Shut Up
And You have not given me over into the hand of the enemy; You have set my feet in a large place. Psalm 31:8 NASB
Not given me over– What does it mean to fall into the hands of the enemy? Pay attention to David’s parallelism and you will understand just how much Hebrew is a language of the land. The idea of “not given over” is repeated in “set in a large place.” We discover that falling into the hands of the enemy is experiencing restriction, confinement or imprisonment, either physically or psychologically. The Hebrew verb, sāgar, is about feeling fenced in, bound, unable to move freely in God’s great world. This can be the result of physical captivity. Israel knew this experience through the long years in Egypt and the experience indelibly changed the public consciousness of the people. But the same experience can happen individually, as David’s cry illuminates. We can each feel the fetters of the enemy, the dungeon of destructive choices, the grip of imposed expectations. There are invisible prisons of the soul waiting to incarcerate each of us.
Once again David relies on the character of YHVH. “You have not shut me up,” he exclaims. Instead, David feels the release of ʿāmad, “to stand”in a wide and open place. He is not walking through the narrow valley of the shadow of death. His Shepherd had led him to the open fields and the still waters. Fear is no longer an issue.
Perhaps that’s the real contrasting measure. When I experience sāgar (confinement) I am afraid. I am afraid of not finding my way out. I am afraid of being overwhelmed. I am afraid of the future. I am afraid, as Adam suggested in his response to God, of myself, of what I have become in a constricted world. Perhaps the true measure of deliverance (another meaning of sāgar) is release from fear. Perhaps the parallel question to “Where do you feel safe?” is “Do you feel afraid?” The answer to both questions is the same. The safe place, the place where fear is no longer my jailer, is under the care of the Shepherd. If I am not in that place, imprisonment is only a matter of time.
One final note concerning David’s poetic revelation. “You have set my feet,” is a joyous admission of incapacity. David didn’t consult a self-help book to find this broad and open life. He didn’t determine a long-term plan or take a better grip on his present circumstances. He submitted. He gave oversightto God and God set his feet on safe ground. No credit to David. No entitlement. Just recognition that his life was not safe, not free from fear, until he let God take complete control. That doesn’t mean the decision was easy. Adam discovered the decision was nearly impossible. It just means the decision was sane. The creation cannot function independently of the designer for long without serious, detrimental consequences. Human beings are mistake-making entities, not self-correcting AI robots. When we finally come to terms with that fact, we will be ready for David’s declaration. You, Lord, delivered me. You, and no one else.
Topical Index: sāgar, deliver up, give over, ʿāmad, stand, fear, safe, Psalm 31:8
Skip. I must tell you that the Lord uses this post in such remarkable ways you will never understand. I am committed to this post for encouragement. . I have found only two others that come close or succeed. The one that succeeds is the scriptures set apart Nothing Else even comes close. The other is the voice of the Lord, by David Rudolph. Repeatedly for 15 years. If you get a chance check it out. It is on studylight. Org under devotionals. Great Hebrew thought in mind set.
“When I experience sāgar (confinement) I am afraid. Perhaps the true measure of deliverance (another meaning of sāgar) is release from fear.”
Indeed, anxiety (fear – apprehensive expectation) is the most frequently diagnosed of all mental disorders. But it is not the only condition of “soul confinement” that mankind experiences. The second most and very commonly diagnosed mental disorder is depression, and that can involve one or more of four distressing emotional conditions: excessive and inappropriate guilt, feelings of hopelessness, feelings of worthlessness, and anhedonia (a reduced ability to experience pleasure, or a diminished interest in engaging in pleasurable activities).
So, to not be “given over into the hand of the enemy”, to have our “feet set in a large place”, is not merely being free from fear, but having shalom, which entails much more than just not being anxious or afraid. It means also to have a clear conscience, to be hopeful, to feel a sense of worth, and to be able to find interest, enjoyment, and pleasure in things.
If we rightly identify our symptoms, we can rightly diagnose our type of “soul confinement” problem, and then we can rightly change our thinking/believing and conduct. In so doing we can cooperate with YHVH in having our feet set in a large place. It doesn’t just happen. He’s not a magician. He’s a deliverer. He’s a mighty counselor and we need to cooperate with His spiritual help with our theological, psychological, emotional, and behavioral “disorders”.
As scripture says, “The kingdom of Elohim is not meat nor drink, but righteous, shalom, and joy in the Ruach HaKodesh!”
Know righteousness (right thinking/believing and conduct), then we will know shalom (freedom from guilt, hopeless, worthlessness, and anxiety), and then we will know joy (peace, a clear conscience, confidence, hope, worth, interest, enjoyment, and pleasure).
May your feet be set in a large place today! Let Him lead (counsel) you into pastures green and beside still waters. May He restore your soul from all types of confinement (whether anxiety/fear or depression), in the name of Yeshua Messiah!
It’s interesting that all the stuff you brought up as being commonly diagnosed disorders, (anxiety, guilt, hopelessness, etc.) are a result of focusing on self (a turning in to oneself) and the things in regards to peace (to be whole) are in regards to engaging in community and my part and value in it. But, light is what gives us the ability to see those things outside of ourselves, while darkness is (literally) a constraining.
Robert you might be a little more cautious in your broad stroke diagnosing mental illness or depression. There are many factors besides focusing on self.
My apologies to you Pam if this read as some type of diagnosis, it wasn’t intended as such. I was just making an observation in relation to Gen. 1 and the good order of creation. Of course there are a multitude of issues in regards to “mental illness” including trained behavioral responses, direction of personality traits and more often than not, deep (if not unfathomable) pycological wounds. All these take grace and patience as well as an enduring love to address in these people as well as those who are involved with them. Again, my apologies if I made it sound as though I was diagnosing or presenting some kind of a “simple” cure. Simple cures don’t exist and mostly don’t exist singularly.
Since I gave you the thumbs down , I find it more courteous to let you know who it was. When you have so many family members suffering from depression , I might be over sensitive. Your clarity is always appreciated thanks.
I find your passion both thrilling and admirable, were we all to so readily jump to the defense of those suffering. YHWH bless you and keep you…..
Afraid of what?
Perhaps we fear ourselves.
“I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do
I do not do, but what I hate I do. Rm 7:15
God told Cain, “sin is crouching at your door; it desires
to have you, but you must master it.”
And that Master was sent to us. In His words: “In this world
you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”
So we follow Him. And overcome ourselves.
“Fear not.”
Excellent word! It reminded me of my own personal journey with God/in God. Times when I have, spiritually speaking, come out into a clearing, like between two patches of dense woods or thick underbrush. Maybe a sense of getting my bearings before the next engagement with the wilderness. I’m going somewhere but it involves climbing through a mountain range or through deep under brush. Always, it seems, although never as quickly as wanted, I have come out into green pastures and have spent time dipping my toes in the still waters with the sun shining warmly on my body. Maybe both, the dense forrest/thick underbrush and the large open places are a necessary part of my spiritual development ?! Whether I personally like it or not, it seems to be the way that it goes for me. Basking in the sunlight of an open field, peaceful refreshing and then back into times of questions, uncertainty and even threats of evil. It seems maybe that this process develops within me a deeper trust in knowing God, so that I can walk through those times without fear or with less fear, knowing whom I have believed, being persuaded that he is able to keep me ! What a brilliant God we serve! Just some thoughts.
I think the most common mistake I make is to forget that I cannot establish ANY direction for myself. When things go well, I make the mistake of thinking that I must be ‘doing right’. When things get frustrating, conversely, I think that I must be ‘doing wrong’. Neither are correct.
In this dance, I am the little girl riding on my Daddy’s feet. He does all the steps. My job is to stay on those feet. Even though I have free will, it is not the freedom to take off across the pasture. Either I am a slave to sin or a slave to righteousness. My part of the dance is to acknowledge which set of steps I am lined up with. Self delusion lies on either side: both self righteousness and rebellion tell me the same lie. Both appeal to the self god that thinks that I, at any point, am in charge of the direction. Nope. Both sin and righteousness – with their accompanying motivations – come from beyond me: I am only the agree-er to either one or the other. This is so hard to learn! I am so easy to delude!
Either I am submitted to sin or to righteousness, but I am not the source of either. We think that we can establish what sin is AND what righteousness is, but both have already been established in their respective spiritual kingdoms. My choices merely rubberstamp which set of steps I am riding (motivationally speaking) on. Even the motive power (which will be either fear or faith, depending on which kingdom I am currently choosing to have expressed through me) of those choices comes from beyond me. I tap into either the power from heaven (faith) or hell (fear) the instant I make the choice.
I am a source of nothing because I was created to be an image – a mirror – of some thing/One else. I suspect the glass that I “see darkly” through right now may be the one that I am muddying up by my inability to consistently choose to reflect the character of my Maker.
Returned to TWOT this evening. The whole experience of reading Skip’s teaching and then reading all of the various responses left me feeling like I was sitting at a table with rich delicious food. What a tremendous blessing you all are to my continued and increased knowledge and understanding of God ! Thank you, thank you!