Psalm 156 from Beyond Psalm 150
With the people poised to take the promised land, Moses recaps their forty-year history in the desert and reviews the instructions God gave them. At one point Moses leads the people in a liturgy of blessings (for obedience) and curses (for disobedience).
In this the Levites make a statement and the people respond in unison by saying “amen.” In doing so they give their agreement to what the Levites say, a format similar to Psalm 136.
Interestingly, the Bible doesn’t record the blessing portion of this liturgy, only the curses. This liturgy contains twelve statements of what the people should not do, actions for which they will receive a curse.
Here are Moses’s instructions for this interactive liturgy:
“‘Cursed is the man who makes an engraved or molten image, an abomination to Yahweh, the work of the hands of the craftsman, and sets it up in secret.’
All the people shall answer and say, ‘Amen.’
‘Cursed is he who dishonors his father or his mother.’
All the people shall say, ‘Amen.’
‘Cursed is he who removes his neighbor’s landmark.’
All the people shall say, ‘Amen.’
‘Cursed is he who leads the blind astray on the road.’
All the people shall say, ‘Amen.’
‘Cursed is he who withholds justice from the foreigner, fatherless, and widow.’
All the people shall say, ‘Amen.’
‘Cursed is he who lies with his father’s wife, because he dishonors his father’s bed.’
All the people shall say, ‘Amen.’
‘Cursed is he who lies with any kind of animal.’
All the people shall say, ‘Amen.’
‘Cursed is he who lies with his sister, his father’s daughter or his mother’s daughter.’
All the people shall say, ‘Amen.’
‘Cursed is he who lies with his mother-in-law.’
All the people shall say, ‘Amen.’
‘Cursed is he who secretly kills his neighbor.’
All the people shall say, ‘Amen.’
‘Cursed is he who takes a bribe to kill an innocent person.’
All the people shall say, ‘Amen.’
‘Cursed is he who doesn’t uphold the words of this law by doing them.’
All the people shall say, ‘Amen.’”
Deuteronomy 27:15–26 (WEB)
Reflections on An Interactive Liturgy
When we read Yahweh’s commands in the Bible, do we respond with a hearty amen or dismiss them as instructions that no longer apply in our world today?
Though these curses relate to the Old Testament law, which Jesus fulfilled, does that mean we can disregard them? How might we apply these principles to our life and culture today?
May we respond with a sincere amen to whatever God says.
Explore the other psalms—sacred songs of praise, petition, and lament—scattered throughout the Bible in Peter’s book Beyond Psalm 150.
Peter DeHaan writes about biblical Christianity to confront status quo religion and live a life that matters. He seeks a fresh approach to following Jesus through the lens of Scripture, without the baggage of made-up traditions and meaningless practices.
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