Get the app6 Biblical Principles of Martin Luther King JrSample
READING
Psalm 89 is a mix of celebration and lament. It’s joy and sorrow spun together. It’s a poem that rejoices in God’s covenant with David (vv. 1-13) and cries out in distress about the current state of affairs in Israel (vv. 30-51). It’s a poem that captures the mixture of emotions of anyone fighting for justice in our unjust world.
In the middle of Psalm 89 is a declaration of God’s attributes, including justice. The poet uses a metaphor to illustrate God’s justice that is easy for modern readers to miss. Verse seventeen says God will “exalt our horn.” This is a reference to a bull’s horn. Bulls can weigh from one thousand to even four thousand pounds. They are sinewy and strong, with tough hides. Mature bulls may have horns that spread six feet across.
The ancient readers of Psalm 89 would’ve quickly pictured two bulls locked in combat. When God exalts the horn of his people, it means he triumphs over their enemies the way one mighty bull knocks another to the ground.
What does this reference mean for us today? It means that God takes justice seriously. It is part of the “foundation” of his very throne (v. 14). He has the strength to overthrow injustice the way a bull can destroy whatever stands in its path.
Take heart in this image of God! As Matt Daniels said in today’s video, “every human being is inherently and immeasurably valuable.” God will not sit by forever and allow injustice to prosper over the inherently valuable people he has made. With bull-like power, he will exalt the horn of his people and someday bring the wicked crashing to the ground.
REFLECTION
Who in your community faces injustice? Who is not being treated as “inherently and immeasurably valuable?”
What can you do to fight this injustice?
How is your understanding of God affected by this image in Psalm 89? How are your feelings about God affected?
PRAYER
Dear God, there is so much injustice in the world. I pray for eyes to see the injustice in my community and for the strength to act. Use me to bring justice to the people around me—people made in your very image. I wait in hope for the day when Christ will return and bring justice to all the earth. Amen.
Scripture
About this Plan
Look at six biblical principles that shaped Dr. King’s life and motivated him to speak on behalf of African-Americans in the Civil Rights Movement: love, conscience, freedom, justice, perseverance, and hope. You can better understand, live, experience, and ultimately form a community around the unifying principles at the heart of the dream to which Dr. King dedicated his life. Adapted from Share the Dream Bible Study.
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