who dwell in the shelter of the Most High (Elyon) and abide in the shade of the God of Heaven (Shaddai) say to Yhwh, “My refuge, my stronghold, my God (Elohay) in whom I trust!” (91:1, 2);
As for me, Yhwh will be a stronghold; my God will be the rock where I take refuge (94:22);
You who fear Yhwh, trust in Yhwh; [he] is your help and your shield. Yhwh remembers and will bless us; (115:11f.);
I have no love for the halfhearted; my love is for your law. You are my shelter, my shield; I hope in your word (119:113, 114,);
Yhwh will guard you from evil, and will guard your soul. Yhwh will guard your going and coming both now and forever (121:7–8);
To you, Yhwh God, my eyes are turned; in you I take refuge; spare my soul! (141:8);
In the morning let me know your love for I put my trust in you. Make me know the way I should walk; to you I lift up my soul. Rescue me, Yhwh, from my enemies; I have fled to you for refuge (143:8, 9);
God is my love, my fortress; God is my stronghold, my savior, my shield, my place of refuge, who brings peoples under my rule (144:2).
These verses bear the hallmark of a consummate skill in compositional poetry. The poets convey a deep awareness of the inner life and a commensurate knowledge of self which is conveyed in marvelous language replete with striking images. These magnificent and ancient poems reflect the Hebraic poets’ mastery of metaphor—images of protection, refuge, intimacy and security. For them there is no place in the cosmos where יהוה is not present. In fact, יהוה is described as being in heaven and on earth at the same time. It is this language of immanence and transcendence that permeates the Psalter. It is a tension that is expressed repeatedly when speaking of a relationship with this God of Israel. The poets of the Psalms accept this as fact.
Israel’s God is the God of omnipresence. There is no place in the cosmos that is foreign to יהוה yet יהוה is also personal, a deity who makes connections with humans, who enters into relationship with those who seek after יהוה. This is the most profound reality for the Hebrews in that it makes יהוה incomparable by any standard in terms of the other gods worshiped throughout the ancient world. יהוה has no rivals and is peerlessly invested in human life. All creation is blessed of יהוה. John Day writes:
The Hebrews conceived of Yhwh as both transcendent and immanent, and this is reflected in the Psalter. [He] is regarded as dwelling at once in heaven and in the temple on Mt. Zion. Ps.11.4, ‘ The Lord is in [his] holy temple, the Lord’s throne is in heaven. [His] eyes behold, [his] searing gaze scrutinizes humankind.’ 14
This ancient psalm (Psalm 11) serves as our first example of a song of trust wherein the poet appeals directly to יהוה in the face of his pursuers.15
Psalm 11
For the director. Of David
In יהוה I take refuge.
How can they lie in wait for my life,
and pursue me like a bird saying,
“Fly back to your mountain and hide!”
For look, the violent ones are bracing the bow,
placing their arrows upon the taut string,
to ambush and shoot the upright of heart.
When the foundations are being torn down,
what can a just person do?
יהוה—in the temple’s holy seat,
יהוה—in heaven’s throne.
The eyes of יהוה inspect;
the pupils of יהוה scrutinize humankind.
יהוה is the Just One
who will indeed assay the deeds of the wicked;
[He] stands against the lovers of injustice and their hatred of life.
Send upon the ruthless bellows of fire, and sulfur,
with scorching wind their lot.
For the Just One, יהוה, loves just actions;
the upright shall gaze upon the face of יהוה.
יהוה is the Just One, for the poet of Psalm 11,16 and יהוה is a God who is intimately involved with humankind. יהוה is a God who is attentive and who carefully scrutinizes all humanity; who is aware of human behavior and stands against those who would “draw the bow” against the faithful one.
Contradicting the counsel of his “friends” to flee, the poet recognizes that his sufficient protection is in fully trusting יהוה. He instinctively seems to know where true righteousness lies. Claiming his own righteousness, he trusts in the Just One to determine who is innocent and who are the wicked ones.
When the very foundations and institutions of the social order are shaken, when the violent seek to ambush and destroy the just, the righteous flee to יהוה for refuge and reside within the presence of יהוה. The salvation of the righteous is from יהוה; he is their refuge in the time of trouble (37:39 NRSV).
This type of psalm, an example of a psalm of trust, finds expression out of a particular lament, initially a complaint against יהוה that ultimately surrenders into expressions of confidence. Trust then becomes the dominate feature of these particular psalms. It extends to the limits of human life and touches on the eternal hope that; the Lord is righteous; he loves righteous deeds; the upright shall behold his face (11:7. NRSV). Such a declaration of trust in יהוה is altogether predominant in some other psalms of the trust/confidence genre. Dahood reckons how Psalm 11 has a wider vista; that
the version proposed here is a statement of belief in the beatific vision in the afterlife; The vision of God mentioned here is doubtless that of Pss 16.11; 17.15; 41.13; 73. 24, which suggest a belief in an afterlife in the presence of Yahweh. If perfect justice is not attained in this life, it will be in the next; this seems to be the ultimate motive for the psalmist’s confidence.17
It is the firm conviction of these poets of trust that in the final analysis, יהוה is the One on whom factual reliance is founded. There is no doubt that יהוה is the ground of hope on which all else depends. The Hebrew conception of יהוה is complex as God is both the transcendent and the immanent reality; at once removed and far off, and yet both near—very near—and close at hand. We will be considering the subject of the Psalms and the afterlife later on in this book. For now, we turn to exploring the hallowed names that are used by the psalmists as appellatives for God, remembering that the term “God” is a symbol, a concept, not a name.
13. The psalms selections that follow are taken from The Grail Psalter. Its Introduction captures nicely the essence of the Psalter. “Rightly have the Psalms been called ‘a school of prayer.’ As these prayers give voice to so many of
