ps. 21

O Yhwh / in your might / the king rejoices

and in your victory / how greatly / he exults!

You have given / to him / his heart’s desire

and you have not withheld / the request / of his lips. Selah

It is the smallest of words and yet the tone of the opening of the psalm would be very different were it not for the “O Yhwh”. It has a soft sense of devotion, of a type of pleasant exhaustion: this is not merely reverence but affection and tenderness. This sense hovers over the entire psalm, especially the first half which is marked by thanksgiving and praise. There is happiness here, and a sense of joy. The final lines from Psalm 2 sprang to mind when I read these opening verses: “Happy are all who seek refuge in him (Yhwh’s anointed)”.This sense of joy and praise is centered on one thing: Yhwh’s relationship with his anointed. This is not a ‘personal’ psalm—its joy resides in the covenant made between Yhwh and David and what that covenant entailed. “In your might the king rejoices”—this is a striking claim. David expresses Yhwh’s might, much like Moses had Yhwh’s ‘spirit’ reside upon him. Recall how when a portion of this spirit was give to thirty other men, it drove them into a fit of prophetic frenzy (Moses stood up, his entire career, under this astonishing pressure). Here, upon David resides the force of Yhwh’s ‘might’ which undoubtedly refers to Yhwh as “Warrior King”. This ‘might’ that resides on David is his ‘joy’. And not surprisingly—the king was called forth in response to enemies impinging on Israel and one his primary functions was as a warrior to keep Israel safe. Just as the ‘spirit’ resided on Moses, the ‘word’ on the prophets, so too does Yhwh’s ‘might’ reside on the king. From this ‘might’ comes ‘victory’—the accomplishment of peace and establishment of the kingdom. This ‘might’ then results in the ‘subduing’of nations (as Adam was called to ‘subdue’ the earth). So while this ‘anointed son’ rejoices in ‘might’, he ‘greatly exults’ in victory. “You have given to him”: again, Psalm 2—“Just ask and I will grant nations as your inheritance and the ends of the earth as your possession”. In Psalm 2, the entire world and its nations are there for the taking (interesting: Satan tempted Jesus with the same offer…). They simply need to be ‘asked’ from Yhwh. Here, that same sense of fatherly abandon (almost, prodigal abandon) to his son is found. David is like the true human whose wishes are so aligned with Yhwh that he need only open his lips and his request is granted. The note falls, however, decidedly on Yhwh—he has a full and fervent devotion to his anointed.

For you meet him / with blessings / of goodness

you set on / his head / a crown / of fine gold.

He asked life / from you: / you gave it / to him

length of days / for ever and ever.

These two verses follow the same pattern as the above: vs. 2: what Yhwh does; vs. 3: David’s request; vs. 4: what Yhwh does; vs. 5: David’s request; vs. 6: what Yhwh does; vs. 7: David’s request. “Meet him”: Again, we are confronted with the sense of lavishness and of particular devotion by Yhwh to David. Yhwh moves to David, he “meets him” to bestow not just ‘blessings’ but ‘blessings of goodness’. It would read very different if it said, “You give him blessings”.Rather, the ‘meeting’ and the ‘goodness’ provide us with the sense of the special relationship between Yhwh and his anointed (and, this relationship is one which is centered on Yhwh’s kingdom, not David per se, but David as king, or, David-as-covenantal-partner-for-Israel/world). “You set on his head a crown of fine gold”: There are plenty of images of gods crowning kings. Here, that common image is used by the psalmist to describe Yhwh’s act of covenanting with/crowning David: notice in Ps. 2 that the act of crowning/adopting/covenanting are all the same act. “He asked life from you”: in the context of the psalm this likely refers to ‘life’ as survival/victory of battle. “You gave it to him, length of days for ever and ever”: the request is answered, and it is not simply answered but lavishly answered. Whereas David simply asked for life, Yhwh bestows on him ‘length of days for ever and ever.’ We again get the sense of Yhwh’s particular love, affinity and devotion to David (and his seed—‘for ever and ever’). I do not think the point here is immortality, but to emphasize the over-abundance of Yhwh’s blessing (“which one of you would give your son a …..,how much more so your father in heaven…”). This has a close resemblance to the Ps. 2 “simply ask”, which results in the entire world and all nations being given to David (and his descendants).

His honor / is great / through your victory;

you bestow / upon him / splendor and majesty.

His honor / is great / through / your victory; you bestow / upon him / splendor and majesty. One of the most central themes of the psalm is the gift-giving of Yhwh to his anointed. It is present in nearly every verse; there is a lavishness about it. It is as if blessings were, almost literally, streaming down from heaven onto the anointed. Here, the juxtaposition of pronouns is indicative: hishonor is great through your victory;you bestow upon him splendor and majesty. These are almost all words used to describe Yhwh himself: honor, splendor and majesty. Yhwh is, in a way, giving himself to his anointed, not in an impoverishing way—these only serve to lift up the anointed, so to speak, in Yhwh’s light. The honor is his; but the victory is Yhwh’s. The ‘splendor and majesty’ clothe the anointed, but Yhwh is tailor. The terms—‘honor’: I believe this terms denotes a sense of weightiness and density; this is the almost physical sense of a person of honor’s presence. One senses the person is, as it were, made of stone; they are unshakable and unbreakable. They give off the sense of permanence. Likewise, it is also is an attractive trait: one can find protection in a person of honor. One is drawn to honor as the person seems to partake of something transcendent, a value seems to emanate (the ‘weightiness’) from the individual; this is seen in its verbal form of ‘to honor’. “Splendor”: this seems to be a term of sovereign beauty; it is the particular form of beauty that is inherent in regnant or kingly authority and, in this way, it tends to be special or unique. The one who has ‘splendor’ has the power to command; but it is not simply power, but persuasive power. One would be simultaneously drawn to look upon splendor and be immediately aware of the impropriety of meeting its gaze, eye-to-eye. In this way it demands the utmost respect. Furthermore, it seems to denote the element of light; splendor is always ‘radiant’ and can be blinding. In this way it almost actively impinges itself on observers. We are, once again, in the realm of Yhwh’s particular affinity and devotion to his ‘son’, his ‘anointed’ (ps. 2), except here we find Yhwh making himself, in many ways, the gift.

For you give him / blessings forever;

you make him / see your face / in joy.

For you / give him / blessings forever; you make him see / your face / in joy.

These lines surely point in some fashion back to the king’s request for life and Yhwh’s abundant response in “length of days for ever and ever”. There, we noted that it was likely/possible that the reference was the Davidic covenant and the fact that the king was going to survive the present battle and continue to reign. Here, following the lavish gifts of ‘honor, splendor and majesty’, we see that these were not one-time gifts but continuous. This is an impressive way to say they are ‘permanent’while at the same time showing that they depend upon Yhwh’s loving attention to his anointed. In essence, this shows the love of Yhwh (rather than some discussion regarding Yhwh’s ‘freedom’). Yhwh is doting on this anointed. This is followed by the highest of all blessings in the scripture: seeing His face. The previous gifts all had as their effect the world’s apprehension of the anointed (his honor, splendor and majesty). Here, Yhwh turns the anointed and bestows a gifts on him alone, much like when Moses saw Yhwh’s face it was always alone and individually---it was a gift reserved for him. Of course, it had its effect in the camp, but its occurrence was intimate and personal between Yhwh and Moses. Here, it is the same; now the ‘father’ turns his ‘son’ towards him so that he might grant him the greatest of all blessings. This makes the davidide partake of the same astonishing power as Moses. Here we find the root of the ‘blessings forever’ and, perhaps, we are to understand that the ‘forever-blessings’ are, in fact, the vision of Yhwh’s face. Finally, although it goes without saying, the addition of ‘in joy’ softens, personalizes and makes intimate this vision. The anointed sees Yhwh’s face, but it is one of utter joy. Appropriately, this reaction matches the abundance of Yhwh’s blessing. Each of them, the anointed and the Anointer, are absolutely devoted to each other. This verse appropriately marks the end of the first section of the psalm, with its steadfast attention on Yhwh’s attention to his anointed. Now, we find the hinge, that which makes the whole psalm swing:

For the king / is trusting / in Yhwh;

and in the lovingkindness / of the Most High / he will not / be shaken.

Standing at the very center of the psalm is covenant faithfulness of Yhwh toward the king. There is something very important in the fact that this verse comes in the middle rather than at the beginning: just as Israel was delivered and then received its covenant from Yhwh, so too is the king lavished with blessings and only now is the covenant mentioned. There is the sense that Yhwh’s devotion to the Davidic covenant is so total that it reaches out, almost uncontrollably, prior to laying down any conditions for covenant, in order to establish his king. There is no doubt that the covenant stands as the foundation of the Davidic kingdom; however, there is also no doubt that this covenant is grounded even further on the searching out and blessing of the king prior to any commitment made between the parties. When the covenant is enacted, it comes at the end of a long and tender blessing of Yhwh. There is almost always a prior grounding in Yhwh’s grace in every covenant. This psalm shows this rather wonderfully in its form by placing this verse in the middle (as its ‘hinge’ verse) and, at the same time, after the blessings of Yhwh: this way it shows its (literal) centrality and its grounding. At this point the psalm is allowed to ‘swing’ and shift its perspective from Yhwh to the anointed. Only once it has become absolutely clear that Yhwh is the one ‘gives victory’, is the one awards ‘honor’ and who is the one who blesses the anointed with ‘splendor and majesty’, can the focus now be on the king and his actions.

Your hand / will find out / all your enemies;

your right hand / will find out / all who hate you.

Those uncomfortable with this portion of the psalm being addressed to the king have missed the entire thrust thus far: Yhwh is the one who grants the king any ability to achieve success. Psalm 2 expressed this rather poignantly when it said, “Just ask and I will grant you nations, the ends of the world as your inheritance.” The “rod of iron” the king then wields, is one that is wielded in the power of Yhwh as his ‘granting’ him the nations. Here, the same holds: this is not the king routing his enemies alone; it is the king working with the blessing and doting eye of Yhwh upon him. Further, the whole ‘hinge’ focused on the fact that Yhwh’s lovingkindness is ‘permanent’ whereas the king’s ability to maintain that love is built on his ‘trusting’ in Yhwh. The king’s victories are the embodiment of a dialogue: we witness this dialogue in the king’s success and deliverance. “Find out”: the ‘lavishness’ of the first half of the psalm is taken up here in the probing and unwavering ability of the king to ‘find’his enemies. The ‘hand’ was often a symbol of military power; Yhwh’s ‘outstretched hand’ delivers Israel from Egypt. Here, that hand, with incredible dexterity and sensitivity, finds not just its enemies, but ‘all’ of them. Its ability is total; its ‘finding’ is sure. The ‘right hand’ is also the traditional hand of power and authority; it is the ‘right hand’ where those sit who are honored because it is that hand which is the most powerful. “Those who hate you”: if we have been reading the psalm correctly thus far, the king so sits in the realm of Yhwh and in his blessing, that any of his enemies would, by necessity, dwell in darkness. This ‘hand’ is, in a way, searching out every shadow in the realm and bringing light to it. And the king stands in such covenantal solidarity with Yhwh that his every action is one of empowered justice. He is, Adam-like, the image of Yhwh on earth.

You will / set them against / your face / like a fiery oven:

Yhwh will consume them / in his anger, / and fire will devour them.

The image here continues: the king, with his enemies in his hand, now ‘sets them against his face’. This is an obvious inverse image of Yhwh’s ‘face’ that the anointed was ‘made to see’ in joy. Now, the enemies are ‘made’ to see the king’s face in judgment. The ‘face’ here represents the power and focus of judgment, of total and intense anger. To be brought in front of a king’s face is to have no where else to hide from ‘the gaze’. All of the ‘honor’ ‘splendor’ and ‘majesty’are now fixed, balefully, on its enemy like ‘a fiery oven’. This image of an ‘oven’has, to my knowledge, always applied to Yhwh; here, though, the king (just as he has been endowed with ‘splendor and majesty’) is now endowed with same ‘face’.There is some hesitation in this though: notice how the action of the king is in ‘gathering’ and ‘finding’, of bringing them to account. However, once this is done “Yhwh will consume them” and “fire will devour them.” The image wants to grant as much to the king as possible, but, at the same time, it wants to make sure we know Yhwh is the one who is enacting the judgment. Yhwh as a ‘consuming fire’ in response to the king’s enemies we have seen in Psalm 18: there, he became volcanic at David’s enemies and shot burning stones from his cloud. Here, again, Yhwh’s rage is the absolutely intense and unwavering love he has for David. “David’s face”—Yhwh’s burning and consuming anger. This verse is a very poignant representation of the judgment aspect of the Davidic covenant.

You will destroy / their fruit / from the earth

and their seed / from among / the sons of man.

The image is of total destruction: fruit and seed (the ‘goods’ they produce as well as their very beings). It is one we have seen before, of Yhwh’s total ‘herem’warfare against evildoers. It is also in obvious contrast to the blessing of “length of days for ever and ever” on the king. Whereas the king will survive the battle and have his children sit on the throne in an ‘everlasting’ covenant, and have ‘blessings forever’, the enemies will be utterly destroyed, including their posterity. It is the total reverse of the Davidic blessing and covenant. (there does some to be a chiastic structure to the psalm but I can’t totally identify it).

Though they have / extended evil / against you,

have planned / evil devices, / they will not succeed.

I think this could be the ‘fruit’ referred to above: their schemes and attempts at bringing success is deemed ‘evil’ because, and this is important, it is ‘against you’ (the king). It would read differently if this ‘against you’was removed; then, it would sound like the actions, in themselves, were being judged. But, as we have seen, it is the king who is the object of attention here (much like Abraham was). It is because the anointed is under attack that they will not succeed. This sounds much like wisdom sayings where the ‘evil do not prosper’—but notice, again, now it is the anointed to works the judgment. This is a crucial insight: the anointed himself is like the universal ‘order of justice’ found in Psalm 1 and Proverbs and other wisdom books; this is very similar to the contrasting of Psalm 1 and 2.

For you will / make them / turn back

with your bowstrings, / you will aim / against their faces.

Another way of phrasing the difference between the first half of the psalm and the second is that between blessing and curse, with the covenant standing at the middle (which meets out both). And, just as the first half was abundant blessing—Yhwh seemed not to simply answer David but shower him with blessing—so too does the curse seem to be ‘abundant’. Here we see the enemy turning to flee from the bowstring, only to find them being attacked ‘against their faces’.They are utterly and totally surrounded; there is no escape. The curses overtake them just as absolutely as the blessings ‘surrounded’ David.

Arise / O Yhwh / in your might!

Let us / sing and praise / your strength!

This a perfect conclusion to the ‘curse’ section of the psalm and an amazing conclusion to the entire psalm. As to the curse section: “Arise” as we have said refers to the battle cry when the arc of covenant was often lifted up so as to bring Yhwh into battle. It surely retained this sense of Yhwh arising to arm himself and move against Israel’s enemies. “in your might” almost always refers to Yhwh’s primal judgment and destruction of his enemies (it often refers to his mythological destruction of Yam, etc…). As to the entire psalm: the opening spoke of the ‘blessings’ and there we commented on how the “O” of O Yhwh added a sense of intimacy to Yhwh’s devotion to the king. Here, it is the reverse; “O Yhwh” is like an urging for battle. The same words now express the ‘other side’ of the covenant: curses to enemies of Yhwh.

Ps. 20

As a preliminary insight to this psalm: from the moment Adam leaves Eden violence is (one of) the marks of humanity. This often finds expression in forms of inner-familial fighting, but, once the nation is established, it clearly emerges as war. From its initial birth in Egypt, Israel is at war. This continues, almost unabated, from the wilderness journey, into the land, and into the establishment of the kingdom. Once they have lost their ability to mobilize (once the kingdom is destroyed), Israel is simply moved between great nations, always imploring Yhwh to ‘deliver them’in the same manner that they were delivered from Egypt. At almost no point in Israel’s history does peace gain any foothold. In essence, Israel is always praying for deliverance and only tastes the shalom of Yhwh in its prophetic experience. It lives, therefore, with the hope of peace, and the present experience of anxiety in the face of the surrounding nations. Like some mountain around which is rising the flood of chaos waters, Israel must always implore Yhwh to keep them safe (or, deliver them from that ocean). With the rise of the kingdom, all of this hope for deliverance and peace became centered on Yhwh’s ‘anointed’.It was through him that Yhwh would focus his mighty power and it was through him that the nation would find its security; the king was not simply a man—he was the nation in the face of the nations (and, in the face of Yhwh). To ‘strike the king’ would mean the ‘scattering’ of the sheep. Likewise, the deliverance of the king was the deliverance (and, sometimes, the ‘finding’) of the sheep from the wolves and jackals. It would seem to me that it is only in this context that we could begin to understand the type of devotion to Yhwh’s ‘anointed’ that is embodied in this psalm. On him rests, to a large degree, the fate of the nation. And yet, most importantly, what I think is the most important verse in this psalm is: “some boast in chariotry, some in horses, but we boast in the name of Yhwh our God”. Due to the nature of the king it always stood in danger of eclipsing Israel’s unique understanding of Yhwh. Here, and throughout the psalm, we see that the king’s power resides, wholly, within Yhwh and his name. As much as Israel was anxious about the origins of kingship, once David arrives there emerges the possibility of an almost utter harmony between The Enthroned One and his anointed that can be characterized as that between a father and his son (Ps. 2). David, and the Davidic kings, become ‘new Adams’in a sense (Ps. 18), ‘raised up’ in order to ‘subdue’ creation.

There are two related structural observation that I think pertinent to note beforehand as well, both of which pertain to the number 7: 1) there are 7 “may”pleas to Yhwh directed at the king, at the end of which is the prophetic announcement that guarantees success; 2) Yhwh, or ‘his name’ is mentioned seven times. There is no doubt that this is not a coincidence. By making seven petitions the psalmist (the congregation of Israel) is crafting and giving voice to what they believe is a perfect petition to match their ardent desire that Yhwh protect and strengthen his anointed. It is out of reverence to Yhwh that they structure it this way and does not have to do with some type of ‘number-magic’.The whole psalm is geared as a plea and rests on Yhwh’s freedom; however, that said, their structuring of their pleas as the ‘perfect seven’ is similar to the psalmist who asks, with every ounce of his being, that Yhwh ‘hear his prayer’.This is a liturgical plea. Likewise, the use of Yhwh or ‘the name’ seven times is appropriate here—it is precisely in ‘the name’ that the anointed would conquer and in which he would find protection. By pronouncing ‘the name’ seven times the congregation is, in a way, pronouncing a blessing on the anointed, and calling down Yhwh’s presence. This should not be far removed from the fact that this prayer certainly took place within a liturgy prior to the king’s leaving for battle or campaign. Formal perfect is the liturgical method of showing honor, respect and reverence. With this observation in mind, we can, I think, better feel the emotional plea at the heart of this psalm as all of Israel focuses its attention on one man, Yhwh’s anointed and their king. May Yhwh / answer you / on the day of distress. May the name / of Jacob’s God / make you secure. It is appropriate that the first ‘may’ plea (and the last) refer to Yhwh explicitly. The idea of Yhwh ‘answering’ has been common to nearly every psalm we have encountered and it has, in almost every situation, referred to Yhwh delivering the individual from either sickness or from danger due to enemies. The phrase “day of distress” we have seen before, particularly in psalm 18, another royal psalm, where David spoke of “his”day of distress and how Yhwh saved him, pulling him out (and, therefore, allowing him to defeat) the nations. It may, there, have referred to a particular battle. Here, it may be the same. This is buttressed by the next phrase of “Jacob’s God”. In Genesis 35.3, the same ‘day of distress’ is spoken of in reference to Yhwh’s saving of Jacob. There could be here a large connection: Genesis 35 concerns Yhwh’s saving of Jacob from surrounding enemies and when Jacob was renamed into Israel along with the promise of the land reemphasized. Also, it is when Yhwh protects Jacob from the surrounding peoples by instilling in them ‘terror’ such that they do not harm Jacob. All of these themes could easily be captured in this initial prayer over the anointed (the representative of Israel itself): deliverance from a neighboring ‘brother’, protection through a veil of terror, rededication of the promise of the land. As to the structure of the plea: the first part seems to ask for an act, whereas the second feels more like a request for an abiding help. This same sense is followed in each following plea: the first is very strong and emphatic, the second, which is a type of recapitulation of the first, is less so but more ‘abiding’. It lends a type of rhythmic and solemn air to the opening of the psalm (something like a chant). May he send you help / from his sanctuary and from Zion / may he sustain you. What may seem like an obvious point is that while this liturgy is taking place within the Temple (where the sacrifices are performed), the whole purpose of the petitions is the battle that will soon take place away from the Temple. It was crucial that the king first enter the Temple, appeal to Yhwh for strength and protection, and guidance, as well as to offer sacrifice. These are necessary preliminaries and point, most obviously, to the fact that Yhwh will/would be the power behind the king’s attack. Prior to the establishment of the Temple, the arc of the covenant would be taken into battle; however, once the Temple was established, the arc was moved to the Temple and, from that point on, the arc (as the ‘footstool’ and therefore presence of Yhwh) was immobilized. Here, that same mobility of Yhwh is appealed to. The congregation asks that Yhwh ‘send help’ from this source of astonishing power (the Temple, Zion). Likewise, this power will not only ‘help’ but will ‘sustain’ the king during his campaign/battle, just as the arc would have before. In psalm 3, David appealed to something similar when he had been chased out of Jerusalem by Absalom, asking that an ‘answer’come from the ‘holy mountain’. As we noted there, the establishment of the Temple coincides with the establishment of the Davidic covenant—the Temple and the King were intimately associated. Here, the same idea emerges: the congregation is aware of the connection (the ‘son’ in ‘his father’s house’). May he remember / all your offerings and regard with favor / your burnt offerings. Selah. It would seem important that these be understood as offerings and not so much as ‘sacrifices’. There is no sense here of the king’s ‘sinfulness’ but more of the fact that these are ‘gifts’, ‘offerings’ to Yhwh. They are signs of devotion and praise. There is a tendency to forget this—that these are not ‘sacrifices’as in ‘painful releases’ but joyful gifts to Yhwh. The therefore seem to operate like physical praises, although, of course, they must also have functioned as attempts to win Yhwh’s ‘favor’ (although they are not ‘magic’ in this sense). In furtherance of this, Yhwh is typically described as ‘remembering’his people’s ‘plea’, or simply remembering them—here, the remembrance is to the sacrifices. May he give you / your heart’s desire and fulfill all your purpose. There is an interesting connection here between these ‘burnt offerings’, this ‘heart’s desire’ and psalm 51. There, David says Yhwh does not delight in sacrifices but in a broken and contrite hear. He then, however, immediately goes on to implore Yhwh to ‘build the walls of Jerusalem’and, at that time, he will ‘delight in whole burnt sacrifices’. It seems as if, there, the ‘burnt offerings’would not be acceptable so long as David’s heart was not contrite and humble. However, once that ‘sacrifice’ was made the whole burnt offerings would be a delight to Yhwh and be emblematic of a restored Jerusalem. Could it be that these ‘burnt offerings’ also function in some way as the expression of a ‘whole’ and ‘secure’Jerusalem? That for Yhwh to ‘remember’ them is to grant David’s ‘heart’s desire’ of a realm pacified and protected? It seems as if these two concluding ‘may’ please may have to do with celebratory anticipation, a sense that what one enacts now, is a foreshadowing or a request of what will be to come if Yhwh grants success in battle. May we shout for joy / in your victory and raise a banner / in the name of our God. May Yhwh fulfill / all your requests. We are now in slightly different section of the psalm. The tone has shifted to the anticipatory victory of the king. Likewise, the ‘may’ petition is now at “us” not Yhwh (may ‘we shout for joy’…). This verse reveals the intimate connection between the congregation and the anointed. His victory is theirs. They will rejoice just as he will. It concludes with a totalizing request: may Yhwh fulfill a your requests. As pointed out above, here the name emerges again at the conclusion and it is a fitting one—wedding the entirely of the king’s desires to the will of Yhwh.

Some boast in chariotry / some in horses, but we boast / in the name of Yhwh our God. If it had not been apparent before from the ‘perfect’ supplications (numbering 7) we now find the summation of the psalm here: that Israel’s strength (it’s ‘boast’) is (and this is an impressive combination of terms) in the name – of Yhwh – our God. The first term “in the name” has been referred to already throughout the psalm and has such deep resonances and meaning that it is impossible to go into here. Suffice to say that it is ‘the name’ from which Yhwh’s presence is made manifest as it is his ‘presence’. Second, the congregation actually names Yhwh, as the one who will strengthen their king and be the source of their victory. Third, they designate him as “our God”, which harkens back to covenantal language (“you will be my people, and I will be your God”). It is this Yhwh, this name, who is theirGod (I assume this is El or Elyion). This Yhwh is then also understood to the‘highest god’. So not only do we have the ‘name’ that was revealed at the deliverance of people from Egypt, but we also have the fact that this Yhwh is the one who, then, became Israel’s own God and is the highest of all gods. When this is grasped, the fact that some would ‘boast in chariots’ seems almost comical—Israel has standing behind their king, El(yon) who has revealed himself in covenant to them as Yhwh. Furthermore, and importantly, Israel perceives itself as not boasting in chariotry; whether or not other nations actually would make this boast or not (or would, in turn, boast in their god), is not as important as the fact that Israel sees itself as centering its boast solely and entirely on Yhwh. Furthermore, according to law, Israel was not to maintain chariotry. Israel constantly left open ‘space’ within which Yhwh would inhabit in order to show that Yhwh was, in fact, their support. This is not to be regarded as Israel, in some form, denying the efficacy of created things (horses, etc…). Rather, it reveals Israel’s intense commitment to Yhwh and their desire to “give him all the glory”. It also seems to mimic their initial act of deliverance form Egypt when Yhwh, single-handedly, destroyed the Pharaoh and his army. They will bow down / and fall / but we shall rise / and stand upright. O Yhwh / save the king and answer us / on the day / that we call.

Ps. 19 Pt. 1

1.                  The heavens / are recounting / God’s glory   and the firmament / is declaring / the work / of his hands. One can often get a sense of the author of these psalms as they are patiently worked through. The previous psalm strikes me as one probably written by David, a man of intense honor and devotion, of martial demeanor and of great passion, a man whose focus on the political realm is almost absolute (fitting for a king of course). This psalm seems almost the opposite. The author strikes me as deeply meditative and contemplative. His vista is as broad and all encompassing as possible; he is much more ‘abstract’ than David and he strikes me as a man of capable of intense but calm joy.  The rhythm of his though seems to be liturgical and almost stately. I could see him being a friend of the gospel writer of John.  The heavens are the focus of this first half of the psalm (vs. 1-8). It begins in the most expansive terms possible: the heavens and the firmament. This opening therefore serves as a type of summation or introduction. From here, the focus will move into more narrow categories (day, night, the sun). However, before moving into greater particularities, the psalm wants to ‘set the stage’; these are not particular bodies that are recounting God’s glory—the entire heavens and the firmament. It is the entire created order standing above the earth. As we will see later, this primes the reader of the psalm for a vision of effusive and all consuming praise. Just as, geographically, the psalm begins with the greatest possible expression of praise, so too will it later employ images of almost uncontainable praise. There is certainly a sense here that what is attempting to be portrayed is a mystery, a ‘something more’. Not only will the images seems to contradict themselves (they speak without words) but they will pile upon themselves (like a bridegroom, (no, better) like a warrior) in an attempt to shed a greater light on what is at the center of the psalm: God’s glory and Yhwh’s ‘torah’. It will only be through the interplay of these various aspects that ‘something’ will emerge. “Recounting God’s glory”: God’s glory, throughout the OT (and into the NT), is something of almost indescribable beauty and power. It would not be possible to list its various expressions. However, what we can say is that its effect upon any observer is overwhelming: prophets fall down as if dead, Israel retreats like some salamander from its flames, Moses’ face becomes incandescent in its presence, it lifts itself up in a terrifying chariot, it is surrounded by the finest jewels of creation. And yet, even in all of these descriptions, one is always aware that the author is, perhaps, not even getting close to its reality. And when we look at Genesis (which this psalm is obviously based upon, in some form), we come to understand that the ‘heavens’ themselves are not simply a ‘dwelling’ for God; they themselves were created. They are not divine. This is not meant to diminish their beauty or power, of course, but to point to the fact that a greater ‘glory’ (sovereign power) is their creator. One approach I have always heard of in relation the ‘de-mythologizing’ of Genesis is how the author shows creation is ‘not divine’ but ‘simply’ created. I wonder, though, if the reverse is not in fact the case—that the author by showing these things to not be gods was actually removing a hindrance to seeing their greater beauty. In this way, the ‘de-mythologizing’ would have been a removal of something that was eclipsing an even greater light within the heavens themselves; by showing these heavens to be created, they actually burned brighter, not less.  I think this may actually go some way to seeing this psalm in its proper light: we are not here describing the modern sense of ‘matter’ and ‘space’. We are, rather, in a more enchanted realm. A realm where the created order is grounded on its subservience, and obedience, to God. It is not simply ‘following laws’, but enacting and showing forth an almost covenant fidelity. God’s glory is never simply a physical manifestation of his presence/power; but a manifestation of his sovereignty and lordly authority. For ‘the heavens’ to recount that glory would require of them to also recount this very real and deeply intimate conviction—not simply power. On some level, though, this has done nothing to answer what it means to ‘recount God’s glory’. It would seem that to do this is to, in some way, “offer praise”—the heavens are then engaged in liturgy to God. Although it does not say they ‘sing praises’ to God’s glory, there must be this element—later, the psalm will use phrases that suggest this (for the sun: bridegroom; warrior ‘rejoicing’). Likewise, their ‘voices’ ‘pour forth’ speech, to the extremity of the world. Furthermore, this is what they are doing. The line would feel different it said, “The havens recount God’s glory”. With the inclusion of ‘are recounting’ one is already made aware of the fact that this liturgy is permanent, ‘always already’. This is picked up in the next line: “firmament is declaring the world of his hands”. Again, it does not say the firmament ‘declares’ but ‘is declaring’. It is happening, right now. The world is encased in this ongoing, continuous, overflowing praise. This writer is aware of a silent symphony being played around him, modulating and undulating, but perfect in its pitch and tone. “Day to day / pours forth speech  Night to night / makes known knowledge”. One could picture here a heavenly stream, continuously overflowing onto the earth. During the day, the speech is not only present, but ‘pours forth’. In this way it is wild, and prodigal in its praise; it is continuously, and without interruption, being renewed from its source. To perceive this, then, is to be aware of this ‘prodigal’ nature of heavenly praise—it is ‘wasteful’, joyous and liberality. The image is muted at night: “makes known knowledge”. One fact of this is interesting: during the day light is so prevalent it acts as a type of canopy or veil to the night sky. During the day the only celestial object that is (generally) visible is the sun. Perhaps the day ‘pours forth’ praise, because light is ubiquitous during the day, whereas at night, the canopy of light is pulled back to reveal the more muted, but more sublime, beauty of the speckled heavens. They both, in their own way, ‘recount’ and ‘declare’ but in seemingly very different temperaments.  There is / no speech / and there are / no words;  their voice is / inaudible.  Their voice has / gone forth / into all the earth,  and their words / to the extremity / of the world. This section concludes the first half of the first half of the psalm, and it is fitting in its contradictory nature to what has come before (heavens/firmament/ day-to-day/night-to-night). Here, though, we enter a world of apparent contradiction, not contrast. These verse operate in a chiastic fashion:

There is no speech and no words

There voice is inaudible

The voice has gone forth

And their words to the extremity of the world.

The psalm has just said, day-to-day ‘pours forth speech’. It now says, ‘there is no speech’. It has been said that this points to the fact that the heavens to not literally speak. To put it mildly, that would be a rather silly observation and I think there is something very different going on here than something so obvious. A first step is to recognize that he does not say they have ‘no voice’ but that it is ‘inaudible’. It is not something heard. Furthermore, this comes at the end of a litany of verbs of speech: recounting, declaring, pouring forth speech, making known knowledge. It seems that this psalm has, thus far, been something oriented toward the sense of sight, more so than to the ear. I would wager, then, that the ‘words’ are words that ‘poured’ into the eye; they are ‘recounted’ and ‘declared’ to the eye. It is not simply that creation is ‘silent’ but that this psalm is focused, rather intently at this point, on the visual liturgy of creation, rather than the auditory. It is fascinating that there would be such a focus then on ‘voice’, implying hearing. Furthermore, I think this may be setting us up for the second half of the psalm where the ear will play a central role as to hearing the Torah of Yhwh. Might it be that the eye perceives God whereas the ear perceives Yhwh?

Ps. 18 (conclusion)

He is / the one / making firm / my feet / like the hinds’ feet, And he makes me / stand upon / high places. He is the one / training my hands / for battle, So that / my arms / can depress / the bow of bronze. Yhwh is now seen as David’s military trainer. There is something here reminiscent of the Spirit that would descend upon the judges, that would immediately enliven and strengthen them. They would become, at that moment, something like a ‘hero’ in other tales—except for the fact that most other heroes were, by nature, partakers of divine nature (usually, by birth), whereas here, the Spirit of Yhwh descends (and can re-ascend). David is very aware of this enliving power. The emphases here is on strength. David is being made into almost some Achilles: a massively powerful warrior. Of course, with the first half of the psalm as a backdrop, the power that is seen as emboldening David is horrendous and volcanic. It is important to realize that, for the Israelite, when the thought of David, they thought of a man whose anointing was so total and absolute that he came to embody the terrible wrath of Yhwh that we have already seen described. David was made immensely powerful and no king stood in comparison with him, because no god stood in comparison with the god who was ‘training him for battle’. It would not be too much to claim that, for the Jew, David would have conquered even Achilles. It is interesting that David here lapses into a third-person address. No longer is it, “you make stand…you train my hands.” Rather, it is “he makes me stand…he trains my hands.” IT almost sounds as if, at this point David is addressing people around him, rather than Yhwh directly. And you gave me / your shield / of deliverance, And your right hand / supported me, and your help / made me great. You lengthened / my stride / beneath me, so that / my ankles / have not slipped. All of the images thus far have been ones of pursuit and preparation for battle: strong fee, trained hands, shield of deliverance, lengthened stride. This is Adam in all his original splendor. This part of the psalm is therefore reminiscent of the first movement of Yhwh after hearing David’s prayer: he prepares for battle. If this is seen as a type of recapitulation of the first part of the psalm, we are to sense behind this ‘preparation’a billowing and infuriated Yhwh, one who has become volcanic in his anger towards David’s oppressors. I pursued / my enemies / and I overtook them, and I did not return / until they / were finished. This is the beginning of battle; David is now attacking. The context of this psalm is the emergence of the Kingdom of God, through his messiah, David. Like Genesis, this psalm narrates the powerful emergence and establishment of order over the entire land of Canaan as well as the establishment of a monarchy that was to, in potentiality, be a worldwide dominion. As we have said before, David is, then, a type of Adam—a beginning and a king of ‘creation’. Here we find David’s amazing empowerment to be established in unwavering fidelity to Yhwh’s commands—for this reason…an aspect of David’s emergence was his deliverance from Saul. Saul had been similarly ‘empowered’as David is now. He lost that anointing however when he overtook his enemies but spared the king, Agag, and the ‘choicest of his flock’ (he says, for ‘sacrifice’).However apparently minor this infraction was, he did not do what Yhwh (and Samuel) had commanded him. Here, David shows himself the true king: “I did not return until they were finished”. “I wounded them / so they were not able / to rise; they fell / beneath my feet. And you girded me / with might / for the battle; you made my opponents / bow down / beneath me. And my enemies / you have given me / their neck; and those / who hate me -- / I have / exterminated them.” Here the actual drama of battle is enacted and it involves both death, wounded and utter submission (given their neck). David is described as ‘girded with might’, something he has already claimed in the ‘third person’ (“The god, who girded me with might and made perfect my way.”). There is the danger in reading this that we develop the impression of David ‘treading on ants’. However, we must remember how David described these men in the first half of the psalm: Death, Sheol, the torrents of Belial, ‘my powerful foe’, those who ‘were too strong for me’. David very clearly regards these men as of such power that they are representatives of the most powerful enemies known (Death, Sheol, Belial). David knows that these men are ‘giants’ compared to him (Goliaths we might say) and that they are much too powerful for him. Again, it is for this reason that the first half of the psalm is so important: it highlights not only the astonishing forces aligned against David and Yhwh’s Kingdom, but the fact that Yhwh’s strength, even in comparison to them, is unmatched. The utter destruction David’s wreaks here is, in this light, truly remarkable. They cried / for help / but there was / no deliverer; even upon Yhwh / but he did not / answer them. At first glance, the first line is not that remarkable, until we remember that the only other time someone ‘cried out’ was David’s prayer to Yhwh. These lines then represent the opposite of David’s prayer. His was not only heard but it seemed to overtake Yhwh. These men ‘cry out’, presumably to other gods, and then to Yhwh, but they are met with deadening silence. Likewise, the entire psalm has been focused on the word ‘deliverance’; here, David’s enemies cry out for deliverance but there is no one to help them. Yhwh’s attention is zeroed in, exclusively and utterly, on David. He cannot be distracted from his loyalty to him. Like Abraham, an enemy of David is an enemy of Yhwh. And I pulverized them / as dust / wafted by wind; as mud / of the streets / I poured / them out. There seems to be here a direct reference to Ps. 2 (or, Ps. 2 is referring to this psalm). There, Yhwh hands his anointed a ‘rod of iron’ and tells him he “shall break them (the nations) with an iron rod; like a potter’s vessel you shall pulverize them.” This is immediately followed by the meek submission of the nations to his anointed. The exact same logic is followed here: after David ‘pulverizes’ the nations, those remaining come to him to ‘serve’ him. There also may be a type of reference back to Ps. 1 and the fact that the wicked are like ‘chaff blown by the wind’. The imagery is slightly different here: they are made into dust (rather than chaff) but the effect of the judgment issued by David is the same—they are ‘blown away’ by the slightest breeze. The fact that they are ‘dust’ may be significant in that it is ‘to dust’ that man returns at death. The imagery of mud being poured out is poignant: David has become not only a conqueror who establishes ‘right order’,he is also a cleanser. They are but ‘mud’ that David removes from the land, purifying it of their wickedness. The juxtaposition of ‘dust’ and ‘mud’ seems pertinent as there has been that continuous play of opposites throughout the psalm (fire/water, smoke/cloud, hail/coals). Incidentally, in either Jeremiah or Ezekiel there is also this image of the ‘mud of the streets’ as a symbol of incredible fifth and desecration. You have / delivered me / from contentions / of people; you have / made me / head of / the nations. For the firs time we are told that the psalmist is the ‘head of the nations’, implying a type of kingship over not only Israel but ‘the world’. The verbs used to describe Yhwh’s actions are important: ‘delivered me’ / “made me’. David was delivered in order to be made. He was ‘redeemed’ in order to be ‘commissioned’. The amazing displays of power, the equipping and training for battle, the empowering: all of it has been an effort to raise David increasingly higher over the nations. As he has been lifted up the other nations have been ‘put down’. The proper order of the Kingdom of God is being established in and through David’s being ‘delivered’ and ‘made’. This will be a transition in the psalm: the boundaries will now be expanded to include ‘the peoples’. The psalm has now become nationalistic and kingdom oriented. A people / I knew not / served me; on the ear / hearing / they became / obedient to me. This is the beginning of David’s ‘inheritance’. In Ps. 2, Yhwh describes the effect of his anointing of David as bequeathing to him the nations as his inheritance. Here, we see that ‘fist installment’. And, it is marked by subservience and obedience.

Yhwh / is alive / and blessed be / my rock! And may / the God / of my deliverance / be exalted, the God who / is giving me / vengeance, and who / has subdued peoples / beneath me, the one delivering me / from my enemies. This concluding section is one of praise as David, in ascension and in enthronement, looks out over the beginning growth of the Kingdom. It has taken root and is spreading. The language used here of ‘subduing’is perhaps reminiscent of Yhwh’s command to Adam to ‘subdue’ the earth. Here, David ascribes to Yhwh the victory of ‘subduing’ the rebellious people under his (and Yhwh’s) rule. The world has, in a way, begun again. Indeed / you have raise me / higher than / my opponents; you have / delivered me / from the violent man. Therefore I will / praise you / among the nations / O Yhwh, and I will / sing the praise / of your name. As we have said before, David is redeemed/delivered in order to rule and be the ruler of Yhwh’s kingdom. In this way, the Most High establishes David as the most high over the nations. He is the king above all kings. From that vantage, David will not only praise Yhwh within Israel—it will be a universal praise (among the nations). It is significant that this praise is not one directed exclusively to Israel, but one that is to be heard over its boarders; to some extent, this is a pre-babel praise, one where the entire world was not divided into nations of languages. Importantly too, this praise is the praise of ‘the name’. David is seen as taking the ‘name’to the nations, by praising him within Jerusalem. He is the one / giving the great victories / to his king and enacting lovingkindness / toward his anointed toward David / and his seed / forever. The conclusion of the psalm is poignant in light of the opening. Whereas David opened with “I love you, O Yhwh”, we now close with Yhwh’s ‘lovingkindness’ expressed toward David and his seed forever. This is the quintessential expression of the Davidic (‘messianic’) covenant.