target="_blank" rel="nofollow" href="#ulink_59a5c045-7469-5e26-8a0c-9b3aae2e6fbe">39 Israel never arrived at a pure monotheism easily. There is no evidence for this transition from henotheism to monotheism having occurred abruptly. Rather, it appears to have been a lengthy process that continued through much of pre-exilic Israel’s life.
The arrival of a belief in the form of a distinct monotheism as central to ancient Israel’s life, is thus postulated as having arrived in the post-exilic years. Psalm 82 is frequently cited as marking the moment that Israel adopted a thorough-going monotheism.
A comparison between Psalm 91:1, 2 and Psalm 18:1–3 and its hymnic praise to יהוה by heaping metaphor upon metaphor underscores the centrality of the “יהוה alone movement” as it may be tracked throughout the Psalter. It may be said that metaphorical monotheism characterizes much of the these psalms. But the worship of יהוה did not mean that Israel was immediately transformed into a monotheistic culture. This process would take centuries. The form and fact of henotheism weaves a pattern throughout Israel’s history and is the subject of the constant judgment of יהוה on the people of God. Israel’s God, יהוה, is a jealous God. Much of this language may be found throughout the Psalter.
Many scholars understand monotheism as a solely post-exilic phenomenon which began to flourish during the “Babylonian Captivity.” In exile, Israel–or Judah—was forced to come to terms with her recent debasement and central to this core belief was the recognition that יהוה was the One God of All, having chosen Israel’s’ oppressors as instruments of correction to call the people back to the true meaning of their life as the people of God. This radical movement took root during the seventy years the people were in exile. It was to be the harbinger of new life that infused the exiled community, upon their return, to begin to understand the universal meaning of their election by יהוה in dramatically new and fundamentally altered ways. The prophetic words uttered by Amos and Hosea in the eighth-century BCE, and the message of Jeremiah in the seventh and sixth centuries, and of the later prophets, Habakkuk and Zechariah, had not been heeded. Their words now came back to haunt the defeated people. They purposed to reconstruct their lives under יהוה and the end result was the miracle of Judaism whereby the Jews became the people of the book, or Torah meaning the way of instruction (cf. Psalm 119).
Some of the post-exilic psalms reflect this fundamental shift in understanding (96, 97, 103, 107, 113, 115, 123, 138, etc.). יהוה as sheltering presence and protecting refuge serve as core monotheistic metaphors. These are stirring descriptions. Psalm 18, an early psalm considered by many scholars as most likely a Davidic poem, is well known for its exceedingly rich metaphorical flourishes in the opening verses: I love you, O יהוה, my strength. יהוה is my rock, my fortress, and my deliverer, my God, the Rock in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold (18:1–2, NRSV).
But it is only in Psalm 91 that we find this compact formula consisting of four divine appellatives—in just two verses. In Psalm 90 the poet quickly picks up on the image of refuge proclaiming יהוה as מחסי (machasa, to hide or shelter); it is the principal word for refuge, which occurs twice in Psalm 91 (vss 2, 9). Psalm 115 is considered a communal song of trust to be sung and celebrated by the whole people. The alternating pronouns suggest antiphonal responses throughout the recitation or singing of the prayer. All praise is attributed to the Name, יהוה. The poet is attuned to the complaints on the part of the people. Their situation is understood to be a challenge to the glory and honor of יהוה. The poet reinforces the power and demonstration of the glory of the Name יהוה in the face of the taunts of the surrounding nations. The entire poem is a call to monotheistic Yahwism. As a response to such charges, the poet declares the vitality and power of the God of Israel, יהוה. The idols of the nations are reduced to the futility of their makers while the people of Israel are encouraged to trust in יהוה alone and express their confidence in God’s rescue and deliverance of them.
At the very outset of Psalm 115, glory to the Name of יהוה is expressed and the situation of the people in the face of their enemy Egypt is taken to be a challenge to the glory and honor of יהוה. The poem’s representative voice declares the awesome power and strength of Israel’s God over and against all other gods. The stress is on the transcendence of God. For our God is in the heavens; whatever God wills, God does. The word of finality is expressed in the final strophe: Praise YHWH! This psalm, a liturgical communal prayer of the people in Jewish tradition, is one of the Egyptian Hallel (“praise”) psalms (113–118)—sung before (Pss 113–114) and after (Pss (115–118) the Passover meal in praise of the deliverance out of Egypt by the hand of יהוה.
Psalm 115
Not to us, O יהוה, not to us,
but to your Name give the glory
for the sake of your constancy and your truth,
lest the heathen say: “Where is their God?”
For our God is in the heavens;
whatever God wills, God does.
The idols of the heathen are silver and gold,
the work of their hands.
They have mouths but they cannot speak;
they have eyes but they cannot see;
they have ears but they cannot hear;
they have nostrils but they cannot smell.
With their hands they cannot feel;
with their feet they cannot walk.
No sound comes from their throats.
Their makers will become like themselves
and so will all who put their trust in them.
O Israel’s family, trust in יהוה;
יהוה is your help and your shield.
Aaron’s family, trust in יהוה;
יהוה is your help and your shield.
You who fear יהוה trust in יהוה;
יהוה is your help and your shield.
יהוה remembers and will bless us;
will bless the family of Israel,
will bless the family of Aaron.
יהוה will bless those who fear him,
the little no less than the great;
The heavens belong to יהוה
but God has given the earth into our keeping.
Those who go down to the grave shall not praise יהוה,
nor the dead who, in silence, know only oblivion.
But we will bless יהוה
both now and forevermore.
Praise יהוה!
This psalm functions as a potent discourse on the close relationship that exists between the family of Israel and her God, יהוה. As has already been noted, the Psalter is first and foremost an account of the relationship between
