Obligations 

O God, You have rejected us. You have broken us; You have been angry; O, restore us. Psalm 60:1 [English] NASB

God – Primary position means primary emphasis. When a Hebrew author wants to put an exclamation point behind a thought, he moves the word to the first position in sentence. David puts the word elohim first. That makes sense. He is addressing “God.” His complaint is to God. His frustration is with God. But David has an intimately relationship with YHVH, the Elohim of Israel, so why does he use the category word, “God,” rather than the personal name, YHVH?

It’s all about perceived obligation. Elohim is not a name. It is a noun describing the category of divine beings. The god of Canaan is Elohim (actually El, the singular noun). Molech is elohim. It just happens to be the case that these other elohim are not real. They are fabrications of human imagination, myth and legend. YHVH is the only true Elohim. But since we don’t live in the world of pagan polytheism, we simply assume that elohim is the same as YHVH, namely, the nouns that only describe the one true God. David, on the other hand, knew perfectly well that there were other (although not real) competing divine beings.

What does a divine being do? In the ancient near-East, divine beings were territorial protectors. The god of Canaan had no real power in Egypt. The gods of Egypt were impotent in Mesopotamia. Hebrew is unique in asserting that YHVH is God of the heavens and earth. Pagan gods were local deities. Worshippers of local deities expected their gods to protect them against enemies, both foreign and domestic, when they were appropriately reverenced and placated. Gods have obligations. In battle, gods are supposed to guarantee victory to those who have obeyed. When they don’t, something is wrong. YHVH is the God of Israel. Since He is the only true God, His people expect and are entitled to His protection. When that doesn’t happen, it can’t be because another god is more powerful or because another god has territorial rights. The only explanation is either that the people have sinned or that God caused the defeat. And since Elohim is ultimately responsible for everything as the One True God of all, defeat means He must want that to happen. This David simply does not understand.

YHVH is David’s God of intimate relationship, the God who does not fail, who is always faithful, who neither slumbers nor sleeps. But Elohim is the One in charge. Elohim is the Command-in-Chief of Israel. So David doesn’t appeal to His God of intimate relationship. He appeals to the commander. “God” not YHVH. Why has the Commander let Israel experience defeat? The answer is the perception that Elohim has rejected His people. The answer is that “God” has caused this to happen.

What about you? Have you experienced defeat at the hand of God? Have your expectations of protection been shattered? Do you think God has broken you? David’s lament is not softened by a theological idea of God’s eternal care. His experience of rejection is real. So is yours. It is not always possible to console ourselves with the thought that God is doing something of eternal value through our suffering. Yes, we know the character of the Almighty. Exodus 34 tells us He is first and foremost compassionate. But it doesn’t always feel that way.

One of the remarkable elements of the Tanakh is its insistence of exhibiting all the realities of life as it is. There is no whitewashing or theological correction. We are but dust, and sometimes being dust hurts. We need a faith that accounts for the hurts and the blessings. David does too. So we will see how his poem explores this most intimate concern about the obligations of God toward those who love Him.

Topical Index: elohim, God, Psalm 60:1, rejection