Tracers

Be merciful to me, O God, be merciful to me, for in you my soul takes refuge; in the shadow of your wings I will take refuge, till the storms of destruction pass by.  Psalm 57:1 ESV (57:2 in Hebrew text)

Shadow – If you’re looking for a place of safety, would you choose to stand under something as insubstantial as a shadow?  Think about it.  You’re in the path of a tornado.  Do you run to the shadow of a building for cover?  You get caught in a tsunami.  Would you seek a shadow to protect yourself?  Are you kidding me?  What good is a shadow when we need real protection?

Ah, but some shadows are better than concrete pillboxes or steel-door bunkers.  David recognizes that even God’s shadow is enough for refuge.  He doesn’t ask God to whisk him away to the security of heaven or to hide him in the palm of God’s hand.  Just being under the shadow is enough.  Why?

The Hebrew word here is tsel (Tsadik-Lamed).  Genesis 19:8 uses the word as a euphemism for protection.  Job 7:2 suggests that shade offers relief in a desert climate.  We should notice that a shadow does not provide a permanent solution.  Its temporary solace depends on relative positioning.  Is that also true of God’s shadow?  Does His refuge depend on our relative position?

There is a negative side to shadow.  In the final analysis, shadows in our world are ephemeral.  They are real, but they are not substantial.  In this regard, human life is compared to a shadow (1 Chronicles 29:15).  Real, but impermanent.  It seems as if where we stand, physically and metaphorically, determines the permanence and protection a shadow offers.  Since God is spiritually immoveable (consistent), the relief under His wings is not a function of His place in the universe but rather our ability to stand under Him.  Perhaps that’s why David uses the official title Elohim rather than the personal name YHWH.

Finally, the pictograph of tsel is “to catch, to need, to desire authority or control.”  The shadow of the Most High is really a reflection of our need, our desire to stand under His authority because under Him I can proclaim, “If God be for us, who can be against us.”  This reinforces the thought that refuge is not up to God.  It is up to me.  I am the one who needs to move – from my hole in the earth to the sunlight, resting comfortably in His shadow.  There are no shadows in a cave.

In Hebrew thought, refuge is a journey, not a state of mind.  It is the journey from my own attempt to protect myself, from the hole I have dug to escape life’s torments, to the open world of the Lord’s creation where shadows are a consequence of light.  It is a journey from self-absorption to dependence and trust, from dark to daylight.  If you seek refuge, you must travel toward the light.  Hiding is the opposite of protection.

Topical Index:  shadow, tsel, refuge, Psalm 57:1

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