Bible

Baruch HaShem!

Rev. Steve Schlissel - March 21, 2009

Nothing can replace Psalm 23 in King James English, so firmly anchored is it in our collective cultural consciousness. Nevertheless, there is a wonderful translation of the last line which I thought you might like:

Ah, how goodness and kindness pursue me,
every day of my life;
my home, the house of Yahweh,
as long as I live!

It is from the Jerusalem Bible (not to be confused with the New Jerusalem Bible!). I think you can tell why I like it — it is more dynamic, more personal, more certain, declaring that God’s “chesed” (His lovingkindness) is not merely a passive entity, hanging around until someone decides to make use of it. His mercies are not even like shadows that coincidentally happen to be wherever we are. Rather, this translation of this Psalm portion reveals to us God’s love and grace in warm and swift pursuit of us. God’s lovingkindness is God in action. Where can we flee from His presence? Nowhere. But here we are reminded why we’d never want to be away from His presence (apart from the fact that being away from His presence is the very definition of Hell). Our God is aggressive, a characteristic He repeatedly applies to Himself in Scripture. He is aggressive and jealous. Jealous for us. This is personal, not generic. God’s love is brand name love, not white label. It is directed, purposive, determined, not to be denied. He is quite—He is completely different from the mushy, Arminian conception of Deity so prevalent in our time. He is not an impersonal power called Love which is universally available. He is everything He is for us, His people. He doesn’t wake up each morning wondering, “What shall I do today?” He is, He knows, He does. His ways are inscrutable, beyond tracing out. His bounties unfathomable. Our God has given to all and borrowed from none. And all He has, all He is, He is and He gives for us. Every good and perfect gift comes from our Father, Who does not change like shifting shadows (James 1). He’s not merely aggressive, not an ADD boy itching to do something, anything. He continues to work out His specific, perfect plan, the conception and adoption of which predates the Fall of image-bearing man, just as it extends beyond time itself. He is in pursuit of us to BLESS us. How insane that most of the planet devotes themselves to running away!

Ah, how goodness and kindness pursue me,
every day of my life;
my home, the house of Yahweh,
as long as I live!

And that is forever. Baruch HaShem, indeed!