Trail Markers
Lead me in Your truth and instruct me, for You are the God of my rescue. In You do I hope every day. Psalm 25:5 Robert Alter translation
Lead me – As a young man I used to hike in the Cascades. Once I attempted to reach a small lake up in the mountains. Things started nicely, following the trail and enjoying the crisp mountain air. But it was early in the season, and soon I came upon snow. The trail was obliterated under two feet of white covering, but I kept going, thinking that marks on the trees would still make the trip possible. Soon I came upon footprints heading in the right direction, so I assumed that there were others ahead of me. After about a mile, I noticed even more tracks. Then I realized the truth. I was following my own steps in a giant circle. I was lost in freezing temperatures with the sun going down. Carefully, carefully I retraced each imprint in the snow until I came to the track that lead away from the imprints. I found my way out, much to my relief, but there were moments when I knew I was in serious trouble.
David didn’t follow his own footprints in the snow. He had a better idea. “Lead me” (hadrikeni) is derived from darak, “to tread, to bend, to lead.” You will recognize derek, the path, the way, the road. David’s idea is simple. “God, You take the lead. I will follow.” Much better than following myself. Actually, it seems that most of us are snow-trackers at some point in our lives. We end up going in giant circles, following ourselves instead of putting the Lord at the front. Sometimes we can’t find our way out. David is quite aware of this threat to life. Therefore, he pleads for the Lord to take the point. As long as we determine to be followers, we can’t get off track.
David’s plea is to follow God’s truth. The word, of course, is ‘emet. What it doesn’t mean is God’s theological propositions. ‘emet is the description of reliability, trustworthiness, stability and faithfulness. ‘emet is not a “statement of faith” or a creedal declaration. ‘emet is what I stand on. It is the stuff beneath my way of life, the bottom-line, what I count on, my foundation. It’s what I can’t give up if I’m going to survive. What I needed in the mountains was the trail, not the trail under the snow. I need the clear and identifiable path, not the route covered over with extra glitter. So what is the foundation of God’s truth? What is the undeniable, unimpeachable, absolutely critical basis of God’s guidance. For David there is only one answer: Torah. Heschel says it best. “A Jew without Torah is obsolete.”
What are we without God’s revealed foundation? I’ll tell you. We are great circle hikers on the snow.
Topical Index: Torah, ‘emet, darak, to lead, Psalm 25:5
I was noticing just yesterday that I am once again on a path that I take every few years and it always ends up being about my stinking attitudes and behavior towards how I think things should go. There is a pattern a nd it’s not the one I am wanting to follow. Every time this comes up I eventually get it, well, I guess Glory, I got it quicker this time, but I would really like to catch it before it becomes a pattern to recognize a few weeks in. I have got to allow Yaweh to take the lead of my attitudes! Why is this cookbook hard?
How long do you boil to get hardboiled eggs?
That is so look funny! I actually tried to change the word back to something else and now I don’t remember what it was supposed to be. Jokes on me!
Better to be the “thawed called” than the “frozen chosen”!
LOL.
Emet
Makes me think of how Al Pacino described himself
As Detective Hanna In the movie called Heat
During an argument with his wife as I recall
“I say what I mean, and I do what I say.”
Better to be in my boat rowing backwards into the future, than to be “following my own steps in a giant circle”. The imagery of one following his own steps is so relevant. I’m laughing and weeping; and shaking my head.