From the depths of the Earth - the Word of God is heard

Boopchile will like this one.

Yesterday's news featured the remarkable discovery of a manuscript in an Irish bog. The manuscript contained the book of Psalms, or at least a section from it. It had been preserved for over a thousand years in the bog, uncovered by an excavator, and then miraculously noticed by the operator of the digging machine. It was in extremely fragile condition, but the supervisor sensibly covered it with moist earth until the custodians of such things could take responsibility for it.

The CBC described the find as a book of small-p psalms. They failed to indicated that these were in fact Psalms, i.e., from the Bible. The Globe and Mail did one better. Their headline referred to the find as a "Book of Songs", mentioned psalms in the text, but no reference to the Bible or the Christian context.

What is really remarkable beyond the miraculous preservation and discovery, was the particular text that the manuscript was found open to.

The manuscript was open to Psalm 83. The CBC noted that this is a psalm in which Israel pleads with God to protect it from its enemies. Pretty good, for the CBC. (But I suspect they had just copied the text over from the AP without giving it much thought. ) The Globe and Mail (G&M) excised all such references.

The text of Psalm 83 is remarkably relevant to today's world. Pretty good for the scribblings of an obscure middle eastern tribe that recorded what they said was the very words of the living God thousands of years ago.

Here's the text of Psalm 83, miraculously preserved for over a thousand years, and brought up from the earth at just the time that Israel is fighting for its life. Providence? You decide.

Psalm 83 [NIV copyrighted]

A song. A psalm of Asaph.

1 O God, do not keep silent;
be not quiet, O God, be not still.
2 See how your enemies are astir,
how your foes rear their heads.

3 With cunning they conspire against your people;
they plot against those you cherish.

4 "Come," they say, "let us destroy them as a nation,
that the name of Israel be remembered no more."

5 With one mind they plot together;
they form an alliance against you-

6 the tents of Edom and the Ishmaelites,
of Moab and the Hagrites,

7 Gebal, [a] Ammon and Amalek,
Philistia, with the people of Tyre.

8 Even Assyria has joined them
to lend strength to the descendants of Lot.
Selah

9 Do to them as you did to Midian,
as you did to Sisera and Jabin at the river Kishon,

10 who perished at Endor
and became like refuse on the ground.

11 Make their nobles like Oreb and Zeeb,
all their princes like Zebah and Zalmunna,

12 who said, "Let us take possession
of the pasturelands of God."

13 Make them like tumbleweed, O my God,
like chaff before the wind.

14 As fire consumes the forest
or a flame sets the mountains ablaze,

15 so pursue them with your tempest
and terrify them with your storm.

16 Cover their faces with shame
so that men will seek your name, O LORD.

17 May they ever be ashamed and dismayed;
may they perish in disgrace.

18 Let them know that you, whose name is the LORD—
that you alone are the Most High over all the earth.

May God preserve His ancient people from their foes and fulfill His promises to them. May He bring righteousness to the earth through the return of the Prince of Peace. May the enemies of God be scattered and Christ exalted.

And that's the way the Ball bounces...