2010/Jul/15/P010 - Abba, Father
I am not fatherless; I have a wonderful father. I do, however, know someone who is fatherless. Not just one who has lost his father through death or distance, though I know people in that situation as well, but one who has never at all met his father. I am not sure he even knows the man's name. Canadian culture is somewhat father-ambivalent; we needed to establish a special day in June just to keep it fresh in our minds that fathers have an important role to play in the growth of a family. It is not so universally. There are places in the world where not knowing one's father is a huge issue. Places where having no father actually rips out part of one's identity.
In Eastern Europe, and also in Iceland, one cannot even have a legal name without one's father being included as a patronymic. In a coincidental quirk, my middle name is my father's first name, somewhat similar to how the system works in Eastern Europe (Though in that case a suffix is added to the name, so for example, Aleksandr Petrov's son Evgeny would be named Evgeny Aleksandrovich Petrov; my middle name does not have the -ovich/-yevich part). To complicate things further, my family name is quite similar to my first name in such a way that it sounds like a patronymic already. If I were in Eastern Europe and following the traditional naming pattern, any child of mine would have nearly-identical middle- and family names, especially in the case of any daughters. Regardless, the whole name thing, while interesting, is mostly beside the point of this entry (Even if it has taken up most of the entry so far).
The last line of Psalm 10:14 is You are the helper of the fatherless, and it makes me think of my patronymic-deprived pal. The verses leading up to the fourteenth go into great detail about the dastardly elements of ancient Hebrew society, the cutthroat thieves who preyed on the most vulnerable. Sadly, there are equally as wicked people still around in the "lurking places of the villages" as verse eight puts it. While on one hand it is reassuring that God does look out for the vulnerable in society, Jesus also made it clear that we should do our part to help God along by reaching out to those in need, whether or not they have fathers.
Psalm 10
Why do You stand afar, oh Lord?
Why do You hide in times of trouble?
The wicked in his pride persecutes the poor
Let them be caught in the plots which they have devised
For the wicked boasts of his heart's desire
He blesses the greedy and renounces the Lord
The wicked in his proud countenance does not seek God
God is in none of his thoughts
His ways are always prospering
Your judgements are far above, out of his sight
As for all his enemies, he sneers at them
He has said in his heart, "I shall not be moved"
"I shall never be in adversity"
His mouth is full of cursing and deceit and oppression
Under his tongue is trouble and iniquity
He sits in the lurking places of the villages
In the secret places he murders the innocent
His eyes are secretly fixed on the helpless
He lies in wait secretly, as a lion in his den
He lies in wait to catch the poor
He catches the poor when he draws him into his net
So he crouches, he lies low
That the helpless may fall by his strength
He has said in his heart,
"God has forgotten"
"He has hidden his face"
"He will never see"
Arise, oh Lord!
Oh God, lift up Your hand!
Do not forget the humble
Why do the wicked renounce God?
He has said in his heart,
"You will not require an account"
But You have seen, for You observe trouble and grief
To repay it by Your hand
The helpless commits himself to You
You are the helper of the fatherless
Break the arm of the wicked and the evil man
Seek out his wickedness until You find none
The Lord is King forever and ever
The nations have perished out of His land
Lord, You have heard the desire of the humble
You will prepare their heart
You will cause Your ear to hear
To do justice to the fatherless and the oppressed
That the man of the earth may oppress no more
In Eastern Europe, and also in Iceland, one cannot even have a legal name without one's father being included as a patronymic. In a coincidental quirk, my middle name is my father's first name, somewhat similar to how the system works in Eastern Europe (Though in that case a suffix is added to the name, so for example, Aleksandr Petrov's son Evgeny would be named Evgeny Aleksandrovich Petrov; my middle name does not have the -ovich/-yevich part). To complicate things further, my family name is quite similar to my first name in such a way that it sounds like a patronymic already. If I were in Eastern Europe and following the traditional naming pattern, any child of mine would have nearly-identical middle- and family names, especially in the case of any daughters. Regardless, the whole name thing, while interesting, is mostly beside the point of this entry (Even if it has taken up most of the entry so far).
The last line of Psalm 10:14 is You are the helper of the fatherless, and it makes me think of my patronymic-deprived pal. The verses leading up to the fourteenth go into great detail about the dastardly elements of ancient Hebrew society, the cutthroat thieves who preyed on the most vulnerable. Sadly, there are equally as wicked people still around in the "lurking places of the villages" as verse eight puts it. While on one hand it is reassuring that God does look out for the vulnerable in society, Jesus also made it clear that we should do our part to help God along by reaching out to those in need, whether or not they have fathers.
Psalm 10
Why do You stand afar, oh Lord?
Why do You hide in times of trouble?
The wicked in his pride persecutes the poor
Let them be caught in the plots which they have devised
For the wicked boasts of his heart's desire
He blesses the greedy and renounces the Lord
The wicked in his proud countenance does not seek God
God is in none of his thoughts
His ways are always prospering
Your judgements are far above, out of his sight
As for all his enemies, he sneers at them
He has said in his heart, "I shall not be moved"
"I shall never be in adversity"
His mouth is full of cursing and deceit and oppression
Under his tongue is trouble and iniquity
He sits in the lurking places of the villages
In the secret places he murders the innocent
His eyes are secretly fixed on the helpless
He lies in wait secretly, as a lion in his den
He lies in wait to catch the poor
He catches the poor when he draws him into his net
So he crouches, he lies low
That the helpless may fall by his strength
He has said in his heart,
"God has forgotten"
"He has hidden his face"
"He will never see"
Arise, oh Lord!
Oh God, lift up Your hand!
Do not forget the humble
Why do the wicked renounce God?
He has said in his heart,
"You will not require an account"
But You have seen, for You observe trouble and grief
To repay it by Your hand
The helpless commits himself to You
You are the helper of the fatherless
Break the arm of the wicked and the evil man
Seek out his wickedness until You find none
The Lord is King forever and ever
The nations have perished out of His land
Lord, You have heard the desire of the humble
You will prepare their heart
You will cause Your ear to hear
To do justice to the fatherless and the oppressed
That the man of the earth may oppress no more