The Rationale for Suffering (2)
Happy the man whom Yah chastises, and whom from His teaching He instructs, to make him quiet in evil days until a pit is dug for the wicked. Psalm 94:12-13 Robert Alter
Quiet – I’d like the NASB version to be true. “So that You may grant him relief from the days of adversity, until a pit is dug for the wicked.” Yes, that’s what I want: relief. Unfortunately, the Hebrew doesn’t seem to make it that easy. The verb is šāqaṭ. Here’s it a Hi’fil infinitive. It’s important to see the full umbrella covered by this verb:
šāqaṭ occurs forty-one times, in the Qal and Hiphil. Some of the words with which it is associated or whose meanings it sometimes overlaps are 1) beṭaḥ “security,” “a feeling of confidence”; 2) nûaḥ “settle down,” “rest”; 3) ḥāraš “be silent,” “be inactive”; 4) dāmâ “be silent”; 5) dāmam “be motionless, physically quiet”; 6) šaʾănān “ease,” “undisturbed, without anxiety” and 7) šābat “cease, rest from activity.”
The basic idea of the root is “tranquility.” It implies the absence of strife, war, or trouble on the one hand, and worry or anxiety on the other. It may also imply the absence of a pressing obligation, or again, of some disturbing element that mars a relationship between individuals.[1]
The problem is that “relief” suggests recompense when it comes to injustice. I go to court to get relief, and I don’t mean peace of mind. I mean I get compensated. I win. The bad guy pays. That’s relief in the world of suffering. But that’s not what David suggests. šāqaṭ is about an attitude, a state of mind. It’s about finding tranquility even if there is no punishment of the guilty. It’s about as close to a Stoic viewpoint as the Bible gets. Put into action, it means that those evil days are training sessions where I am prompted (chastised) to reflect on the sovereignty of God and let go of my need for justice now. It means bearing with it. It means turning the other cheek. Oh, that begins to sound like the teaching of another man.
“You have heard that it was said, ‘Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.’ But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also. And if anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt, hand over your coat as well” (Matthew 5:38-40).
Yeshua seems to be endorsing David, and, by the way, Peter and Paul do the same:
Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult. On the contrary, repay evil with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing (1 Peter 3:9).
Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone (Romans 12:17).
It looks as if the right “attitude” about evil in this world is active, not simply mental conditioning. The opportunity to display šāqaṭ depends on being confronted with evil. And the blessing that follows depends on how you respond with šāqaṭ. Amazingly, if bad things never happened to good people, the blessing attributed to šāqaṭ would not be possible. Just think about that! If all you wanted in your life were peace and harmony, you would bypass something God has in mind for you—the blessing of tranquility.
Topical Index: šāqaṭ, tranquility, quiet, relief, compensation, justice, Psalm 94:12-13
[1] Austel, H. J. (1999). 2453 שָׁקַט. R. L. Harris, G. L. Archer Jr., & B. K. Waltke (Eds.), Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament (electronic ed., p. 953). Chicago: Moody Press.
