Charles Spurgeon writes that this psalm’s theme is: “Holiness is happiness” — and he’s right in an ass-backwards kind of way. This lengthy psalm of 48 verses once again gives the history of the Israelites, focusing on their failures in holiness, at least according to their good lord, YHWH.
A more accurate thematic statement would be: Unholiness is unhappiness. We see in this psalm how YAH punished the Children of Israel in ancient times, first for worshiping a bull statue made of gold jewelry during the Exodus, then fire-breathing sun god Baal, and then “idols of Canaan.”
The psalmist points out that YHWH even punished the natural world — a body of water, at least — on His chosen people’s behalf: “He rebuked the Red Sea also, and it dried up.” That was just before He drowned the whole Egyptian army in it and made Cecil B. DeMille’s cinematic career.
In another passage, the psalm tells how YAH punished His children “[w]hen they did not destroy the peoples, / Concerning whom the Lord had commanded them.” Genocide, anyone? I guess that’s how Israel justifies genocide now. Bibi Netanyahu needs to be voted out of office for good.
Then there’s the bit about the Golden Calf — “the image of an ox that eats grass.” YAH’s latest chosen ones of various denominations (mainly unmarked twenties) say they’re fine worshiping a con man who’s full of bull and a gold-plated ass. How about another pandemic and insurrection?