Psalm 25:12 – Choosing. Hmmm.

Here is my literal translation of this verse:

^“Who is this, the man fearing YHVH? He will teach/shoot him [in] the way he should choose.

K&D makes an interesting observation: “Among all the blessings which fall to the lot of him who fears God, the first place is given to this, that God raises him above the vacillation and hesitancy of human opinion.” Calvin makes a similar observation: “…in almost all our affairs we are held in suspense and doubt, unless God appear to show us the way.”

Certainly “the way he should choose” is a salient topic for discussion. It seems to me (and I suspect I’m typical) that most of my life I have spent in a quandary over some (or many) decision(s) I felt I needed to make.

I would agree with K&D that somewhere near the top of my list of blessings has been the freedom of knowing what is right. We seem to live in the age of  the “vacillation and hesitancy of human opinion.” Actually one should probably say “opinions” – plural, which is precisely the problem. Everybody has an opinion. Everybody thinks they know “the way.” Everybody writes a new book.

But first, a few technical details: “fear the Lord” – people argue whether this means simply “reverence” or actually to be afraid of Him. Of course today, “to be afraid of Him" is politically incorrect, so we have to run to the “reverence” definition. Personally, I think they’re both true and what it comes down to is consequences. We live in a world of truth and consequences. If you do what’s right, in the long run (at least) you will be blessed. If you do what’s wrong, you will suffer for it. I think we see particularly in the book of Proverbs that the man who “fears the Lord” is a man who has figured this out. God runs the universe. He is the Law-giver. He says what is right and what is wrong. A wise person is okay with that. And a wise person lives very aware that his choices every day will either enjoy God’s blessings or suffer His consequences. If I don’t do right for any other reason, I’ll do right because I’m afraid of the consequences – I fear the Lord. I think what people fail to see is that it is not a servile, groveling fear. I love Him. He loves me. I don’t doubt that. But His rod is very painful and He loves me too much not to draw it out and use it on me when I need it. So is that reverence? Yeah, I think so. But it is also fear. Once again, I think when one ponders the “fear of the Lord,” “consequences” is the word to keep in mind in the middle of it all.

Another detail to note is the word I translated “teach/shoot.” This is the same “to teach” synonym we observed in verse 8: “…therefore He will teach/shoot sinners in the way.”  To repeat some of what I said there:  This is the Hebrew word yarah. The root word means literally “to throw” or “to shoot” with a strong sense of control by the subject. It is the idea of someone shooting an arrow, but it cannot be randomly; it is the idea of shooting the arrow at a very specific target. In the Hebrew way of painting mental pictures, the same word becomes one of the synonyms for “to teach.” Certainly a good teacher knows why they’re teaching their students, they know exactly what they want them to learn, and so their teaching is seriously like shooting an arrow at a target. And so the Lord, the Master Teacher, “will teach/shoot sinners in the way.” His intent is in no way ambiguous or unclearly defined. He picks them up, aims them carefully at the target and sends them down the path of learning. Now in verse 12 we learn one of the benefits to be enjoyed by those who fear the Lord is the assurance that “He will teach/shoot him in the way he should choose.”

Finally, I don’t always comment on the “other” interpretations offered, usually because I personally don’t think they have merit and I don’t want to spend the time. In this case, though, I do want to note a couple of things, including the NIV translation: “Who, then, are those who fear the LORD? He will instruct them in the ways they should choose”.  Sometimes I am amazed at what a good job the NIV does of bringing out the meaning of a verse. And then there are the other times. I am afraid, in their determination to make the Bible readable, the NIV translators sometimes simply took way too much liberty with their translation. Many, many times as I study the Greek or Hebrew, I find it shocking how they just took it on themselves to seemingly ignore the text. This verse is one of those cases, in my humble opinion. It is not “those.” There is no plural whatsoever in the subject. It is literally, “Who [is] this, the man fearing YHVH?” I could not possibly, in good conscience translate this “those” and publish it as if it were a faithful translation of God’s Word. Further, the NIV translates the last phrase as “He will instruct them in the ways they should choose”. Again, there’s no “them/they” and no plural of “way.” I don’t know where they are getting their plurals from. Someone may argue I’m being petty. But this is the Word of God. Going back to our previous discussion, I would think there would be a little fear in such an endeavor – and certainly a fear that would restrain me from arbitrarily changing things like this.

Finally, should we translate it, “the way he should choose” or, as some do, “the way chosen for him” or even “the way He chooses?” There certainly is no textual basis, I don’t think, for “the way chosen for him.” I don’t know where that is even coming from. As far as whether it is “he” or “He,” I don’t know if it really makes any practical difference, since the whole point is that the man who fears the Lord wants to choose what God chooses. I think you can use either. So one might run across either and think it is a big deal to decide which it should be. But I’m saying I don’t think so. I want to choose what God chooses. The more the better those two are indistinguishable in my life.

So then. With all that said. As I related above, it seems I’ve spent the better part of my life in one quandary after another wanting to know “the way I should choose.” One of the blessings of knowing the Lord has been, in fact, knowing “the way I should choose.” He has certainly taught/shot me many, many times. But then there is now. It seems like my life lately has become a labyrinth, a cluttered snarl of too many questions for which I don’t have answers. The promise, “He will teach/shoot him [in] the way he should choose,” feels almost like a taunt or a tease right now. I am in my usual quandary(s) but right now it seems there are a record number of them weighing on me all at once, that they have remained quandaries way too long, that they are beginning to snowball on me, and though I cry out for direction, though I spend this time in the Word trying to “listen,” one day just turns into another and still I don’t know “the way I should choose.”

I’ve been here before. It’s just never been this bad.

It is to the point I feel tormented by it all. I feel wearied by the confusion. I read the promise, “He will teach/shoot him [in] the way he should choose,” and again it feels almost like a taunt or a tease right now.

Time for faith. Simply believe. Wait/hope. “Good and upright is the Lord, therefore He will teach/shoot sinners in the way.” He certainly is good and upright. I certainly am a sinner. He’s the One Who said, “Seek and ye shall find.” I need to keep on “seeking” and let Him orchestrate the “finding.”

So I will go on waiting. “There is a time and a season for everything, though a man’s misery weighs heavily upon him” (Eccl 8:6). Time for another Habakkuk: “I will stand at my watch …; I will look to see what He will say to me, …”(2:1).

Today I can love God and love people whether or not I have my own questions answered. Today, whatever comes, I can sincerely try to “let love and faithfulness never leave me.” Today I should be sensitive to the fact that probably everyone I encounter is suffering through their own quandaries. Perhaps a new measure of gentleness is on order. Today I can choose to simply trust my Father. I just definitely need His grace and strength to do it.

But it hurts. A lot.

Wait/hope.

Even so, Father, for so it seemed good in Thy sight. May it be unto me according to Thy word.