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Before we get into the text of the book and the theme of ancient Israel’s legacy of trusting YHWH, I want to provide you with a sample of some of the usages of refuge that are dominant throughout the Psalter. Ancient Israel’s legacy of trusting יהוה is grounded in the metaphors of protection—refuge, fortress, shelter, stronghold, shield, shadow of your wings, etc. The concrete realism of Israel’s trusting faith in יהוה alone is heightened and emphasized throughout the book of Praises. That this is the language of the heart and soul of the penitent, the suppliant, is undeniable: Israel’s voice, many times filtered through the language of bitter complaint, is ever one that issues forth in the resolution of a confident trust! 13

All those you protect shall be glad and ring out their joy. You shelter them; in you they rejoice, those who love your name (5:12);

Yhwh, my God, I take refuge in you. From my pursuers save me and rescue me (7:2);

For the oppressed let Yhwh be a stronghold, a stronghold in times of distress (9:10);

In Yhwh have I taken my refuge (11:1);

Preserve me, God, I take refuge in you. I say to you, Yhwh: “You are my God. My happiness lies in you alone” (16:1);

Guard me as the apple of your eye. Hide me in the shadow of your wings (17:8);

For who is God but you, Yhwh? Who is a rock but you, my God? You who gird me with strength and make the path safe before me (18:32–33);

May the spoken words of my mouth, the thoughts of my heart, win favor in your sight, O Yhwh, my rescuer, my rock! (19:15);

Yhwh is my light and my help; whom shall I fear? Yhwh is the stronghold of my life; before whom shall I shrink? (27:1);

You, Yhwh, are my strength and my shield; in you my heart trust . . .Yhwh, you are the strength of your people, a fortress where your anointed finds refuge. (28: 7–8);

In you, O Yhwh, I take refuge. Let me never be put to shame. In your justice, set me free, hear me and speedily rescue me. Be a rock of refuge for me, a mighty stronghold to save me, for you are my rock, my stronghold. (31:1–3);

Our soul is waiting for Yhwh. The Lord (Adonai) is our help and our shield. Our hearts find joy in the Lord (Adonai). We trust in God’s holy name. May your love be upon us, O Yhwh, as we place all our hope in you (33:20–22);

The angel of Yhwh is encamped around those who fear God, to rescue them. Taste and see that Yhwh is good. They are happy who seek refuge in God (34:8, 9);

The salvation of the just comes from Yhwh, their stronghold in time of distress. Yhwh helps them and delivers them and saves them, for their refuge is in God (37:39–40);

God is for us a refuge and strength, a helper close at hand, in times of distress, so we shall not fear, though the earth should rock, though the mountains fall into the depths of the sea; (46:1);

Yhwh of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our stronghold (46:12).

But I have God for my help. The Lord (Adonai) upholds my life. (54:6);

Have mercy on me, God, have mercy, for in you my soul has taken refuge; In the shadow of your wings I take refuge until the storms of destruction pass by. (57:1);

O my Strength, it is you to whom I turn, for you, O God, are my stronghold, the God who shows me love (59:18);

On a rock too high for me to reach set me on high, O you who have been my refuge, my tower against the foe. Let me dwell in your tent forever and hide in the shelter of your wings. (61:3, 4);

In God alone is my soul at rest; from God comes my help. God alone is my rock, my stronghold, my fortress; I stand firm (62:1–2);

The just will rejoice in Yhwh and fly to God for refuge. All the upright hearts will glory (64:11);

In you, O Yhwh, I take refuge; let me never be put to shame. In your justice rescue me, free me; pay heed to me and save me. Be a rock where I can take refuge, a mighty stronghold to save me; for you are my rock, my stronghold (71:1–3);

To be near God is my happiness. I have made Yhwh God my refuge. I will tell of all your works at the gates of the city of Zion (73:28);

They remembered that God was their rock, God, the Most High (Elyon) their redeemer (78:35);

O Lord (Adonai), you have been our refuge from one generation to the next. Before the mountains were born or the earth or the world brought forth, you are God, without beginning or end (90:1, 2);

Those who dwell in the shelter of the Most High (Elyon) and abide in the shade of the God of Heaven (Shaddai) say to Yhwh, “My refuge, my stronghold, my God (Elohay) in whom I trust!” (91:1, 2);

As for me, Yhwh will be a stronghold; my God will be the rock where I take refuge (94:22);

You who fear Yhwh, trust in Yhwh; [he] is your help and your shield. Yhwh remembers and will bless us; (115:11f.);

I have no love for the halfhearted; my love is for your law. You are my shelter, my shield; I hope in your word (119:113, 114,);

Yhwh will guard you from evil, and will guard your soul. Yhwh will guard your going and coming both now and forever (121:7–8);

To you, Yhwh God, my eyes are turned; in you I take refuge; spare my soul! (141:8);

In the morning let me know your love for I put my trust in you. Make me know the way I should walk; to you I lift up my soul. Rescue me, Yhwh, from my enemies; I have fled to you for refuge (143:8, 9);

God is my love, my fortress; God is my stronghold, my savior, my shield, my place of refuge, who brings peoples under my rule (144:2).

These verses bear the hallmark of a consummate skill in compositional poetry. The poets convey a deep awareness of the inner life and a commensurate knowledge of self which is conveyed in marvelous language replete with striking images. These magnificent and ancient poems reflect the Hebraic poets’ mastery of metaphor—images of protection, refuge, intimacy and security. For them there is no place in the cosmos where יהוה is not present. In fact, יהוה is described as being in heaven and on earth at the same time. It is this language of immanence and transcendence that permeates the Psalter. It is a tension that is expressed repeatedly when speaking of a relationship with this God of Israel. The poets of the Psalms accept this as fact.

Israel’s God is the God of omnipresence. There is no place in the cosmos that is foreign to יהוה yet יהוה is also personal, a deity who makes connections with humans, who enters into relationship with those who seek after יהוה. This is the most profound reality for the Hebrews in that it makes יהוה incomparable by any standard in terms of the other gods worshiped throughout the ancient world. יהוה has no rivals and is peerlessly invested in human life. All creation is blessed of יהוה. John Day writes:

The Hebrews conceived of Yhwh as both transcendent and immanent, and this is reflected in the Psalter. [He] is regarded as dwelling at once in heaven and in the temple on Mt. Zion. Ps.11.4, ‘ The Lord is in [his] holy temple, the Lord’s throne is in heaven. [His] eyes behold, [his] searing gaze scrutinizes humankind.’ 14

This ancient psalm (Psalm 11) serves as our first example of a song of trust wherein the poet appeals directly to יהוה in the face of his pursuers.15

Psalm 11

For the director. Of David

In יהוה I take refuge.

How can they lie in wait for my life,

and pursue me like a bird saying,

“Fly back to your mountain and hide!”

For look, the violent ones are bracing the bow,

placing their arrows upon the taut string,

to ambush and shoot the upright of heart.

When the foundations are being torn down,

what can a just person do?

יהוה—in the temple’s holy seat,

יהוה—in heaven’s throne.

The eyes of יהוה inspect;

the pupils of יהוה scrutinize humankind.

יהוה is the Just One

who will indeed assay the deeds of the wicked;

[He] stands against the lovers of injustice and their hatred of life.

Send upon the ruthless bellows of fire, and sulfur,

with scorching wind their lot.

For the Just One, יהוה, loves just actions;

the upright shall gaze upon the face of יהוה.

יהוה is the Just One, for the poet of Psalm 11,16 and יהוה is a God who is intimately involved with humankind. יהוה is a God who is attentive and who carefully scrutinizes all humanity; who is aware of human behavior and stands against those who would “draw the bow” against the faithful one.

Contradicting the counsel of his “friends” to flee, the poet recognizes that his sufficient protection is in fully trusting יהוה. He instinctively seems to know where true righteousness lies. Claiming his own righteousness, he trusts in the Just One to determine who is innocent and who are the wicked ones.

When the very foundations and institutions of the social order are shaken, when the violent seek to ambush and destroy the just, the righteous flee to יהוה for refuge and reside within the presence of יהוה. The salvation of the righteous is from יהוה; he is their refuge in the time of trouble (37:39 NRSV).

This type of psalm, an example of a psalm of trust, finds expression out of a particular lament, initially a complaint against יהוה that ultimately surrenders into expressions of confidence. Trust then becomes the dominate feature of these particular psalms. It extends to the limits of human life and touches on the eternal hope that; the Lord is righteous; he loves righteous deeds; the upright shall behold his face (11:7. NRSV). Such a declaration of trust in יהוה is altogether predominant in some other psalms of the trust/confidence genre. Dahood reckons how Psalm 11 has a wider vista; that

the version proposed here is a statement of belief in the beatific vision in the afterlife; The vision of God mentioned here is doubtless that of Pss 16.11; 17.15; 41.13; 73. 24, which suggest a belief in an afterlife in the presence of Yahweh. If perfect justice is not attained in this life, it will be in the next; this seems to be the ultimate motive for the psalmist’s confidence.17

It is the firm conviction of these poets of trust that in the final analysis, יהוה is the One on whom factual reliance is founded. There is no doubt that יהוה is the ground of hope on which all else depends. The Hebrew conception of יהוה is complex as God is both the transcendent and the immanent reality; at once removed and far off, and yet both near—very near—and close at hand. We will be considering the subject of the Psalms and the afterlife later on in this book. For now, we turn to exploring the hallowed names that are used by the psalmists as appellatives for God, remembering that the term “God” is a symbol, a concept, not a name.

13. The psalms selections that follow are taken from The Grail Psalter. Its Introduction captures nicely the essence of the Psalter. “Rightly have the Psalms been called ‘a school of prayer.’ As these prayers give voice to so many of the experiences presented in the stories of the Bible, they come to us as words that have already been cried, shouted, and sung by people of faith throughout the centuries. Facing the human struggles of illness, imminent death, bigger-than-life enemies, and warring nations, the psalmist gave expression to the fears and uncertainties that troubled the present situation. Similarly, the joy of victory, the gratitude for prayers answered, and wonder at the marvels of creation all become part of the praise that is lifted up to the God who rules the world and brings all life into being. The psalmist attests with unshakable conviction that the One and Almighty God who touches every movement of history and each human life is the focus of all praise, the healer of every ill, and the source of all blessing” Introduction, xv.

Note: This anthology of protective songs of trust and confidence, from the Grail Translation, is provided with one exception: The name “Yhwh” has been inserted in place of “LORD.”

14. Day, Psalms in Old Testament Guides, 128.

15. Bellinger. “The Interpretation of Psalm 11,” Evangelical Quarterly 56. “. . . the psalm (11) had come to be viewed as a strong spiritual affirmation of trust in the midst of difficulty: God will protect the faithful. The language has no mythical component but both a literal and a figurative element are present. Perhaps it has been reinterpreted and ‘redacted’ as it was used through the years in worship to allow a more metaphorical, ‘spiritual’ meaning. However, any editing would only have been slight and gradual. Thus, it may very well be that at least two levels of meaning are still present in the text as we have it–the cultic and spiritual or figurative.” 100.

16. Dahood, Psalms, “Since Yahweh is the Just One, the psalmist is confident that justice will ultimately prevail. This type of psalm may have developed from the laments, in which expressions of confidence are a common feature.”68.

17. Dahood, Ibid.