The Other Side of the Coin
Turn to me and be gracious to me, as is right for those who love Your name. Psalm 119:132 NASB
As is right for – Now we discover just how broad Hebrew words can be. The phrase “as is right for,” in the the Chabad translation (“Turn to me and favor me as is Your custom with those who love Your name”) “as is Your custom” is actually the word mišpāṭ, the same word we have so often encountered as “governance, justice, ordinance.” But in this verse the context wouldn’t allow “as is justice for,” or “as is Your ordinance” because God is under no compulsion at all to treat us with compassion. The term “compassion” sets the stage. “The verb ḥānan depicts a heartfelt response by someone who has something to give to one who has a need. Ap-Thomas’s suggestion that the verb comes from a biliteral root ‘to bend, to incline,’ i.e. to condescend, is not convincing. According to Flack the verb describes ‘an action from a superior to an inferior who has no real claim for gracious treatment.’”[1] You’ll recall that this verb is in God’s self-description in Exodus 34:6. It is His heartfelt pity over us that causes Him to act, not some external obligation that forces compassion. Therefore, mišpāṭ must be understood as the norm, that is, what God typically does for those who love Him.
Let’s just be sure we read “typically,” not “always.” Job loved God but he didn’t receive God’s typical favor. Neither did Isaiah, Jeremiah, Hosea or Daniel. And don’t forget Peter, Paul, and even Yeshua. “Typical” does not mean we can count on it. We’d like to think so, but there are plenty of counterexamples. God’s purposes often override our expectation of ḥānan. That doesn’t mean the ḥānan is an accidental attribute of God. Compassion is permanent; it’s just occasionally delayed or distributed in a way we don’t expect.
The psalmist, however, feels strongly enough about this permanent characteristic of God that he can pled for ḥānan on the basis of God’s promises to His children. So can we. Just keep in mind the rabbinic attitude: “Lord, grant me the ability to accept whatever You decide.”
We often imagine that governance covers everything except us. We’ve inherited the Greek idea of the cosmos where men are the outside observers watching all that happens but safely removed from the consequences. You experience this form of Greek thinking whenever you go to the theater. You participate vicariously. You’re not up there on the stage. You’re just watching. When we mistakenly imagine that this is how God experiences the world, it’s easy to transfer that mistake to ourselves as His agents. Isn’t that how we often read the prime directive: “Be fruitful and multiply and subdue the earth”? But the truth is that we are on the stage, that our actions or inactions affect the entire play, and that loving God doesn’t exempt us from the consequences of everything and everyone else’s action. Just as God Himself is intimately involved in human affairs. Perhaps no plan of His can be thwarted, but it can certainly be messed up. So, let’s pray for “typical” and be prepared for “extraordinary.”
Topical Index: mišpāṭ, governance, custom, typical, ḥānan, compassion, Psalm 119:132
[1] Yamauchi, E. (1999). 694 חָנַן. In R. L. Harris, G. L. Archer Jr., & B. K. Waltke (Eds.), Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament (electronic ed., p. 302). Moody Press.
