Today’s
Scripture Reading (June 5, 2019): Psalm
65
Is the Bible ever wrong? It is the unthinkable question. Maybe the
Bible is mistranslated in places. There are differences in some of the counts.
A while back I had a conversation over the identity of the Leviathan in the
Hebrew Bible, and whether it could be a description of a hunchback whale. My
friend insisted that that was not possible. The descriptions did not match. But
my response was that, at the time of the writing of the Bible, a hunchback
whale was only seen in the distance, or in a much-degraded form as it washed up,
long dead, on the shore. I laugh at people who argue that a whale couldn't have
swallowed Jonah because the Bible specifies that it was a “big fish.” A whale
is not a fish. What we miss is that that is modern understanding. As recently
as a hundred and fifty years ago, Harold Melville in his epic story “Moby Dick”
about a huge white whale wasn’t convinced that whale wasn’t a “big fish.” And
that was only a hundred and fifty years ago, let alone more than two thousand
years ago.
But beyond issues like these, is the Bible ever wrong? Maybe. And
this might be an example. In David’s defense, he is speaking emotionally here. And
it is hard to judge objective truth in poetry. And yet David did give us many
prophecies. But here? David writes that “Praise awaits you, our God, in Zion.”
The understanding is that when God comes to Jerusalem, he will be welcomed with
praise from his people.
Was David wrong? Maybe wrong is overstating it. But I am not sure
that when God, in the form of Jesus, entered into Jerusalem at the beginning of
Passion Week, arriving as a King who came in peace symbolized by the colt of a
donkey that he rode, that the reception was the one that David imagined as he
wrote these words. There was praise, but it was muted, disturbed by the leaders
of Jerusalem who did not welcome him into the city. The blessing was presented,
but not entirely.
But then, maybe that is precisely what David was meaning. The word
that we have translated as “awaits” is “duwmiyah” which also carries the
meaning of silence. Maybe a more literal translation is that “Your praise is
silent in Zion.” And that is true. As Jesus entered the city, there was praise,
but there was also silence and blame. And that silence turned the praise from
“Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord” to “Crucify Him” in less than
a week. Jesus had violated the expectations of the people. And the penalty is
harsh for anyone who violates our expectations.
Was David wrong? No, probably not. But when God finally did come
to Zion, it was definitely not like the entrance David imagined that the event
would be.
Tomorrow’s
Scripture Reading: Psalm 68
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