Behind and Before

SoH hem jIH Daq behind je qaSpa'. SoH laid lIj ghop Daq jIH.

You hem me in behind and before. You laid your hand on me. Psalm 139:5

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Perspective is everything.

Imagine walking down an ill-lit corridor on DS9, only to realize that in front of you - AND behind - you are being shadowed by Klingons. At the moment you realize this, out of the gloom, a hand comes down on your shoulder. No doubt this is terrifying - UNLESS you happen to BE a Klingon and this is not a siege, but your comrades, come to your aid.

This psalm continues to confront us with how thoroughly we are surrounded by the Almighty. "Hem"med in the WEB translation says translating a Hebrew word that occurs fewer than 40 times in the Bible - tzur, a primitive root meaning "to cramp," used in a variety of meanings with the notion "to confine," we can once again ponder whether this is good news or not.

It comes down to a matter of relationship. It is terrifying, if you are surrounded by an enemy. BUT - this is wonderful news - if you've made peace with God. This is the reminder, the reassurance that you are not alone, no matter where you are:

SoH hem jIH Daq behind je qaSpa'. SoH laid lIj ghop Daq jIH.

You hem me in behind and before. You laid your hand on me. Psalm 139:5

The support of God's hand is a delightful reminder of his power to act in our lives. The Bible never guarantees we will skate through life without trouble, but in the midst of it, we are reassured to hear His Hand is there, as in the promise given through Isaiah:

Don't you be afraid, for I am with you. Don't be dismayed,
for I am your God. I will strengthen you. Yes, I will help
you. Yes,
I will uphold you with the right hand of my righteousness. (Isaiah 41:10)

Interesting also is the description of how we are surrounded: You hem me in behind and before. The words behind and before are achor and qedem, and besides having the idea of location, they also can express the idea of time, achor meaning hereafter, and qedem the time before. Considered this way, we can see that God's surrounding care doesn't just encompass us at-this-moment but always.

Think about this: there is no time BEFORE God loved you. It is not something you had to earn, there is not something you had to do to deserve it.

AND - there is no time AFTER the time God loved you. He isn't going to stop - through ALL time, he surrounds you with his love, before AND after your life.

Better yet - God is no spectator. He doesn't watch from a distance - he hasn't isolated himself from you, for by faith we can join the psalmist and say You laid your hand on me.

SoH hem jIH Daq behind je qaSpa'. SoH laid lIj ghop Daq jIH.

You hem me in behind and before. You laid your hand on me. Psalm 139:5

Today, you are walking down the path that is your life. The way may seem bright or shrouded - but rejoice you are not facing it alone.