An Apple a Day
Shout joyfully to God, all the earth; Psalm 66:1 NASB
Shout joyfully – Don’t you just want to scream? The world is such a mess. Tragedy surrounds us on all sides. Nothing seems fair. Even our best days are tinged with past sorrows. Wouldn’t it help to just yell? To howl towards heaven?
Ah, that’s the real meaning of this odd verb, rea’. It isn’t actually about joyful exuberance. It’s really (and usually) about a battle cry, a shout of alarm, crying out a warning. In fact, the translators have taken the liberty of adding “joyfully” because of the context. What the verse really says is “Make a loud noise to YHVH.” What the noise is about is determined by the rest of the psalm.
Now consider the contextual application here. If we start with a verb that is typically about battle cries, how is it that in this case it describes praises? Maybe the author wants us to realize that there is a similarity in substance even if there is a difference in attitude. Imagine those times when you really did want to scream. Recall the energy—all that pent up frustration forcing itself into verbal expression. Go ahead. Raise your fist in the air. Then switch! Switch from crying out against the night to shouting out praises for the God of creation. Don’t diminish the ferocity. Don’t convert that primal scream to some insipid “spiritually acceptable” love song. This isn’t a verb for Barry Manilow believers. This is a Charlton Heston bellow. But now it’s about the wonders of God rather than the ravages of sin.
And here’s the best part. A shout a day keeps the demons away. Oh, sorry. There aren’t any demons in the Tanakh, but you get the idea. We need to convert our struggles with the world—our battle cries—into praises. The same verb in a different context. Shouting about the goodness of God is an almost instant cure for spiritual dyspepsia. Try it. Take a moment each day to shout about God. See if it doesn’t cure those biblical blues.
Sure, anyone close at hand will think you’re a bit crazy. Maybe even people further away—if you’re really into it. But does that actually matter? If you’re praising the God who gave you the breath to shout, do you really care what someone who is still moping in mediocrity thinks? Let the silent complainers stare (and shut up). If they had any Hebraic sense, they would join you. But you can’t fix a shofar with a toothpick.
Shout!
Topical Index: shout joyfully, rea’, battle cry, Psalm 66:1
And maybe that is one of the reasons He gave us Yom Teruah! Not as only a once a year occasion, but a once a year occasion to be reminded of a those things we ought to realize and practice as a regular lifestyle throughout the year.
“Make a loud noise to YHVH.”
“Shout unto God with a voice of triumph.”
“Great is the Lord and greatly to be praise, in the city of our God, in the mountain of His holiness, beautiful for situations, the joy of the whole earth, is Mount Zion on the side of the North, the city of our great King.”
Or could be part and parcel of take up your cross and follow daily. Not once a year but everyday as He is Lord of all…
That cry can be both. The best example for me was John Paul Jones, after the British had shot away his sail masts on his little ships and advised him to surrender. His response: “I have only just begun to fight!”. He went on to use his low position to aim his cannon at the waterline on those big ships; he, of course, being too low for them to shoot back. He succeeded in grappling his ships onto those of his enemy, and fighting them on their own turf – and winning! He used their positions and advantages against them; he needed none of his own. I studied this story in the depths of my darkness. His shout was mine in the depths of despair,. because he had taught me how, and WHY, you never give up. There is nothing worse in a fight than an enemy with nothing to lose. As dead men walking, we should exemplify this approach to the world every day. At the end of self, we “have only just begun to fight” the good fight, using the advantages of our Example, Who showed us how to “swallow up (even) death in victory”. Halleluah!
Nice connection and explanation.
“This isn’t a verb for Barry Manilow believers. This is a Charlton Heston bellow…. you can’t fix a shofar with a toothpick.”
Forget the long lens. Grab that wide angle, open up your aperture, and steady your aim. There’s an amazing close up coming.
Thanks Skip.
Amen. I have walked in my woods or sat on my tractor while cutting hay and “screamed” out to our Creator and just say: THANK YOU!
Rebbe Nachman practiced what was termed hitbodedut where one would go into the deep secluded woods to pour ones heart out to HaShem, often in shouting and screaming to release this pent up energy. Many Breslover’s still practice this approach to worship in a personalized and emotional way, shouting, praising, clapping, singing, and dancing. I have tried it and found it quite exhilarating… once you get over the self consciousness and the bewildered stares of the local critters.
Michael – YES! If you have not seen it (or even if you have), the Israeli movie “Ushpizin” offers two scenes that symbolize this energy.