shield

January 25, 2018

Destroy those against Jerusalem (Zech 12:8-12:9)

“On that day,

Yahweh will shield

The inhabitants

Of Jerusalem.

Thus,

The feeblest among them,

On that day,

Shall be like David.

The house of David

Shall be like God.

The house of David

Shall be like the angel of Yahweh,

At their head.

On that day,

I will seek to destroy

All the nations

That come against Jerusalem.”

On this coming day, Yahweh was going to shield Jerusalem from all attacks.  The weakest among them would be like King David.  The house of David would be like God, with the angel of Yahweh leading it.  Yahweh was going to destroy every country that tried to go against Jerusalem.  This was a very strong defense of the city of Jerusalem and the Davidic royalty, on the day of Yahweh.

December 16, 2015

The law as a shield (Ps 119:113-119:120)

Samek

“I hate the double-minded people.

But I love your law.

You are my hiding place.

You are my shield.

I hope in your word.

Go away from me!

You evildoers!

Thus I may keep the commandments of my God.

Uphold me according to your promise!

Thus I may live.

Let me not be put to shame in my hope!

Hold me up!

Thus I may be safe.

I have regard for your statutes continually!

You spurn all who go astray from your statutes.

Their cunning is in vain.

All the wicked of the earth,

You count as dross.

Therefore I love your decrees.

My flesh trembles for fear of you.

I am afraid of your judgments.”

The psalmist did not like those who were double minded since he loved single minded people and the law. He used the law as a shield as he hoped in the word of God. He wanted the evildoers to go away so that he could keep the commandments of God. He wanted God’s promise to sustain his life so that he would not be put to shame. He wanted to be held safe according to the statutes of God. He knew that God spurned those who went astray from the commandments. Their cunning ways were useless and not worth anything. This psalmist, on the other hand, loved the decrees of God. He trembled with fear because he was afraid of God’s judgments. So ends this section on the fifteenth consonant letter of the Hebrew alphabet, Samek.

December 10, 2015

Yahweh is trustworthy (Ps 115:9-115:11)

“O Israel!

Trust in Yahweh!

He is their help.

He is their shield.

O house of Aaron!

Trust in Yahweh!

He is their help

He is their shield.

You who fear Yahweh!

Trust in Yahweh!

He is their help.

He is their shield.”

This choral hymn asks Israel to trust Yahweh. It also asks the house of Aaron, which are the priests, to trust Yahweh. They always seem to be separate in some sense from the rest of the Israelites. In the end they ask all who fear Yahweh to trust him. He was going to help them. He was going to be their shield against evil doers. Thus this two line refrain is repeated 3 times.

November 14, 2015

Happy are the people (Ps 89:15-89:18)

“Happy are the people

Who know the festal shout.

Happy are the people

Who walk in the light of your countenance.

Yahweh!

Happy are the people

Who exalt in your name all day long.

Happy are the people

Who extol your righteousness.

You are the glory of their strength.

By your favor our horn is exalted.

Our shield belongs to Yahweh,

Our king,

The holy one of Israel.”

The people are happy when they are able to shout at the festivals, when they walk in the light of Yahweh. They are happy when they exalt the name of Yahweh all day long. They extol Yahweh’s righteousness. They glory in his strength, since the horn was a symbol of strength. They were happy with their shield, the king who was the holy one of Israel.

November 9, 2015

Yahweh is my shield (Ps 84:9-84:12)

“Behold our shield!

O God!

Look on the face of your anointed!

A day in your courts is better

Than a thousand elsewhere.

I would rather be a doorkeeper

In the house of my God

Than live in the tents of wickedness.

Yahweh God is a sun.

Yahweh God is a shield.

He bestows favor.

He bestows honor.

No good thing does Yahweh withhold

From those who walk uprightly.

Yahweh of hosts!

Happy is everyone who trusts in you!”

This psalm ends with the psalmist reminding people on how to be happy, trust in Yahweh. Yahweh is his shield and protector. The psalmist wants God to look at his anointed one. He believes that one day in the courts of the Temple was better than 1,000 days elsewhere. He was happy to be a Temple door keeper than live in the tents of the wicked. Yahweh was his sun and shield at the same time. Yahweh had bestowed favors and honors on him. Yahweh does not hold back anything from the upright. Everyone who trusts in Yahweh is happy. How to be happy, trust in Yahweh.

October 13, 2015

Torture the wicked (Ps 59:11-59:13)

“Do not kill them!

My people may forget.

Make them totter

By your power!

Bring them down!

Yahweh!

Our shield!

For the sin of their mouths,

For the words of their lips,

Let them be trapped in their pride!

For the cursing that they utter,

For the lies that they utter,

Consume them in wrath!

Consume them

Until they are no more!

Then it will be known

To the ends of the earth

That God rules over Jacob.”

Selah

David did not want his enemies killed, he wanted vengeance. He wanted them to suffer so that his own people would not forget what evil was. The evil ones were to totter and be brought down. Yahweh was the shield and protector of good ones. The evildoers sinned with their words and their lips because they were trapped in pride. Thus they uttered curses and lies. They should be consumed in the wrath of God. In somewhat contradictory terms, David wanted them consumed until they actually died instead of just suffering. At that point, the whole world would know that the God of Jacob ruled the world. At that thought there was the musical interlude meditative pause, Selah.

September 14, 2015

David wants Yahweh to fight on his side (Ps 35:1-35:3)

“A psalm of David

Contend!

Yahweh!

With those who contend with me!

Fight against those

Who fight against me!

Take hold of shield and buckler!

Rise up to help me!

Draw the spear and the javelin

Against my pursuers!

Say to my soul.

‘I am your deliverance!’”

Once again, Psalm 35 is a lamentation asking for help, much like Psalm 22 and 31. There are no indications of any incident in the life of David, but there is only the simple reference to David in the title. David wanted Yahweh to fight on his side against his pursuers. He wanted Yahweh to protect him with a shield, a buckler, a spear, and a javelin. This was no pure spiritual aid. David wanted military aid. He wanted Yahweh to be his deliverer and his savior in the times of battle.

September 5, 2015

Blessed be Yahweh (Ps 28:6-28:7)

“Blessed be Yahweh!

He has heard the sound of my pleadings.

Yahweh is my strength!

Yahweh is my shield!

In him my heart trusts!

So I am helped!

My heart exults!

With my song

I give thanks to him.”

Yahweh is to be blessed. He has heard the sounds of his pleadings. Yahweh is his strength and shield against all enemies. His heart trusts in Yahweh since he has been helped. This is more thanksgiving than pleading. His heart exalted so that he could sing a song of thanksgiving.

August 24, 2015

Yahweh gives power to David (Ps 18:25-18:30)

“With the loyal people,

You show yourself loyal.

With the blameless,

You show yourself blameless.

With the pure,

You show yourself pure.

With the crooked,

You show yourself perverse.

You deliver a humble people.

However, the haughty eyes,

You bring down.

You light my lamp.

Yahweh!

My God!

Lights up my darkness.

By you I can crush a troop.

By my God,

I can leap over a wall.

This God,

His way is perfect.

The promise of Yahweh proves true.

He is a shield for all those,

Who take refuge in him.”

Once again like 2 Samuel, chapter 22, Yahweh is loyal and blameless to those who are loyal and blameless. However with the crooked he shows perversion. He delivers the humble and brings down the haughty. Yahweh is the light that lightens the darkness. With Yahweh, David was able to crush a troop or jump over a wall. God was his shield and refuge since his way was perfect.

August 7, 2015

Prayer to Yahweh (Ps 3:3-3:4)

“But you, Yahweh!

You are a shield around me!

You are my glory!

You are the one who lifts up my head.

I cry aloud to Yahweh.

He answers me from his holy hill.

Selah”

David prayed to Yahweh in a personal way with a great deal of trust. He addressed Yahweh directly. Yahweh was his shield and his glory. He lifted up his head. He would cry aloud to Yahweh. Even though he was not at the holy hill, Yahweh would respond to him from there. Once again there is a “Selah” or pause for a musical interlude. Clearly this psalm was used in liturgical prayer with all these musical pauses.