Ps. 95.1-2 (presence, today)

Come / let us sing out / to Yhwh
let us raise a shout / to the Rock / of our salvation
let us approach / his presence / with thanksgiving
let us raise a shout / to him / with songs of praise.  

 These opening lines are deceptively straight forward. They are a call by some leader to the people to approach Yhwh, in his Temple (“his presence”), in order to render liturgy and praise to him. This the ‘first reading’ layer that is clear, and it offers several insights. A first thing to note is there appears to be a progression, or movement, as the people get closer to Yhwh-in-his-Temple. This culminates in verse 6 where the psalmist tells the people to “enter” and to “prostrate and kneel”. Here, they “come” and then they “approach”. This outward momentum is mirrored by the inner state of utter jubilation and enthusiasm at the approach. This is key to recognize: Yhwh’s presence generates this jubilant fascination. The opening verses almost fall over themselves trying to give expression to what is essentially an overflow of joy, a prodigality and festive anticipation of Yhwh’s presence. Within this dynamic we come to a rather profound realization—the joy of the people is itself a manifestation (a ‘theophany’) of Yhwh’s presence. In other words, Yhwh is not simply revealed in his presence but also in his people’s response to his presence. And this dynamic itself is ‘revelation’; meaning, the only thing ‘revealed’ is not just the ‘presence’ but ‘the people in the presence’ (which, to be explicit, means also that this exuberant joy is a theophany of Yhwh, and not simply a ‘response’). The ‘prodigality’ of Yhwh’s presence is ‘manifest(ed)’ in his people’s prodigal joy. These are the tentative reflections on the ‘first level’. 

The second level involves situating these verses within the psalm itself. The psalm can be divided into two parts: the call to liturgy (verses 1- ) and the warning (verses - ). The ‘warning’ section is specific though and refers to the intermediate state of Israel between its exodus from Egypt and its entrance into the promised land. And, more specifically, it refers to the incident at Meribah and Massah where the people ‘tested Yhwh’ (and, where Moses seemingly failed by striking the rock). This failure by Israel and Moses is key to understand. Israel ‘tested’ Yhwh by calling into question his presence in their midst. Moses failed by striking ‘the rock’. These opening verses speak to both: the people rejoice at entering Yhwh’s presence, and they hail him as “their Rock”. In other words, their exuberant liturgy to Yhwh reveals them to be Yhwh’s ‘true Israel’ who is worthy of ‘standing in his presence’. They do not fail where their fathers did. This insight is confirmed through the use of the word “Come…”. Here, it signifies the ‘approach to Yhwh’ and his rest. In verse 11, the concluding verse, Yhwh declares/declared to their fathers, “They will never come to my resting place.” Access to Yhwh’s presence is what bookends the psalm: in blessing (verses 1-7) or in curse (verses 8-11). What this opening reveals, though, is that Yhwh’s presence is now open; it has not been “sworn closed” as it was to their fathers (vs. 11). This fact deepens the central verse of the psalm, “Oh that today you would his message; do not harden your hearts as … you did on that day.” (vs. 7). Today—now—the presence in the Temple can be entered; but, it may not always be such. There is, at the very heart of this psalm, the sense of a need for constant vigilance along with the profound love of Yhwh’s presence, and that ‘today’ is still ‘today’ and not ‘that day’.