Psalm 25:4-6 – A Lament for Discipleship

I have been offering my literal translation of these verses:

“Cause me to know Your  ways, YHVH. Train  me [in] Your paths. Cause me to travel in Your truth.  Train me because You [are] the God of my deliverance. On you I wait/hope all the day. Remember Your mercies YHVH and Your loving-kindnesses because they [are] from ages.”

The word translated “train” is “lamad.” It would be one of the Hebrew synonyms for “to teach.” However, its semantic range definitely includes more than just the idea of passing along knowledge. It includes the idea of staying with the person, working through their attempt to apply the teaching, going through it again and again until they’ve “got it.” In a local school setting, it would be more analogous to the wrestling coach than to the Algebra teacher. The Algebra teacher can teach the lesson then some people pass and some flunk. The wrestling coach shows the boys a move, then gets down on the mat with each boy individually and works through it again and again and again until that boy can do it smoothly, effortlessly. (I realize this is an oversimplification – I personally had an Algebra teacher who sat on the bleachers in the gym with me and helped me learn Cartesian coordinates. But you get my point).

Lamad is more than just passing along knowledge. It is actual, practical training. Interestingly, in Hebrew, an oxgoad was called a “malmad.” Hebrew was written in all consonants, no vowels, so Lamad was actually lmd. You can see the lmd in “malmad.” So, hopefully you “get the point” (no pun intended). To “lamad” could never be satisfied with simply passing on knowledge. It was to teach and then stick with an oxgoad. “There you go. Now let’s see you do it.”

In the Christian realm, the word for this is “discipleship.” I think we would all understand that “discipling” is more than just teaching. Somehow it has to include more than just passing along knowledge. To “disciple” someone involves the actual “life” training; staying with the person until they’ve “got it.”

My lament is that such activity is almost a forgotten art, and that not only in the church but in the rest of the world as well. Having said that, I hope this post does not come across as negative or hopeless. That is not my intent. I hope it comes across as simply factual and thought-provoking. If, in fact, discipleship or “training” is basically a forgotten art, it will only be revived if individual people join my lament, then resolve that, within their own sphere of influence, they will endeavor to change.

My lament is that basically “training” doesn’t happen anymore. Everyone today thinks you should be able to offer a class, stand in front of who-knows-how-many-people, give them the information, then turn them loose to do wonders with it. Once in a while, maybe, that works. But again and again and again in my life I have sat in such classes, received the info, the outlines, the tables, the charts, only to go back to my office and realize I don’t know how to put the info into practice. I don’t “get it.”

My father “trained” me. He showed so many things to my brother and me. He taught us things like how to take our bicycles apart clear down to the bearings, repack them with grease, and put them back together again. He taught me how to do vinyl siding. And my step-Dad did the same. He explained how to hang gutters, then came to my house and worked right alongside me.

But that is about it for my life. Basically, the last time anyone (other than my Dad or stepdad) actually “trained” me to do anything was in college. Our TA’s had office hours where you could go in and sit down and say, “I don’t understand how to do this problem.” Then they would actually take the time to walk through it and I would actually “get it!” I thought at work there would be older engineers who would explain things to me, like those TA’s. Mentors, you know. But that has not been my experience. And from talking to others, no one else has found anyone willing to “explain” things. Basically, you’re on your own.

It’s too bad. That’s not the way God is. Think about it. When He came to earth and lived as a man, what did He do? Called twelve disciples. And how did he “teach” them? He lived with them. He taught them orally, but then He was right there with them, constantly explaining things, answering their questions, cheering their successes, correcting their faults. He is THE discipler, the trainer. To be like Him means to be more of a discipler, trainer, wherever we might have opportunity, whether it’s our kids, our grandkids, at work, amongst believers, even in our community.

I am so much the richer for every single time anyone ever took the time to “show me” anything. As I go about living my life, I find myself feeling so confident as I do something that someone once “showed me” how to do. On the other hand, it seems like with the things where no one ever “showed me” and I just sort of “figured out” on my own, there’s always a sense of doubt, a feeling that I’m “not sure I’m doing this right.” And that is true though I’ve been doing those things for 30 years. There’s still a hesitation, a lack of confidence. Even if I “show” someone else, I am tempted to say, “I don’t know if this is the best way to do this, but it works for me …” Truth is it probably helps them enormously. Now they’ve been “shown.”

That’s my life anyway. It’s the way I see things. Maybe it isn’t the way others see it. If someone stumbles across this post and you totally don’t see what I’m saying … hey, it’s a free country! But if it does make sense to you and you too would lament for discipleship, then resolve with me that, as you work through your days, be praying the Lord would help you to see the opportunities to “show” someone else, to be a trainer, a discipler, even in the little unofficial, unstructured, unplanned moments of life. We’re asking Him to “teach us His way.” Jesus made it clear that His “way” means living a life of being willing to “show” others how.

You and I can’t change the world. But we can change us. And maybe someone will be the richer for it!