in the strength of a horse and takes no pleasure in a runner’s fleetness; [his] pleasure is in those who fear [him], who wait for [his] steadfast love (Ps 147:10, 11).
Three, the God who intervened in Israel’s history is praised as the guarantor of the weak. The covenantal demands instruct Israel in the ways of God and the Psalms confess יהוה, their God, to be eternally on the side of the oppressed–Though you would frustrate the counsel of the poor, יהוה is their refuge. If only deliverance for Israel might come from Zion! When יהוה restores [his] people’s fortunes, let Jacob rejoice, let Israel be glad (Ps 14:6–8);
יהוה is exalted, yet cares for the lowly and from afar [he] takes note of the proud . . . יהוה will accomplish [his] purpose for me. Your love endures forever, יהוה; do not abandon what you have made (Ps 138:6,8).
This confidence in God’s covenant faithfulness is often remarkably intimate–As the eyes of the slaves follow their master’s hand or the eyes of a slave-girl the hand of her mistress, so our eyes are turned to יהוה our God, awaiting [his] favour (Ps 123:2); יהוה is my shepherd . . . goodness and mercy unfailing will follow me all the days of my life (Ps 23);
Guard me as the apple of your eye; hide me in the shadow of your wings (Ps 17:8).
Four, the love so often proclaimed in the Psalms is the practical faithfulness of יהוה in the covenant relationship. Through her covenant with יהוה, Israel finds herself caught up in the great redemptive plan of God and its boundless expectations. When one considers the harsh exclusiveness—which was to become Israel’s greatest temptation–even as it remains ours today, it is utterly remarkable how frequently the Psalms speak of God’s plan as embracing all peoples– Let all the ends of the earth remember and turn to יהוה; let all the families of the nations bow before [him]. For kingly power belongs to יהוה ; dominion over the nations is [his] (Ps 22:27);
Of Zion it will be said, ‘this one and that one were born there.’ The Most High [himself] establishes her. יהוה will record in the register of the peoples: ‘this one was born there’ (Ps 87:5,6).
As Israel’s faith developed and matured, the unique power and authority of the God of the covenant and of the nations comes to be celebrated as the Creator of the universe–the One God of All.3 Many times, as a consequence, the Psalms celebrate the Creator’s greatness as manifest in the power and wonder of the material universe. At the word of the Creator all things came to be. The heavens are yours, the earth yours also; you founded the world and all that is in it (Ps 89:11); Before the mountains were brought forth, or the earth and the world were born, from age to age you are God. (Ps 90:2);
When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, at the moon and the stars you have set in place, what is a frail mortal, that you should be mindful of [him], a human being, that you should take notice of [him]? (Ps 8:3,4);
The heavens tell out the glory of God, heaven’s vault makes known [his] handiwork (Ps 19:1);
The word of יהוה created the heavens; all the host of heaven was formed at [his] command. [He] gathered into a heap the waters of the sea, [he] laid up the deeps in [his] store-chambers (Ps 33:6,7);
Long ago you laid earth’s foundations, and the heavens were your handiwork. They will pass away, but you remain (Ps 102:25).
One of the more complementary features of the Psalter is the way in which it speaks of Israel’s experience in the on-going drama of the covenant relationship. The Psalms are an unconscious disclosure of how Hebrew faith understood the human condition. We could describe this awareness as a personalism of concrete immediacy. Its ideals are not mere abstractions. It has no concept of immateriality. Transcendence is known in the incomparable otherness of the divine. In some mysterious way this divine greatness is shared intimately through the awareness of the covenant and the presence of יהוה in temple worship—By day יהוה grants [his] unfailing love; at night [his] praise is upon my lips, a prayer to the God of my life (Ps 42:8);
Send out your light and your truth to be my guide; let them lead me to your holy hill, to your dwelling-place (Ps 43:3);
Happy are those who dwell in your house; they never cease to praise you (Ps 84:4);
Let me hear the words of God–יהוה; [he] proclaims peace to [his] people (Ps 85:8);
יהוה, teach me your way, that I may walk in your truth. Let me worship your name with an undivided heart (Ps 86:11).
Five, the power of the personalism of the Psalms may be described as visceral. The whole person is involved, bodily, in the drama of personal existence. For example, this is reflected in two terms frequently occurring in our versions, heart and soul. Beyond its purely physical association with strong emotions, the heart (לב leb) designates the interior mystery of the person where intentions, decisions, feelings and speech take form; where the human person experiences the presence of God who knows her or him profoundly and gives support throughout life.4
Examine me, God, and know my mind; test me, and understand my anxious thoughts. Watch lest I follow any path that grieves you; lead me in the everlasting way (Ps 139:23);
The precepts of יהוה are right and give joy to the heart. The commandment of יהוה is pure and gives light to the eyes. The fear of יהוה is unsullied; it abides forever (Ps 19:8,9);
‘Come, ‘my heart has said, ‘seek [his] presence.’ I seek your presence, יהוה (Ps 27:8);
My heart is steadfast, God, my heart is steadfast. I will sing and raise a psalm (Ps 57:7).
Soul (נפשי nephesh) refers to the innermost, volitional being of a person where conscious decisions and choices are made. In Hebrew it is the noun that refers bodily to the gullet or the neck. Like heart, its significance expands to refer to more than bodily hunger, thirst and taste; it stands in sharp relief to the human being in a situation of want and necessity as a desiring being-How long must I suffer anguish in my soul, grief in my heart day after day? (Ps 13:2);
The law of יהוה is perfect and revives the soul (Ps 19:7);
As I pour out my soul in distress, I call to mind how I marched in the ranks of the great to God’s house (Ps 42:4);
God, you are my God; I seek you eagerly with a heart that thirsts for you and a body wasted with longing for you (Ps 63:1);
I pine and faint with longing for the courts of the temple of יהוה; my whole being cries out with joy to the living God (Ps 84:2);
Bless יהוה, my soul; with all my being I bless [his] holy name. Bless יהוה, my soul (Ps 103:1,2);
For the poets, the eyes also are closely associated with the movements of the heart.—My strength, I look to you; for God is my strong tower. My God, in [his] unfailing love, will go before me (Ps 59:9, 10);
Come, see what יהוה has done, the astounding deeds [he] has wrought on earth (Ps 46:8);
My eyes are worn out with waiting for my God (Ps 69:3);
Look to יהוה and be strong; at all times seek [his] presence (Ps 105:4);
Turn my eyes away from all that is futile; grant me life by your word (Ps 119:37);
I lift
