“I have hated / those who keep / vain idols, - but I have trusted / in Yhwh.” From “the god of truth” we immediately find the contrast: vain idols. This would seem to confirm our previous reflections. There, we saw that ‘truth’ was Yhwh’s sphere of covenantal power (either in blessing or curse). In contrast to that sphere of power we now find “vain idols”. The point is that whereas Yhwh is the source of redemption and covenantal fidelity, the ‘idols’ are but ‘vanity’ (or, emptiness). They are devoid of power and the ability to redeem. It is for this reason that ‘vanity’ is synonymous with falsity and stands in direct contrast to ‘truth’. It is apparent, though, that the psalmist, with his steadfast allegiance to Yhwh is not recounting this fact merely as descriptive of his actions—he is revealing to Yhwh (again) his covenantal fidelity to Yhwh. It is, in essence, a calling upon Yhwh to act as his covenantal partner due to his own unwavering commitment to Yhwh. This ‘hate’ is important for another related reason. We have seen throughout the psalms (especially in psalm 1 but elsewhere as well) that to be in Yhwh’s sphere of protection and power is not to simply focus upon Yhwh but to also engage in an active disdain for those who stand, in principle at least, in opposition to Yhwh. There is both an active seeking of Yhwh and an active avoidance of evil that speaks to fidelity to Yhwh. It is in both actions that one proves one’s covenantal love to Yhwh. Finally, and again, I can’t help but hear the drumbeat of the first commandment: you shall have no other gods beside (in front of?) me. The way this verse reads reveals a psalmist who places no hope in other gods but places his entire allegiance with Yhwh. I want to pause on this for a moment in light of a previous reflection we had on other gods and the fact that Yhwh is both Governor and Creator. As we have seen, in other religions there is a space between the gods and creation itself (in other systems the gods of creation are quickly overthrown by a younger generation; the point is that creation is not something that the presently ruling gods originated but, rather, something they find themselves within, much like humans). In this way the gods and humans exist in relation to creation in much the same way, and, for that reason, the gods can be and are various sources of strength. Because they are not the source of creation but stand within creation in the same way as humanity they also exhibit humanity’s various and multiple sources of power and strength. With Yhwh, however, there is no gap between creation and governance/power. In a way, Yhwh combines what is separated in the other religions: creation and governing power. Once these two are wed, however, there is no possibility for these multiple sources of strength; idols become vain. Hence, the first commandment reveals that there is, in fact, only one sphere of power (were Yhwh not both Creator and Governor this would, arguably, not be the case). The point is this: Genesis (in creation) heightens the absolute necessity for single-minded covenantal obligation, to such a degree that one can see, in germ, the first commandment. It would seem, too, that the reverse could be said: that the absolute covenantal obligation, itself, revealed, in germ, Genesis. The psalmist, therefore, inhabits a realm that is foreign to others. He, unlike any other person, cannot cast about or call upon other gods (they are vain). The totality of his actual existence has emerged from and demands to be returned to Yhwh in covenantal fidelity; he cannot look ‘to the right or the left’, for, to do so, would be, by definition, to remove oneself from the realm of covenantal blessing (and, hence, to be in covenantal curse and death). This absolute allegiance uniquely consumes the entirety of the psalmist. This deepens our understanding of what the psalmist experiences when he calls upon Yhwh to be his ‘refuge’ and why, in the face of danger, his shunning of idolatry would become of paramount importance.
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