HaDIbaH!

Hoch Suy' je cattle, HIja', je the Ha'DIbaH vo' the yotlh, the toQmey vo' the sky, the fish vo' the biQ'a', je whatever passes vegh the Hemey vo' the seas

All sheep and oxen, yes, and the animals of the field, the birds of the sky, the fish of the sea, and whatever passes through the paths of the seas. Psalm 8:7-8

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Someday, somewhere out in the galaxy, perhaps human explorers will be faced with a whole new zoology - never-seen-before creatures for which they just won't have names. Should there be sentient natives, perhaps they'll need to ask what they're called. Otherwise, like Adam, they'll need to come up with names.

This is a problem here on planet Earth as well. Translating the Bible into English (or Klingon) we need to know the correct word that maps to the animal being described. Here at the end of Psalm 8, David lists a catalog of all the creatures over which humans have dominion - and you'll see my KLV only had terms for a few of the English words. Our knowledge of Klingon is still limited.

But worrying about being sure that tsone' (Hebrew for sheep) was something like a Klingon "Suy'", or the Klingon "toQmey" for birds was the same as Hebrew tsippowr, is missing the point. David is not giving us a precise catalog, anymore than suggesting God has fingers and hands in the earlier verses. Instead he is giving an example of the extent of creation that we are charged with tending.

It was interesting to note in several commentaries that the authors felt the book of James refers obliquely to this list of animals when he says:

vaD Hoch kind vo' animal, toQ, creeping Doch, je Doch Daq the biQ'a', ghaH tamed, je ghajtaH taH tamed Sum mankind.

For every kind of animal, bird, creeping thing, and thing in the sea, is tamed, and has been tamed by mankind. James 3:7

after which he concludes:

but no one can tame the tongue. It is an uncontrollable evil, full of deadly poison. James 3:8 NLT

Nature is vast, and we humans have found ourselves charged with its care. Yet for all the power we exercise over nature - James is right to see that the limit of this power is not on the outside - but within our hearts. We can indeed tame all manner of beasts, and someday we may travel out deep into space, to other stars, but whatever we can do out there, we need to find the help first to command the power of our tongue and words.

James offers advice in that direction, too:

If you are wise and understand God's ways, live a life of steady goodness so that only good deeds will pour forth. And if you don't brag about the good you do, then you will be truly wise! James 3:13 NLT

Having the words to name all creatures may be good, and it is important that our care and taming of beasts is an important part of our place in God's plan. But true mastery, and truly living out that plan requires we turn to Him for wisdom, and the power to live according to God's word. And don't worry, he wants to give you that power:

'ach chugh vay' vo' SoH lacks valtaHghach, chaw' ghaH tlhob vo' joH'a', 'Iv nob Daq Hoch liberally je Hutlh reproach; je 'oH DichDaq taH nobpu' Daq ghaH.

But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach; and it will be given to him. James 1:5

Hands and Feet!

SoH chenmoH ghaH ruler Dung the vum vo' lIj ghopDu'. SoH ghaj lan Hoch Dochmey bIng Daj qamDu'

You make him ruler over the works of your hands. You have put all things under his feet Psalm 8:6

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I think there's an interesting contrast here in this verse that names two parts of the body. The first is hand - yad, in Hebrew, or ghop in Klingon. The hand is symbolic of much, in this case the creative power of the Almighty, much as the word "finger" was used earlier. It is a reminder that God acts in creation, deliberately, like an artist or craftsman.

The second is the word foot - regel in Hebrew, and qam in Klingon. The foot can refer to much, from the power of movement, to (as it is here) the complete dominion over another, particularly an adversary.

It would be easy to read these words as a transfer of power - a hand-off if you will. The work of God's hands (vum vo' lIj ghopDu') is placed beneath humanity's feet ( Hoch Dochmey bIng Daj qamDu'). That is part of the story - but not the whole.

I think we need to be careful when we consider this - particularly if we're thinking in a militarisitic, overly-Klingon fashion. From ancient times the image of triumph over an enemy included the victor standing with a foot on the neck of the vanguished - a practice we even see mentioned in the book of Joshua.

Better than seeing nature as conquered, I like one writer's [Spurgeon] comment "The proper place for all worldly things, [is] under his feet," that is, we are not tempted to worship nature.

The problem arises if this dominion over creation becomes a justification for carte blanche consumption - as if we are free to use, and misuse the bounties of nature. More than one writer has happily blamed ecological disasters on believers misuse of nature, suggesting "superior, contemptuous" attitudes that make them "willing to use it [the earth] for our slightest whim." (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lynn_White)

That's why we need to understand that our relationship to creation should instead be one of stewardship - taking God's gifts and using them well - but not wasting them, as Peter notes in the Bible:

According as each has received a gift, be ministering it among yourselves, as good stewards of the grace of God in its various forms. 1 Peter 4:10

It's worth remembering Jesus's words in John 3:16, that begin - "For God so loved the world...." That "world" is the Greek world Kosmos, creation - not just people, but the whole of what God has created. If this is so, and as this Psalm says, it has been given into our care, we should TAKE care to tend it well, not simply use up.

SoH chenmoH ghaH ruler Dung the vum vo' lIj ghopDu'. SoH ghaj lan Hoch Dochmey bIng Daj qamDu'

You make him ruler over the works of your hands. You have put all things under his feet Psalm 8:6

This world before us is rich, and beautiful - and it's been given to us mere humans to manage with care. Let's strive to hear the words "Well done, thou good and faithful servant."

Rank!

vaD SoH ghaj chenmoHta' ghaH a mach lower than joH'a', je crowned ghaH tlhej batlh je quv.

For you have made him a little lower than God, And crowned him with glory and honor. Psalm 8:5

(click for podcast)

It will be no surprise to discover that, among the words we know of Klingon vocabulary, "patlh" is one of them. This is the Klingon word for "rank," as in position in the military or government. There are words for every position from lagh (ensign) to 'aj (admiral) - and no doubt Klingons use them very precisely. For in a military society it is important to be able to, as Webster puts it:

... range in a particular class, order, or division; to
class; also, to dispose methodically; to place in suitable
classes or order; to classify.

This word, and these terms have NOT been included in the KLV, simply because I've not found a place where such vocabulary is needed - but that is not to say matters of patlh, rank, don't matter. This is the subject of today's verse.

vaD SoH ghaj chenmoHta' ghaH a mach lower than joH'a

For you have made him a little lower than God

Having considered the marvels of God and his creation, David in the previous verse marvels that God considers mere humans *at* ALL - and now in this verse, he describes our patlh, or rank: A LITTLE LOWER THAN GOD.

It is interesting to me to note that the precision of this ranking is a little fuzzy. If you were to read this in the King James version, you'd find we are "a little lower than the angels." That's not an impossible reading (though almost every other translation disagrees) - the Hebrew word is elohim, a plural form of "El," God. That word is used throughout the Hebrew scriptures, and usually translated as "God," but it could also be the plural 'gods' - as in angelic beings. The epistle to the Hebrews quotes this psalm, and the Greek very clearly says "angels," because the writer was quoting the LXX, which translated the Bible into Greek, and rendered "elohim" as "angelous," angels.


It is good to know this, because I think it is mistake to get caught up in the precision of this ranking - as if there is some hierachy of creation, an "org chart" that we need to memorize. The points that David developed are important:

• God is great, his creation is awe-inspiring,
• and YET he does not overlook us -
• better yet, despite all expectations to the contrary, he has moved us from mere laghpu', to the 'aj, to the admirals of creation!

Reading the news, of war, or human cruelty and disaster, it is not hard to feel humanity has no hope; God should scrap this world and start again.

But he doesn't.

He's made us, he remembers us, and he's given us what seems an utterly undeserved rank. If he considers me so highly - maybe with his help, we can live like this is true.

In the movie "To Sir, with Love," Sidney Poiter plays a teacher who, faced with utterly incorrigible students, begins to make a difference in their lives when he treats them not as children, but adults. And when he raises his expectation of them, they begin to rise up to it, and become adults, just as he has treated them.

God made you. Not as a cog, a thing or just another animal on a backwater planet. He's given you a rank just short of divine. Now's the time to give thanks, and seek his help to live up to it.

nuq 'oH jubbe'wI'pu''e'

nuq ghaH loD, vetlh SoH think vo' ghaH? nuq ghaH the puqloD vo' loD, vetlh SoH care vaD ghaH?

What is man, that you think of him? The son of man, that you care for him? Psalm 8:4

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Looking deep into the cosmos, David now looks back at himself, his people - to realize just how small and frail we are. Here in Psalm 8, contemplating all of creation makes him realize how insignificant we are - much like The Total Perspective Vortex,

in the fictional world of Douglas Adams's The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, is the most horrible torture device to which a sentient being can be subjected. Located on Frogstar World B, it shows its victim the entire unimaginable infinity of the universe with a very tiny marker that says "You Are Here" which points to a microscopic dot on a microscopic dot. {http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Total_Perspective_Vortex)

nuq ghaH loD - What is man

asks David, and it's a good question. But first, we need to untangle some of the language.

The Hebrew here is "ma' enosh" what mortal? - the word enosh isn't "MAN" as in male - it is more properly "a mortal." That is how the New Living Translation renders the phrase: "what are mortals that you should think of us," and that isn't simply an exercise in inclusive language. "Enosh" is derived from the word 'anash: "to be frail, feeble, (figuratively) melancholy."

Our Klingon rendering "nuq ghaH loD" is a simple rendering of the English "what is man?" and while it might be made more correct (albeit clipped) Klingon as "nuq loD" - the word "loD" (man) incorrectly focusses on "man/male" - only correct if the Hebrew word were the literal one for man, ISH - and it isn't. Even the second phrase "son of man" or "ben adam" is not about sons, or men, but offspring, the descendants of humanity. In this vast Cosmos, should we truly meet other races like Klingons, this question should be presented in a more universal way.

nuq 'oH jubbe'wI'pu' 'e' Daqaw' 'ej qatlh ghot puqpu' Daqel?

what are mortals that you should think of us,
mere children that you should care for us? Psalm 8:4

What an incredible God! Look up tonight into the night sky, marvel at how this may make you feel small - yet God has not overlooked you, he remembers and cares for you today. And this IS the message of the Bible - that God DOES think of us, he does remember us and our plight. As little as we may deserve it, God cares for us, provides for us, and watches over us. Hallelujah!

Fingerprints!

ghorgh jIH qel lIj chal, the vum vo' lIj nItlhDu', the maS je the Hovmey, nuq SoH ghaj ordained

When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, The moon
and the stars, wich you have ordained (Psalm 8:3)

(click for podcast)

Spacecraft from planet Earth have fanned out, to study stars, planets, as well as the land and weather on planet Earth. Among the various targets of these robotic explorers, at least one of them was used to uncover "the fingerprints of God." At least, that is how George Smoot, one of the winners of this year's Nobel Prize in physics described the results of the Cosmic Background Explorer satellite that he worked to develop. He and his colleagues used these results to demonstrate how the Big Bang yielded a Universe full of diverse structures. And by calling this "the fingerprints of God" he proved at least, that the Bible is not alone in using poetic language in describing the Universe.

But what's clear here is that the Psalmist declares that the heavens - all we can see is a "work" SOMEbody MADE it - no question.

We can see in the poetry of this verse that we're not given literal blueprints in the Bible - no one would think the Psalm speaks of literal "fingers of God" molding the stars and planets - rather there is the assertion of intention and plan; craftsmanship, if you will.

Some cosmologists will speak of this craftsmanship in scientific terms, referring to the anthropic principle - the fact that this Universe appears to be deliberatly crafted for occupation, as one writer notes

More specifically, the values of the various forces of nature appear to be fine-tuned for the existence of intelligent life. The world is conditioned principally by the values of the fundamental constants .... When one mentally assigns different values to these constants or forces, one discovers that in fact the number of observable universes, that is to say, universes capable of supporting intelligent life, is very small. Just a slight variation in any one of these values would render life impossible. http://www.leaderu.com/offices/billcraig/docs/teleo.html

There is a Klingon sort of directness in the Bible: This directness is evident in the fact that the Bible never presents us with "proofs of the existence of God." The ways we moderns analyze such arguments never appears in the text. God simply IS. The scriptures don't present a case, or evidence, as much as they start with the axiom that God IS, and proceed to present us in history, poetry and more, what that means to our lives.

So it is with creation - it is understood from the start that God is the author of our Universe, and the Word moves forward from there to consider what that means. In this third verse of Psalm 8, David begins quite simply

jIH qel lIj chal, the vum vo' lIj nItlhDu'

I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers

The Hebrew word for work here is ma-aseh. It is what's called a mem-formation noun, and it comes from the Hebrew verb asah, with the letter mem prefixed. Asah means to do or make, in the broadest sense and widest application. It appears over 2000 times in Scripture, and is seen first in Genesis 1:7 "And God made the firmament."

For "work" I've used the Klingon verb meaning "to work": vum. We don't know whether it CAN be a noun, though some Klingon verbs may be used as their counterpart noun. The alternative would be to construct a noun, as Klingon has something like mem-formation, a -ghach suffix, that marks a verb as a noun. Maybe "vumtaHghach," thing-of-on-going-work could be used here? That's a little awkward, and the dual noun/verb nature of the English word "work" led me to simply make the verb fit the purpose for the KLV's rough process.

In another Psalm we read:

The chal declare the batlh vo' joH'a'. The expanse shows Daj handiwork.

The heavens declare the glory of God. The expanse shows his handiwork Psalm 19:1

Beginning from this premise in no way precludes our investigation into the mechanics of this creation. Rather such study it should become a delight to believers - for we have the opportunity in searching the marvels of the cosmos, to see the vast creative riches God has spread before us. As we'll see in the next verse, this is a source of great awe to David - and gives him pause to consider his place in it all.

No, you're not going to find literal fingerprints in the sky, or deep in you DNA - yet to the heart of faith, we can look on God's handiwork, rejoice and give thanks.

Oh Baby!

vo' the wuSDu' vo' ghupu' ... SoH ghaj established HoS

From the lips of babes ... you have established strength Psalm 8:2a

(click for podcast)

Klingons, like humans, include in their language onomatopoeia - the process where a figure of speech or word employs a word, or words that sound like the thing they represent. Think of "bang" or "click". And not just in English. In Latin, "tuxtax" was like "bam" or "whack" and meant to imitate the sound of blows landing. Or in Japanese, "doki doki" is used to indicate the (speeding up of the) beating of a heart (and thus excitement).

So it's natural that the word here for "babes" (owlel in Hebrew) comes from the Klingon word "ghu" - baby.

There is nothing particularly STRONG about babies. Klingons, or humans, or anyone hearing David's declaration here in Psalm 8 will doubt the sense of it.

vo' the wuSDu' vo' ghupu' ... SoH ghaj established HoS

From the lips of babes ... you have established strength Psalm 8:2a

Even given the alternate reading "from the lips of babes.. you have established praise," it sounds unlikely. Babies, infants, may be MANY things, but they are neither strong or intelligible.

Here - as is often true - Scripture makes us stop to consider - WHAT does this mean?

Anyone familiar with Klingon culture would expect this claim - strength from the weak - to fall on deaf ears. It would as well for those of us who are human - who expect power and strength to come from the mighty, not infants.

Yet this is an important theme through the Bible. We may trust in POWER but God uses the weak, the helpless to accomplish his goals.

"My power is made perfect in weakness" (2 Cor 12.9) God told Paul - and it is well that Paul reminds us. For it isn't by force that God accomplishes his goals. As Paul writes elsewhere:

God chose the foolish things of the world that he might put to shame those who are wise. God chose the weak things of the world, that he might put to shame the things that are strong (1 Cor 1.27)

If we HAVE accomplished much, and have GREAT power or wealth - the Bible should give us pause. God looks instead to the utterly dependant - ghupu', babies, to show his power. And it is true, for in each new life God begins the world again - it is wonderful beyond any power we have.

And those who are WEAK, who feel they don't measure up - take heart! You are truly God's building blocks. What you do, whatever you struggle to do - this is God's victory, and in you he will bring about something worthy of praise - take heart!

Klingons or humans, we all give ourselves far too much credit for our deeds, our power and abilities, when we forget that all we HAVE or ARE is God's gift, as much of a gift as the new life of one infant.

vo' the wuSDu' vo' ghupu' ... SoH ghaj established HoS

From the lips of babes ... you have established strength Psalm 8:2a

Heavens!

'Iv ghajtaH cher lIj batlh Dung the chal!

who has set your glory above the heavens! Psalm 8:1b

(click for podcast version)

Legend has it that earth's first orbital traveler Yuri Gagarin, toeing to his nation's atheist party line - looked out of his spaceship and announced he didn't "see God" in the heavens. Whether he really said that, any believer ought to reply that if you can't find God's presence on earth, you'll not find Him anywhere else in the cosmos.

David extols the wonders of God and looks up, singing out that the LORD has put his glory above the heavens. In Hebrew the term is "shamayim," from a root meaning to be lofty. The term, when used to indicate the "heavens" shows up over 100 times in the Bible. For the KLV I've used "chal," the Klingon word for "sky."

The heavens, shamayim or chal are what we call the realm that our planet's star travelers - cosmonauts, astronauts or taikonauts - move through. It is an inspiring realm - though not the realm of eternity. But it is a place of beauty that can inspire us to recognize the power of the one who created it all.

Heaven and earth is a phrase that does more than describe a specific location. It is a way of encompassing the whole of creation. Whether we call it shamayim v'eretz in Hebrew or chal tera' je in Klingon - when we think of heaven and earth, we are considering what God has made. When scripture speaks of heaven and earth (over 160 verses have those two words together) we're drected to the totallity of creation. It is a poetic way to say EVERYTHING, starting in the very first verse of Genesis when we read:

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

Daq the tagh joH'a' created the chal je the tera'.

David directs us in this psalm to see God's name as transcendant on earth and his glory above the heavens. In that way he underlines the fact God is above, beyond, all places we can see or name.

This is surely how Bible speaks of chal, the heaven. God created these things and they are wonderful, but we should not be distracted, to overlook the creator for his creation.

For Psalm 102 reminds us (as do our astronomers) these heavens are not eternal:

Of old, you laid the foundation of the earth. The heavens are the work of your hands.
They will perish, but you will endure. Yes, all of them will wear out like a garment. You will change them like a cloak, and they will be changed.
But you are the same. Your years will have no end. (Psalm 102:25-27)

Our hope, our ultimate destiny is beyond chal, beyond the heavens, with that one who created them, and will endure long after they are gone.

As you travel the heavens - whether in a spacecraft or from this globe we call spaceship Earth - there will be NO one coordinate where you will "find" God.

But don't worry - as he tells us through Isaiah - you can count on him to find YOU!

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)

Boundless!

Oh LORD, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth,
joH'a', maj joH, chay' majestic ghaH lIj pong Daq Hoch the tera' psalm 8:1

(click for podcast version)

Tera'ngan - earther - is the Klingon summation of the residents of the third rock from the Sun. That is, tera'ngan, those from Terra or Earth. However this is NOT what David is thinking about in Psalm 8 when he says:

Oh LORD, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth,
joH'a', maj joH, chay' majestic ghaH lIj pong Daq Hoch the tera'

When a Klingon calls you a tera'ngan, it isn't a compliment - you are merely a Human from a distant corner of the galaxy. Your identity is confined to the borders, the limits of your home planet.

Exactly the opposite of David's use of eretz - earth, in this psalm, what has been rendered with the Klingon word tera'. David declares that God's name - his self, fills the whole world, all of visible creation. God's name - everything one might know or say about the creator, is BOUNDLESS.

I've noted before that space travellers have said "Earth has no lines" - that is, seen from space earth doesn't really divide up the way our maps and politics show it. In the stirring introduction to Psalm 8, David says the same thing - about GOD. We so often divide his presence up in parochial, limiting ways. Our prejudices happily lead us to imagine "no, God isn't in that place, among those people." But that's not true.

Peter learned how false such thinking is, when in a vision God showed him that God truly is completly impartial - would that we would remember Peter's words:

Peter opened his mouth and said, "Truly I perceive that God doesn't show favoritism;
but in every nation he who fears him and works righteousness is acceptable to him. Acts 10:34-35

The Life Application Bible notes, concerning Peter's confession:

In every nation there are hearts restless for God, ready to receive the Good News—but someone must take it to them. Seeking God is not enough—people must find him. How then shall seekers find God without someone to point the way? Is God asking you to show someone the way to him?

God fills every corner. As we capture David's vision of a God whose name is majestic across every corner of this globe, as we recall Peter's discovery that God is indeed for EVERYONE, let us find ways to share his boundless love!

juppu' - Friends!

je Abraham ghaHta' ja' the jup vo' joH'a'.
and Abraham was called the friend of God. James 2:23b

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In the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Arthur Dent numbers among his friends one unemployed actor with the unlikely name of Ford Prefect. Unbeknownst to Arthur, Ford is NOT a human, but actually hails from the vicinity of Betelgeuse, a star more than 400 light years away.

Such surprising friendships might make one ponder - how many alien friends do you have? I can number one - well, sort of. That is I have a small stone gargoyle figurine my daughter gave me years ago. I dubbed him "jupwI'," Klingon for 'my friend,' and he has sat faithfully by my computer ever since. He sits patiently as I clatter away on the keys and his friendship, while mostly imaginary, is a great reminder of a real friendship I do have - that of my daughter.

jup - friend - is the Klingon word that I've used in the KLV to represent the Hebrew word ahab and the Greek philos. Both words come from roots meaning "to love" - in fact the Greek word used here in James's epistle is familiar from the word philosopher (a lover of wisdom) and the city Philadelphia - the city of brotherly love. And even the root of the English word friend comes from Germanic roots (fre-on) for love.

Now, as casually as we may treat friendships - we do well to remember that a true friendship is far deeper and more powerful than mere acquaintainship.

je Abraham ghaHta' ja' the jup vo' joH'a'.
and Abraham was called the friend of God. James 2:23b

James is quoting the prophet Isaiah here, and he underlines the close relationship God wants to have with all of us. The theologian J.I. Packer notes:

God wants us as friends. ... Abraham and Moses are called friends of God (2 Chron 20:7, Exodus 33:11)... and Jesus tells his disciples: "No longer do I call you servants... but I have called you friends." (John 15:15).

For some reason, we don't assure one another of this as often as we should.

I recently heard one Bible teacher point out that when Jesus told his followers "No longer do I call you servants... but I have called you friends," there really was a change, for in NONE of the letters of Paul, Peter, James or John - only in the Gospels and Acts - do we find the word "disciples." The master/student relationship ends - God really yearns for us to become juppu' friends.

Some might note that all over the place in those letters, the apostles do call themselves "doulos," that is, bond-servants or slaves. There IS a difference, I think - for in a deep friendship we DO serve, we do care about our friend and look for ways to serve them - not because of obligation but because of the bond, because of the love we share.

Across this planet and perhaps out to the stars, we find many types of friendship - some close, some casual - yet all of them at their best can echo something of the relationship that God wants to have with us - as it says in Exodus that God "spoke to Moses face to face, as a man speaks to his friend. "

In prayer, in worship, in reading scriptures, in fellowship with the company of believers, we have that same opportunity - what keeps us from it? Let us pray to daily seek his face and remember that God truly wants to be our friend.

je Abraham ghaHta' ja' the jup vo' joH'a'.
and Abraham was called the friend of God. James 2:23b

voqmoH!

'ach the joH ghaH voqmoH, 'Iv DichDaq establish SoH, je guard SoH vo' the mIghtaHghach wa'. 1Thes 3:3
But the Lord is faithful, who will establish you, and guard you from the evil one.

(click for podcast)

At my darkest moments I need words like these from Paul's second letter to the Thessalonians - the reminder that, whatever else fails, we CAN trust the Lord. Paul reminds us that God is voqmoH - faithful. The Klingon word here is literally "cause to trust." Paul shares his confidence that this Lord who will keep us from evil.

There is no doubt that Klingons understand the virtues of faithfulness and trustworthiness. You can hear some of that regard for trust in the cynical proverbs that use the word voq, to trust:

yIvoq 'ach lojmItmey yISam. Trust, but locate the doors.
yIvoq 'ach yI'ol. Trust, but verify.


On the positive side, you hear the same word in this admonition to self-reliance:

DujlIj yIvoq. Trust your instincts.

Now it's interesting that the word "Duj," instincts, also means "ship" - so rather than merely advising self-reliance, perhaps since this Klingon adage can be read as "trust your ship," that is, depend on others in our company. And Paul is pointing us to the most trustworthy companion of all.

'ach the joH ghaH voqmoH, 'Iv DichDaq establish SoH, je guard SoH vo' the mIghtaHghach wa'. 1Thes 3:3
But the Lord is faithful, who will establish you, and guard you from the evil one.

The word here for faithful is the Greek word pistis, used over 60 times in the Bible and conveys the idea of something that is objectively trustworthy and is translated in forms of believe, faithful, sure, or true. Pistis comes from the word peitho, to convince.

Paul wants us to be assured, be convinced of God's reliability - one writer says about this:

Though men cannot be trusted, God is faithful to his promises and his purposes. He may always be confided in; and when men are unbelieving, perverse, unkind, and disposed to do us wrong, we may go to him, and we shall always find in him one in whom we may confide. (Barnes)

This is not a simplistic vision of the world. Paul was not saying that the Lord would make life easy, or even safe at all times - but that we will be guarded from evil. Despite the travails Paul endured as he travelled spreading the word of Christ, he could still declare with confidence that God was faithful.

Hundreds of years before Paul's time, following the fall of Jerusalem, the prophet Jeremiah wrote of that devastaion in his book of Lamentations. Yet, in the midst of the despair, he too expressed confidence in God saying:

It is of the LORD's loving kindnesses that we are not consumed, because his compassion doesn't fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. Lam 3:22,23

Every summer we plant morning glories, and by this time of year the lamppost on the street is consumed by them - you can barely see it. Every morning (until the first cold weather takes its toll) those delicate flowers unfurl, reminding me of God's unfailing compassion and I think again, "They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness."

'ach the joH ghaH voqmoH, 'Iv DichDaq establish SoH, je guard SoH vo' the mIghtaHghach wa'. 1Thes 3:3
But the Lord is faithful, who will establish you, and guard you from the evil one.

nov jIH - Alien am I!

'The puH DIchDaq ghobe' taH sold Daq perpetuity, vaD the puH ghaH mine; vaD SoH 'oH novpu' je yIn as foreigners tlhej jIH.

'The land shall not be sold in perpetuity, for the land is mine; for you are strangers and live as foreigners with me. Lev 25:23

(click for podcast)

In the catalog of useful Klingon expressions, the Conversational Klingon learning tape offers this phrase and advice:

"you might need (help) in an emergency. You may have to be a little persistent to get a Klingon to come to your aid. ...not because they are ignoring you, or savoring your discomfort, it is just that what Terrans consider dangerous and unpleasant a Klingon usually finds exhilarating and enjoyable. So, if no ­one comes to your aid at first, shout out the phrase:

"I am not a Klingon."
{tlhIngan jIHbe'.}

This will make your plight explicit and a Klingon is sure to respond. "

Now, I'd note that another way you might state this idea is to say:

"nov jIH" / I am an alien.

Nov - alien, is our word for today. For here in Leviticus, we are reminded that our attitude is to BE an alien, or a "stranger and sojourner" in this world - in Hebrew the words are "ger," someone who stops as a guest, and "towshab," a temporary resident.

This passage from Leviticus is part of a section that covers legislation involving the year of Jubilee. The rules are ones that we would find challenging - as the Life Application Bible notes:

It included canceling all debts, freeing all slaves, and returning to its original owners all land that had been sold. There is no indication in the Bible that the Year of Jubilee was ever carried out. If Israel had followed this practice faithfully, they would have been a society without permanent poverty.

The point that captures my attention are the words:

vaD SoH 'oH novpu' je yIn as foreigners tlhej jIH.
for you are strangers and live as foreigners with me.

We're being told here that our lives are not to be rooted, pinned down to this world - as Larry Norman said "don't mind me, I'm only visiting this planet." If we can hold fast to that perspective, then we'll keep from getting weighed down and anchored by this world. The apostle Peter said it this way in his first letter:

Dear brothers and sisters, you are foreigners and aliens here. So I warn you to keep away from evil desires because they fight against your very souls. (1 Peter 2:11 NLT)

To me, one of the joys of imaginative stories of rockets and travel through space is the notion that we are on a journey, that our residence here is not perpetual. And I have to admit, it HAS pleased me that a number of modern translations have used the word "alien" to translate some of the Greek and Hebrew terms for wayfarer, stranger and sojourner.


When we recognize the journey we are on, the eternal home we believers approach through life - we can discover that all our priorities will re-arrange.

Looking for help from our Lord? Perhaps we do need to call out

"nov jIH," I AM an alien!

Safe!

(I'm BACK! I spent the last week visiting other worlds, filled with robots, fantastic voyages and more! See?)

vaD SoH, joH'a' mob, chenmoH jIH yIn Daq safety.
For you, O LORD alone, make me live in safety. Psalm 4:8b

(click for podcast)

As I write this, I'm soaking wet - due to having moved a car into the garage for fear of an approaching hailstorm. It gives me a little appreciation for the Klingon slang word for "to be safe" - QaD, literally to be dried out. Anyone caught in a summer thunderstorm can appreciate the link to "keeping dry" as being "safe."

You'll note that my KLV didn't map the word 'safety' - that's due to the relative infrequency of the word safety (19 times) or safe (13) in the WEB translation. As I've noted, my initial creation of this "relexified" (not translated ) text only touched on FREQUENT words, used more than 100 times in the English text. I've relaxed that rule - especially as I've done these studies, but "safe" and "safety" haven't made the cut yet. And, of course, safety is rarely a priority for Klingons.

vaD SoH, joH'a' mob, chenmoH jIH yIn Daq safety.
For you, O LORD alone, make me live in safety. Psalm 4:8b

On planet Earth - well on (or off of) any planet (even Pluto! - I'm not giving up so easily on that one) safety IS a concern. From pre-launch checklists to flood insurance, we think about and seek to attain it in many ways.

But. We know there is no guarantee. At the end of these two psalms, 3 and 4, we've heard David oscillate between his struggles and his confidence in God giving him security. This final verse wraps up with David, at last, saying his safety is founded on God alone.

The word here in Hebrew, betach, means to hie for refuge - that is, it acknowledges there is much in this world from which we need rescue. AND it is only God who offers that rescue. We do not find safety in denying our troubles - saying "everything is fine," when it is not.

Perhaps we need to, as David did, come to the end of our rope to realize how much we need rescue - and that God offers it.

As Peter says:

casting Hoch lIj worries Daq ghaH, because ghaH cares vaD SoH.

Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about what happens to you.
(1 Peter 5:7 NLT)

Then we'll know the answer to this life's bad news:

ghaH DichDaq ghobe' taH vIp vo' mIghtaHghach news. Daj tIq ghaH steadfast, trusting Daq joH'a'.

He will not be afraid of evil news. His heart is steadfast, trusting in the LORD. (Psalm 112:7)

This life will bring us storms - real and metaphorical - and it is not always possible to be QaD, safe. But there is one to whom we can always turn, for He will always give us that safe port in every storm we need.

vaD SoH, joH'a' mob, chenmoH jIH yIn Daq safety.
For you, O LORD alone, make me live in safety. Psalm 4:8b

Gladness in my Heart!

SoH ghaj lan Quchqu'taHghach Daq wIj tIq, latlh than ghorgh chaj grain je chaj chu' HIq 'oH increased.

You have put gladness in my heart, More than when their grain and their new wine are increased. Psalm 4:7

(click for podcast)
We don't know much about how Klingons face death. Yes, bravely, and yes they have a loud cry to warn those in the afterlife that a great warrior approaches. They also have legends and beliefs that, well, hardly parallel the Biblical message - any more than my Scandinavian ancestors did. And, of course, that's why we - Klingons and Humans - need someone to give us the witness of scripture, because without it we DON'T know that we can face death - and life - with gladness.

I've seen this. I can picture it in funerals I've been at - my mother's and my father's for example - that were great celebrations. Even in the midst of grief, no one could mistake the confidence and gladness that attended the services.

Gladness - that's the word we consider today. Simchah in Hebrew, it occurs more than 80 times in the Bible. From a root, sameach, to be blithe, or gleeful. You may hear that word at celebrations in Israel when people would call out "hag sameach," happy holiday!

This gladness is an adjective we might covet for our lives, but not always find. One tlhIngan Hol word that might do would be "tIv" - to enjoy, but I used - constructed really - a far longer one - Quchqu'taHghach, from Quch, be happy, plus the intensive qu' plus, taH, on-going. All wrapped up with the nominalizer -ghach: Quchqu'taHghach. With the small known Klingon vocabulary, we could connect this to "blessed", at least for ashri, which in Hebrew, meaning "happy" or Quch. It is interesting to note the Hebrew and Greek scriptures include a word for "blessed" that means "happy."

This connection of being happy and blessed, even in the midst of grief is fresh in my mind, as I return from the funeral of a good friend. Again, a remarkable scene of witness to joy, despite grief. A compelling example for believers.

This verse comes at the end of a psalm - really a pair of psalms (3 and 4) that come from a desperate moment in David's life, a time when he was on the run for his life. And STILL he had confidence in God's care. Still he could say:

SoH ghaj lan Quchqu'taHghach Daq wIj tIq, latlh than ghorgh chaj grain je chaj chu' HIq 'oH increased.

You have put gladness in my heart, More than when their grain and their new wine are increased. Psalm 4:7

The Life Application Bible reflects on this kind of gladness, saying:

Two kinds of joy are contrasted here—inward joy that comes from knowing and trusting God and happiness that comes as a result of pleasant circumstances. Inward joy is steady as long as we trust God; happiness is unpredictable. Inward joy defeats discouragement; happiness covers it up. Inward joy is lasting; happiness is temporary.

That's the goal. Not to have happiness that comes from temporary fortune, but rather to achieve inward joy - gladness that lasts, not for the moment, but on into eternity. That's what David found in God's gracious love - and so can we.

This Book.

vam paq vo' the chut DIchDaq ghobe' mej pa' vo' lIj nujDu'

"don't for a minute let this book of the Revelation be out of mind" Joshua 1:8 Message

(click for podcast)

At this moment I'm getting ready to blast off. I'm heading out into the blue to a conference in Las Vegas. It won't be a long trip, and getting ready to go brought my mind to matters of packing, and unpacking - traveling light. This called this verse to mind from Joshua. At the end of the long journey, the Israelites are ready to unpack - settle in after decades travelling away from slavery in Egypt. They are going to have homes again - they'll no longer need to - as travelers must - carry everything with them.

Except. Joshua is given this command from God, essentially what NOT to unpack:

This book of the law shall not depart out of your mouth, but you shall meditate thereon day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then you shall make your way prosperous, and then you shall have good success.

I was drawn to this verse over 30 years ago when a group called the Navigators introduced me to Bible memorization - the systematic effort to follow these words, to as the Message translation puts it:

"don't for a minute let this book of the Revelation be out of mind"

I like that term "book of the Revelation," because it encompasses the whole of Scripture. "Book of the law" or "paq vo' the chut" implies a narrower focus - as if we are being reminded to know statutes and legislations.

Rather this law, or torah in Hebrew is the TEACHING, including laws, but including the whole direction of Scripture. The root is yarah, a word meaning to throw, or point - give DIRECTION. There is a way that God intends to lead us - his torah is in the whole of scriptures that Paul reminds us

is profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for instruction which is in righteousness 2 Timothy 3:16

Good things to hang onto!

Lately I've been learning about the another alien culture. Certainly as fierce an opponent as Klingons (if not more so) they are the Mando'a or the Mandalorians. The most famous of them are Boba Fett and his father Jango. Like the Israelites of Moses's day, they are a nomadic people. While a much more martial people than the Israelites, they too are noted for keeping their words, their stories and traditions alive - keeping them in their mind at all times. You can find links to their language and my rough "translation" of a Mando'a Bible at MNDBible.MrKlingon.org. This translation, like the KLV, is a simple word replacement effort - these words from Joshua come out as:

ibic book be te law shall not ba'slanar out be gar mouth, a' gar shall meditate bat bic tuur bal ca, ibac gar may ja'hailir at narir according at an ibac is written therein: par then gar shall gotal'ur gar way prosperous, bal then gar shall ganar jate success

"don't for a minute let this book of the Revelation be out of mind" Joshua 1:8 Message

What words can't you forget? That you are TRYING to remember -- for some of us there is a struggle to remember the passwords and PIN numbers that modern life requires us to keep, for others it is schoolwork and things we are trying to learn. It always seems like SOMETHING needs to be kept in the memory bank.

But if we draw into our hearts the words of God and make them part of our everyday kit - then we'll be equipped and well armed for the day.

Then, as Paul puts it, we'll be "complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work."

Light makes....

joH'a', chaw' the wov vo' lIj qab shine Daq maH.

LORD, let the light of your face shine on us. Psalm 4:6b

(click for podcast version)

When you travel in space, "light" matters. Not merely because of the "blackness of space" but because light, the energy of the stars, can be a vital resource. A source of light, and power - just as it is on Earth. It is common to power spacecraft with solar energy - consider the valiant robots STILL exploring Mars, charging and recharging themselves with... LIGHT. In the future great solar sails will be used to drive ships through the solar system - even to other stars.

AND... in this verse we hear also of light - the light that shines from God.

joH'a', chaw' the wov vo' lIj qab shine Daq maH.

LORD, let the light of your face shine on us. Psalm 4:6b

There is one saying that humans have, which I expect Klingons would have no trouble with: Might makes right. It echoes the Klingon aphorism


reH lugh charghwI'. The victor is always right.

But the verse we're considering suggests a different thought that might be paraphrased "light makes right," for in this final clause of Psalm 4:6 we get the answer to last week's question “Who will show us any good?” We will find good in the LIGHT of God's presence.

Light is "wov" in Klingon. The Hebrew word here is "ore" and shows up over 100 times in the Bible meaning illumination or luminary in every sense, including lightning, happiness, and so on. It is the positive power of light - the way we see things, the way we see what needs to be done.

We enjoy God's light - the real, literal sunshine that gives life and energy to our planet, and the light of God's blessing. The gifts we receive FROM him every day.

joH'a', chaw' the wov vo' lIj qab shine Daq maH.

LORD, let the light of your face shine on us. Psalm 4:6b

This light is not ours to keep. We are not to hoard light for our selves - like the time Mr. Burns tried to keep Springfield in perpetual darkness so he could sell more power. We are, in fact to be light ourselves:

'ach vaj, chaw' lIj wov shine qaSpa' loDpu'; vetlh chaH may legh lIj QaQ vum, je glorify lIj vav 'Iv ghaH Daq chal.

Even so, let your light shine before men; that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven. Mt 5:16

As we travel around the universe, we look to the light of the stars, suns and what is reflected from the planets, and when we do, we experience the gracious gifts of God, the source of all life and light - GIVE THANKS! Reflect that light today - let your light shine!

Be Goooood.

law' jatlh, " 'Iv DichDaq cha' maH vay' QaQ?"
Many say, "Who will show us any good?" Psalm 4:6a

(click for podcast version)

David reports a proper question - one worth thinking about in any time - from Biblical times down to the departure of ET with his admonition to "be gooooood." Just what do we mean by "good?"

Now, "Good" - is a rich word in any language. Webster's lists over 40 meanings for "good" - from not weak or defective, valid, complete,having moral qualities, to conformable to the moral law or proper, among others.

The Hebrew word here, tobe, comes from a root meaning to "be good" - and itself is translated in the KJV in many ways - favour, fine, glad, good, graciously, joyful, kindly, kindness, loving, and merry - to name only a few.

In the KLV I've used QaQ, tlhIngan Hol for "be good" to be the word "good" - but it gets stretched across a variety of meanings as well - currently forms of it are used to represent the English terms good, goodness, well, righteous, righteousness and soundness.

All of this range of meaning is worth reflecting on when he hear the Psalmist present the question:

law' jatlh, " 'Iv DichDaq cha' maH vay' QaQ?"
Many say, "Who will show us any good?" Psalm 4:6a

What is the definition, what are we asking for, when we ask for "the good?"

Considering the phrase "one man's meat is another man's poison," it must be granted there is ambiquity between cultures, some variety in subjective assessments of "the good."

My idea of a "good day" doesn't (usually) encompass the Klingon phrase:

Heghlu'meH QaQ jajvam.
It is a good day to die.

Yes, this may be "good" in the sense of proper - but few would consider such a day a "good one."

The answer I find is one Jesus offers - but it's not an easy answer. When confronted by a questioner who says to him "Good teacher, what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life?" Jesus offers the non sequiter "Why do you call me good? No one is good but one, that is, God." (Mt 19)

This puzzling response points us back to the definition, the standard by which to judge what is good: God.

I say it isn't an easy answer because it forces believers to think about things, not from their limited, time-bound perspective, but by reflecting on God and His Word in order to measure and guide our lives.

His questioner certainly got no easy answer, as Jesus continued,

"But if you want to enter into life, keep the commandments."

When he defended as a "commandment keeper," himself Jesus drove the point further -

Jesus said to him, "If you want to be perfect, go, sell what you have, and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me."
But when the young man heard the saying, he went away sad, for he was one who had great possessions.

law' jatlh, " 'Iv DichDaq cha' maH vay' QaQ?"
Many say, "Who will show us any good?" Psalm 4:6a

To point the rich young man to what was truly good and lasting, Jesus had to point him away from his temporal treasures. He needed to make a choice between his goods and what is truly good. And so must I, so must we all.

nob the nobmey vo' QaQtaHghach.
Offer the sacrifices of righteousness. Psalm 4:5a

(click for podcast)

On any planet, in any solar system - "giving a gift" (nob nobtaH) is a tricky matter.

Now, given the directness of tlhIngan interactions they may be puzzled at our human wisdom: "it's the thought that counts." After all, among the sayings of Klingon wisdom is the terse: ram meqmey. / Motives are insignificant. To a Klingon ACTIONS do speak louder than words. They don't care about "the thought."

Of course, when it comes to those times when we are RECEIVING the gift - birthdays, for example, sadly we may look at the GIFT - the substance - instead of the intent, the soul, as it were , of the giver.

The Bible details a complex system of gifts, of sacrifices that are part of the faith of ancient Israel.

As the Life Application Bible notes,

Worship in David’s day included animal sacrifices by the priests in the Tabernacle. The animal’s blood covered the sins of the one who offered the animal. There were specific rules for offering sacrifices, but more important to God than ceremony was the offerer’s attitude of submission and obedience.

It is in such a context that we hear David say:

nob the nobmey vo' QaQtaHghach.
Offer the sacrifices of righteousness.Psalm 4:5a

Here's something I find interesting - in the Hebrew, the Latin, the Klingon, and the English, we tie the object to the act. That is we GIVE a GIFT. Or we OFFER an OFFERING. The Klingon says we "nob" a "nob" - the verb and noun give and gift are the same. Even further across the Galaxies, we find that the Mando'a language - spoken by Mandalorians, like Jango or Boba Fett connect the act to the object - they "dinuir" (give) a "dinui" (gift). You could render this phrase as dinuir haar tor dinui - give the justice gift.

Now, in our giving/nobtaH we are to be "righteous" or "just" - we aren't MERELY supposed to give a gift, but to do it the RIGHT way.

What does that mean? Here, is where the Hebrew parallelism of the psalm helps us out.

Often in the Bible's poetry we find one phrase parallels the thought to emphasize or clarify the meaning - this is no exception - I think the meaning here is much more clear when we read the whole verse:

nob the nobmey vo' QaQtaHghach. lan lIj voq Daq joH'a'.

Offer the sacrifices of righteousness.
Put your trust in the LORD

We are to GIVE to God - in service to him in worship, in service to others - it takes many forms, but the measure of "righteousness" comes in the simple clause - put your trust in the LORD.

"I couldn't," "I can't," "that's too much,"... I have so many ways to hold back, to limit the way I give, but this psalm stills my complaints with just a simple

lan lIj voq Daq joH'a' / put your trust in the LORD.

voq or trust - represent the Hebrew word batach - a word with the idea "to hie for refuge " - that is depend on God for our ultimate security.

This is where we can expand our gifts, our service beyond the limits we impose. TRUST in the LORD - depend on him and I'll find I don't need to hold back, I don't need to save a reserve. I'll give rightly, give the tor dinui, the righteous gift.

I like these words from St. Peter

Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about what happens to you.
(1 pt 5:7 NLT)

What gifts do you have to share? Trust in the LORD and give!

taH vIHHa'!

Search lIj ghaj tIq Daq lIj bed, je taH vIHHa'.
Search your own heart on your bed, and be still. Psalms 4:4b

(click for podcast)

Klingons, as I've noted before, are not Vulcans. Nor do humans present a passionless, dry and logical face to the universe. That is why we - humans and Klingons - need this word of scripture, the command to taH vIHHa' / be still.

[In fact, if you know the history of the Vulcan race, even they needed this advice - for they too have a violent and bloody history.]

I've noted that the Bible's advice is NOT to be without emotions. "Be angry, and don't sin" is how Paul interprets the beginning of this verse, in his letter to the Ephesians. The problem is not emotion - rather the problem is letting it run away with us. Even Jesus displayed anger in facing down the abuse of religious people when he turned the moneychangers out of the temple.

The concern is our response to troubling emotions - and this passage points the way:

Search lIj ghaj tIq Daq lIj bed, je taH vIHHa'.
Search your own heart on your bed, and be still. Psalms 4:4b

The word vIHHa', still, is the same Klingon term used in the KLV of Psalm 23's "still waters." vIH - be in motion, plus the negation suffix, Ha' means "not be in motion," i.e. be still. The Hebrew root here is different - here it is damam, only appearing a couple of dozen times in the Bible, translated as cease, be cut down (off), forbear, hold peace, quiet self, rest, be silent, keep (put to) silence, be (stand) still, tarry, and wait. Here it is used to tell us, in effect to "stop and think."

About what? We do well to reflect on all that God has done. Klingons like this - to recount triumphs - ta'mey Dun, bommey Dun (great deeds, great songs) as they say it. So scripture encourages us to remember what God has done

How can a young person stay pure?
By obeying your word and following its rules.
I have hidden your word in my heart,
that I might not sin against you. Psalm 119:9,11 NLT

But the stillness matters too. To be vIHHa', still, means ceasing the endless flow of distractions that boil around us. From cell phones, ham radio, ipod, pager, computers and more, I feel at time wrapped in a thick fog of words, words and more words. We do well to cultivate silence. As Ecclesiastes notes:

The more words you speak, the less they mean. So why overdo it? Ecc 6:11 NLT

Search lIj ghaj tIq Daq lIj bed, je taH vIHHa'.
Search your own heart on your bed, and be still. Psalms 4:4b

Ready, CHER , go!

'ach Sov vetlh joH'a' ghajtaH cher mob vaD himself ghaH 'Iv ghaH godly: joH'a' DichDaq Qoy ghorgh jIH ja' Daq ghaH.

But know that the LORD has set apart for himself him who is godly: the LORD will hear when I call to him. Ps 4.3

(click for podcast version)

I don't have a wristwatch. This doesn't mean I don't know what time it is - I certainly have a timekeeping device strapped to my wrist - it just isn't a watch. It is a "tlhIngan tlhaq" - a Klingon Chronometer. Made by Timex, this fine instrument keeps me supplied with all the valuable time-related functions: alarms, stopwatch, date and two time zones - it is all there, AND in Klingon too!. Very handy (I even have a spare!)

I bring it up becaust today's word - cher, set - is featured prominently on the controls. And not only are machines like my tlhIngan tlhaq "set," but, according to David, so are "the Godly".

'ach Sov vetlh joH'a' ghajtaH cher mob vaD himself ghaH 'Iv ghaH godly: joH'a' DichDaq Qoy ghorgh jIH ja' Daq ghaH.

But know that the LORD has set apart for himself him who is godly: the LORD will hear when I call to him. Ps 4.3

What does this mean?


The Hebrew word here is "palah" and occurs fewer than ten times in the Bible. A primitive root meaning "to distinguish" it is translated in a variety of ways: put a difference, show marvellous, separate, set apart, sever, make wonderfully. The idea seems to be that believers are distinguished, are drawn out of the mass of humanity.

This is in line with the Biblical idea of "the elect." Some might see it as supporting the argument for predestination - the idea that God foreordains all things gone before and to come. As Paul wrote to the Ephesians he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and without blemish before him in love.(Eph 1:4)

And perhaps we are SET apart, cher mob, by God no matter what. Yet Scripture also gives the language of choice. Moses says to the Israelites "Behold, I have set before you this day life and good, and death and evil" (Deut. 30:15), and Joshua later says "choose this day whom you will serve" (Josh 24:15).

This is a historic battlefield for believers: free will versus predestination, as some would cast it, and I don't expect any of us will be able to sort it out this side of eternity. How would a Klingon think of such things?

Well, there's a saying - I've mentioned before - "reH 'eb tu'lu" - there is always a chance. It speaks to the Klingon resolve NOT to give up, not to accept defeat. To such a mindset, a pure idea of predestination would not be appealing - the Klingon spirit would be drawn to the call to choose, to respond to the call, the chance, the choice God offers to all.

There's a scene in one CS Lewis's Narnia stories, The Silver Chair, where a character meets Aslan, who tells her she has been called into Narnia to do something for him. She objects:

I was wondering... could there be some mistake? Because nobody called me and Scrubb, you know. It was we who asked to come here...."

Aslan responds

"You would not have called to me unless I had been calling to you."

From the perspective of eternity we may indeed see things, choices we made as being driven from God's own plan - but a Klingon would probably lose patience wiht such speculation and urge us to "get on with it." I think David would too - consider the last clause, of this verse:

joH'a' DichDaq Qoy ghorgh jIH ja' Daq ghaH.

the LORD will hear when I call to him. Ps 4.3

Our focus needs to move beyond being "set apart" to what it means to our life - the LORD will hear! How we have come to be part of his company, this company of believers who are cher mob, set apart, may be imporant, but more important is the confidence we now have : the LORD will hear!

Call on him today!

Whaddya Know?

'ach Sov vetlh joH'a' ghajtaH cher apart vaD himself ghaH 'Iv ghaH godly
But know that the LORD has set apart for himself him who is godly Psalm 4:3a

(click for podcast)

Here's an alien word that you may or may not be familiar with: epistemology.

The branch of philosophy that studies the nature of knowledge,
its presuppositions and foundations, and its extent and validity.
[Greek epistm, knowledge (from epistasthai, epist-, to understand :
epi-, epi- + histasthai; see st- in Indo-European roots) + -logy.]
( http://www.thefreedictionary.com/epistemology )

I bring the word up, because David brings it up. That is, the first word of this phrase is the Hebrew word yada - to know. This is a very common word (over 800 times in the Bible!) and has a variety of meanings - from intellectual knowledge to physical intimacy. The Klingon word is "Sov" to know. This verse drives home David's confidence that he can trust God's reliability because he KNOWS it.

As the New Living Translation renders this passage:

You can be sure of this:
The LORD has set apart the godly for himself.

Epistemology is the science of thinking about how we KNOW what we know. It's the way we sort out a problem that Will Rogers noted:

it's not what we DON'T KNOW that will hurt us; it's
what we KNOW that ain't so

That is often the problem - how many times have you been alarmed by a "news item" that turns out to be completly bogus? We need the kind of discernment that keeps us from being too credible. For a start I recommend an anti-Urban Legend website like snopes.com to help you sort out some of the outrageous things "we KNOW that ain't so."

David's assurance - KNOWING of God's care - comes from a life of faith, where he could look back at events in his life, the ups and downs of it, and see God's hand in action. Of course, like us, he relied also on the collective faith, the tradition handed on from Moses down to his time.

Klingons are careful about "what they know" - maybe too much so. They have an inveterate paranoia - they WORRY about knowledge, more specifically KNOWING TOO much. This is expressed in one of their "secrecy proverbs":

"Knowledge of useful information may be unfortunate."
{De' lI' Sovlu'DI' chaq Do'Ha'.}


But the faith of the Bible is an OPEN one - a transparent faith not bound up in secrets. As Jesus said "I said nothing in secret." (John 18:20). The Biblical faith meets the doubter with facts - consider Thomas who is never criticized for doubting, but whose doubt is met with facts to help him believe.

Believers living in a community of fellowship can KNOW from their own experience, and that of their companions in faith, along with the history of Scripture, that the facts on which their faith are based are objective space-time realities, not wishful fantasies. What good news!

'ach Sov vetlh joH'a' ghajtaH cher apart vaD himself ghaH 'Iv ghaH godly
But know that the LORD has set apart for himself him who is godly Psalm 4:3a