Echoes of Wisdom - Reflections Based on the Psalms of David

Echoes of Wisdom - Reflections on the Psalms of David

by Phil Dyer

This is Phil Dyer's third book, following Encountering the Still Point - A Practical Guide to Christian Meditation (2000) and The Four Paths - A Pilgrim's Guide to the Universe (2003). Phil is an ordained Anglican Priest who is currently living at Wangapeka Study & Retreat Centre near Nelson.

Review of "Echoes of Wisdom" by Bishop David Moxon Anglican Archbishop of New Zealand

It is a privilege and a joy to commend "Echoes of Wisdom" for widespread use, meditation and reflection. Various versions and representations of the Psalms of David in the Bible have been offered over the years, but in "Echoes of Wisdom" we are invited to enter into a very creative and sensitive midrash of each of the Psalm songs which is quite unique. The uniqueness of this offering comes from the fact that the prayer prose is the fruit of a very intelligent, well ordered, creative and imaginative communion with each Psalm, rather than a strict interpretation or a liberal translation of them. We enter into the essence of the Psalm as it is experienced and transfigured in Phil Dyer's soul. Because Phil is a contemporary 21st century priest, he is able to offer to 21st century pilgrims the heart of an ancient tradition which yet sings to us and through us in a new way.

This book is an offering of incalculable worth in today's confetti culture. In "Echoes of Wisdom" we are given a spirituality of depth with freshness, roots with wings. On the trackless journeys we are now called to make in the world today, this is a welcome and refreshing wellspring.

Price:

Each book costs $(NZ)20.00. Post paid in NZ. Overseas orders welcome. Please contact author for price.

Please make cheques payable to P. Dyer.

Retail orders welcome (NB: Not Registered for GST).

Order from:

P. Dyer, Wangapeka Study & Retreat Centre, RD 2 Wakefield, NZ

Email: pdyer@inet.net.nz

A look inside… The Introduction:

When I was child I remember hearing a story of a soldier who was killed in the battle of the Somme. In due course, his personal effects were sent home and his family found among them the small Bible they had given him when he left to go to war. The book was still in almost pristine condition. Only the pages of the Psalms were worn and marked, a poignant witness to his repeated search for comfort. I have often thought about that story when reading the Psalms as part of my morning reflection. I too, have found them a source of comfort, inspiration and help. It is easy to see why it is the most popular book in the Bible, and the most used book within the life of mainstream Christianity.

The Psalms contain universal wisdom and themes. Themes such as the wonder of creation, the search for meaning and purpose, the virtues of wisdom and compassion, the appreciation of love and beauty, and the struggle to find a meaningful faith amid the experiences of doubt and fear. These themes use rich imagery, often drawn from nature: the shepherd and sheep, hills and sky, fire and water, birds and animals. It is because these themes and images are universal, the Psalms still retain their capacity to communicate across more than two and a half thousand years.

Woven around these metaphors, there is a conviction that the mystery we call 'God' is found within the substance of lived experience: in the beauty of nature and in the silence of the human heart, in moments of joy and wonder and in the experience of suffering and doubt.

If I were to take the wings of the morning

or dwell in the depths of the sea,

you would be there surrounding me with your love;

even when I lie in the grave

you will still hold me.

You will never let me go.

There is no challenge, no experience,

that will cause you to abandon me

or that we cannot overcome together,

for I am made of you.

(Reflection on Psalm 139)

The Psalms are also the product of the ancient middle-eastern culture of the Jews, which had a particular world-view and religious tradition. For example, we find reference to the ancient three-tiered structure of a universe, where earth lay between heaven above and the place of the dead below. Many of the Psalms attributed to King David portray God as an absolute monarch in whom all the perceived qualities of good leadership are personified: God is a skilled warrior and statesman, champion of the poor and destitute, wise and compassionate, merciless in routing out evil and oppression. Further, God is consistently given an uncompromising male gender bias and referred to as 'Him', 'He', 'Lord' and 'King'. Finally, while the Psalms have a long tradition within Christian worship, they are the songs composed by the Jewish people for whom Jerusalem and Mount Zion held, and still hold a physical, political and spiritual significance. I was reminded of this one evening when a young Jewish woman led a group of us in the celebration to welcome the Sabbath. I was quite moved as she quietly recited the ritual of prayers, Psalms and history. Words that were familiar to me took on a new significance as she spoke of her homeland, of her people, and of the wish to visit her Jerusalem.

This book is an attempt to lift the universal themes out of this ancient Jewish cultural and religious world view and make it more accessible to the people of today who have little contact with the Church or the Synagogue.

Each morning, I took one of the 150 Psalms, working through them in order. I began by reading the Psalm several times so as to become familiar with its content and consulted the commentaries mentioned at the end of this book. Then I reread the Psalm taking particular note of the images used. When I was ready, I put the book aside, closed my eyes and took all that I had read into my time of contemplation. I let the stillness give the images and words space to touch my life, and my knowledge and understanding of the life experiences of others. I allowed the wisdom and the images freedom to speak in whatever way that was meaningful. This initial stage of reflection would end with writing down the key insights that arose during this time of contemplation. The second stage flowed out of the morning's reflection as I would return to these thoughts during the day, letting them develop further, until finally in the evening, I typed up a written first draft that became the raw material for this book. Because of the repetition of theme and content in the Psalms, only 93 reflections were finally selected for this book.

The Psalms are generally attributed to King David (c1005-965 B.C.), however, most were composed between the 10^th and 5^th century B.C. These 150 songs, became the Jewish hymnbook. In fact, the book of Psalms found in the Bible is made up of five such hymnbooks. In Echoes of Wisdom, you will find that I have also used five sections, and that they differ from those found in the Bible. They group my reflections under five major themes that are stages on a journey to faith. These themes are:

Lament - the struggles to find a meaningful faith.

Instruction - ways to develop our innate gift of wisdom.

Reflections - on living life creatively and meaningfully.

Prayer - a response to a growing faith in life.

Praise - the eloquent expression and flowering of that faith.

At times, the divisions seem a little artificial because some Psalms traverse several themes. For example, some of the laments may have been a liturgical question and Reflection on Psalm 137 instruction between a student and teacher or a penitent and priest. They include lament, instruction and even praise, whereas other laments stand alone with no resolution. In these, we are left with the doubt and despair of the song writer:

A caged bird can't join the dawn chorus

nor a prisoner sing freedom's song,

so, the music of my heart is silent

and the joy of my life is gone.

The flame of my heart is smothered,

and I weep for former times

when our souls made harmony together

swept on the river of our love,

our hearts overflowing with song.

My harp now hangs in the willows,

the river flows with my tears,

I lie in my grief forsaken

abandoned by all I hold dear.

(Reflection on Psalm 137)

A significant thought that surfaces in many of the Psalms is that we have a still point in the centre of our being. When we learn to rest in that centre, we find our ground of being, our place of stability, our refuge that will give us the quiet strength and faith to live life fully and meaningfully.

There is a still point within my centre

which is my source of strength.

When I rest within its compass

I find meaning and hope:

I remain steadfast as the mountains.

I will not be moved when trouble comes,

for I have found my home.

Goodness and love shall surround me

and I will dwell in peace.

(Reflection on Psalm 125)

It is as we rest in that still centre we come face to face with wisdom, the divine feminine essence of God, for in Hebrew wisdom was always feminine. She was there before creation (Wisdom 6:22) and is the reflection of the everlasting light of God (Wisdom 7:26). Her function is to teach (Wisdom 9:16-18) and her power was that she pervaded all things, for she was a breath of the power of God (Wisdom 7:24,25). My two earlier books, Encountering the Still Point - A Practical Introduction to Christian Meditation, and The Four Paths - A Pilgrim's Guide to the Universe, offer a guide to find and explore this ground of being.

It is my hope that as you dip into the reflections that follow, you will find within them 'echoes of wisdom' to encourage you on your journey of faith and discovery.

Phil Dyer

August, 2004.