

           Illustrator Supplements, 3/1997.101.


#64444  We Refuse To Be Enemies, Daniel Silas Adamson, June 17, 2014,

           <http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-27883685>.


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