Fourth Sunday in Lent: March 26, 2006.

Numbers 21:4-9

Psalm 107:1-3, 17-22

Ephesians 2:1-10

John 3:14-21

Cupped Ear/Psalm Sounds

Hear this psalm as a sermon on the "steadfast love" of God. There is thankfulness and praise in the voce of the psalmist.

Verses 1-3 are a community thanksgiving that encourages all the people to praise God for their return from exile. The ones who are called to give thanks are "the redeemed of the Lord" (v. 2). This phrase is used only one other time, in Isaiah 62:12, when it refers to the inhabitants of restored Zion.

There are four sections in this psalm that illustrate God's deliverance from trouble. Verses 4-9 describe those who are lost in the wilderness and are hungry and thirsty. The second section in verses 10-16 describes those in prison. This could be any type of prison--physical, emotional, or spiritual.

The third section is the reading for Lent 4. The NRSV translates the beginning of verse 17 as "Some were sick" instead of "Some were fools." Most scholars seem to prefer the meaning of "fools" as those who disobey God, which can lead to sickness. But the message is clear either way: It is God who heals!

The fourth section illustrates danger on the sea in verses 23-32. God can deliver his people from all troubles at sea, or prison, in sickness or foolishness or hunger and thirst. Therefore we can proclaim, "Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good" (v. 1).

Open Mouth/Psalm Speech

I once read someplace that there are two kinds of fools in this world: damned fools and fools for Christ. The preacher might use the image of a "fool" in the biblical sense as a major theme in a sermon on this psalm. One will note that the NRSV translates the word "sick" for "fool." Perhaps it would be possible to do a word study on "fool" in Proverbs, Psalms, and Wisdom literature. Then one could compare how Jesus and Paul used this word. Who knows what foolish things you might discover for you and your congregation during this season of Lent? DRB