Kaf

My soul languishes for Your salvation; I ^[ah]wait for Your word.  Psalm 119:81  NASB

כָּֽלְתָ֣ה לִתְשׁוּעָֽתְךָ֣ נַפְשִׁ֑י לִדְבָֽרְךָ֥ יִחָֽלְתִּי

כָּל֣וּ עֵ֖ינַי לְאִמְרָתֶ֑ךָ לֵ֜אמֹ֗ר מָתַ֥י תְּֽנַֽחֲמֵֽנִי

כִּֽי־הָ֖יִיתִי כְּנֹ֣אד בְּקִיט֑וֹר חֻ֜קֶּ֗יךָ לֹ֣א שָׁכָֽחְתִּי

כַּמָּה יְמֵ֣י עַבְדֶּ֑ךָ מָתַ֬י תַּֽעֲשֶׂ֖ה בְרֹֽדְפַ֣י מִשְׁפָּֽט

כָּֽרוּ־לִ֣י זֵדִ֣ים שִׁיח֑וֹת אֲ֜שֶׁ֗ר לֹ֣א כְתֽוֹרָתֶֽךָ

כָּל־מִצְו‍ֹתֶ֥יךָ אֱמוּנָ֑ה שֶׁ֖קֶר רְדָפ֣וּנִי עָזְרֵֽנִי

כִּמְעַט כִּלּ֣וּנִי בָאָ֑רֶץ וַֽ֜אֲנִ֗י לֹֽא־עָזַ֥בְתִּי פִקֻּדֶֽיךָ

כְּחַסְדְּךָ֥ חַיֵּ֑נִי וְ֜אֶשְׁמְרָ֗ה עֵד֥וּת פִּֽיךָ

Languishes – Stop!  Stop long enough to recognize how different this opening thought is from our usual conception of salvation.  We imagine that “being saved” is a more-or-less one time determining event.  We make a confession of faith and somehow our spiritual status before God is transmuted from “lost” to “saved.”  We even celebrate that moment in time when it occurred.  So how is it possible that the poet “languishes” for salvation?  Are we to assume that he is not yet saved?  Are these the words of a pagan?  Hardly!  Whatever we discover about the verb kālâ is likely to alter our view of being “saved.”  That could be quite uncomfortable.  Let’s see.

First, the basics: “The basic idea of this root is ‘to bring a process to completion’. . . (kālâ). Altogether, consume, consumption. This noun form must be translated as an English verb in several instances in order to make the sense plain. It expresses the limits of a thing or an idea. Occurs twenty-two times. . . The noun kālâ demonstrates the same point in that it must often be translated ‘full end’ to differentiate it from some other end which may be merely a stopping place. On the other hand, to say that kālâ means ‘to bring to perfection’ is somewhat misleading in modern English idiom. ‘Perfect’ implies ‘without flaw’ whereas ‘complete’ does not address the question of flaws.”^[1]

Now we realize that this verse is a continuation of the previous (and final) verse of the yodh section.  You will recall that verse 80 dealt with blamelessness (tāmîm) which we discovered is also not about perfection but rather about being complete, full, finished.  Now the poet introduces kālâ, reminding us that he doesn’t feel complete, full, or finished.  He may be blameless, as he claims, but that doesn’t erase his psychological longing for absorbing connection with God.  He’s still on the path.  The journey hasn’t ended.  The goal is completion, but the goal is yet to be reached.  He’s blameless but not done.

And what is that goal?  Ah, tĕšûʿâ.  Salvation.  Not our Christian idea, but rather the Semitic world’s conception, that is, a place of open sufficiency, of peace, safety, and wholeness.  A place removed from distress, anxiety, concern.  In a word—deliverance—from the brokenness of this world.  That doesn’t necessarily mean escape from earth, but it does mean living under the uninhibited rule of God.  Salvation is not some change in personal spiritual status.  Salvation is God’s unrestricted Kingdom, and until that comes, we are on the way toward an as-yet-uncompleted goal.

The poet languishes because he is keenly aware that God’s reign and rule aren’t ubiquitous.  He’s not pinning about his personal condition.  He’s waiting for “Your Kingdom come on earth.”  So are we.

Topical Index: languish, kālâ, completion, salvation, tĕšûʿâ, Kingdom, Psalm 119:81

^[1] Oswalt, J. N. (1999). 982 כָלָה. In R. L. Harris, G. L. Archer Jr., & B. K. Waltke (Eds.), Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament (electronic ed., p. 439). Moody Press.