119: Samekh

Hebrew scholars say the letter Samekh [ס] signifies support and protection. The idea is that the perimeter of the letterform symbolizes the Creator and the interior depicts his creation, surrounded on all sides, upheld and protected by him. It’s a nice thought, and it definitely fits with the eight verses of this fifteenth stanza of Psalm 119.

We might note that while the perimeter of the samekh has substance, the interior is a void. Accurate symbolism is not always flattering.

Where other sections of the psalm have been thematically tight and consistent, I find it harder to follow the psalmist’s train of thought within this one. What is evident is that he views himself as under attack throughout. His concern is salvation from an exterior threat, and he finds his security in the word of God.

Psalm 119:113-114 — A Contrast

“I hate the double-minded, but I love your law. You are my hiding place and my shield; I hope in your word.”

I Hate the Double-Minded

A double-minded man, James writes, is unstable in all his ways. The KJV refers to “vain thoughts” in verse 113, but the vast majority of translators use the phrase “double-minded”. The NLT says, “I hate those with divided loyalties.” Gesenius calls such a man a doubter and a sceptic. The psalmist’s hatred for this type of person is legitimate, because a double-minded man is not merely fragile and therefore undependable. It is unwise to rely on anything that comes from the mouth of an established liar even if he utters nine truths for every lie, because you can’t tell when the inevitable falsehood is coming. So too it is impossible to deal profitably with a double-minded man even if he’s on the “right team” most of the time. To operate safely, you have to assume every moment might be the one in which he switches sides.

Jesus said it is impossible to serve two masters. The man who appears to do so has actually made a choice: “he will hate the one and love the other”. So then, the double-minded man effectively makes himself the enemy of God.

But where the double-minded man would let you down, the law of God will not. It says what it says. It is not ambiguous, coy or vacillating. It will not stab you in the back. God is a hiding place and a shield for his servants, and his word is their hope in times of conflict.

The Hiding Place and Shield

The word translated “hiding place” is literally “secret”. The psalms call God a “hiding place” repeatedly (Psalm 31:20, Psalm 32:7, Psalm 61:4, Psalm 91:1, etc.). Naturally, this Hebrew word begins with samekh.

The first time God declares himself to be a shield is right after enabling Abraham to rescue Lot from the armies of four kings with a mere 318 men. God says to him, “Fear not, I am your shield.” Likewise, in Moses’ final blessing of Israel, he tells them the Lord is “the shield of your help”. The psalmist can confirm this well-established truth.

Psalm 119:115 — Light and Darkness

“Depart from me, you evildoers, that I may keep the commandments of my God.”

The first two verses address the Lord. In verse 115, the psalmist directly addresses his enemies. As we have seen, double-minded men cannot effectively serve God, and those who wish to serve him must avoid them. Again, this is a well-established scriptural principle, from Moses warning the congregation to “depart” from the tents of Dathan and Abiram to our Lord’s admonition of Peter, “Get behind me, Satan.” Why? He was double-minded, setting his mind on the things of man rather than God. Likewise, when Paul writes to Corinth about the unequal yoke, he says, “Therefore go out and be separate.” The consistent theme is that the evildoer must either depart or stop doing evil. There can be no fellowship between light and darkness.

Psalm 119:116-117 — Surrounded

“Uphold me according to your promise, that I may live, and let me not be put to shame in my hope! Hold me up, that I may be safe and have regard for your statutes continually!”

Having cleared the deck, so to speak, the psalmist again addresses the Lord, appealing for him to keep his word to his servant. The “promise” to which he appeals may be found sprinkled throughout the Psalms of David; for example, “The arms of the wicked shall be broken, but the Lord upholds the righteous”, and again, “Though he fall, he shall not be cast headlong, for the Lord upholds his hand.” Those who trust in the Lord can rely on his word. The wicked will perish, but the man whose steps are established by the Lord will be safe from harm.

The word “uphold” is sāmaḵ, the only substantive difference from samekh being the vowels. It means to cover or secure, while the word translated “hold me up” refers to support from below. So we have the Lord surrounding his servant on all sides.

Psalm 119:118-119 — On the Other Hand …

“You spurn all who go astray from your statutes, for their cunning is in vain. All the wicked of the earth you discard like dross, therefore I love your testimonies.”

The fate of the wicked of the earth is something else entirely. They will be “spurned” [sālâ, meaning weighed and tossed aside] and “discarded” [šāḇaṯ, meaning to be brought to an end]. The psalmist does not love God’s word only because it promises him safety and security for trusting in the Lord, but also because it promises that those who reject the word of God will not prosper forever. Their time is coming. This is a wonderful thing. A God who never judged the predators and oppressors of this world would be unworthy of worship.

This morning my Old Testament reading was in Deuteronomy, where Moses lists the blessings Israel could expect for obedience alongside the curses the nation could expect for rejecting the word of the Lord. It’s hard to miss the fact that there are fourteen verses of blessings and fifty-four verses of curses, almost four times as many. It’s also hard to miss that every word of it has been fulfilled. Truly, there is reason to love the Lord’s testimonies. They tell us how we can expect our God to conduct himself, and he does exactly as he has said.

Psalm 119:120 — An Unexpected Ending

“My flesh trembles for fear of you, and I am afraid of your judgments.”

I mentioned earlier that I find the thought flow of this section difficult to follow. This is what I had in mind: the psalmist ends in fear: “My flesh trembles”, “I am afraid”.

It’s hard to reconcile at times, but love and fear are both appropriate responses to God. He is worthy of our love because he is faithful and trustworthy. But he is also to be feared for these same reasons. This is not an Old Testament/New Testament thing either. Where “the fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge” in the OT, so also Hebrews says, “Let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe.”

Our God is a consuming fire, and we should never forget it. The psalmist certainly does not.