It was early -- just after 7 AM. We set out to walk a couple of miles and take care of a couple of errands. The sun had come up at one end of the neighborhood, but at the other end, darkness and the threat of another shower still had hold. As we walked, I kept my eye on the sky, watching it transform as it does so rapidly in the morning. At my next glance, the colored strands of a rainbow beginning to develop. Just to the outside of it, the faint shadow of a "double" could be seen. As the littlest little and I stood marveling and snapping pictures, the oohs and aahs of others in the neighborhood could be heard. A man just up ahead was capturing the beauty of the rainbow with his camera as well. "Oh! It's a double!" someone gasped as they stepped onto their front porch. The quiet of a community remained for the most part, but whispers of wonder rippled throughout. The neighborhood was coming alive, but in a methodical, reverent kind of way. It was a wonder to behold, terrestrially and celestially.
I am currently studying The Hallel in my personal time. The Hallel is a Jewish liturgical prayer consisting of all or part of Psalms 113-118. It is recited on specific feast days throughout the year. Just this morning, the day of the rainbow, I had paused to meditate on Psalm 115:17-18.
"The dead do not praise the Lord,
Nor any who go down into silence.
But we will bless the Lord
From this time forth and forevermore.
Praise the Lord!"
I love the dichotomy here. Death, silence, the absence of praise. Life, eternity, and praise! The dead do not praise, but we -- the living, by implication -- we praise!
Luke 19, records Jesus' triumphant entry into Jerusalem. People were praising and throwing their coats on the ground before Him. I would imagine, throwing your coat would be a tremendous act of sacrifice; it's not like there were stores on every corner or coats to match every outfit hanging in closets across the city. The entire multitude was shouting and proclaiming Jesus king! So much so, the Pharisees told Jesus to order His disciples to tone it down. But Jesus refused, telling them that "if these should keep silent, the stones would immediately cry out." The wonders of our mighty God demand praise. And that praise identifies us as living beings.
The dead remove God from the equation, explaining Him away with coincidence and chance. The dead put their fingers in their ears and refuse to see anything past that which they can define, control or comprehend. The dead harden their hearts to the beauty of a rainbow or the miracle of life. The dead keep silent unless they are boasting about humanity. And as Proverbs 20:11, tells us, "Even a child is known by his deeds." The dead do not praise.
So, are you praising? Are you shouting so loudly that others wish to have you silenced? Are you singing? Are you laughing? Are you quietly, reverently oohing and aahing over the colors of a rainbow? Are you alive with praise? Or does your silence confirm your death?
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