Psalms

Psalm 59

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“They come back each evening howling like dogs.” (59:7)

A dog barks when it feels threatened or is protecting its pack. A small dog barks more than a large dog, whose growl alone is enough to frighten away potential threats. A small dog is more likely to bite precisely because its bark is not taken seriously. We can draw two lessons from this: First, when someone makes threats, take them seriously, no matter how much you believe that the individual is not serious. Second, just as under the right circumstances it is possible to make friends with most barking dogs, never forget that under the right conditions, most enemies can become friends.

Psalm 58

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“A deaf viper stops its ears so as not to hear the voice of charmers.” (58:5-6)

Our inner voice is generally good at telling us what we ought to do. The problem is that there are other voices around us that utter conflicting messages, tempting us to do what benefits us rather than what is right, or take the least challenging way over the path of virtue. We ought to listen to our inner voice, but if we hear ourselves saying, “Don’t confuse me with the facts because I’ve already made up my mind,” we should be open to the possibility that it’s our inner voice that’s charming us and leading us astray.

Psalm 57

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“My life is among lions.” (57:5)

You might be one of the fortunate few who live in the bubble of a kind, supportive, and nurturing community. The rest of us live with a mixture of people, a portion of whom are aggressive, self-focused, and success-driven at any expense. They are lions, predators out to kill the antelope and drag it home for dinner before someone else spots it. It is possible to find a refuge from the lions in a religious community or a selected social group, but prepare and protect yourself for those times that you venture out into the real world, whether the PTA or the workplace.

Psalm 56

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“Regarding the silent, far-away, dove …” (56:1)

The doomsday clock hangs on a wall in the University of Chicago’s office of the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists. Standing two and a half minutes before midnight, it signifies how close the world is to a global catastrophe.

A dove is a symbol of gentleness and peace. The closer the hands on the doomsday clock are to midnight, the farther away is the dove. The closer we bring the dove, the farther back the hands move. While the achievement of world peace is not entirely in our power, we do have the capacity to lay the groundwork to let the dove know that she is welcome.

Psalm 55

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“Would that I had wings, like a dove!” (55:7)

Why not wings like an eagle, or a vulture? Wouldn’t any wings do, to give me the ability to soar above the earth? The answer is that any achievement, including any piece of technology, can have a dark side, a violent or abusive function. A dove is a symbol of gentleness and peace. When we wish for flight, we also ought to wish for the wisdom to use the technology wisely, a lesson that Icarus learned too late.