prominence in what is to follow: “Happy are all who find refuge in יהוה (him)” 75. cf. Jerome F. D. Creach, Yahweh as Refuge and the Editing of the Hebrew Psalter.
6. Israel’s poets characterize the solidity of faith and trust in יהוה as the “rock.” It is a metaphor both of prominence and eminence.
7. Murphy, “The Faith of the Psalmist: 229–39 “It is indeed remarkable, and one marvels at the ability of the psalmists to repeat, without monotony, . . .This was possible because theology was not locked into an abstract system but found expression in images and metaphors—drawn from daily experience—without which prayer must remain quite jejune indeed.” 231, 32.
8. VanGemeren, Psalms, Vol. 5. The Expositor’s Bible Commentary. “The Psalms thereby invite us to make a frank appraisal of how the promises of God are evidenced in reality and to bring our feelings of disappointment to God . . . We do so because [he]—after all—is the one who can resolve our dilemma, whether by changing circumstances or by changing our understanding and redirecting our expectations. As a result of this encounter, our relationship with God is enhanced, not diminished. Other OT characters, such as Habakkuk and Job, have taken similar pilgrimages.” 304.
9. Koch, “Is there a Doctrine of Retribution in the Old Testament?” in Theodicy in the Old Testament, IRTh vol. 4 “. . . the Israelite does not speak of ‘practicing’ faithfulness or ‘traveling down the road of wickedness. According to the Hebrew way of expressing this, good actions or evil actions are ‘created’. . . . Good actions and wickedness do not have a spatial quality like other ‘things’ which can be held and viewed. The characteristic of the relationship between the person who does something and what that person does is highlighted by the use, throughout the Old Testament, of the preposition be in its original locative sense, meaning ‘in’. A person finds oneself ‘inside’ one’s actions.” 71.
10. Psalms 42 and 43 make up a single complaint or lament. They comprise one psalm; note the repeated refrain in 42:5, 11and 43:5. The REB brackets Ps 43 and adds an explanatory footnote in the Oxford Study Bible edition.
11. Rendtorff, God’s History: A Way Through the Old Testament, 56.
12. This is a term that is borrowed from the title of Walter Brueggemann’s little book, the full title of which is: Abiding Astonishment: Psalms, Modernity, and the Making of History. Louisville: Westminster/John Knox Press, 1991.
Anthology of Refuge
Before we get into the text of the book and the theme of ancient Israel’s legacy of trusting YHWH, I want to provide you with a sample of some of the usages of refuge that are dominant throughout the Psalter. Ancient Israel’s legacy of trusting יהוה is grounded in the metaphors of protection—refuge, fortress, shelter, stronghold, shield, shadow of your wings, etc. The concrete realism of Israel’s trusting faith in יהוה alone is heightened and emphasized throughout the book of Praises. That this is the language of the heart and soul of the penitent, the suppliant, is undeniable: Israel’s voice, many times filtered through the language of bitter complaint, is ever one that issues forth in the resolution of a confident trust! 13
All those you protect shall be glad and ring out their joy. You shelter them; in you they rejoice, those who love your name (5:12);
Yhwh, my God, I take refuge in you. From my pursuers save me and rescue me (7:2);
For the oppressed let Yhwh be a stronghold, a stronghold in times of distress (9:10);
In Yhwh have I taken my refuge (11:1);
Preserve me, God, I take refuge in you. I say to you, Yhwh: “You are my God. My happiness lies in you alone” (16:1);
Guard me as the apple of your eye. Hide me in the shadow of your wings (17:8);
For who is God but you, Yhwh? Who is a rock but you, my God? You who gird me with strength and make the path safe before me (18:32–33);
May the spoken words of my mouth, the thoughts of my heart, win favor in your sight, O Yhwh, my rescuer, my rock! (19:15);
Yhwh is my light and my help; whom shall I fear? Yhwh is the stronghold of my life; before whom shall I shrink? (27:1);
You, Yhwh, are my strength and my shield; in you my heart trust . . .Yhwh, you are the strength of your people, a fortress where your anointed finds refuge. (28: 7–8);
In you, O Yhwh, I take refuge. Let me never be put to shame. In your justice, set me free, hear me and speedily rescue me. Be a rock of refuge for me, a mighty stronghold to save me, for you are my rock, my stronghold. (31:1–3);
Our soul is waiting for Yhwh. The Lord (Adonai) is our help and our shield. Our hearts find joy in the Lord (Adonai). We trust in God’s holy name. May your love be upon us, O Yhwh, as we place all our hope in you (33:20–22);
The angel of Yhwh is encamped around those who fear God, to rescue them. Taste and see that Yhwh is good. They are happy who seek refuge in God (34:8, 9);
The salvation of the just comes from Yhwh, their stronghold in time of distress. Yhwh helps them and delivers them and saves them, for their refuge is in God (37:39–40);
God is for us a refuge and strength, a helper close at hand, in times of distress, so we shall not fear, though the earth should rock, though the mountains fall into the depths of the sea; (46:1);
Yhwh of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our stronghold (46:12).
But I have God for my help. The Lord (Adonai) upholds my life. (54:6);
Have mercy on me, God, have mercy, for in you my soul has taken refuge; In the shadow of your wings I take refuge until the storms of destruction pass by. (57:1);
O my Strength, it is you to whom I turn, for you, O God, are my stronghold, the God who shows me love (59:18);
On a rock too high for me to reach set me on high, O you who have been my refuge, my tower against the foe. Let me dwell in your tent forever and hide in the shelter of your wings. (61:3, 4);
In God alone is my soul at rest; from God comes my help. God alone is my rock, my stronghold, my fortress; I stand firm (62:1–2);
The just will rejoice in Yhwh and fly to God for refuge. All the upright hearts will glory (64:11);
In you, O Yhwh, I take refuge; let me never be put to shame. In your justice rescue me, free me; pay heed to me and save me. Be a rock where I can take refuge, a mighty stronghold to save me; for you are my rock, my stronghold (71:1–3);
To be near God is my happiness. I have made Yhwh God my refuge. I will tell of all your works at the gates of the city of Zion (73:28);
They remembered that God was their rock, God, the Most High (Elyon) their redeemer (78:35);
O Lord (Adonai), you have been our refuge from
