Psalm 15 – The List

Yesterday’s Psalm 14 starts out mocking “the fool” whose deeds are corrupt. YHWH searches the planet for anyone seeking G-d (Ps. 14:2). And the psalm ends with an exclamation of desire that salvation “would come out of Zion” (the Holy Hill that is Jerusalem).

And what is the first verse of Psalm 15? A pair of questions (remember, the theology is always in the questions) in reference to YHWH’s Holy Hill, His Temple in Jerusalem. Who can enter the Temple? Who can live on His Holy Hill? The “conversation” started in Psalm 14 continues.

This is a Temple psalm and a psalm of instruction comparing and contrasting “the fool” of Psalm 14 with the blameless one “who does what is righteous” in Psalm 15:2 (and therefore, is able to enter the Temple). We have already introduced and discussed a recurring Biblical theme: the juxtaposition of human righteousness/justice with G-d’s righteousness/justice. This short psalm explains in detail what G-d’s righteousness/justice is and the requirements for entering the Temple and into His presence.

There is nothing in the list of attributes that surprises us. Intuitively, I think we mostly understand “the requirements” to be in G-d’s presence. The list is quite long! There are eleven items! The art and science of life is to somehow achieve live out the characteristics of G-d’s righteousness/justice. But we know the truth: we can’t achieve the requirements all of the time … or even some of the time!

It may surprise you, and it may be counter to what you have been taught about Judaism and the Old Testament, but the writers of the texts, the true believers in YHWH back in Biblical times, knew they couldn’t righteously stand in G-d’s presence either. There was no such belief that a life could be sinless. Blameless, yes. But sinless, no. Hence the cry at the end of Psalm 14 for the need of salvation out of Zion.

But this raises another question that I have been mulling over for a long time: what is the difference between being blameless and being sinless? The Old Testament speaks of many blameless people (i.e., Job), but no one that I recall who was sinless. I would love some feedback on your answers to that question.

Of course, as believers in Yeshua, we know that the salvation out of Zion ultimately comes through His life, death, and resurrection. The answer to all the theological questions of the Bible (Both Old and New Testaments) point directly to Him. Our “Godly” righteousness/justice isn’t achieved by accomplishing the standards set in Psalm 15; rather, it is achieved by orienting our life in Yeshua, the author and perfector of our faith and the source of our righteousness/justice.

With such an orientation our lives “will never be shaken.” (v. 5)

Godspeed,

DWach

Psalm 14 - Fools

Well, guess what? Psalm 14 is NOT in my top 5 yet! I have been doing this exercise for four years now (it started as a COVID project). My practice when reading and meditating (remember our Hebrew word ‘ha-GAH’?) is to read and meditate with pen in hand; my Bibles are full of notes, underlines, circles, exclamation points, etc.

It strikes me that after four and a half years (9 readings) of daily devotionals in the Psalms, I have jotted not a single word regarding Psalm 14. This bothers me! My scholarly Bible conversation partners have nothing remarkable to say about it either (other than to compare it to Psalm 53 and note that they are virtually word for word the same).*

So, fellow Psalm-a-Dayers, I am hoping that your reading time today speaks to your spirit and that you would be willing to share with me your insights in the comments section of this post. Listen to the podcast for a great reflection on this Psalm.

Godspeed,

DWach

Psalm 13 – I Trust, Rejoice and Sing

Psalm 13 is in everyone’s top 5. It merits a term paper of commentary despite it being just 6 verses (don’t worry, I will resist the urge!). It exhibits the classic lament psalm structure and clearly conveys the psalmist’s disorientation in his relationship with YHWH. He blasts YHWH with four rhetorical questions blaming G-d for all that is wrong with life (remember, the theology is always in the questions). It is clearly G-d’s fault! Yes, Brothers and Sisters, this psalm gives us permission to blame G-d!

But on it goes! The psalmist DEMANDS YHWH’s action via three direct and strong verbs: look, answer, give light (v. 3). If not for YHWH’s action, the psalmist will: sleep in death, be overcome, and foes will rejoice (again, a three-verb sequence in v. 4).

And then, there is a pivot from disorientation back to orientation. There is a waiting period … an implied pause in the psalm. How long is the wait, the pause? The text, brilliantly in my opinion, doesn’t say. How long must we wait for G-d to answer US and act for US? We already know deep in our soul the answer to that question. “Just a little while longer,” is always YHWH’s answer.

In the meantime, we must strive to reorient our spirit back to YHWH. The psalm gives us the prescription with three verbs (another set of three!) to match what we expect of YHWH: trust, rejoice, sing (vv. 5-6). It is back to the basics! Through trusting, rejoicing, and singing, we affirm and confess what we know to be true.

Godspeed,

DWach

Psalm 12- Lips, Tongues and Lies

This one should be entitled “Lips, Tongues, and Lies” and seems like it was written exactly for our times. There are so many voices and opinions and words uttered forth with reckless abandon these days. And which one of us has NOT uttered oaths against Facebook, IG, TikTok and all the other media outlets that shout in our face. The psalmist is correct: “Everyone lies to his neighbor; their flattering lips speak with deception.” (v. 2)

The psalmist then quotes his deceitful neighbor (thus providing us with yet another great theological question): “We will triumph with our tongues; we own our lips – WHO IS OUR MASTER?” (v. 4)

And that brings us, through the classic Jewish teaching technique of compare and contrast to the obvious rhetorical answer. Are you going to listen to the voices shouting in your face with deceitful lies? Or … are you going to listen to the voice of the One who whispers Truth in your ear? “The words of YHWH are flawless, like silver refined in a furnace of clay purified seven times.” (v. 6)

You know the right answer! Our master is YHWH!

Shalom שָׁלוֹם,

DWach

Psalm 11 – Seek His Face

As one reads this psalm, it seems disjointed. It doesn’t follow the standard formulaic structure of the laments that we have seen so far. And did you notice? YHWH is referred to in the third person, not the second person. This psalm is like a conversation between two brothers or sisters of the faith; they are talking about YHWH not to Him. And the setting seems to be the temple in Jerusalem, the place of refuge in ancient Israel (v.1, 4) and the place where you would approach YHWH and “see His face.” (v. 7)

The friend urges the psalmist to “take to the hills like a bird” (v. 1, JPS translation) to avoid the wicked one’s arrows. The psalmist in indignant. He is in the safest place in the world, face-to-face with YHWH. This is what the righteous person does (note once again the juxtaposition of righteousness and justice throughout this psalm).

And we see right in the middle of the text, another pointed theological question: “When the foundations are being destroyed, what can the righteous do?” The psalmist has already provided the answer: be face-to-face with YHWH; be in the temple (i.e., church) with your community.

The Church has taken a beating recently, it seems. In reality, the Church has always taken a beating. Despite its flaws, it is the ordained entity used by G-d to spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ. When the foundations of your world are being rocked, don’t take the advice of the psalmist’s friend, and flee to the hills. Rather, be part of a faith community. There is no room for “Lone Ranger” Christianity. It is not sustainable. Rick Warren is correct, “We are better together.” We need each other.

Shalom שָׁלוֹם,

DWach

Psalm 10 – Good Things for Bad People?

This psalm could be entitled “Why Do Good Things Happen to Bad People?” and it includes another great question in v. 13: “Why does the wicked man revile God?” If we really dig deep into our souls (and keeping in mind the difference between human and Godly justice that we discussed yesterday), we really want “human” answers to these types of questions! We do our best to be obedient to G-d; we do our best to care for those mentioned in this psalm: the innocent, the victims, the helpless, the fatherless, the afflicted, the oppressed. We grind away day after day. But the “bad guys” always seem to win. It just isn’t fair. Life isn’t fair. We could use some human justice!

And so once again, we shake our fist at G-d in this lament psalm and cry out, “Why, O LORD, do you stand far off? Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble?” (v.1) And we demand that YHWH rise up and do something to the bad guys! Break their arms, the psalmist prays! (v. 15)

As the psalmist (and we) wait and hope for G-d to answer these questions, the psalmist calms down and remembers who is really in charge: “YHWH is King for ever and ever; the nations WILL perish from His hand.” (v.16). Great, you might think. But WHEN exactly will this happen? YHWH’s implied answer, as we have already noted throughout all of Scripture is, “In a little while.”

In the meantime, we continue our journey of obedience. We, who are made “just a little lower than the heavenly beings” and have “been made ruler over the works of (G-d’s) hands” (Psalm 8) have the honor and privilege of being His hands and feet until He returns.

As I wrote yesterday, this is not an easy task. This gig called Christianity ain’t for the faint of heart!

Grind on Brothers and Sisters!

DWach

Psalm 9 – Righteousness/Justice … pursue it

Our comments on Psalm 9 start at the most logical place, which is, Deuteronomy 16:20. This text says in Hebrew צֶ֥דֶק צֶ֖דֶק תִּרְדֹּ֑ף “tza-DEAK tza-DEAK tor-ah-DEAK.” ‘Tza-DEAK’ should sound familiar to you; we discussed this word in conjunction with Psalm 7. It is the Hebrew word for ‘righteousness’ and alternatively, justice. Most (not all) translations interpret Deuteronomy 16:20 as “Justice, and justice alone shall you pursue.” But you could translate it literally: “Righteousness (justice), righteousness (justice) … pursue it.”

The ancient sages of old pondered this passage. Why, they asked, is the term ‘justice/righteousness’ repeated and why should we just pursue it? Wouldn’t G-d actually want us to “catch” it? After centuries of debate (yes, centuries!), they concluded that justice/righteousness in human terms is often a two-sided coin: what is just/right for your life may conflict with what is just/right for my life; what is just/right for men might not be just/right for women; what is just/right for the poor and needy might not be just/right for the rich; what is just/right for Americans might not be just/right for Africans or Asians; what is just/right for (fill in the blank).

And so, the sages concluded, in human terms we will always be in conflict. Our pursuit then, is not human justice/righteousness, rather G-d’s justice/righteousness. The passage is a clarion call for the faith community to lay aside individual pursuits of justice/righteousness and TOGETHER pursue G-d’s justice/righteousness.

That brings us back to Psalm 9 with eight usages of various forms of justice/judging/righteousness. We serve the God of just and righteous judgement; He remembers and “does not ignore the cry of the afflicted.” (v. 12). In our journey as a faith community, may we do our best to align with His justice/righteousness and not our own.

That is a daily pursuit and not so easy! But we didn’t sign up for easy!

Shalom שָׁלוֹם,

DWach

Psalm 8 – How Majestic is His Name

Finally! Something other than a lament psalm! Psalm 8 is top five on everyone’s list. It is a Creation psalm and another example of the ‘inter-textuality’ of the Scriptures. The links to Genesis 1 and 2 are pretty clear. This psalm also comes to mind in Job’s conversation with his friends in Job 7:17-21.

The psalm utilizes a very tight structure and employs an ‘inclusio’ of praise (the identical phraseology at the beginning and ending of the text – a sort of bookend refrain). There is praise and wonder and awe at what G-d has made! And right in the middle of the text is another great theological question (remember, the Bible, while a book of answers, is also a book that asks theological questions … and lots of them!).

Who are we (humanity) that G-d is mindful of us? (v. 4) The God of the Universe, who spoke the world into being, has “crowned us with glory and honor.” (v. 5) He has put US front and center in His Creation! WE are in a cherished position! WE have a relationship with the Creator of the Universe! That’s the answer to the question! Wow!

But, if we ponder a little longer, we recognize that the connection to Genesis is deeper. We recognize that we have some responsibility with that position and relationship with G-d. As Genesis continues in chapters 3 and 4, we remember that Humanity fumbled. And, if you read the passage from Job, it sounds like he, Job, didn’t want the responsibility that accompanies a relationship with a God who is mindful of us.

As we journey through this life, may we be aware of not only of G-d’s mindfulness of us, but also of our responsibility as “ruler over the works of (His) hands.” (v.6)

Godspeed,

DWach

PS … DJ Revonda offers a great song from one of our favorites, Aaron Schust, based on Psalm 8:

Psalm 7: Righteousness and Justice

Surprise, surprise! Psalm 7 offers us yet another lament with enemies pursuing the psalmist! Many of the lament elements that we previously discussed are present, including a clarion call for G-d to judge and decree justice according to His righteousness. In fact, there are five references to righteousness (along with one reference to wrath).

And so, we have the first of MANY passages in the psalter that bring together justice and righteousness (vv. 6-11). Bringing together these two terms is a major theme not only in the psalms but in all of Scripture (both Old and New Testaments). Try this experiment as you are reading the Bible: any time you come across the word ‘righteous’ or ‘righteousness,’ check to see if ‘just’ or ‘justice’ or ‘judge’ occurs in the vicinity. I estimate that they are juxtaposed about 80% of the time. The connection is even stronger when we study the Hebrew word צִדְקִ֖ ‘tza-DEAK’ which is usually translated/interpreted as ‘righteousness.’ It’s secondary translation/interpretation? … ‘justice’!

That should cause us to ponder a bit. What exactly is ‘righteousness/justice’ from G-d’s viewpoint? How do we stack up to His standard in our daily walk? How is G-d’s righteousness/justice different from human righteousness/justice? Do they ever intersect? This is another set of questions that we will explore in our journey through the psalms.

Shalom שָׁלוֹם,

DWach

A Brief Comment on Superscripts

Superscripts are brief informational notes that PRECEDE many of the psalms. Sometimes they deal with historical references (i.e., Ps. 3); sometimes they are instructions for worship (like yesterday’s Ps. 5 and today’s Ps. 6); sometimes they are “by-lines” or “tributes” to an historic figure like King David. Psalm 6, today’s psalm, has a superscript geared towards worship liturgy. The superscript says, “For the director of music. With stringed instruments. According to sheminith. A psalm of David.”

There is much to say about superscripts. We will continue to discuss them in due time. If you see the attached picture, you will observe how most (but not all) English translations deal with the superscripts. Generally, they PRECEDE the first verse; the typeset is a smaller font (perhaps to indicate lesser importance?); however, in Jewish translations like the JPS (Jewish Publication Society), the superscript is the first verse or part of the first verse and utilizes the same font size. These are interesting interpretation decisions for later comment!

Psalm 6: How Long?

Fun fact about Psalm 6: as part of their liturgical worship and prayer routine, this psalm is recited every weekday by Jews as the daily prayer of supplication.

We begin today’s comments in the most logical place to start: by reading Revelation 6:9-10.

You may be asking yourself what a passage from the last book of the New Testament has to do with Psalm 6? The answer is G-d’s “timing.” The scene in Revelation describes an apocalyptic conversation between G-d and “the souls of those who had been slain because of the word of God and the testimony they had maintained.” (Revelation 6:9) These souls ask G-d, “How long, Sovereign Lord, holy and true, until you judge the inhabitants of the earth and avenge our blood?” (Revelation 6:10) G-d’s answer? “Wait a little longer …” (v. 11)

Psalm 6, written at least 600 years earlier than the book of Revelation, asks the same question of God. In verse 3 the writer laments (yes, this is our 4th consecutive lament/complaint psalm), “My soul is in anguish. How long, O LORD, how long?

Each of us has asked, or is asking, that same question. How long must I suffer disease? How long must I suffer depression? How long must I watch my loved one abuse their body with drugs and/or alcohol? How long must I suffer (fill in the blank)?

If we are courageous enough to “shake our fist” at G-d and ask Him that question (like the psalmist does), then G-d WILL engage with you in an honest and true relationship. Does that mean you will receive the answer you want to hear? Probably not. The answer will likely be that of Revelation 6:10: wait a little longer; suffer a little longer.

Our relationship with G-d is a journey, not a destination. As our conversation with The Holy One deepens, and if we stick with it, we will come to the same place the psalmist does: “…the LORD has heard my weeping. The LORD has heard my cry of mercy; the LORD accepts my prayer.” (v. 8-9)

Shalom שָׁלוֹם,

DWach