by
Susan Cyre
*I. Narrative*
.
The author of the PW Bible study, Fane Downs, says ‘Humanity’s deepest
yearning may be for security-an assurance that we are safe and protected.
But security alone is not sufficient. We needs security in the presence of
the One who knows us…” The author suggests that security is possible
although not desirable apart from God. Indeed, Scripture is clear, there can
be no security apart from God. The circumstances of our lives can never
provide us security. Our own power and might will never give us security.
Security is only possible when we trust that Jesus Christ is Lord over the
circumstances of our lives. The authors of these Psalms proclaim that their
trust is in the Lord who is sovereign over all aspects of their lives.
*A. Psalm 27*
This Psalm is unusual because the lament or cry for help (vs 7-14) follows
the expressions of confidence and hope. No where else in the Psalms does
this structure occur. Normally the Psalmist begins with the lament and ends
with renewed hope and confidence in God.
The Psalmist begins with the joyful proclamation, ‘The LORD (Yahweh) is my
light and my salvation.” This is the only place in the OT where Yahweh is
described as ‘my light.” In other places such as Isaiah 10:17, God is
called the ‘light of Israel” or ‘the everlasting light” Isaiah 60:19,20.
The writer of Psalm 27 affirms that God is his light.
When our thoughts are centered on God, his light not only exposes evil and
sin in our lives but he directs our paths in righteous living. His light is
the lens through which we see our circumstances. Scripture tells us that
God’s Word is a light unto our path.
The emphasis on God as a personal Savior is important here. God is not
distant, or ruler over just the big events of history, but he also watches
over each individual who turns to him in trust.
God has acted in history to deliver his people and will continue in the
future as the savior of the nation of Israel. He is also, however, a
personal God. This God who ‘weighed the mountains in a balance” (Isaiah
40:12), for whom ‘the nations are like a drop from a bucket” (Isaiah 14:15)
and ”’who reduces rulers to nothing” (Isaiah 40:21), cares for each
individual. He is the personal savior and refuge for all who turn to Him.
Because God is the psalmist’s personal savior, there is no person or
circumstance that he fears. This is reminiscent of Romans 8:31, ‘If God is
for us, who is against us?”
The greatest desire of the Psalmist’s life is to dwell in the presence of
the Lord. The realization of God’s presence comes from dwelling in the house
of the Lord, beholding the beauty of the Lord, and inquiring of the Lord in
his temple. The temple in the OT was considered a place of refuge. God’s
presence will conceal and hide him and cause him to be ‘lifted up on a
rock” or set outside the reach of his enemies.
The Psalmist responds to the great salvation and protection of the Lord with
songs of praise.
During the last 7 verses the Psalm turns to a lament. The Psalmist feels
forsaken and abandoned by everyone, even by his father and mother.
Adversaries, false witnesses and those who ‘breathe out violence” surround
him. His situation would be utterly hopeless were it not for his trust in
the Lord.
He is so confident that the Lord will reveal his goodness that the author
waits with courage for the Lord. ‘Wait” implies a humble submission to
God’s timing and purpose, as well as, the expectancy that God will answer
and act.
*Comments on the PW Bible Study:*
The paraphrased versions of the Psalms that are included in the study are
troubling. While paraphrased versions may help us to understand the text,
they are an interpretation by some author-a commentary of sorts. And, as
such, reflect the author’s biases. This paraphrased version has imposed
inclusive God-language on the text. Although the original text uses ‘He”
and ‘Him,” the paraphrased version has re-written the text to avoid using
male pronouns.
For many radical feminists, ‘Lord” is an offensive term because it implies
‘sovereign ruler” and that is rejected by radical feminist theologians.
They prefer terms like ‘mutuality” and ‘partnership.” Therefore, in the
paraphrased version that is included in the study, ‘LORD,” which is the way
‘Yahweh” is translated, is often replaced with ‘God.”
In Psalm 27:1 from the Psalter, ‘Lord” is not capitalized. Thus the reader
would not understand that the word is actually ‘Yahweh.” The second time in
that verse that ‘LORD” appears the paraphrased version uses ‘God.” LORD is
a proper name. God revealed his name as ‘I AM” to Moses at the burning
bush. The word ‘God” is a generic name for deity-for example, there were
‘gods in Egypt.” The word ‘LORD” and ‘God” are not interchangeable. But
represent the author’s attempt to impose a feminist bias and ‘re-imagine”
God into someone the radical feminists are more comfortable with.
‘The LORD is my light and my salvation” is changed to ‘The Lord is my
saving light.” The different versions suggest different meanings.
‘That I may dwell in the house of the LORD” is changed to ‘to live in the
house of God.” Again, ‘LORD” is changed to ‘God.”
And again, ‘to behold the beauty of the LORD” is changed to ‘caught up in
God’s beauty.”
‘He will conceal me in His tabernacle; In the secret place of His tent He
will hide me.” Is changed to ‘The Lord will hide me there, hide my life
from attack.”
‘I will offer in His tent sacrifices with shouts of joy;” is changed to ‘In
the temple I will offer a joyful sacrifice.”
Finally, ‘I will sing, yes, I will sing praises to the LORD” is changed to
‘I will play and sing to God.”
The PW Bible study author, Fane Downs, implies that these Psalms are the
psalmist’s interpretation of their experience. Therefore, Fane Downs
encourages women to write their own psalm using their own language. Rather
than standing under the authority of Scripture women are encouraged to
elevate their experience to be equal with the Word of God.
*B. Psalm 131*
Psalm 131 is part of the ‘Songs of Ascent” that include Psalms 120-134.
These were most likely Songs that were sung by pilgrims on their way to
Jerusalem for the Jewish celebrations.
The Psalm reads as a confession. David, speaking to God, confesses his
humble spirit and child-like trust in God. At one point he may have been
proud but now his ‘heart is not proud” and ‘he has composed and quieted
[his] soul.” He is not ambitiously striving after some personal gain. He is
disciplined in his behavior and does not involve himself in those things
which God forbids. This Psalm may have been David’s response to Saul’s
accusations that he was an ambitious usurper trying to steal the throne
under the pretext of a divine appointment.
Instead of pride, ambition, and striving, the Psalmist says he is at peace
like a contented child on his mother’s lap, no longer striving after her
milk. He is content with every condition and circumstance knowing that all
things are under the authority of God almighty.
We are reminded of Jesus telling his disciples, ‘Permit the children to come
to Me…for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. …whoever does not
receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it at all” (Mark
10:14-15). We are called to have humble submissive spirits as a child. We
are invited to trust Jesus as a child trusts his/her parents: confident of
their care, protection and love and willing to follow where they lead.
The Psalmist then invites all the people of Israel to find that same hope
and peace in the Lord, continuously, forever.
*C. Psalm 23*
This is one of the most beloved texts in Scripture. The Psalmists simple
affirmation of faith has comforted and given hope for centuries to those
experiencing grief, struggle and doubt.
Vs 1 ‘The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not want.” In the OT, Yahweh is the
Shepherd of Israel. Psalm 80: 1 says, ‘Hear us, O Shepherd of Israel, you
who lead Joseph like a flock; you who sit enthroned between the cherubim,
shine forth.” Isaiah 40:11, ‘He tends his flock like a shepherd. He gathers
the lambs in his arms and carries them close to his heart; he gently leads
those that have young.” And, Ezekiel 34:11, ‘For this is what the Sovereign
LORD says, I myself will search for my sheep and look after them.
”’
In the NT, Jesus is revealed as the Good Shepherd, ‘I am the good shepherd.
The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep” (John 10:11). And
Hebrews 13:20, ‘May the God of peace, who through the blood of the eternal
covenant brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of
the sheep.” And Revelation 7:17, ‘For the Lamb at the center of the throne
will be their shepherd; he will lead them to springs of living water. And
God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.”
God will provide for all our needs. ‘He makes me lie down…” ‘He leads
me…”, ‘He restores my soul…,” ‘He guides me….” He does all this for
only one purpose, ‘For his name’s sake.” He has claimed us as his own and
because we are his own, he will care for us, for the sake of his reputation.
He will never act contrary to the revelation of himself.
In the midst of struggles with adversaries, even death itself, God continues
to act on our behalf: ‘Thou art with me…”Thy rod and staff, comfort
me…” ‘Thou dost prepare…Thou has anointed….” The subject of all the
action is the LORD, Yahweh himself.
Our response is the confident assurance that his goodness and lovingkindness
will cover us always and we will dwell in Yahweh’s presence forever.
*Comments on the PW Bible Study*
Downs encourages the readers to look at the language of Psalm 23 by
‘explor[ing] it deeply” and ‘hear[ing] it afresh.” But then this deep
study and fresh hearing bears little resemblance to the Scripture. The
Kameeta version that the author includes re-writes the Psalm to mean
something very different from the original text.
Instead of ‘He leads me beside still waters, He restores my soul and He
guides me in the paths of righteousness For His name’s sake,” the Kameeta
version says, ‘He lets me see a country of justice and peace and directs my
steps towards his land.” The reason for God’s action, ‘His name’s sake” is
missing completely.
While the Scripture speaks of ‘the valley of the shadow of death”, the
Kameeta version re-writes it to ‘He gives me new power, guides me in the
paths of victory.”
Scripture says, ‘Thou dost prepare a table before me in the presence of my
enemies; Thou dost anoint my head with oil;” The Kameeta version says, ‘You
prepare for me my freedom….and fill my cup with righteousness and peace.”
And instead of ‘I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever” the Kameeta
version says, ‘your liberating love will be my home.” We will not dwell
with an attribute of God’s being, his ‘liberating love,” but with his
person.
There may be other texts that deal with ‘justice,” ‘victory,” ‘my
freedom,” ‘righteousness and peace,” and ‘liberating love” but to impose
those on Psalm 23 is to distort the text. It is not to plumb the depths of
God’s Word but to offer a contemporary politically correct version.
The author of the women’s Bible study also includes the version of the 23rd
Psalm from the Psalter for Christian Worship, which in its effort to use
inclusive God-Language and eliminate male pronouns, puts clauses in the
passive voice. This looses the power of the repetition of the text
emphasizing the God who acts. ‘He makes me to lie down…He leads, He
restores, He guides” becomes ‘giving me rest, reviving my life, guiding my
ways.” Again, the reason for God’s action is dropped, ‘For His name’s
sake.”
*II Conclusion*
Psalms 23, 27 and 131 give us great comfort, hope and security. Our hope and
security is not in circumstances but in a person, God almighty. Our God acts
to protect us, preserve us, comfort us, provide for us, lead us, guide us,
Our God is a personal God, he knows what valleys we are walking through and
assures us of his protection and guidance.
The Heidelberg Catechism in our Book of Confessions explains the basis for
our security in God’s sovereignty and power as it explains the Apostle’s
Creed: Q: ‘What do you believe when you say, ‘I believe in God, the Father
almighty creator of heaven and earth?” A. That the eternal Father of our
Lord Jesus Christ who out of nothing created heaven and earth and everything
in them, who still upholds and rules them by his eternal counsel and
providence, is my God and Father because of Christ his Son.
I trust him so much that I do not doubt he will provide whatever I need for
body and soul, and he will turn to my good whatever adversity he sends me in
this sad world. He is able to do this because he is almighty God; he desire
to do this because he is a faithful Father.”
*Q.* What do you understand by the providence of God? A. Providence is the
almighty and ever present power of God by which he upholds, as with his
hand, heaven and earth and all creatures, and so rules them that leaf and
blade, rain an drought, fruitful and lean years, food and drink, health and
sickness, prosperity and poverty-all things, in fact, come to us not by
chance but from his fatherly hand.”
*III The Prayer*
Consistent with the Study’s use of inclusive God-Language, the prayer that
is suggested invokes, ‘Mother and Father God.” Calling God ‘mother”
quickly leads to pagan nature worship when the earth comes from the womb of
the mother-god and is therefore of the same divine essence.
Although sexuality is part of the created order and not the God-head, there
are important theological reasons why the God of Scripture did not reveal
himself as ‘mother” even though female deities were familiar to the pagan
world. For a full development of this see the links to the papers by
Elizabeth Achetemier and Alvin Kimel.
*IV Suggestions for Leaders*
*1)* A good exercise posed by the study is to examine the ways in which our
world attempts to address our need for security. ‘Use newspaper or magazine
clippings that identify ways the world attempts to address our personal need
for security-Social Security, weapons, security systems, food stamps, IRAs,
bank accounts, insurance, deodorant, toothpaste, mouthwash. List on
newsprint the ideas given. As a group, talk about the definition and
importance of security-what is security and why do we need it?” Can there
be security apart from the LORD? Why not?
*2)* Question 3, ‘How does regular worship help keep trust resilient and
confidence firm.?”’ What role does the body of Christ play in keeping our
confidence firm? What are we doing in worship? What do the different parts
of worship mean? How does re-presenting the Gospel in worship help us to
keep our confidence in the Lord?
*3)* Question 9, ‘What memories do you associate with Psalm 23?”
*4)* Compare the various re-writings of the Psalms that are included in the
study with a text closer to the original in a good Bible translation like
the RSV, NIV, NAS (not a paraphrased version like the Living Bible). Discuss
how the re-written text changes the meaning of the Scripture.