Psalm 50:1-5

1 The Lord, the God of gods, has spoken;
he has called the earth from the rising of the sun to its setting.

2 Out of Zion, perfect in its beauty,
God reveals himself in glory.

3 Our God will come and will not keep silence;
before him there is a consuming flame,
and round about him a raging storm.

4 He calls the heavens and the earth from above
to witness the judgment of his people.

5 “Gather before me my loyal followers,
those who have made a covenant with me
and sealed it with sacrifice.”

[Lectionary Translation]

THE DEITY WITHIN

Psalm 50, in the lectionary translation, opens with the words: “The LORD, the God of gods, has spoken…” It is one of those texts where three different Hebrew divine “tags” are strung together: YHWH (usually rendered “LORD”) and ‘Elohim (literally, “Powers” – plural) and ‘El (literally, Power or Force – singular). This psalm practically shouts at us to stop and think about what “God” means to us.

Carl Jung, in one of his letters, wrote that “[God] is the name by which I designate… all things which upset my subjective views, plans and intentions, and change the course of my life for better or worse.” We might have less radical (or less Jungian) ideas, but we can probably agree that a God who does not change my life is just the passive shadow of an external deity.

In Psalm 50: 1-5, there is a poetic “dialogue” of sorts, between the traditional “God of gods” – a compelling cosmic deity who “will not keep silence” – on one hand, and the silent and hidden Becoming of YHWH – the “deity within” – on the other. At times, the two sides of the “dialogue” seem to melt into each other, at times they conflict. Always, there is a relationship upheld between sheer Power (‘Elohim) and sheer Presence (YHWH), between Sound and Silence.

Reading this psalm with close attention to its subtle meanings, we hear a mysterious invitation in words like “calling,” “beauty,” “flame” and “storm” – and, of course, “covenant” – which is a binding within the heart, not an external command.

The Hebrew word din in verse 4 is usually translated “judgment.” However, the root meaning is “returning/compensating” – so I render “returning gifts.” In verse 5, the word zevah (“sacrifice”) can be best understood today as “burned on the soul” – that is, fully internalized in a way that changes us - hopefully for good.

There is a conversation here between earth and heaven, and – in a mystical sense – it is on earth that covenantal love is most deeply gifted and embodied.

PSALM 50:1-5

The force of sheer Becoming,
more than all the gods,
speaks in silence, calling earthward
from dawn’s first light to sundown dark.

And here it is, below,
on this parched and thirsty land,
that beauty shines most utterly –
wherever the gods may be.

Our busy deities can’t hold their tongues;
but still a nameless whisper comes,
showing us a face of flame, and
wrapping us in overwhelming storm.

A voiceless call to heaven soars,
Coming back to earth with gifts untold.
A gathering of kindnesses unfolds,
bound in our hearts, and
burned forever in our souls.

Henry Ralph Carse - February 14, 2021

[Rendered from the Hebrew by Henry Ralph Carse;