(א) לְדָוִ֨ד ׀ יי ׀ אוֹרִ֣י וְ֭יִשְׁעִי מִמִּ֣י אִירָ֑א יי מָעוֹז־חַ֝יַּ֗י מִמִּ֥י אֶפְחָֽד׃ (ב) בִּקְרֹ֤ב עָלַ֨י ׀ מְרֵעִים֮ לֶאֱכֹ֢ל אֶת־בְּשָׂ֫רִ֥י צָרַ֣י וְאֹיְבַ֣י לִ֑י הֵ֖מָּה כָשְׁל֣וּ וְנָפָֽלוּ׃ (ג) אִם־תַּחֲנֶ֬ה עָלַ֨י ׀ מַחֲנֶה֮ לֹא־יִירָ֢א לִ֫בִּ֥י אִם־תָּק֣וּם עָ֭לַי מִלְחָמָ֑ה בְּ֝זֹ֗את אֲנִ֣י בוֹטֵֽחַ׃
(ד) אַחַ֤ת ׀ שָׁאַ֣לְתִּי מֵֽאֵת־יי אוֹתָ֢הּ אֲבַ֫קֵּ֥שׁ שִׁבְתִּ֣י בְּבֵית־יי כׇּל־יְמֵ֣י חַיַּ֑י לַחֲז֥וֹת בְּנֹעַם־יי וּלְבַקֵּ֥ר בְּהֵֽיכָלֽוֹ׃ (ה) כִּ֤י יִצְפְּנֵ֨נִי ׀ בְּסֻכֹּה֮ בְּי֢וֹם רָ֫עָ֥ה יַ֭סְתִּרֵנִי בְּסֵ֣תֶר אׇהֳל֑וֹ בְּ֝צ֗וּר יְרוֹמְמֵֽנִי׃
(ו) וְעַתָּ֨ה יָר֪וּם רֹאשִׁ֡י עַ֤ל אֹיְבַ֬י סְֽבִיבוֹתַ֗י וְאֶזְבְּחָ֣ה בְ֭אׇהֳלוֹ זִבְחֵ֣י תְרוּעָ֑ה אָשִׁ֥ירָה וַ֝אֲזַמְּרָ֗ה לַֽיי׃
(ז) שְׁמַע־יי קוֹלִ֥י אֶקְרָ֗א וְחׇנֵּ֥נִי וַֽעֲנֵֽנִי׃
(1) Of David.
The LORD is my light and my help;
whom should I fear?
The LORD is the stronghold of my life,
whom should I dread?
(2) When evil men assail me
aOr “to slander me”; cf. Dan. 3.8; 6.25.to devour my flesh-a—
it is they, my foes and my enemies,
who stumble and fall. (3) Should an army besiege me,
my heart would have no fear;
should war beset me,
still would I be confident.
(4) One thing I ask of the LORD,
only that do I seek:
to live in the house of the LORD
all the days of my life,
to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD,
bMeaning of Heb. uncertain.to frequent-b His temple. (5) He will shelter me in His Sukkah/hut
on an evil day,
grant me the protection of His tent,
raise me high upon a rock.
(6) Now is my head high
over my enemies round about;
I sacrifice in His tent with shouts of joy,
singing and chanting a hymn to the LORD.
------
(7) Hear, O LORD, when I cry aloud;
have mercy on me, answer me.
Feeling close and certain and then uncertain, distant.
The Psalmist moves from opening lines of assurance.
Joy, Despair and Hope, Reading Psalms, Rabbi Ed Feld
If the sublime wold occur, if I could feel God's protection, be in God's tent, then all that is dangerous, all that is threatening, would not matter. Interestingly, the poet insists on using the word, "Now", even thought this prayer for the future ought to more precisely be expressed as "Then..." This wish is made fully present as if it were a contemporary reality. In the presentness, in the now of wishing and dreaming the truest realities may be found.
If wishes could come true, if that which is secret and hidden could be revealed, if God's presences could be experienced, then joy would burst froth. Singing and dancing would be the order of the day.
But the hidden is not revealed; God is not a felt presence but a perceived absence. Reality contradicts the inner life of the faithful. The religious life is conducted in light of paradox; inner wish, faithfulness, and outer reality are not congruent. And so the poet turns from musing, from wishing and dreaming, to prayer, addressing God directly in the second person and making explicit what it would mean to dwell in God's house:
(ח) לְךָ֤ ׀ אָמַ֣ר לִ֭בִּי בַּקְּשׁ֣וּ פָנָ֑י אֶת־פָּנֶ֖יךָ יי אֲבַקֵּֽשׁ׃ (ט)
(ט) אַל־תַּסְתֵּ֬ר פָּנֶ֨יךָ ׀ מִמֶּנִּי֮ אַ֥ל תַּט־בְּאַ֗ף עַ֫בְדֶּ֥ךָ עֶזְרָתִ֥י הָיִ֑יתָ אַֽל־תִּטְּשֵׁ֥נִי וְאַל־תַּ֝עַזְבֵ֗נִי אֱלֹקֵ֥י יִשְׁעִֽי׃
Verses 8-9
Lach amar Libi Bakshu panai
et panacha, Adonai Avakesh
Of You, my heart says: Seek My face!"
Adonai, I seek Your face.
Do not hide from me;
do not push aside your servant in anger.
You have been my help,
do not forsake me,
do not abandon me,
God of my salvation.
The insistence on the possibility of God's presence despite the internal experience of absence is emphasized in this stanza with reference to the face of God repeated three times within three lines. The face of a person is the entryway into their subjective life. It is through a smile, through subtle changes of expression, and above all, through the eyes that we discern a person's thoughts and feelings, which words sometimes only hint at, or mask. The entreaty to see God's face is a plea to enter this inward place, to find understanding, to come to know God fully and thereby find comfort. I do not only want the life of faith, of living only with my own thoughts of you; I want to know you, to relate to you, to feel that you are with me.
Feet planted on the ground.
Face softens.
You, my heart says, seek My face...
Drop your awareness into your heart-space.
Take a moment here to listen to your heart. Tune into the echo of this divine dialogue within:
Of You, my heart says: seek My face.
Seek My face
Take this next few moments to dwell in this request within your own heart.
Notice any subltle changes within. Any feeling or image or sound that emerges from this simple request: Seek My Face/Bakshu Panai
לְךָ֤ ׀ אָמַ֣ר לִ֭בִּי בַּקְּשׁ֣וּ פָנָ֑י אֶת־פָּנֶ֖יךָ יי אֲבַקֵּֽשׁ׃
Lach amar Libi Bakshu panai
et panacha, Adonai Avakesh
When you are ready, thank your heart for initiating this dialogue. Strive to return to your heart throughout the day, the week, the month.
https://navatehila.bandcamp.com/track/lach-amar-libi