PSALM 36 SPIRITUAL LEPERS

Written by , Rector of St. Matthew's Episcopal Church, Richmond, Virginia
 
¹ An oracle is within my heart concerning the sinfulness of the wicked: There is no fear of God before his eyes.
² For in his own eyes he flatters himself too much to detect or hate his sin.
³ The words of his mouth are wicked and deceitful; he has ceased to be wise and to do good.
⁴ Even on his bed he plots evil; he commits himself to a sinful course and does not reject what is wrong.
⁵ Your love, O LORD, reaches to the heavens, your faithfulness to the skies.
⁶ Your righteousness is like the mighty mountains, your justice like the great deep. O LORD, you preserve both man and beast.
⁷ How priceless is your unfailing love! Both high and low among men find refuge in the shadow of your wings.
⁸ They feast on the abundance of your house; you give them drink from your river of delights.
⁹ For with you is the fountain of life; in your light we see light.
¹⁰ Continue your love to those who know you, your righteousness to the upright in heart.
¹¹ May the foot of the proud not come against me, nor the hand of the wicked drive me away.
¹² See how the evildoers lie fallen— thrown down, not able to rise!

Beware of the voice within you that whispers flattery. The voice that says you are not as bad as that gossip or this liar or the wayward politician you read about in the newspaper. It is the voice that rationalizes your motives and launders your actions. It is the conscience cauterizing song that renders you numb to the real possibility that you might not be so righteous. It is the spiritual form of the physical infection that causes leprosy.

Leprosy is caused by a bacterium that attacks the peripheral nerves. Because of the bacterium the patient’s own immune system attacks the nerves and sensation is lost. Without the ability to sense pain, patients often lose fingers and limbs due to accidental causes. For instance, they cannot feel heat and pain so it is easy for them to burn off or cut off a finger. On the spiritual level our consciences are our guilt receptors. Once cauterized they stop registering guilt and we experience permanent damage. In short, we no longer “detect or hate [our] sin.” Once we no longer feel the fire of hell, we end up playing with the fire until it consumes us.

In effect, by denying that we are sinful we cut ourselves off from the love of God, his “priceless…unfailing love.” And without the refuge of his love we are left to the mercy of the father of lies; a place that no one in their right mind would want to be. The key to spiritual healing and eternal health is repentance in belief. When we believe that God is the sovereign Lord of our lives, and our loving judge, then through recognizing and repenting of our sin we can recover our conscience and be healed.

Forgive me Lord for my obstinate blindness when it comes to my own sin. Through the Holy Spirit convict me of my sins so that I might acknowledge them and cast them away through the power of the Spirit. Infuse me with your Spirit so that my life may be indelibly imprinted by his fruit. Amen.