Extensive Love, a Reflection on Psalm 36:5-10

The reading from Isaiah reminds of the Lord's love for Jerusalem--which we go on to translate as being love for all the rest of us, too. The love is even broader in Psalm 36--the Lord saves not only us humans but animals as well.

Now, I had read Psalm 36 many, many times and had not picked up on the inclusion of animals. Then I read John H. Hayes' contribution to Preaching Through the Christian Year C.

He says:

What may initially strike us as odd in such a comparison or classification might not appear so if we give it some thought. The beast receives its blessings, its food, its livelihood witout setting out to please God or anybody; it makes no effort to measure up to any standard; it simply drinks in the benefits that come its way from the created order controlled by God. The writer is suggesting something similar is the case with humans.

Lectio Divina: Psalm 36:9