The song that hits our ears when we open the Hebrew songbook is not a childish pipedream. It has become so for the stuck-in-kindergarten class.  Like when Yeshua begins to talk about his death – serpent lifted up in the desert – the crowd thins out, so the opening song, Psalm 1, strikes at the pride of the simple and the rebellious; the spiritually juvenile. The description of the happy man’s delight vs the result of ungodly counsel does not seem to be as interesting as the tree planted.  If I knew how a tree planted in the perfect place could not be fruitful and under what circumstances its leaves can wither I would tell. 

Tree, vineyard, garden 🏡

If God so arranged the ancient peoples’ many latent problems so as not to impede the fulfillment of his promises to Abraham,  I cannot think of a path for the maxing out of promises for all humanity that does not end in success.  God finishes what he starts, and because some people did not reach the promised land, there is no reason to believe that God is any less in control of the agenda.  Can the happy man be like a tree planted by the roadside, on a stony ground, or among the thorns?

When the seed connects you are set

Every believer or concert knows beyond a shadow of a doubt when regeneration has happened. It is never “Oh, now I understand”. It is obvious that all the doctrines we pump into people do not constitute the life-giving turning point over which God is sovereign. The church has always had God’s authoritative Spirit to certify the message of salvation. There is not another Spirit for teaching the converts. There are battalions of believers who are doubting God’s planting.

Measured in millimeters: 0.0000001

This evaluation is based on the answer to a question posed by a Trump town hall attendee.

“My soul waits in silence for God only;” (Psalms 62:1a, NASB)

Here is an example of how the order of words can be misleading.  In Hebrew, this clause reads: ak el-elohim dumiyyah naphshi.

Only towards God the silence of my soul

The New American Standard Bible reads: My soul waits in silence for God only; (Psalms 62:1a, NASB) The writer’s interests are in order. This exclusivity is diagnostic, because it identifies the songwriter as reserving dumiyyah for Elohim. Only towards God [is] my soul’s silence  My silence is reserved for GOD! Only God silences me! This is not waiting, because waiting can be accompanied by various activities, some of which conflict with divine presence and the vision of divine majesty.

This ain’t waiting, this is the way things are

David also tells himself, “You ARE in silence for God only”. My soul’s silence is reserved for God and this is a silence unlike all others. There is no “waiting” verb in the sentences, verses 1 and 5. The message is focused on a kind of one-eyed attention without anxiety and expectations.

“My soul, you are in silence for God only…” (Psalms 62:5a, my translation)

“Trust in Him at all times, O people; Pour out your heart before Him; God is a refuge for us. Selah.” (Psalms 62:8, NASB)

The unusual watery heart; to be poured.

I have to imagine that  pouring out a heart is akin to

• Pouring a drink
• Falling rain
• Sweet talking a loved one
• Wooing a person with impressive words

As long as God is the target of our pouring the heart’s contents will not be surprising, though they can be astonishing.  Unlike a lot of other interactions or encounters with God, this heart pouring happens to his face, lᵊpanayô. David is expecting the people enjoying his song to have an experience that affirms Yahweh as an incessant refuge. Let there always be an open and pouring heart relationship! Each of us has a friend with whom we know we can pour out our hearts and rest assured that safety is in the mix. Start pouring; see what comes.