Ps. 27 (Part 1)

“Yhwh / is my light / and my salvation – whom shall I fear?” James, I believe, will later say that God is the ‘father of lights, in whom there is no shadow of change’. In Genesis, the first thing created is light. Both of these statements seem to made in contemplation of the light’s effect upon darkness. In James, light is directly contrasted with the ‘shadow’. In Genesis, everything begins with a pregnant pause in darkness, only to have that darkness dispelled by light. It is fascinating, to me, that light is the first thing made and not dry land. It is as if ‘light’ is creation’s foundation, much more so than ‘land’, even though land is what stands in contrast to the ‘waters of the abyss’. The first thing needing separation is the darkness, not the water. It is perhaps important then to see light as being the conquering aspect of chaos rather than land—in this way, light must be understood by what it accomplishes and not simply ‘in itself’. One could, of course, muse on this further. However, for our purposes, it seems rather pertinent do to the fact that Yhwh is described as ‘light’ and then immediately designated as ‘salvation’ and protection. The psalmist stands in the originating act of creation that began the process of Yhwh’s asserting his dominion over the ‘heaves and the earth’. To say Yhwh is ‘light’, then, is not to simply describe him as ‘not dark’—but to describe him as the active agent over against chaos and darkness (as, in other words, ‘salvation’). Light, of course, does seem to have this ‘active’ quality, and darkness does seem to be passive (we speak of light ‘dispelling darkness’, but don’t tend to think of darkness as being able to ‘do’ anything).

It is obvious that because Yhwh is the psalmist’s“light”, “salvation” and “refuge” he has no reason to fear his enemies. The questions he pose are entirely rhetorical—and this opens up this distance between the psalmists absolute confidence and the presence of enemies. The psalm could have opened up with asserts: Yhwh is my light/salvation/refuge, and therefore I fear no one. However, by opening the psalm this way and posing his confidence as a question it serves to actually heighten the sense of solidity the psalmist experiences in Yhwh. If one pictures the king saying this (which I think is likely), then this statement becomes performative/liturgical He is asking the crowd—and assuring them, at the same time, that he stands in Yhwh’s (creative?) light and that Yhwh is his refuge. His confidence inspires theirs, but, more importantly, by posing it in this question form, it more effectively defuses anxiety by this almost mocking tone. From this platform the psalm jumps off and we hear the king recount: “When evildoers / approach me – to devour / my flesh; - they were my opponents / and my enemies; - they stumbled / and fell.” It is interesting that the only thing these evildoers are capable of is “approaching”.Nowhere do we sense that the anointed is ever in any real trouble but that, on the way, the evildoers ‘stumble and fall’. This distance of the evildoers from the anointed is part and parcel of the rhetorical questions of the first two verses: certainty and confidence that is so absolute that the wicked never represent a real danger and are therefore never a source of anxiety. Everything moves at this central affirmation of utter solidity in Yhwh. The stakes are raised higher in the next verse, only to have the distance increase even more. “Even though / an army / encamp / against me – my heart / shall not fear; - even though war / rises up / against me – in spite of this / I am confident.” The repetition of ‘even though’ is effective here in continuing this stance of superiority on the part of the psalmist over-against his enemies; it is much like the two questions of vs. 1-2. The progression has been thus far: question—evildoers/enemies—army—war; likewise: question—approach—encamp—rise up. These two show how each verse heightens the stakes. From known/past enemies who ‘approached’, we now picture an army much closer: “encamped against me”.From there, war itself “rises up”. The progression here is similar to something we saw in Psalm 2 with the nations grumbling and then mobilizing to make war on Yhwh and his anointed. In this psalm, one could say, we find that voice of anointed as he stands within his anointing (his “light”?), salvation and refuge. These are the words of a king who trusts, absolutely, in the power given to him by Yhwh in his anointing: this is sacramental confidence. There is no other way to explain it than this is the voice of one who knows Yhwh has made himself accessible to him, that he, in fact, stands in Yhwh’s very light. It is not surprising, then, at the turn the psalm takes at this point: “One thing / I have asked / of Yhwh – I will seek it – to dwell / in the house of Yhwh– all the days / of my life – to gaze upon / the beauty / of Yhwh – and to inquire / in his temple.” The previous verse described the external stance of the anointed as he gazed out upon his enemies and even war itself. His face was of total granite. Here, by contrast, we move to the interior—as the anointed’s gaze is focused upon Yhwh. This is his delight. And the ‘glory’ that would impose itself upon the nations in his external stance is ‘ignited’, so to speak, here. Because here we find the one object of his attention and desire: to gaze upon the beauty of Yhwh. It is a rather lovely way of saying he will ‘seek Yhwh’s face’ (as evidenced by ‘inquiring in his temple’: the anointed is seeking an audience with the Enthroned One (Ps. 2)). The psalm could have been rearranged with this portion opening it and the ‘external’ face following; however, it is very effective to build up one’s confidence in the anointed and his god and, then, to turn to their relationship together (much, again, like Ps. 2). As the people listen to the anointed, they here learn that his ‘heart’ is utterly focused on Yhwh; that the anointed is, in fact, a servant and it is because of this that the ‘light’ he stands in can be so much a source of confidence. It is crucial here to recognize that it is the Temple that stands as the source of the anointed’s confidence. We have here the king, the anointed, standing in his ‘father’s’ house (the Enthroned One’s house) and from this adoption (Yhwh adopting him, and he, with single-minded devotion turning toward Yhwh) emerges the covenantal power of Israel and Yhwh. The Temple and the king represent two pinnacles of Israel’s experience and here they meet. Perhaps, then, we misspoke earlier or did not draw enough attention to the fact that when the people heard the rhetorical question they would have already been aware of the fact that the king was standing within the ‘aura’ of the Temple. It would not, then, have been the ‘king’s relationship with Yhwh’ they would have seen but the king, in the Temple, speaking these words.

“For he will / conceal me / in a booth – on the evil day; - he will / hide me / in the hiding place / of his tent; - he will / place me / high on a rock.” We have already noted this, but it is important to repeat it: the Templeis the reason and source for the astounding confidence voiced in the first few verses. As the ‘enemy’ rises in a crescendo (evildoers approach – army encamp –war rises up) the psalmist steadfastly remains utterly sure of his victory. Here, we see why. It is not because of an abstract relationship with Yhwh, but because of a concretely established Temple that will now ‘conceal him’/’hide him’/place him ‘high on a rock’. It is the steadfastness, and total invulnerability of the Templethat stands behind the invulnerable statements of the psalmist. The first ‘movement’regarding the Temple involved the desire of the psalmist to ‘dwell’ in the Temple and behold Yhwh’s beauty—now, this ‘dwelling’ has turned into being ‘hid’and ‘concealed’. The first represents the psalmist’s desire, without contingency, to see Yhwh. The second represents his desire, in the face of danger, to be ‘hid’ by Yhwh in his house. In this way the Temple comes to represent both the pinnacle of beauty and the source of total dependency. If it is Yhwh’s house, nothing can shake it. No matter how ‘high’ war ‘rises up’, such a tidal wave would never be able to engulf the anointed in the Temple. This dynamic will become more important to grasp in later ‘Zion’psalms where those on the ‘inside’ rejoice whereas those on the outside cower in fear. The effect Zionhas on people depends on how they approach it (much as in Psalm 2). Here, it may have escaped notice, but the verses leading up to this Temple exclamation has not been marked by anything actively done by the anointed—this seems shocking, to me, given the extreme assurance he has. Rather, all he has said is that he would not be afraid. It is, therefore, interesting to note that the first thing he ‘does’ is seek out Yhwh’s presence and then, immediately, something is ‘done to him’—he is ‘concealed’/’hidden’. There can be no question, here, of where victory lies and where the confidence resides. It is in Yhwh’s ‘refuge’ (Yhwh’s Temple). Notice too how, previously, it was the psalmist ‘asking one thing’ of Yhwh—to dwell in his Temple. Here, the agent is Yhwh: he will ‘conceal me’; he will ‘hide me’; he will ‘place me high on a rock’. This would seem to make sense—that the anointed has the ability, with Yhwh’s ‘permission’, of dwelling with Yhwh, whereas, when it comes to victory in battle, the victory will reside in the active protection of Yhwh. Also, I wonder if we are to hear here something of the ‘cleft of rock’that Yhwh hid Moses in so that he could experience Yhwh’s naked presence. Is the temple like this ‘cleft’, the ability for Yhwh to dwell within Israel and yet also hide Israel from his naked presence? If so, then this ‘hiding’ is actually an intense revealing of Yhwh—for nowhere does Yhwh so reveal himself to Moses than when he ‘passes by him’ in this manner. If this is the case, the ‘hiding’ here could be seen as Yhwh’s ‘fighting’ (Yhwh as Warrior King), for the anointed. And, to be placed ‘high on a rock’ is something we have seen before as representing the victory one achieves, strategically, over enemies, with additional overtones of being ‘raised up’ in honor and glory. This adds nicely as a counterbalance to the sense of the anointed being ‘withdrawn’—here is exposed, but in power and victory. “And now / my head will be / raised up –above my enemies / round about me. – And I will sacrifice / in his tent –sacrifices of joy; - I will sing/ and I will make music / to Yhwh.” Before, it was that he, the psalmist, would be ‘raised up’ on a high rock. Here, his ‘head’will be raised up above his enemies. Notice it does not say, “I will raise my head up” but, rather, it is passive: “my head will be raised up”. As a continuation of what has come before, this would mean Yhwh (who hid/concealed him) is ‘raising up’ his head above his enemies. Once this occurs then he becomes an active agent again: “I will sacrifice in his tent sacrifices of joy. I will sing and I will make music.” This activity, enveloped by Yhwh’s saving action, mirrors the active/passive dynamic we saw before: the psalmist actively sought out Yhwh, to dwell in his tent---Yhwh hid/concealed/lifted him up—the psalmist offers sacrifices in his ‘tent’. We might say that victory is Yhwh’s whereas praise/sacrifices are the anointed’s. A second observation is how ‘sacrifice’ is paralleled by praise (singing and music). This is not a conception of sacrifice as in a painful ‘giving up’, but rather an eager giving—it is an opportunity, not an obligation—and it is just as much a source of joy as the music and singing. Arguably, we are to see here an embodiment of what it meant when the psalmist said he wanted to “see Yhwh’s goodness”: it is to sacrifice, make music and sing.