A Passion For Good Living
Who is the man who desires life and loves length of days that he may see good? Psalm 34:13 (numbered according to the Hebrew text)
Life – Are you a person who desires life and yearns for what is good? Before you answer, you might want to take a careful look at this verse. While even a superficial reading of the text lets us gather the general idea, there is a lot more below the surface. Some patient inquiry is needed in order to see just how different the Hebrew view of life really is.
On the surface the inquiry seems clear enough. This looks like one of life’s basic questions. But we tend to read it as if it said, “What kind of man desires life and loves many days?” In other words, we think that the answer to this question is a description of the attributes of a person who has a passion for living. We look for the characteristics of such a person – a list of adjectives about this person. But the Hebrew word here is mi, not ma. Mi is a question about identification, not characterization. Ma is the question “What?” but mi is the question “Who?” In other words, it is as if I asked you to point to a particular person. “Who is this man?” is not a question about describing him to me. It is a question of identifying him to me.
We also discover that there is no “is” in Hebrew. The text actually reads “Who the man desiring.” In Hebrew it is not as if there is a man and he is being described as one who desires. In Hebrew I am asking you to point to this particular man, the man desiring. I already know his description. He is the desiring man. What I don’t know is his name!
This shift is important because it assumes that I can identify the man without knowing his name simply by his actions. He exhibits purposeful behavior that shouts out his love for life. I see this and I want to know who he is. He is the man determined to seek good for many days. Ah, but that’s not quite all.
The Hebrew word for life is hayyim. Notice that it is plural, not singular. Technically, it should be translated “life(s)” but we don’t have a word for that except “lives” and “lives” is attributed to many individual people, not to plural life(s) of one person. This is particularly odd since the rest of the sentence structure is singular. “Who is the man (singular) desiring (singular verb) life (plural). In other words, Hebrew does not conceive of life as singular. David wants to emphasize the quality of life and so he uses the intensive plural. It is as if he wants us to see that life, real life, needs repeating. Life is plural, just as heaven and Jerusalem are plural. The life man experiences is not confined to one level, one experience, one dimension. There is more going on here than meets the eye. Who is the man desiring life so full, so rich that it is multiplied every moment? This man I must know.
So, let’s ask the question again, as a Hebrew: “Who the man desiring life(s)?” What is the name of the man whose every action points toward life here and life somewhere else at the same time? Tell me who he is so that I might know him. Is he you?
Topical Index: who, mi, life, hayyim, Psalm 34:13
Glory! – Last week, when I was a youngster, we learn a little song that has recently “come home to roost.” J-O-Y! J-esus, then O-thers, then Y-ou, what a wonderful way to spell JOY! We serve (avad) G-d by serving others. We love G-d by loving others. We must become “other-minded.” “Life together.”
How many “one anothers” are there listed in G-d’s book? It’s easy to understand, and yet (somehow) difficult to do. Why?- what/where is the “difficulty in doing (this)?
Let us then “identify” the problem. It is ….(drumroll?).. introducing.. for your dining and dancing pleasure.. “self”. I have “I” trouble. Me,myself and I- (all three) have got to go. “So long self.” Amen. (Let it be). He must increase but (always a big but!) “I” must decrease. Not (always a big emphatic “NOT”- a knotty not) “I”, but Christ.
Talk about a “turning point”, this “not I, but Christ” might just be “it.” When we come to the point in our lifes where we can see this happening- then we will see/perceive/understanding just “Who” is in charge. (p.s.- it’s NOT “me”). So long “self”- “see ya”-. For you see- “I” have been crucified with Christ, nevertheless “I” live, yet not (there’s that ol’ not again) “I”, but “Christ.”
“I” will ask the same question today that Pharoah asked Moses- “who is the LORD that “I” should obey Him? He asked the right question, but he came up with the wrong answer. My answer to Pharoah would be- “if only you knew- you would be on your face right now.” Yeah.. that’s right- Pharoah “was” the big cheese-back in the day- but according to “it is written”- every knee (including the “mighty” Pharoah) will bow. Meanwhile- (back at the ranch)- I’m not going to wait “until then”- I will bow (and bow low) -today. Why?- because “the LORD,-He is G-d” -He is the worthy ONE, worthy of honor and glory and wisdom and strength.
G-d’s word simply states- “love one another.” Looking for something to do? This is a great place to start. This will keep us “busy” for quite some time and as we serve G-d by serving others (the mind of a servant!), we will be “energized” and “empowered” to do so and our passion “for the good of others” will increase. “Benevolence toward another at cost to myself” Amen, brother Skip. Amen.
What an insightful and in depth grammatical study of the intended meaning of this verse. We do miss so much with our English translations and limited knowledge of Hebrew.
Sadly, I don’t yet qualify for the described person in Psalms 34:13 but I’m definitely on a journey in that direction. “Miles to go before I sleep…”
Thankfully, I’m blessed to be able to say that I DO know a man who fits this description. His initials are S.M. and he lives in Florida 🙂
And, thanks to him, I have a much clearer focus and commitment as I move along the path of learning to desire life and yearn for what is good.
As always Skip…thank you.
Well, I hardly qualify for such praise. I, more than anyone, am well aware of my shortcomings, struggles and sins. But WE are that man, aren’t we? Together we are more than conquerers. Together we exhibit the hands and feet of our Savior. Not me alone. Never me alone. I am just as broken as all the rest. But I see US moving toward Him.
I can think of only one man who completely fulfills this description. One whom we all should be seeking to follow, to learn from, to imitate and ultimately to represent here in this present world in which we live.
Do you know Him? Do you know Him? Do you know (yada) Him?
Or do you only know (da’at) of Him? There is a big difference between the two “knowings” (and maybe that is another “Today’s Word” in the making, if it has not already been).
One (da’at) is experiential knowledge that is the fruit of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. The other (yada) is deep, intimate, relationship knowledge (such as between husband and wife, dare I say even bridegroom and bride). In the garden we exchanged yada for da’at. Now, it is our task to move from da’at back to yada.
Do we truly desire to know Him?
We must become “other-minded.”
Hi Carl,
I agree that we “serve G-d by serving others” and that we need to become “other minded.”
But I like to think of the “true self” as the “other” within our mind that corresponds to the true Self who is the “other,” outside of our mind.
And that we need to make these two “nothings” One, if we want to enter the Kingdom.
To enter the Kingdom, we need to let go of our “false self,” the ego, and become one with the “true self,” the new man, in God.
In my view, the self needs to be redeemed, not destroyed.
“In my view, the self needs to be redeemed, not destroyed.” True, Michael- the “self” does need to be “redeemed”, restored, revived, renewed. Now to “affirm” what our dear brother Rodney has shared- and as simply as I know how- “Who” is our Redeemer? And (of course) -what is His name? (LOL!)
“I will sing of my Redeemer- and His wondrous love to me- on the cruel cross He suffered- from the curse to set me free..”
Amen- brother Rodney.. Our Abba will hear and He will gladly answer this prayer- that I may “know” Him!- (and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings!)- all of the above!- It is G-d who works in us “both” to will and to do of His good pleasure! (All of us “and” each of us!)
It is happening dear family- we (together) are being “conformed” ( a word of heat and pressure) into the image of the Son. Change is good. Anything that is living goes through the (sometimes painful!) process of change and the bride of Christ is a living (and growing) organism, not an lifeless organization.
And Michael, as the “self” is renewed (redeemed,restored,revived) by the Ruach Hakodesh (the holy Breath), then we are (each and all) coming to be”Savior-centered” rather than “self”-centered and each are coming to be (as living stones) part of the body of Christ while here on this green planet and are promised to be the (future) bride of Christ at the wedding of the Lamb! (Won’t that be a party!!)
“as living stones”
My favorite metaphor again!
Diamonds are Forever.
“Dr Living Stone, I presume?” Sorry, bad joke :-). Seriously, though, have you ever noticed the difference between bricks and stones?
Man can’t make a stone, he can only make bricks. Only God can make stones!
Bricks eventually decay and crumble. Stones don’t (OK, they may be worn away or eroded, but they don’t crumble – OK, there are exceptions, but you know what I mean).
Man made religion is made of bricks, but God’s people are being built into a holy temple, with “the whole building fitly framed together” (Eph 2:19-21) out of stones not made by human hands.
I also love the metaphor of diamonds – it is one I have used and developed myself in the past.
We have already mentioned the “heat and pressure”. But what does a diamond look like when first brought forth “from the dust of the earth”? Rough. Not shiny. Not especially pretty, and very hard.
How does it become beautiful? By having the rough bits cut off and what is left polished to reveal the true beauty. What does one use to cut and polish a diamond? Other diamonds! (Have you ever been “rubbed the wrong way”?)
A diamond has no internal light of its own – it only sparkles when it reflects and refracts the light that falls on it. And how! The more cutting and polishing, the more complex the facets and the more skilled the jeweller, the more spectacularly can it show off the beauty of the light shining on it. But one thing I’m sure of – getting it to that point sure ain’t comfortable for the diamond, and there is a fair bit of it that has to be removed along the way.
Oh, yes, I almost forgot. Getting back to the “bricks and stones”, bricks all look alike, but every stone is unique and special in its own way.
Hi Rodney,
Thanks for sharing your thoughts on diamonds; they are very interesting!
Metaphors of diamonds always make me think of the old masters of previous eras.
And in the new era, it looks like the young masters, in the spirit of the old alchemists, might just be able to create quality diamonds from base materials:
“Diamond, it turns out, is a geek’s best friend. Not only is it the hardest substance known, it also has the highest thermal conductivity – tremendous heat can pass through it without causing damage.”
Quotation from:
The New Diamond Age, by Joshua Davis
Wired Magazine
If you you like movies about diamonds and Nazis, The Marathon Man and the Inside Man are two great ones IMO 🙂
LOL!- a chuck of carbon formed under heat and pressure!
Yup,
Carbon + Pressure + Heat = White Light.
But then as Leonard Cohen tells in Hallelujah, it’s really all about humility:
….
It’s not a cry you can hear at night
It’s not somebody who’s seen the light
It’s a cold and it’s a broken hallelujah
Hallelujah, Hallelujah
Hallelujah, Hallelujah
Hallelujah, Hallelujah
Hallelujah, Hallelujah
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mmbQEQltOwM
Shalom …. late on this one! 🙂
Very interesting commentary … indeed … wonderful!
So, let’s ask the question again, as a Hebrew: “Who the man desiring life(s)?” What is the name of the man whose every action points toward life here and life somewhere else at the same time? Tell me who he is so that I might know him. Is he you?
In The Beginning we find:
נִשְׁמַת חַיִּים … breath of life
וְעֵץ הַחַיִּים … tree of life
רוּחַ חַיִּים … spirit of life
In the Psalms we see the use of חַיִּים: for “life” … not in a plural sense from a temporal perspective but as rather as the divine:
16:11 Thou makest me to know the path of life
21:5 He asked life of Thee, Thou gavest it him; even length of days for ever and ever
30:6 For His anger is but for a moment, His favour is for a life-time
34:13 Who is the man that desireth life, and loveth days, that he may see good therein?
36:10 For with Thee is the fountain of life; in Thy light do we see light
63:4 For Thy loving kindness is better than life; my lips shall praise Thee
66: 9 Who hath set our soul in life, and suffered not our foot to be moved
133:3 Like the dew of Hermon … for there the LORD commanded the blessing, even life for ever.
Although I am not a proponent of the kabbalistic “multi-layer”/”multi-plane” mystical ideology … it is clear that the Hebraic thought is one that views life in varying fabrics …. the temporal life of man and the perfect and pure “LIFE” of YHVH … as such it is the person that pursues the real LIFE (that which is more than temporal) that experiences an actual change of fabric. (I am sure Skip has commented in the past regarding the prohibition of and principles around the mixing of fabrics 🙂 )
Describing matters as “the life man experiences is not confined to one level, one experience, one dimension” should be accepted as accurate from a human perspective …. ultimately HaDerech (the way) produces an understanding that “my life is not my own” while at the same time producing an understanding that my life (here and now) is mine and accountability is required. Still further … as Skip often declares, there are far reaching consequences for our decisions/actions that affect things we often do not even contemplate.
There is indeed more than meets the eye … not only does our life transcend our non-spiritual existence but our actions determine if we are actually living or simply existing biologically. Chayyim is about behavior …. not about a mental determination, an elegant theology, intellectualism, self-ascension, or an emotional state.
Regarding the man whose every temporal action points to chayyim …. clearly The One is YESHUA (praise HIM forever) but …. is it not also The Body Of Mashiach? Ahhh … the beauty of how YHVH must view the community …. for HIS Name’s sake HE blots out our iniquity and atones for our sins and subsequently must only see the tov of HIS firstborn … Yisrael! So we are individual (neh’-fesh) sons and daughters of YHVH and we are one in Yeshua … we are individuals and we are echad!
But if the “Who is Mashiach” … are we in HIM if we do not look like HIM? As Skip recently commented: “Followers are seeking ones, trusting ones, praising ones, praying ones, studying ones, hoping ones, waiting ones, walking ones, obeying ones.”
Let us pray to be more and more like HIM … and experience real חַיִּים
The Hebraic perspective …. so much better than analytical metaphysics!
“Although I am not a proponent of the kabbalistic “multi-layer”/”multi-plane” mystical ideology … it is clear that the Hebraic thought is one that views life in varying fabrics”
Hi Drew,
You make so many interesting points, I don’t know where to start 🙂
For those of us who don’t have Skip’s ability to communicate in Hebrew (dynamic) mode, or his background in the philosophy of language, let me see if I can put your statement above in a simplified, “Greek” (static) mode.
Seems to me that when you speak of “ideology,” you mean a system of thought, which sometimes implies “false consciousness,” but not necessarily.
I prefer to think of ideology as non-scientific thought but, in any case, it is not consciousness itself, which can be thought of as subjective experience.
So don’t we have three things: 1. Consciousness, 2. Language, and 3. the objective Spiritual world?
My point is that I don’t think we (not Skip) can get away from concepts like “multi-layer”/”multi-plane” very easily, when we are trying to communicate with each other.
For example, don’t we tend to think of Yahweh God at the top of the “triangle,” with Ha Satan and the Sons of God on the tier below, and then the rest of us down on the ground floor?
We can argue that the Hebrew “fabric” metaphor is better than the metaphor of a triangle when it comes to revealing the meaning of the Bible, but don’t we experience different levels of consciousness throughout the day?
And when we have a spiritual, “peak,” experience, isn’t it more like being at the top of a skyscraper than wrapped in a fabric? It is for me 🙂
That’s probably more than enough on this point; does that make sense?
Hello Michael,
I understand the layered perspective … since I once thought this same way.
As for thinking of Yahweh God at the top of the “triangle,” with Ha Satan and the Sons of God on the tier below, and then the rest of us down on the ground floor? …
Instead I see multiple dimensions existing within the same plane as opposed to discrete and separated layers. I see (rather sense/understand) The Spirit as being integral and interwoven within all form …. it is simply not transparent to this world as Yeshua taught us!
But from a Hebrew perspective it is unified … from a Yeshua perspective HE is the gate/ladder/thread that binds not only all form together but actually connects the form with that does not have form. As such Heaven and Earth are interwoven. In Spirit … it is transparent!
As for “peaks” or spiritual experience that you refer too … for me it is not like being on a skyscraper but rather being wrapped into the singular fabric. As such what happens all the time … “regular life” is the peak experience. The little acts of obedience … one on top of the other … minute after minute brings consciousness and the Spiritual world together. Not just at times … as in there is some place or emotional state to get to. The Kingdom is here and HE is here and I am here … all the time!
Frankly the idea of a skyscraper invokes within me thoughts of the Tower of Babylon by which those men thought they too could peak and “get to G_D”!
Just some follow up thoughts … no offense meant! 🙂
Hi Drew,
I don’t disagree with your perspective, it’s just more sophisticated than the one I’m defending.
My point was that your perspective is more difficult to use when we try to communicate.
And at times less effective, because of its complexity IMO.
But I like your reference to the Tower of Babylon; it is one of my favorite metaphors 🙂
It is also the subject of Pieter Bruegel’s great painting at the following URL:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tower_of_Babel
Would this understanding of life(s) help to understand the words of Yeshua in the Gospel of John 10:10?