On Solid Ground

All Your commandments are faithful; they have persecuted me with a lie; help me!  Psalm 119:86  NASB

Faithful – It’s unfortunate that this translation pushes us to view the commandments as spiritual.
“Faithful” makes it sound as if miṣwâ belong in the realm of religion, where “faith” operates differently than the rest of our “practical” lives.  Such would not be the case had we translated ʾĕmûnâ as “reliable.”  The psalmist’s claim is not that the realm of the spirit is separated from ordinary living.  In fact, it is precisely the opposite.  “All Your instructions are reliable” tells us that everything God gives us works quite well in ordinary living.  There is, in fact, no distinction between the “spiritual” and the “physical” in the Hebrew worldview.  It’s all God’s creation, and we are full participants, completely homogenized.  We should have seen this to be the case as soon as we recognized the Greek mistake of translating nepeš as sṓma, noús, and psychḗ.  Faith as ʾĕmûnâ is not some heaven-sent elevated attitude or mystical status.  It is perseverance in this world, maintaining the values of Torah in the social/political human realm.  Heaven can wait.

Not let’s consider the implications of the poet’s claim.  How are the two parts of this verse connected?  We have no problem with the declarative statement in the first part.  All of God’s instructions are reliable.  We can trust that acting according to them will keep us in alignment with God’s intention and desire.  But if this is true (and it is), then why do we suffer persecution?  This is the connection.  If God’s instructions for living are so good and dependable, then why do His people experience persecution?  The question is certainly just as valid today as it was when the poet wrote.  Perhaps more so.  We may find some clues if we examine the verb translated “persecuted.”  The Hebrew root is rādap.  “Usually the term refers to a man or group pursuing another for purpose of making war or taking revenge. . . In the intensive and reflexive stems, rādap means being ‘hounded’ or ‘persecuted’ (Ps 71:11–13). One of the most blessed aspects of God’s providence is his rescuing his people from pursuit. In the well-known phrase from Psalm 23, God’s blessing itself is said to ‘follow’ (KJV and RSV, v. 6), which is not strong enough for the sense of the root. It should be more active. ‘Only goodness and mercy shall pursue me’ is the preferred reading.”^[1]  White’s comment only intensifies our dilemma.  If only goodness and mercy follow us, and God is sovereign, then why do we experience rādap?  Ah, the question of the ages?

We need to add the last piece: “with a lie.”  Šeqer isn’t just a false statement.  It’s breaking a commitment or treaty.  It’s making an empty promise.  The pursuit (persecution) the psalmist feels isn’t being hunted down by marauding pagans.  It’s experiencing the results of broken promises.  God’s promises are completely reliable (ʾĕmûnâ).  Man’s promises are not.  I have no doubt that we all know what that feels like.  We have been victims and perpetrators.  Now we can completely identify with the poet.  We have been chased by broken promises.  They won’t leave us alone.  Only God can be absolutely counted on.  And so, “help me.”

Topical Index: rādap, persecute, promise, lie, ʾĕmûnâ, faithful, reliable, Psalm 119:86

^[1] White, W. (1999). 2124 רָדַף. In R. L. Harris, G. L. Archer Jr., & B. K. Waltke (Eds.), Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament (electronic ed., p. 834). Moody Press.