Dr. Barbara Holmes shares her recent experience of dancing with God in a time of uncertainty:
In more recent years, I’ve had my own dance with the divine. My health declined suddenly and precipitously. When a hip operation was postponed for a year because of other health concerns, I pondered in despair: I would be wheelchair bound for a year?
It was at that moment that God asked, “May I have this dance?”
“Dance?” I was outraged. “What do you mean dance? I can’t even walk.”
And the answer came back, “Your spirit knows the steps. Breathe, relax, breathe.”
I let go of my fears, my concerns, and melted into the arms of a loving Savior as we danced to an ethereal music of the heart that neither of us could hear. You don’t need to hear music. Life has a rhythm of its own. And when you’re out of sync, you must get aligned with the rhythm of life.
In the Hebrew Scriptures, Holmes finds a God who dances:
How do I know that God dances? There are only three chapters in the Book of Zephaniah. The first two chapters are rough going. God’s complaints against the people include worship of idols, deification of sun, moon, and stars, and self-sufficiency so complete that there’s no need to depend on God. But then:
The Lord, your God, is in your midst,
a mighty savior,
Who will rejoice over you with gladness,
and renew you in his love,
Who will sing joyfully because of you,
as on festival days. —Zephaniah 3:17–18
What a surprise! Zephaniah takes us from destruction to dance and song…. As Steve Fry explains, “God’s joy knows no bounds…. In the Hebrew, [joy] literally means ‘to become excited to the point of dancing in a whirlwind’,” or dancing with such abandon that only a whirlwind can describe it. And while God is dancing, God also sings loudly. Fry continues, “Most translators have chosen a less vigorous description for our English Bibles because they can’t conceive of a God of such emotional intensity.” [1] But why not? Physicists tell us that the universe is made up of dancing particles and strings throughout the cosmos.
Holmes reminds us that fire is a part of our dance with the Divine:
But where does the fire come in? Well, we know we can’t see God’s countenance and live. God appears in the elements of nature, a cloud, fire, and wind. For Moses, the burning bush is God. I believe that fire, the element “shut up in our bones” [see Jeremiah 20:9], is always a part of the dance. It awakens us, it helps us to dream, it clears away debris.
Whatever is going on in your life right now, this too shall pass. Where do you find your joy? If you don’t know how to dance, don’t worry. Your soul knows the steps. Wherever life finds you, don’t forget to dance and sing with the God who dances like the whirlwind with you.
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| Psalm 136: Attempting to Define God’s Loyal-Love |
 Click Here for AudioPsalm 136 repeats the same phrase 26 times. That’s not a subtle clue that the writer thinks it’s important. The problem, however, is that it’s a notoriously difficult phrase to translate into English. The New International Versions says, “His love endures forever.” The Hebrew word translated “love” here is hesed, and most biblical scholars agree that it’s incredibly difficult to translate. That’s why there are so many divergent translations. Here are just a few:lovingkindness (ASV) goodness (KJV) faithful love (CSB) great loyalty (CEB) grace (CJB) overflowing with mercy (EHV) steadfast love (ESV) gracious love (ISV) loyal love (LEB) faithfulness (NASB) unfailing love (NLT) pity (KJV) favor (NIV) devotion (ESV) The problem with hesed takes on more weight when we discover it occurs nearly 250 times in the Old Testament, and it’s the most common description of God found in the Psalms. Some scholars have argued that it’s the single most important word in the Hebrew Bible. And yet, the word remains elusive. Musician and bible teacher, Michael Card, wrote an entire book about the word hesedappropriately titled “Inexpressible.” And Hebrew scholar Daniel Block explains the problem this way: “The Hebrew word hesed cannot be translated with one English word. This is a covenant term, wrapping up in itself all the positive attributes of God.” In other words, hesed is a word deeply embedded in ancient Israelite culture and within the context of Israel’s special relationship with YHWH. Therefore, we can only begin to understand the word by first understanding its covenant setting.Simply put, a covenant is a formal agreement or treaty between two parties. Sometimes a covenant was made between people of equal status and strength, but often it was between unequal parties. For example, a more powerful king might defeat the armies of a weaker territory. He would then issue a covenant between himself and the inhabitants of the land he has conquered to define their relationship and expectations. The king may promise military protection for his new subjects in exchange for their loyalty, tribute, and taxes.Hesed was a word used to describe one’s commitment to keeping a covenant. That’s why some English translations of the word emphasize loyalty or faithfulness rather than just love. Today, most people associate love with ephemeral emotions, but hesed isn’t primarily a feeling. It is the determined will, the unwavering choice, to fulfill a sacred promise no matter what.In the ancient Near East, the importance of covenant loyalty was demonstrated in a gruesome ceremony known as “cutting the covenant.” Typically, animals were sacrificed by cutting them in half and separating the parts along the ground. Then the parties entering into the covenant walked between the dead animals vowing that if either of them breaks the covenant—if they do not demonstrate hesed—their fate would be the same as the animals.A covenant cutting is also recorded in the Old Testament but with a very important twist. In Genesis 15, the Lord makes a covenant with Abraham promising to give him descendants beyond number, and he vowed to give them the land where he had called Abraham. He then commanded Abraham to sacrifice a bull, a goat, a ram, a dove, and a pigeon. Abraham cut the animals in half and arranged them on the ground before he fell into a deep sleep. In a vision, he then saw a fire representing the presence of God pass between the dead animals.Unlike typical covenant-cutting ceremonies, Abraham did not walk between the animals. YHWH walked alone to demonstrate his divine character. As he would declare centuries later to Abraham’s descendants on Mount Sinai. “I am YHWH…abounding in hesed” (Exodus 34:7). By walking between the animals alone, the Lord was saying that even if Abraham and his family failed to uphold their part of the covenant, he would never fail to fulfill his. God’s hesed, his covenant loyalty, will not be shaken by our disloyalty because it is rooted in his character and not dependent on ours.So, how does this impact the way we read Psalm 136? The writer applies YHWH’s loyal covenant love to his actions toward Israel, including their deliverance from slavery in Egypt and their occupation of the Promised Land. But he says God’s covenant love is also seen in creation—the sun, moon, seas, and skies. It’s a tantalizing clue that YHWH’s care and concern is not limited to Isreal, but extends over all he has made. DAILY SCRIPTURE PSALM 136:1-26 EXODUS 34:5-8 WEEKLY PRAYERAlcuin of York (735 – 804) Eternal Light, shine into our hearts, eternal Goodness, deliver us from evil, eternal Power, be our support, eternal Wisdom, scatter the darkness of our ignorance, eternal Pity, have mercy upon us; that with all our heart and mind and soul and strength we may seek your face and be brought by your infinite mercy to your holy presence; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. |
