Ps. 4:7-8 (the Aaronic blessing)

4.7

Diag.

Many people  /  say  /  “Who will  /  show us  /  good?”

Lift up  /  the light  /  of your countenance  /  upon us  /  O Lord!

Put more joy  /  in my heart 

Than when  /  their corn  /  and new wine  /  abound.

When Jesus stood before Pilate, Pilate asked him, “What is truth?” Here, the “many” ask, “Who will show us good?” In the context of the Psalm this “good” appears related to blessings of “corn and new wine”. They are embodiments of an earth that is ‘fruitful’ and productive. In many passages, these blessings are in fact the sign of a restored covenant, the blessings of covenant fidelity and even the blessings of the final feast with the Lord. For this reason they are not to be downplayed. They lived within the Israelite consciousness as some of the greatest signs of God’s love and tenderness to his people.

So what is happening here? We first must notice the ‘movement’ or drama of this ‘question and answer.” The question is put forth and then the righteous man erupts into prayer. And these are not merely words that have spontaneously occurred to him. They are, in fact, a portion of the Aaronic blessing of Numbers 6.25-26, “The Lord will make his face to shine upon you and be gracious unto you; the Lord will lift up his countenance to you and give you his peace.”

The context of the blessing is interesting; it follows immediately upon the heels of how to offer proper sacrifices. Then Moses turns to Aaron and gives him and his sons this blessing to say over Israel. After the blessing, Moses consecrates the tabernacle.

There is a similar movement here: the righteous man implores the vain men to offer proper sacrifices (righteous sacrifices of righteousness), then inserts this question of “the good”, followed by the Aaronic blessing. The righteous man then says he is “in peace” and he lies down to sleep, “dwelling” with the Lord in safety. Might we tentatively propose a progression like this:

Numbers 6/7: sacrificial instruction à Moses gives to Aaron the blessing à Aaron blesses the people à Moses consecrates the tabernacle (making it a proper place for sacrifices)

Psalm 4: instructing to offer righteous sacrifices à ‘many’ ask where the good is à Aaron’s blessing is recalled à righteous man falls asleep in the “dwelling of safety”

Understood this way the question propounded by the “many” is not one of nagging doubt on the mind of the righteous man. It is, rather, a foolish intrusion into the interplay between proper sacrifices and the Aaronic blessing; it is the question proposed by someone who is obviously in the pale, outside of the proper place of perception and understanding. Who provides “the good” is manifestly obvious to those who offer proper sacrifices. It is only a question to those who have not aligned themselves with a true sacrificial system.

To these “many”, however, even the most choice emblems of God’s goodness does not perceive something inherent within them. They, so to speak, do not shine as bright as they should/could. The righteous man does something very interesting to convey this. He divides the Aaronic blessing in two and places, in its midst, these blind “many.” Here is how it works (highlighting the Aaronic blessing):

The Lord will lift up his countenance upon us. Put more joy in my heart than when their corn and new wine abound. (And give you) In peace, I will lie down and sleep.

This is a truly wonderful move on the Psalmist’s part. By sandwiching the “many’s” blindness in the mist of the blessing one is invited to perceive, in a very effective way, the glory of the Lord that shines forth from within these natural fruits of the earth. Whereas the “many” certainly do taste joy at these blessings, the righteous man tastes the joy of seeing the face of the Lord. This joy is not one opposed to the corn and the new wine. The righteous man tastes it merely as “more”. It is a joy that stretches out and into the realm of the Lord’s presence. One cannot help but sense here the “eternal greenness” of the blessed man in Psalm 1 and the refrain throughout the Psalms that dwelling upon the Lord in his Temple is “better than life”. There is here an indescribable joy. All the emblems of the Lord’s blessing (corn and new wine) fall short of the joy of his face. This is utterly ecstatic; the Psalmist is not only leaving himself in this deep and rich joy but all earthly manifestations of joy. It would be banal to call this simply a joy of the “eternal good”. But, when all created emblems fail, there is little left but to simply say, “More…”.

One final point: recall verse 1, “…Be gracious to me and hear my prayer.” Now, the part of the Aaronic blessing that had not been referred to above: “The Lord will make his face to shine upon you and be gracious unto you.” This entire Psalm is a deep mediation upon the Aaronic blessing, an elaboration and exploration of how it is accomplished in the midst of a righteous man’s “reputation” being stolen from him.