God Repeats Himself

The law of the LORD is perfect, restoring the soul; the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple. Psalm 19:7

Testimony – The Hebrew word ‘eduth means “testimony, precept or warning.”  It comes from a word that means “witness,” that is, someone who gives evidence.  And that word comes from a primitive root (Ayin-Vav-Daleth) that means “to return, to repeat, to do again.”  The pictograph is “to see the safe path.”  That’s what a witness is supposed to do – to show the safe path, to tell the truth.  Think of this picture when you consider the Torah.  Torah is not simply God’s instructions for living according to His desires.  Torah is the safe path through life.  Safe for whom?  For you and me, of course.  Torah was designed to provide us with safety!  The witness of Torah is God repeating Himself.  He told us He cared when He created the world.  Then He repeated His promise when He gave us His instructions.  Torah is the blessed creation articulated in human language.

‘eduth is always associated with God’s witness to the truth.  Baker and Carpenter note that it is most frequently connected to the Tabernacle.  That’s worth considering.  Why would ‘eduth be connected to the Tabernacle?  Perhaps it’s because the Tabernacle is the repository of the tablets of the Ten Commandments.  Perhaps it’s because the Tabernacle is the physical representation of God’s presence among His people.  Perhaps it’s because the Tabernacle was the focus of God’s unalterable covenant with His people.  Perhaps it’s because the Tabernacle represents the beginning of a new era in the life of God’s elect, establishing a relationship between the original creation and the creation of the people of God on earth.  Perhaps it’s because the Tabernacle has proleptic purposes (you can look that one up in the dictionary).  Or perhaps it is all of these combined.  It is certainly worth remembering that the Tabernacle was not a place of communal worship.  It was nothing like the modern church.  It was the place of God’s presence, a place of intense holiness, a sign of absolute unity among His people.  It was sacred.

Add these images to your view of God’s testimony.  There’s much more than simply the words you read on the pages of your Bible.  There is history, promise, redemption, election and resurrection tied to the safe path.  With this in mind, we can understand why the psalmist says that God’s ‘eduth is ‘aman (sure, firm, established, stable, faithful, trustworthy).  You and I can count on the safe path.  When we are in doubt about decisions, when we are perplexed about circumstances, when we are threatened by confusion, the safe path offers confidence.  No one ever crashed and burned following God’s precepts.  It is certainty in the midst of chaos.

Makes you wonder why we don’t pay closer attention to His guidance, doesn’t it?

Topical Index:  testimony, ‘eduth, repeat, ‘aman, firm, secure, safety, Psalm 19:7

I am teaching a graduate seminar on prayer on-line. If you would like to listen to the first few hours of lecture on the subject, they are recorded here.