Ps. 5:12-- (shield of favor)

Ps. 5.12

Diag.

But  /  let all  /  who take refuge  /  in you  /  rejoice!

Let them  /  be jubilant  /  forever!

Following on the heels of v.11, the contrast is total. Whereas the wicked were in rebellion against Yhwh and cast from his presence, those who “take refuge” in him rejoice. Several comments:

1)       We are again in the arena of the voice. Throughout the psalm we have noted how it is man’s words that at the center of this psalmist’s concern. The psalm begins with him imploring Yhwh, his King, to listen to his words, his murmuring and the sound of his plea. Those from whom he is seeking protecting are the hidden masses of men who are deserving of destruction because they “speak falsehood”. And, in one of the more striking images, their throats are portrayed as the open doors of sepulchers. Now, we find again the voice of the opening lines, but here, they are “rejoicing” and “jubilant”.

a.       Why does taking “refuge” in Yhwh lead to rejoicing? In the context of the Psalm, this refuge must have something to do with finding security from the lies of the wicked. How this ‘refuge’ is enacted, has not been seen. We will see, though, in vs. 13, that it consists of being ‘surrounded with favor’; how this relates to silencing the wicked man’s voice, we will come to find out then.

2)       “Let all…Let them”: In vs. 10 the psalmist asked Yhwh to punish these wicked men; however, as we saw, the only thing Yhwh needed to “do” was to simply “let them fall”, he merely needed to not prop them up. Here, the reverse plea is made. Before, the men were allowed to tear themselves down; now, those who are “in Yhwh” are built up in praise.

a.       Notice how different of a note is struck though between these two “let them”/”let all”. For the wicked, letting them fall is a request that what is inevitable be allowed to proceed; we find here a note that Yhwh could exercise patience and ‘prop them up’. This sense intervention is prevalent throughout the OT; Abraham prays for Sodom/Gomorrah; Moses prays for Israel; Jeremiah is specifically told not to pray for Jerusalem. Here, the psalmist is working in the opposite direction; he is like an anti-Abraham/Moses in that he intercedes for their destruction. He does not want Yhwh to come to their rescue. As inevitable as their destruction is, Yhwh could (a)void it.

b.       Is something similar happening here? I think there is. If we divide the line it makes more sense: “All who take refuge in you---let them rejoice”. It is as if taking refuge in Yhwh does/should lead to rejoicing, in the same way that the wicked man’s sins does/should lead to their destruction. But, just as before, there is this ‘intercession’ of “let all…”; the line could read “All who take refuge in your rejoice.” However, it includes this phrase of “let all…”. The psalmist is interceding on behalf of all those who seek refuge in Yhwh that their trust will not be futile but will, in fact, lead to rejoicing and not destruction.

c.       Undergirding both of these requests is the conviction that as “natural” as both of them are (that wickedness leads to destruction and refuge in Yhwh leads to rejoicing) they are dependent upon Yhwh’s permission. They could “go the other way”, so to speak, and their reality can be determined by the prayer of our psalmist (who is not counted among those whom Yhwh expresses no interest in (the wicked)). This simple phrase, “Let them…”, is but part of the original “plea” that Yhwh hear the “sound of his voice”.

3)       “Be jubilant forever”: this is reminiscent of Psalm 1 (which is not written by David) and the fact that a tree’s foliage will not wither if planted by flowing water. There, the image of a type of perpetual life was rooted in the meditations upon Torah. Here, the sense of perpetual jubilation is rooted in the “refuge of Yhwh”. As we will see, there is also a great deal of Temple imagery and so this can be seen as emblematic of a temple theology: the psalmist entering Yhwh’s home (and his place of protection) and singing his praises.

a.       What is important is like what we observed in Psalm 1: that being in the presence of Yhwh confers upon the person not so much a sense of immortality but of an abundant life. Those who say this has no reference to the ‘after-life’ are correct. However, they are also missing the point. When David and the other psalmists rejoiced in Yhwh they were ecstatic (outside themselves). In this way they were given a vision of the source of all life. Their words, when they encountered Yhwh, stretched. They became metaphoric. They speak of eternity and forever. Is it rooted in a very this-worldly understanding? Of course. But that does not mean that they were not, also, rejoicing in the name that stands as the very source of all. The more Israel meditated upon the name, Yhwh, the more they came to see death as an effect of sin; the eternal well-spring of life (He who is not merely a living God, but Life itself), is Yhwh. For those who stand in communion with Yhwh (who “find refuge in Him”), they are “sojourners” (like Enoch) and “walk with God” like Adam. The name of Yhwh cuts through and divides the conscience of Israel down to the very core of who they are. It separates them and pulls them apart. They “see Yhwh” and experience death at the same time (indeed, seeing Yhwh is tantamount to dying).

b.       Notice how David recognizes that ‘forever’ is rooted in jubilation. This not an ‘immortality’ that is static. It is a perpetual communion that is jubilation and rejoicing. One does not exist without the other.

And overshadow them

That they  /  may exult  /  in you

Those  /  who love  /  your name

Is anything added by these lines to what we have already seen? The images of protection are now finding a greater purchase.

1)       “Overshadow”: this is the same image of the glory that leads Israel out of Egypt  in a pillar of cloud and fire and that eventually settles down (overshadows) the tabernacle. This presence is what is taken into the promised land and is the Warrior King of Israel. It casts out the nations (in the arc) and eventually comes to reside in the Temple. The image is also one of a mother hen spreading her wings over he chicks to protect them.

2)       “love your name”: the name of Yhwh was revealed in the context of deliverance of Israel from Egypt. It was, also, revealed in the context of requesting of Pharaoh that the Israelites be allowed to go out from Egypt to worship Yhwh. Deliverance and worship are absolutely wed: one is delivered in order to worship. When the name came to dwell in the Temple, the Temple itself became this place of worship and a place of protection

a.       Likewise, in Deuteronomy, the proper response to Yhwh’s revelation of his name (in Torah) is love. We cannot go into here how shocking this is, but it deserves to be noted.

The Temple (as a completion of the tabernacle) became, for many, a new Eden (Chronicles makes his clear). It was the place where man could “walk with Yhwh” and where proper praise and sacrifices could be offered. As seen throughout the OT, though, praise and deliverance and the same. The promises envisioned by many of the prophets are a time of complete safety for Israel so that it can praise Yhwh’s name. The anxiety engendered by the nations often led to a sense that one’s worship is not ‘complete’.

For you /  will bless  / the righteous  /  O Lord

Like a large shield  /  you will surround  /  them with favor

This is a wonderful conclusion to the psalm because of its contrast with the opening verses. There, the psalmist implores Yhwh that he listen to his plea (for protection we later find out). Here, the shield has descended from Yhwh and surrounds, not just the psalmist, but “them”, the righteous. What began as an individual call for protection has become a corporate blessing of refuge.

“like a shield you will surround them with favor”: We are reminded here of the ‘circular’ shield of Ps. 3 that surrounded David, particularly his back which is where the accusations of Yhwh’s abandonment were most acutely felt. However, as we saw there, the shield was one of military protection from Absalom and his forces. Here, the psalmist is under a different type of attack that will call for a different type of protection.

As we have seen, the psalmist is being attacked by men who speak falsely. The type of protection provided against these types of attack is one “of favor”. The shield is not defensive; it is an active blessing of the righteous. This blessing will then operate as a silencing of the voice of the wicked/false as they see that Yhwh has given them his favor.