WYSIWYG
Who is the King of glory? The LORD strong and mighty. The LORD mighty in battle. Psalm 24:8
King of Glory – What is the most important shift in worldview between our Greek-based culture and the culture of ancient Israel? WYSIWYG. “What You See Is What You Get.” Hebrew is a language that expresses the world as it appears to the subject. Greek, on the other hand, is a language that expresses underlying reality. Greek is about the hidden structure behind everyday experiences. Hebrew is about the experience itself.
Once you appreciate this shift, you will find the Old Testament a rich source of spiritual experience. You can stop asking, “But how did that happen?” or “Why did God do that?” and just enjoy the metaphors and Technicolor elaborations of Man’s experience with God. Where Greek seeks to tease out the find distinctions of the implied structure below the surface, Hebrew paints pictures on the canvas of human emotion and action. It’s such a relief to know that God can be understood in WYSIWYG expressions.
Who is the King of glory? Who is the melek ha’kavod? Notice David’s answer. It is far from the Greek mind. God as king is described in terms of what David experiences as king – and kings win battles. So, the King of glory is the most victorious of them all; the One Who is mighty in battle. This is hardly the way we would describe the glory of God. We probably wouldn’t even use the term melek (king). We don’t think of God as a warrior carrying a sword and shield. And the reason we don’t think like this is not simply because we no longer live in a world where battles are fought with swords. We aren’t likely to update the image by saying that God now carries an M-16 and tactical nukes. We don’t think of God in terms of warfare. Why? Because our God has been civilized by centuries of Greek culture. He is no longer described in terms of tangible reality. Now we think of God in esoteric, theological concepts. God is omnipotent, not a mighty warrior king slaying His enemies. He is omniscient, not a woman at the city gate crying out for all those who seek wisdom. You get the idea. The more Greek we become, the further God is removed from our real experience of life as it is. Is it any wonder that we are slowly erasing God from our Greek-influenced culture? He is no longer the warrior king, the Rock, the strong right arm, the cleft, the fortress or the holy fire. We don’t take our shoes off in His temple because we have replaced holy ground with plush carpet.
I want a God Who is my king! I want a God Who is a mighty warrior, Who will fight battles for me. I want to smell the battlefield and know that He is victorious. I want to see the enemies of God stacked like cordwood. I want to walk the scorched earth where He passed. Why? Because I need the rest of the “tangible God” metaphors – a God Who is like a mother with her new-born child, a God Who doesn’t hide His purposes from me, Who tells me like it is so that I know what pleases Him. My life isn’t long enough, and I am not smart enough, to discern the ways of a God buried in a hidden reality. Fortunately, God chose Hebrew to reveal Himself. Aren’t you glad that He did?
