119: Sin and Shin

The penultimate letter of the Hebrew alphabet has two different names, though it’s technically the same letter. Jews pronounce it Shin [שׁ] when it has a dot over the right side, symbolizing kindness, and Sin [שׂ] when it has a dot over the left, symbolizing judgment or severity. Its three vertical lines (or fiery branches, depending on the font you read it in) denote will, intellect and emotions, although a host of more obscure ideas are also associated with the letter. (The tefillin sports a rare four-branched version of shin.) Shin’s numeric value is 300. Written in full, the five letters of Elohim (aleph-lamedh-he-yodh-mem) also total 300.

Make of that what you will. I’m not sure I can do a lot with it. As with much Hebrew symbolism and numerology, I just file it under “interesting” and move on.

Psalm 119:161-164 — A Few Random Thoughts

“Princes persecute me without cause, but my heart stands in awe of your words. I rejoice at your word like one who finds great spoil. I hate and abhor falsehood, but I love your law. Seven times a day I praise you for your righteous rules.”

If you’re counting shins and sins that commence verses in this stanza, the former outnumber the latter five to three. (What, you say you weren’t counting? Never mind.)

Without Cause

The phrase “without cause” is literally “for nothing”. It’s not to say there is no cause at all for the hatred, but no justifiable cause. Persecution without legitimate basis is a recurring theme in scripture. Saul hated David for nothing and Joab shed blood without cause. The messianic Psalm 69 had David writing, “More in number than the hairs of my head are those who hate me without cause.” Applied to David, we might call it mild hyperbole. Applied to the Lord Jesus, especially over the entire course of history, it’s probably true ten times over.

The phrase is a common one, so the psalmist’s use of it here is insufficient cause to identify him as David with certainty. Again, file under “interesting”.

Wholly Engaged

Am I stretching to find the will/intellect/emotions trio in these first four verses? Perhaps. A heart in awe, rejoicing; these are definitely emotions. Praising the Lord for his righteous rules seven times a day is most certainly an act of the will, a religious discipline. So what does a man do when he finds great spoil? Well, he counts it, weighs it or otherwise quantifies it, which is surely an intellectual exercise. Perhaps we also observe the kindness/severity combination in verse 163: “I hate and abhor falsehood, but I love your law.”

The reader’s mileage with such tenuous connections to the alleged meanings of Hebrew letterforms may vary. What we can say is that the psalmist’s interaction with the law of God has him wholly engaged, his entire being attending to it. Can we say the same about our relationship with the Lord’s word? Or do we rush through our reading to get to our busy day?

Great Spoil

The taking of spoil is a violent act associated with battle and predation. “Benjamin,” prophesied his father, “is a ravenous wolf, in the morning devouring the prey and at evening dividing the spoil.” Never were truer words spoken, and Israel’s history confirms them repeatedly: that turbulent tribe was right in the middle of every conflict. The psalmist’s rejoicing at the word of God is not like Benjamin’s ravenous appetite. He rejoices as one who has found great spoil, not as one who takes it from others by force.

Unlike many things in life, there are no zero sum games with scripture. Anyone willing to look for truth, who asks in faith for wisdom to comprehend it, can rejoice as one who finds great spoil. Moreover, my delight in what God had said takes away nothing from your enjoyment of it, and yours does not diminish mine. There’s enough “spoil” for everyone. In fact, what you have found may enhance and supplement my own treasure.

Seven Times a Day

As noted, praising the Lord seven times a day would certainly be an act of conscious self-discipline, but “seven times a day” is probably just a Hebrew euphemism for “perpetually”. The natural expression of our hearts in praise to our God is greatly pleasing to him. My father found numerous reasons each day to vocalize his enthusiasm for the Lord and his many mercies, including but not limited to his word. It was all very natural. That’s where his heart was.

Psalm 119:165-168 — Peace in the Panopticon

“Great peace have those who love your law; nothing can make them stumble. I hope for your salvation, O Lord, and I do your commandments. My soul keeps your testimonies; I love them exceedingly. I keep your precepts and testimonies, for all my ways are before you.”

Great Peace

My brother and I were talking about peace last week. He is of the opinion that the two things men want most from their wives are peace and respect. I don’t disagree. But the peace of which the psalmist is speaking is not merely the absence of conflict, domestic or otherwise. It’s not simply that he is externally untroubled. If we read the previous stanzas of the psalm carefully, we find him in all sorts of difficulty and turmoil. A full seven times he has experienced affliction, in one instance “severely”, and he has plenty to say about “the wicked”, his enemies and other evildoers in his life.

The peace that comes from occupation with the Lord and his word does not require the cooperation or goodwill of others. It can even blossom under a constant barrage of daily stresses, threats and irritations because it wells up from within. “You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you,” writes Isaiah. The fruit of the Spirit is peace, but that’s an Old Testament promise. So perfect peace is not a feature attributable solely to the indwelling Spirit of God, but available to those in every age who love the law and the God who gave it.

All My Ways

The awareness of the presence of God is such a purifying thing. “I keep your precepts and testimonies,” he writes, “for all my ways are before you.” The New Living Translation says, “You know everything I do.” That’s the sense of it. Hebrews says, “All are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account.” To the extent that we keep the Lord’s precepts and testimonies, living in the equivalent of a Divine panopticon is not terrifying but reassuring. The psalmist has already asserted that those who love the law have great peace.

Those who merely keep the law out of duty or fear have no such assurance.