Canceling the Debt
For David. To You, O LORD, I lift up my heart. Psalm 25:1 Robert Alter translation
To You – Lamentations and Psalms use a form of poetry called acrostic. In poems of this type, each new line begins with the next letter of the Hebrew alphabet. In this psalm, every letter is represented except the vav and the qof (but, as we will see, there are some other considerations here). In translation all of this is obscured. Does it really matter? Isn’t the message of the text still communicated in spite of our inability to see the elegance of the structure of the poem? Those questions are the same as asking, “Do we really have to read Shakespeare’s sonnets in iambic pentameter in order to understand them?” The answer depends on your margin of sophistication.
I can still get the general idea about Shakespeare’s poems if I translate them into contemporary prose, but I will never enjoy the subtleties of rhythm and cadence. A certain feel to the poetry will be lost. It’s like the difference between a text message and a personal visit. Something about the effort and elegance of the author will disappear from view. In addition, if I try to remember the author’s words, I will have much more difficulty without some built-in structural guide. Knowing that the next line begins with the next letter, or in Shakespeare’s case, has the same number of syllables, assists my memory. And when it comes to memorizing sacred text, every mnemonic device is useful. So let’s enjoy the fact that this psalm begins with the aleph in ‘eleka (preposition plus pronoun).
The acrostic introduces some important thoughts. First, the person addressed is YHWH. This poem does not call on the god as though it were invoking a divine being who holds that position. This poem is addressed to the very personal name of the Most High, i.e. YHWH. This is intimate conversation. And what does the supplicant offer to this most personal of all gods? “To You I life up my nephesh.”
This can hardly be translated “soul.” That word carries too many Greek concepts with it, as if, for example, the “soul” could be divested from the body and still in some sense resemble the person. Frankly, you without a body are no longer you, except in the Greek world of ghosts, spirits and spiritual beings. In Hebrew thought, you are nephesh, the whole homogenized uniqueness that makes you the person you are. You are who you are because you are animated by divine breath and there is no separating you and this power of vitalization while you live. Considering this, the psalmist makes a startling declaration. To lift up one’s nephesh is essentially to offer one’s very life. But how unusual. The offer is made to the very One who provides that life. It is an offer to return something borrowed. This is sacrificial suicide.
But, of course, what else do we really have to offer? All that we have is borrowed except our sin. And when we give Him back the life we’ve borrowed, He “lifts up” our sin along with that life. Exodus 34:7 uses the same verb. It is really God’s viewpoint on our offering. He gives life. We owe life. We give back life. He shelters life. Symbiosis. The debt is cancelled. Life continues under grace.
Topical Index: acrostic, lift up, nasa’, soul, nephesh, Psalm 25:1
Oh my. This brought back childhood memories; how I used to feel when we sang “All to Jesus, I surrender…” when we participated in footwashing and Communion. From the ‘outside’ (unbaptized), it would look to me like a form of death, this surrendering my very life. It would strike my heart as very serious. It has been very serious. When I finally did get baptized, I knew that it meant my life might be called for, and I must be ready to give it. Surrender all.
To me, the ancient gesture of the knight kneeling before his king or queen with his fist over his heart comes the closest to graphically living out the reality of what it means to offer your very life as a proper response to your Liege Lord. Every time. Here is my heart; figuratively in loyalty, literally in life, or if called for, death. Both are going to have to mean the same if I am to be a proper subject in this kingdom. Both belong to my King. He graciously extends them back to me, for the purposes of serving Him better.
But, this hichhiking business; this SIN attached to me like a foreign louse from another land: THIS is my ‘bonus’ to my King. It is the only thing that is ‘mine’. And what a burden it is! And what does He do? REMOVE IT from me. What agony for Him it is to touch it; to take it off my skin, my heart. I was inured to it; thought not much of it, even. Him? It literally killed Him to take it from me. Why, oh why cannot my nephesh come to Him empty-handed even just once? Offering to Him my very life in return is the least I can do, as He has already given His to me. What a lousy trade for Him! What a glorious trade for me! Who is serving whom in this upside-down kingdom? I cannot even tell! So with my fist on my heart, I shout “HALLELUAH!”
I can totally relate Laurita. Amen!!!
“It’s like the difference between a text message and a personal visit.”
TW along with everything else I’ve read and studied for the last 3 months has been exactly what I’ve needed to move through an ongoing life crisis this week.
In particular https://skipmoen.com/2014/02/18/rain-falls-2/
Remembering that My goal is to bear the image of our Father in heaven to people who are bent on destruction is very timely.
Trying to describe the beauty of our Torah pursuant lifestyle to people who think they know what we are talking about is like describing a California tree ripened peach to a Canadian who will probably never taste anything but a canned peach. They are sure they know what you are talking about and are insulted that you are trying to explain it. Man made preserves just aren’t the same to someone who has tasted God’s ripened fruit from the tree of life.
We are about to attend a 20 year anniversary conference at a Reformed Church that we were members of in the beginning. The speakers are well known Theology professors at prestigious seminary’s and we remain friends with everyone there despite our “abandoning ship’ for heresy. It’s not the most comfortable circumstance and yet we know we need to leave our ripe peaches home and just enjoy as much as possible the canned variety for a few days.
How sad it all is and yet He preserves our life and theirs for the perfecting of His image and glory in the earth.
Hallelu YAH!!!
Hi Pam,
Hope you enjoy your time with old friends at the anniversary conference. I’m sure there will be some memorable times as well as times you have to bite your tongue. And who knows…perhaps G-d will allow an opportunity to share some of your personal journey.
By the way…I’ve been trying to figure out for a long time what the picture above your name is. I’ve even put a magnifying glass up to it and still can’t come to any definitive conclusion. I decided it was easier to just ask.
My curiosity has gotten the best of me. :-)))
Shabbat Shalom Judi. We always enjoy the fellowship now since we have learned to bring a very large bowl of something we know for sure we can eat to the pot lucks. Baptists it seems have the most difficult time of all when it comes to cooking almost anything without bacon or ham.
The picture is a woman’s hand grasping the spindle at the end of a Torah scroll. I have pictures of myself with the scroll at our congregation in Colorado Springs but they aren’t nearly as lovely as this picture.
Hi Pam…thanks for the explanation of your picture. It makes perfect sense now. It IS lovely.
And I hear you on the ham and bacon dishes at most church pot lucks.
But trying to get them to consider anther way is almost a suicidal mission. :-)) That’s just one of the many reasons I’m so much more comfortable in the Messianic Jewish group I worship and fellowship with.
Fellowship is far more comfortable with those who are like minded in practices. We’ve found it’s very difficult to keep the feasts with folks who don’t keep the calender the way we do just because the beginning celebrations seldom fall on the same days.
We’ve discovered ways to fellowship with all but the ultra orthodox Jews so far because I don’t keep a Rabbinically sanctified kitchen. Even that will probably change sometime in the future as we are finding ourselves encountering them more frequently than ever before and if that is where Yah takes us then that is what we will do.
For now we are content with a biblically clean diet.
When we have church friends over I cook and ask them to bring Organic corn chips or something like that if they insist.
It’s all good!
YHVH Bless you
Hi Pam
Just a comment on “Canadians not experiencing tree ripened peaches”. I live in the Okanagan Valley of Briish Columbia which a huge fruit growing area. We growth the best cherries, peaches, apricots, plums, apples & and our area is full or vineyards producing world class wines. We ‘can’ our fruit here and ship it out to places that not able enjoy our Canadian produce.
Also the areas around the the southern part of the Province of Ontario is very temperate and produces lots of fruits and wines as well.
Just a little Canadian pride raising it’s head here!!!!!
Margaret
Sorry Margaret, Not trying to slam Canadians in general just the few I know who fit the analogy. I actually love BC and even have several jars of my favorite E.D.Smith apricot preserves in the fridge right now.
The analogy of text vs. a visit triggered this memory of canned vs. eating straight from the tree experience and helped me verbalize that it’s easier to talk to people who know nothing of the gospel and obedience to the bible than it is to talk to someone who thinks they already know what you are talking about and have been warned to stay away from me.
As you probably know canned fruit is picked long before it is perfectly ripe and then processed in such a way that the flavor is brought out through artificial means.
The flesh is preserved, it can be digested, the flavor is recognizable, but the natural nutrition and sugars were never present. However to someone who has been indoctrinated that IS a peach!
To me that is an astounding picture of Church doctrine. And especially true of the denominations that hang Sola Scriptura on their walls.
So very sad. 🙁
“He gives life. We owe life. We give back life. He shelters life. Symbiosis. The debt is cancelled. Life continues under grace.”
What strikes me hard here is “grace is not free”. Symbiosis. When we accept the offer, it is not without reciprocal expectation: He gives life, we owe it. We give it back and He shelters. How can we still argue about the so-called merits of FREE grace, one that comes without cost to us? Somehow we’ve mistaken “unmerited” and “can’t earn it” with a counterpoint that says there is no responsibility on our part once grace is received. Grace comes with obligations to the Giver — yes, it is unmerited and it’s for everyone but it does not come without obligation. Did you read the fine print?
I’m weeping as I write this for the Church today that has fallen into such error. I received an email last night from a dear friend, who loves the Lord and who is terribly excited about the Pope’s latest message of reconciliation between Catholics and Protestants; a message in which he calls for reconciliation of the “universal” church but not a word about reconciliation with a JEWISH Meshiach. I know the message is sincere, and that’s the part than makes me weep — they are so sincere and so blind to what is being missed about when and why there was a parting of the ways.
I realize I may be reading into this what is not there – so I ask you, my friends, to look at this link and tell me if my heart is heavy for the wrong reasons. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b5TwrG8B3ME&feature=youtu.be
What I see is “there are no doctrinal differences between us — come back into the fold; together we are the true church”. It reminds me of a saying from my homeschooling days: foolish is wrapped up in the heart of a child — when you put two foolish children together you do not suddenly get wisdom, you get exponential foolishness.
Dear Suzanne
The Catholics and the protestants have never really had much to quibble over.
Their essential doctrines all spring from the same faulty premise. It isn’t much of a stretch for them to put aside the things that divide them and come back into fellowship with each other. They are simply different sectors of the same city. Babylon.
The Exchange
Such a deal! Such an offer! My life for His! The deal of a lifetime! (Actually, an eternity!) ~ Not my thoughts, but HIs thoughts!- Not my ways, but His ways! Not “I,” but Christ! This. This is Life. It is the exchanged life. ~ He must increase, but “I” must decrease. This (line of thought?- The Way?) is so foreign to today’s rampant “celebrity (read “idol”) whoreship.”
Oh yes, we are certainly (and fer sure) made for worship. Bob Dylan, you sir, were way ahead of your time.. Yes, “you” gotta serve (worship y’all) somebody. The question we must ask ourselves is this- “Who Do YOU Love?” Why, ol #1 of course! And don’t we all know who #1 is?
Why, it’s “ME!” – (or is it?). Is this true? Am “I” the known center of the universe? (Quickly, he responded.. Rapidly, he confessed.. NO!. Why, (surprisingly) – “it’s not about “me.” ~ for He must increase.. but “I” must decrease.
Self, you sir have just been “dethroned.” Get down off’n your high horse and Mr. (or m’am) hear these words: BOW THE KNEE. Plant your face (yes, that one) in the dirt (or lower if you can), HUMBLE YOUR SELF in the sight of the LORD, and ??? — and He will lift you up!
Enter Humility. Need an Example? Super. Just “so happens,” God has provided not only an Example, but an actual Exemplar!..
Who-What-Where-When and Why (Yes, even the “HOW!”) are all present and accounted for! Absolutely Amazing!! Where to begin? Why do we not let the word of God speak to us?
~ In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He existed in the beginning with God ~ (John 1.1,2)
Who (sum-dum-guy inquired) is “He?” Is this “the One” who is referred to here? “He” must increase, but “I” must decrease? But who is He? – “Read on” brother!
What is “the rest of the story?” lol! A human baby was born in Bethlehem. God became a man. (amen!)
Is this Humility? For God-Elohim-YHWH to be born in a barn in Bethlehem? This alone, by itself pops the cork. I certainly don’t understand all that I know about this!
~ All things were made through Him, and without Him was not any thing made that was made ~ (John 1.3)
You know.. the more we read this amazing Book, (the Book God wrote!)- the more we do understand, ~ “before Abraham was.– I AM”
So which is it? Humanity or Deity? – or.. – Is it “both?” Is this the Messiah? Is this “THE ONE?” – or shall we look for another?
Once again.. “back to the Bible!” – what do the scriptures say? Just how many totally and right down to “the very jot and tittle” fulfilled old covenant prophecies does it take to convict and convince us anyway?
How blessed Rabbi Sha’ul was to have written this testimony: “I know Whom I have believed, and am convinced that He is able to guard what I have entrusted to Him for that day.” (2 Timothy 1:12) But, what about us? May we also know Him too?
Again, Paul’s words: “My goal, (my aim) is to know Him and the power of His resurrection..” (So far.. so good..- and then?)
– and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death.. ( I have been crucified with Christ!) -and? ~ except a grain of wheat fall into the ground and die.. ~
So then, what about our “light affliction”- and are we “left for dead?” lol! No! Just wait!- there’s more! (always more!..)
He was Crucified. He was Buried. End of story? Noooooo! The Rest of the story?.. HE LIVES!! ~ He ever lives to make intercession for us! ~
~ and He has become the “firstfruits” of them that slept ~ (1 Corinthians 15.20) “Firstfruits?” There’s more to follow? Yes.. (once again)- there is more- always more!
~ For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. O Death, where is thy sting? O Grave, where is Your victory? ~ (1 Corinthians 15.20)
ONE has already conquered. -And that Name (again) is?
Bob Dylan – Shelter From The Storm
http://vimeo.com/66527863
BOB DYLAN LYRICS
“Shelter From The Storm”
I was in another lifetime one of toil and blood
When blackness was a virtue and the road was full of mud
I came in from the wilderness a creature void of form
“Come in” she said
“I’ll give you shelter from the storm”.
And if I pass this way again you can rest assured
I’ll always do my best for her on that I give my word
In a world of steel-eyed death and men who are fighting to be warm
“Come in” she said
“I’ll give you shelter from the storm”.
Not a word was spoke between us there was little risk involved
Everything up to that point had been left unresolved
Try imagining a place where it’s always safe and warm
“Come in” she said
“I’ll give you shelter from the storm”.
I was burned out from exhaustion buried in the hail
Poisoned in the bushes and blown out on the trail
Hunted like a crocodile ravaged in the corn
“Come in” she said
“I’ll give you shelter from the storm”.
Suddenly I turned around and she was standing there
With silver bracelets on her wrists and flowers in her hair
She walked up to me so gracefully and took my crown of thorns
“Come in” she said
“I’ll give you shelter from the storm”.
Now there’s a wall between us something there’s been lost
I took too much for granted got my signals crossed
Just to think that it all began on a long-forgotten morn
“Come in” she said
“I’ll give you shelter from the storm”.
Well the deputy walks on hard nails and the preacher rides a mount
But nothing really matters much it’s doom alone that counts
And the one-eyed undertaker he blows a futile horn
“Come in” she said
“I’ll give you shelter from the storm”.
I’ve heard newborn babies wailing like a mourning dove
And old men with broken teeth stranded without love
Do I understand your question man is it hopeless and forlorn
“Come in” she said
“I’ll give you shelter from the storm”.
In a little hilltop village they gambled for my clothes
I bargained for salvation and they gave me a lethal dose
I offered up my innocence and got repaid with scorn
“Come in” she said
“I’ll give you shelter from the storm”.
Well I’m living in a foreign country but I’m bound to cross the line
Beauty walks a razor’s edge someday I’ll make it mine
If I could only turn back the clock to when God and her were born
“Come in” she said
“I’ll give you shelter from the storm”.