◀ All Reading Plans / Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary) / Psalm 20 (The name of God); Numbers 9:15-23 (God in the cloud and the fire); Revelation 4:1-8 (Heaven’s holy holy holy) (New Catholic Bible)

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May 22, 1967

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Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)

Daily Bible readings that follow the church liturgical year, with thematically matched Old and New Testament readings.

Duration: 1245 days

Psalm 20

Psalm 20^[a]

Prayer in Praise of the Messiah King

¹For the director.^[b] A psalm of David.

²May the Lord answer you in times of trouble;
    may the name^[c] of the God of Jacob protect you.
³May he send you help from the sanctuary
    and grant you support from Zion.^[d]
⁴May he remember^[e] all your sacrifices
    and accept all your burnt offerings. Selah
⁵May he give you your heart’s desire^[f]
    and grant you success in all your plans.
⁶May we shout with joy over your victory
    and lift up our banners in the name of our God.^[g]
May the Lord grant your every request.
⁷Now I know that the Lord will grant victory to his anointed;^[h]
    he will answer him from his holy heaven,
    granting mighty victories with his right hand.
⁸^[i]Some trust in chariots, and some in horses,
    but we trust in the name of the Lord, our God.
⁹They will collapse and fall,
    but we will rise up and stand firm.
¹⁰O Lord, save the king,
    and answer us when we call upon you.^[j]

Footnotes

Psalm 20:1 During a liturgy of prayer for the king just before he engages in battle with a powerful foe (2 Chr 20:6), the people (perhaps the assembled soldiers) pray for their king: is he not a “messiah,” that is, an “anointed one” of the Lord (v. 7) and the head of the chosen people of the God of Jacob (v. 3)? A choir chants the petition (vv. 3-6) and a soloist (perhaps a Levite: see 2 Chr 20:14) responds (vv. 7-9); he announces assurance that the prayer will be heard, for Israel does not rely on the force of arms as its pagan neighbors do but on its God and Savior. Thus, the people already celebrate the coming triumph of the Lord.
In praying this psalm, we can ask the Father to grant the integral victory of Christ in his mystical members, just as he gained it in and for himself (see 1 Cor 15:22f). For the Father is the accomplisher of all things (see Rom 11:36).
Psalm 20:1 For the director: these words are thought to be a musical or liturgical notation.
Psalm 20:2 Name: see notes on Pss 5:12; 8:2, 10. Protect you: literally, “raise you to a high, safe place.”
Psalm 20:3 Zion: see note on Ps 9:12.
Psalm 20:4 Remember: with God, remembering and acting go together (see Gen 8:1; Ex 2:24).
Psalm 20:5 Heart’s desire: see note on Ps 4:8.
Psalm 20:6 May we shout . . . name of our God: see note on Ps 7:18. The Hebrew word for “victory” could also be translated as “salvation.”
Psalm 20:7 His anointed: i.e., the king of Israel (see Pss 2:2; 132:10); the divine help is his as intrinsic to his kingship (see Ps 18:51). See note on Ps 2:2.
Psalm 20:8 The force of arms is useless in the face of the divine power. The Prophets were always against the use of horses and chariots in Israel, in imitation of the neighboring pagans (see Deut 17:16; Isa 31:1; Hos 1:7; Mic 5:10; Zec 12:4). The same affirmation occurs in Pss 33:16f; 147:10; Prov 21:31. A similar expression of confidence in the Lord rather than in human weaponry is made by David when facing Goliath (1 Sam 17:45-47).
Psalm 20:10 The psalm ends in the same way as it began—with fervent prayers that the Lord will come to the aid of the king.

Numbers 9:15-23

¹⁵Journeying by the Cloud. Now on the day that the tabernacle was set up, the cloud covered the tabernacle, the tent of meeting. From evening until morning it appeared in the form of fire. ¹⁶The cloud covered it by day and fire by night. ¹⁷Whenever the cloud was lifted up from the tabernacle, the people of Israel would journey out. The people of Israel would then settle and pitch their tent in the place where the cloud would descend.

¹⁸The people of Israel would journey at the command of the Lord, and they would camp at the command of the Lord. As long as the cloud hovered over the tabernacle, they would stay where they were. ¹⁹Even when the cloud hovered over the tabernacle for several days, the people of Israel would observe the command of the Lord and they would not journey out. ²⁰At times the cloud would hover over the tabernacle for a few days. They stayed where they were in accordance with the command of the Lord, and they journeyed out in accordance with the command of the Lord. ²¹Other times, the cloud would hover from evening until morning, and then the cloud would be lifted up in the morning. They would then journey out. Whether it was by day or by night that the cloud lifted off, it was then that they would journey out. ²²Whether it was two days or a month or a year that the cloud hovered over the tabernacle, the people of Israel would remain where they were. When it was lifted up, then they would journey out. ²³At the command of the Lord, they stayed where they were and at the command of the Lord they journeyed out. They observed the bidding of the Lord,^[a] in accordance with the commands of the Lord received through Moses.

Revelation 4:1-8

Celestial Visions about What Is To Come^[a]

Christ, Lord of History^[b]

Chapter 4

Vision of the Throne.^[c]¹Following this, I had a vision of heaven with an open door, and I heard the voice like a trumpet that I had heard speaking to me before, saying, “Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after this.” ²At once I was caught up in the spirit,^[d] and there in heaven I beheld a throne. ³Seated upon the throne was one whose appearance was similar to that of jasper and carnelian, and surrounding it was a rainbow that looked like an emerald.

⁴Encircling the throne were twenty-four thrones, and seated on them were twenty-four elders,^[e] dressed in white with gold crowns on their heads. ⁵Emanating from the throne were flashes of lightning and rumblings and peals of thunder. Burning in front of the throne were seven flaming lamps, the seven spirits of God, ⁶and in front of the throne there was something like a sea of glass as transparent as crystal.

In the center of the throne and around it there were four living creatures,^[f] and they were covered with eyes in front and in back. ⁷The first living creature resembled a lion, the second resembled an ox, the third had a human face, and the fourth resembled an eagle in flight. ⁸Each of the four living creatures had six wings, and all of them were covered with eyes all around and underneath their wings. Day and night they never stop saying:

“Holy, holy, holy
is the Lord God, the Almighty,
who was, and who is, and who is to come.”

Footnotes

Revelation 4:1 In antiquity, books took the form of large scrolls. Thus, the most important and difficult part of the Book of Revelation is presented to us as a well-sealed scroll; the seals must be broken and, as they are, the visions unfold one after the other. In their main lines these visions intersect according to the classic plan of an apocalypse. After a grandiose inaugural vision (chs. 4 and 5), there is the prelude of events to come (Rev 6:1—11:9): it is the history of Israel, whose fall under the blows of the Roman armies is regarded as a judgment of God on his people. Then follow the trials and confrontations of the decisive moment (Rev 12:1—20:15): the nations come before us, slaves to the powers of evil that oppose the plan of God, who wants to save human beings. The Roman empire is certainly in the forefront. The Judgment will be even more terrible than that of Jerusalem if they remain hostile to Christ the Lord, to his Gospel, and to his Church. In any case, the great battle between God and the wicked powers will end with the extermination of these powers. Then, the drama can be resolved in the final accomplishment (Rev 21:1—22:15): God creates a new world reserved for his Elect.
But must we read, in this succession of numberless visions, the sketches of a mysterious calendar, a succession of events to come? The whole would then appears terribly supercharged, badly ordered, and—in a nutshell—incoherent. Doubtless, one can imagine that the elements of two different apocalypses—each redacted according to a similar movement—have been poorly coordinated, in a single book. But the author multiplies images and explanations to such an extent as to disconcert and baffle us. Yet, these events are described in such an ambiguous manner that they could be applied to all times. These things are always happening; we should always be ready for the end.
Revelation 4:1 This is a view of history imparted by faith. The Book suggests it by immediately transporting us to the throne of God where the destinies of the universe are decided. Images are multiplied to suggest in advance and to represent the hidden meaning of history. This inaugural vision places the readers in the worship of God; it confirms the role of Christ as Master of the history of the world.
Revelation 4:1 Emperors are entertained like gods and are thought to have power over the world’s destiny. The truth is far different. Who indeed can open the door of the true God’s dwelling and express the greatness of his life and plan? Here are innumerable symbols orchestrated like a brilliant symphony. Everything is inaccessible greatness: the peace of the light, the dread of the All-powerful, the power that dominates the universe, the perfect knowledge of all things. All this is what is proclaimed in these images.
Already present around God are the fathers, those great ancestors whose sacred history faith proclaims (see Sir 44–50; Heb 10–12); for He is the God of the living and not of the dead, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, as Jesus attests in the Gospel (see Mk 12:26-27). The great manifestations (or epiphanies) of God depicted in the Old Testament are an invitation to adore God, and the author was inspired by them. We recognize the themes of Isaiah in the temple (see Isa 6) and especially the images of Ezekiel (see Ezek 1 and 10). In this way, the Jews were wont to express God’s domination over the universe.
Thus, the sea, always felt to be a savage and hostile power, was itself tamed by the all-powerful God. All the forces of heaven that can be imagined—for example, those to which are attributed the government of the seasons and the rhythm of time, the four living creatures that represent the best of creation—are at the service of God. All these symbols form a great hymn to the Creator.
Revelation 4:2 In the spirit: see note on Rev 1:10.
Revelation 4:4 The elders exercise a priestly and royal role: they praise and adore God, offer him the prayers of the faithful, assist him in governing the world, and share in his power. The number twenty-four corresponds perhaps to the twenty-four classes or divisions of priests in 1 Chr 24:1-9, or to the twelve patriarchs plus the twelve apostles. They thus represent salvation history.
Revelation 4:6 The four living creatures represent the created world that reveals God’s goodness and power. Their many eyes symbolize the universal knowledge and providence of God. They continue to give glory to God through their work in creation. Their forms (lion, ox, human, eagle) represent what is noblest, strongest, wisest, and most agile in the created world. Ever since St. Irenaeus, Christian tradition had seen in them symbols of the evangelists Mark, Luke, Matthew, and John, respectively.

New Catholic Bible (NCB)

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Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)

Psalm 20[a]

Prayer in Praise of the Messiah King

Footnotes

Footnotes

Celestial Visions about What Is To Come[a]

Christ, Lord of History[b]

Chapter 4

Footnotes

Psalm 20^[a]

Celestial Visions about What Is To Come^[a]

Christ, Lord of History^[b]