IN GOOD COMPANY

As vaD the le' ghotpu' 'Iv 'oH Daq the tera', chaH 'oH the excellent ones
Daq 'Iv ghaH Hoch wIj tIv.

As for the saints who are in the earth, they are the excellent ones in
whom is all my delight. {Psalm 16:3)



(podcast version)

In an episode of the Simpsons, the "Comic Book Guy", who is the
ultimate scifi fan is thrown out of a bar. Lying in the gutter, he
asks sadly:

"Is there a Klingon word for 'loneliness'?"

(pulls out dictionary)

"Ahh... 'G'arr D'aK!"

Now - *if* I were also a scifi geek, I might point out that there's no
real Klingon word for "loneliness." The closest equivalent would be
the phrase "jImobqu'" (pronounced jhi-mobe-koo-uh), which means "I'm
so alone!" Comic Book Guy's attempt of "ghardak" is
gibberish.

[I would also - IF I were such a geek - note that Vulcan does have a
word "sa'awek" for 'alone: being apart from others; solitary; being
without anyone or anything else', as does Romulan (Rihannsu): her'u -
lonely.]

Here in the third verse of Psalm 16, David turns in this verse from
his source of all the good in his life (God) to his companions "Daq
the tera'" / "in the earth," Calling them "saints" - "kadashim" in
Hebrew - they are the "holy" or "set-apart" ones.

The known Klingon dictionary is lacking - we don't have words for
"holy" or "saints." Digging in a bit we see the Hebrew word used
here, qadowsh (kaw-doshe'), appears over 100 times in the Bible and is
based on the word qadash (kaw-dash'), which appears over 150 times.
The idea of holiness is not is someone or something that is 'pure' or
'prim' but to be "special" and "set apart." It follows, I think, that
the Greek word for the assembly of believers is be ekklesia
(ek-klay-see'-ah), the called out ones. They are "set apart" - not by
some special merit, but being called out by God.

To supply Klingon words for the KLV lexicon I've used "le'" (be
special, exceptional) for "holy" and then translated saints as "le'
ghotpu'" - exceptional people.

One writer notes that David "acknowledges the worth and delights in
the faith of the saints ... the people set apart for God's
possession." [New Bible Commentary.]

This time of year, my commute to work consists of a walk of about a
mile (something less than 2 kilometers) to the bus that takes me to my
office. It can be a daunting slog through snowstorms, but most days
it is a pleasant hike - and not necessarily a solitary one. Though I
walk alone, I walk in good company. Thanks to a variety of podcasts,
I trek through the neighborhood accompanied by believers from
California, the Netherlands, Illinois, Florida and.. well, I'm not
even sure where they all come from. But, in my walk, I am able to
enjoy scripture readings, and reflections on the Word and life.


As vaD the le' ghotpu' 'Iv 'oH Daq the tera', chaH 'oH the excellent ones
Daq 'Iv ghaH Hoch wIj tIv.

As for the saints who are in the earth, they are the excellent ones in
whom is all my delight. {Psalm 16:3)



What we need to recognize here is this - whether we have technology
like podcasts or not - as believers WE DON'T WALK ALONE. We are part
of a good company that spreads across the world and the ages. We
sometimes get so focussed on our world of today that we lose sight of
all the faithful, what the letter to the Hebrews calls a "great a
cloud of witnesses" who accompany us in our life of faith. I
especially encourage you to take advantage of resources like the
CCEL.org library of "Classic Christian books in electronic format"
(free!) as well as NewAdvent.org, with its archive the writing of the
church fathers and more.

Whether or not Klingon, English, Vulcan or Romulan *has* a word for
loneliness - it is good to realize that no believer needs to be alone
in his or her daily walk. Our company is one of fellowship in
congregations, and with the historic witness of believers from
Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, to Polycarp and Augustine, to
C.S. Lewis. It's a grand company! Come along as we trek together!


As vaD the le' ghotpu' 'Iv 'oH Daq the tera', chaH 'oH the excellent ones
Daq 'Iv ghaH Hoch wIj tIv.

As for the saints who are in the earth, they are the excellent ones in
whom is all my delight. {Psalm 16:3)