Psalm 23: The Divine Trap of Mindless Hope

1. Book Summary
2. Chapter Summary
3. Psalms chapter 23 has 6 verses
   1. Psalms 23:1-3 - A Denial of Reality
   2. Psalms 23:4-5 - Dismissing Evil of the World, With Greed
   3. Psalms 23:6 - That's It - Just Be Positive
4. The Opposite Mood of Habakkuk
5. Links

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1. Book Summary

#king_david #psalms

Psalms is a collection of 150 poems₁ and songs, each with their own individual authors. The word psalms means a "song accompanied by string plucking"₂. Hence, a hymnbook. Much of Psalms was written between 1050-600 BCE and after the Babylonian period₃, with minor edits continuing into the 2nd century CE. Multiple collections of Hebrew songs had been made for various purposes, and the Book of Psalms is a compilation of 5 of those collections. 73 Psalms are attributed to King David₁ although modern scholars (and many theologians) know that most of them were not written by him₂, and perhaps, none of them were. But this attribution was popular in ancient times, and multiple New Testament verses also say (wrongly) that some Psalms were 'by David'. The psalms use lots of symbolism (much of which is now obscure) and are very open to subjective interpretation. Because of the varied authorship and vague text, it is not appropriate to use Psalms in doctrinal arguments.

2. Chapter Summary

BibleSummary.Info: The LORD is my shepherd. He leads me in paths of righteousness. I will fear no evil. I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever..₄

Vexen Crabtree: Ignore the evil and suffering in the world, wear rose-tinted glasses..

Psalm 23 is a denial of the hardships of life, of the unfairness of the world, of the problem of evil (theodicy), and an instruction that instead of worrying about things like why do genetic diseases afflict suffering on animals and humans randomly and why do bad people prosper. There is no sense in Psalm 23 that we should be striving to make each others' lives better, that we can educate, reduce human violence, promote human rights: you can just accept all the evil and trust in God that actually there is no problem.

3. Psalms chapter 23 has 6 verses

Psalms 23:1-3 - A Denial of Reality

	KJV	YLT	Notes
1	The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.	A Psalm of David. Jehovah `is' my shepherd, I do not lack,	God can make people come to a blissful understanding of truth, fearless and mentally indestructible. It's not a choice, God makes certain people lay down in pastures. If I were God, in fact, I would do this to everyone! -- See If Vexen was God, What Would He Do?.
2	He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.	In pastures of tender grass He causeth me to lie down, By quiet waters He doth lead me.
3	He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake.	My soul He refresheth, He leadeth me in paths of righteousness, For His name's sake,

Psalms 23:4-5 - Dismissing Evil of the World, With Greed

	KJV	YLT	Notes
4	Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.	Also -- when I walk in a valley of death-shade, I fear no evil, for Thou `art' with me, Thy rod and Thy staff -- they comfort me.	The world is full of evil; the 'death-shade' over all of us. Life is short and the risk of harm is permanent, be it emotional or physical. Some harm comes from our own bad choices, some from others', and much of it just from bad luck that has nothing to do with us - God's plan, which includes minor mishaps, random diseases and unpredictable disasters that afflict the natural world, which we also inhabit. Instead of worrying about all those pesky problems, you can have a feast. Enjoy what you can get, set a table, and lorde your success over the rest of the world, which is still suffering. YOU are doing alright, if you trust the author of Psalm 23. The annointing of the head - a preparation for a sacred event - is the final reward - you get to live forever.
5	Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.	Thou arrangest before me a table, Over-against my adversaries, Thou hast anointed with oil my head, My cup is full!

Psalms 23:6 - That's It - Just Be Positive

	KJV	YLT	Notes
6	Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever.	Only -- goodness and kindness pursue me, All the days of my life, And my dwelling `is' in the house of Jehovah, For a length of days!	And that's that - the evil of the world is dismissed, the suffering of others is forgotten, the design of the very biology of life so that living being have to eat each other to survive... the fundamental flaws of the design of the world are all forgotten: just believe that despite all, goodness and mercy are in some way present, and be happy with the plan.

4. The Opposite Mood of Habakkuk

For anyone who gets depressed when reading Habakkuk, with its questioning of why do the wicked prosper, why does God let so much suffering exist, why isn't there more justice in the world, and where is God (Habakkuk 1:3-4)... there is an answer, with a song and a dance in Psalm 23: don't worry, be happy!

Contrasting Psalm 23 and Habakkuk:

• God's Presence: In Psalm 23, God is present, leading, and clearly comforting (Ps. 23:1-2,6) but in Habakkuk, God's goodness is absent (Habakkuk 1:2) and is very much unclear in its ethics or motives - God's answer in Habakkuk 1:5 is simply inadequate and hollow.

• Two Different Walks: Where Psalm 23 says I walk with God and fear no evil (Ps. 23:4), Habakkuk says I walk with God, and see evil and injustice commanded by God (Habakkuk 1:3, 1:17, 3:12), with the example of God empowering the brutal Chaldeans, to enact immoral group-punishment on Judah (Habakkuk 1:5-11). Habakkuk prays to remind God "may you remember to show mercy" (Habakkuk 3:2).

• Opposite Imbalances of the Mind: Habakkuk ends with the author despairing that he has no choice but to trust that God knows what it's doing (it's not a friendly trust though, in Habakkuk 3:17-19). Psalm 23 also asserts that there is no choice: God "makes me lie down, he leadeth me" (Ps. 23:2). Both are unhealthily imbalanced positions: One person is made serenely unaware of reality, the other far too fixed on the mundane (Habakkuk 1:5). They're opposite incarnations of God's trap in Isaiah 6:9-10, where it hardens people's hearts so that they don't understand. It's best to avoid either extreme: Psalm 23 is the trap of mindless hope, Habakkuk the trap of a hopeless mind.

A point of agreement between Psalm 23 and Habakkuk:

• God Has Power, And There is Nothing We Can Do: God could end the suffering that ravages every species of life, but doesn't, and there is nothing we can do about it. The reason for it doesn't matter, it is God-ordained. Either ignore it and have a feast (Ps. 23:5), or look it in the eye as does Habakkuk and wallow in despair at the injustice. The ultimate argument in both is that we just have to accept evil, and the ultimate moral of both is don't worry about it.

See:

• The Book of Ḥabhaqquq / Habakkuk / Habacuc
• The Problem of Evil: Why Would a Good God Create Suffering?