Which Is It?
O love the Lord, all you His godly ones! The Lord preserves the faithful and fully recompenses the proud doer. Psalm 31:23 NASB
Proud doer– There’s a problem here. The Hebrew ‘ose(h) gaʾăwâ can be translated as “proud doer” (NASB) or as “the one who acts in pride” (ESV). The NIV reorders the words as “the proud he pays back in full.” In the NASB it’s difficult to tell if this is a statement of judgment or reward. After all, being a doer of the word is a righteous act. But the NIV and ESV capture the real meaning. gaʾăwâ turns out to be a bad thing, not something worth honoring. David’s words are really confirmation that God will not let the proud go unpunished. Perhaps the NASB would have been better if it left out the last word, “doer.”
Why does David feel it necessary to include this judgment statement at the end of his poem? To answer that, we need to step back and view the entire poem. He begins by asserting his complete confidence in God’s protection. He extols the virtues of the Lord. He describes his aversion for the wicked. Then he asks for relief from his enemies. He proclaims his trust in God despite the lack of public affirmation. And now, in the end, he declares that God will certainly punish those who act with pride. gaʾăwâ describes “a shift of ultimate confidence from God as object and source to oneself as object and source.”[1] Since this word summarizes David’s enemies, his penultimate thought concerns justice. Rescue and protection ultimately fail unless God serves justice upon the wicked. Yes, it’s comforting to know that God cares for His people. Yes, hope is fulfilled when God protects the righteous. But in the end, if the wicked still get away with their idolatry and pride, the righteous are left questioning God’s true character, and God’s reputation in the public arena is tarnished. If God is going to be God, the God of Israel, the God who is recognized as God, then the wicked cannot win.
This is just as true today. When the wicked win, God’s very nature is threatened. The prosperity and moral impunity of the wicked challenges everything we believe about a just and faithful God. The presence of evil might be explained by ancient demonic warfare (perhaps). The Yin-Yang of the universe is a recognized pattern. But why the wicked seem to go unpunished is the real problem. This is personal. It means that human justice is a myth, mocked by those who circumvent its claims. It means, at the least, that God doesn’t care. This is the real theological problem today. The real issue is not salvation, or grace, or heaven. The real issue is why a just and righteous God doesn’t stop personal wickedness. The Bible says He will. We hope so. We better hope so for if He doesn’t, there really is a fatal flaw in the creation. The Greeks sought an answer for this conundrum in the postulation of reward and punishment in the next life. The Torah doesn’t seem to take that approach. But that leaves a great question unresolved. David declares God will act, but history doesn’t seem to validate that claim. How you deal with this issue will determine what kind of God you really have. The moral affront of ISIS is not simply political. It is an example of a deep ethical problem; a problem that comes to rest with our concept of God Himself. We need what David seems to have: unshakeable confidence that God is just.
Topical Index: wicked, proud, recompense, Psalm 31:23
[1]Hamilton, V. P. (1999). 299 גָּאָה. In R. L. Harris, G. L. Archer, Jr. & B. K. Waltke (Eds.), Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament(R. L. Harris, G. L. Archer, Jr. & B. K. Waltke, Ed.) (electronic ed.) (143). Chicago: Moody Press.
Isaiah and the later prophets go into great detail about the ultimate reward of the wicked and the triumph of the just. The Israelites were going to need this assurance when they went into captivity and it looked like their nation would never rise from the ashes again. There was no current justice for them: they could only hope for ultimate justice at the end of all things.
The earth is again groaning with the injustice of the practices of wholescale death and destruction. The planet is smothering in widescale slaughter and nefarious practices that profit the few by the poisoning and oppression of the many. As the stewards of this world (no, we were not relieved of our duty when we were chased out of the Garden) our job is to cry with the old men “between the altar and the porch” for the injustice of this world. It should not be ok with us!
God has deemed fit to work with His creation, and not just for it. We have been given the job of representing that creation to Him, and representing Him to that creation. I suspect that when we fully accept that responsibility, His justice will be unleashed. I am highly suspicious that He is waiting on us to care. Until then, are we not sharing in the pride of the damned? If He rose without our full cooperation, would it not then also be in opposition to us who are not yet fully on board? Is it not mercy for His elect that He waits until they “cry out to Him both day and night”? How bad is it going to get before we realize that we should be crying for all of the creation that we were given to be responsible for? Isn’t this our part of His justice? As stewards, shouldn’t it be our justice, too?
“We have been given the job of representing that creation to Him, and representing Him to that creation.”
Thank you for this succinct reminder, Laurita!
“The creation groans in eager anticipation of the revelation of sons of God” It suffers through our neglect and lack of faith. We suffer for lack of faith and awareness. Awareness that the word is true and we have the authority and means and he has given us the right and the power and ability to set things straight. We are not revealed as true sons of God because we often do not believe that we are qualified or able. We do not set things straight because we are to often deceived into accepting lies about ourselves and the nature of the world about us. We, the sons and daughters of God are not revealed because we accept and compromise far to much with our sin, dysfunction and shear laziness about becoming over-comers. God has great compassion and mercy for our failures to overcome our sin and dysfunction. He has made us able, it is not too hard. It is we that have failed him, he has not failed us, and the creation pay’s the price.”The creation groans in eager anticipation of the revelation of sons of God” Stand up Sons and Daughters of God, do not give in, do not give over, do not doubt have faith STAND UP….
I suspect that your suspicion is a valid one. God tells us in Deuteronomy 28 that if we, as His people, will observe to do His commands, He will, among other things, make us the head (rosh) and not the tail. The wagger, not the wagged. The term rosh is translated as head, leader, etc. and while it is somewhat accurate to translate it that way, it also carries a connotation of “influencing” another in the way they conduct themselves. It seems that it isn’t so much about whether it’s “our” work or His but rather a working in unity. As we seek Him, to walk accordingly, He spreads that influence. I find that in the times I waver in my obedience, the chaos of the world is allowed to push in and conversely, when I’m truly seeking Him, the chaos is not only held at bay, but rather is pushed back, but my “job” is to walk in covenant. The scriptures have much to say in regards to this but, as you say, when we begin to take responsibility for our part in the chaos currently under way, and repent from walking in our own ways, (and calling it His ways) God will begin to pour out His justice and mercy. (pretty scary stuff) Until then, we’re pretty much like Israel of old who chose “another” king besides YHWH. That didn’t work out to well.
In this my brother we stand in agreement…”when we begin to take responsibility for our part in the chaos currently under way, and repent from walking in our own ways, (and calling it His ways) God will begin to pour out His justice and mercy. (pretty scary stuff) Until then, we’re pretty much like Israel of old who chose “another” king besides YHWH. That didn’t work out to well.”…Yet I would add that his justice and truth is already here. We are not administrating it as his entitled agents particularly well…For the 12th time +- as Art Katz writes in “The Spirit of Truth” ” The Truth is in us and we in it only to the degree we actually walk in it”..
Couldn’t agree with you more. I would even go so far as to say we “walk” in and manifest truth everyday, we just deny it. Sowing seeds of chaos into a field full of chaos ensures the propagation of more chaos. That’s not only true, it’s true justice. (you reap what you sow) Trouble is, we’ve bought packaged seed from someone who labeled chaos seed as good seed and trusted that they were honest in their dealings. How to fix that, take your seed from the source, not a package. 🙂
Our job is to stay the course and trust that in the end, the King will show up as the great Equalizer.
The real issue is why a just and righteous God doesn’t stop personal wickedness (really). Did Yeshua state that should be our big concern ,sorry don’t think so. Why is it so tough to realize God’s thoughts and reasons are still beyond our thinking. He wills that all men be saved and come to a knowledge of the truth .There is more people he obviously wants to reach .His family is not complete to his satisfaction or his will. Do we have the right to dictate to God “enough is enough” by what we see with our very faulty and fickle five senses.