This is what I do instead of homework. . .

I had a good theological conversation after dinner tonight, and at the very end when we were all tired and deciding to go back to our dorms to do homework, Mike said, "Did you know that God exalts His Word above Himself? Look it up!"

At first hearing, his statement sounds very strange. So, I did a google search first to see what people had to say about this, and hopefully find the reference. Well, it comes from Psalm 138:2. And I'm going to have to post it in several translations, because there seems to be some textual variety going on.

First, the KJV:

I will worship toward thy holy temple, and praise thy name for thy lovingkindness and for thy truth: for thou hast magnified thy word above all thy name.

This actually says that He magnified his Word above His name, not Himself, but that is arguably the same thing.

But I immediately discovered that the ESV is slightly different:

I bow down toward your holy temple
and give thanks to your name for your steadfast love and your faithfulness,
for you have exalted above all things
your name and your word.

The translators of the ESV included a footnote: "Or you have exalted your word above all your name"

Let's look at some other versions. . . NASB:

I will bow down toward Your holy temple
And give thanks to Your name for Your lovingkindness and Your truth;
For You have magnified Your word according to all Your name.

The plot thickens!! This is different even than the previous two!
I looked at the NIV just for kicks, and it was similar to ESV. NKJV was the same as KJV.

Let's see what Jewish Hebrew translators have to say (this is from chabad.org, by the way):

I shall prostrate myself toward Your holy Temple, and I shall give thanks to Your name for Your kindness and for Your truth, for You magnified Your word over all Your names.

That's very similar to KJV, actually. And God does have several names.

So, I'm discovering more questions than answers, like why are there three different variants? And what does it mean anyway? The way the ESV renders it seems very straitforward and non-controversial: His name and His Word are given equal standing. But the NASB? What does it mean for Him to magnify His word according to His name?

It so happens that the Jews and the KJVers seem to actually agree about something in this text. I'm trying to consider what this rendering might mean. Is God saying that His word is more important than His person? Or just His name (although His name is often used as a designation of His person)? The only thing I am thinking of is that no man has seen God, or can see God, therefore He uses His word to reveal Himself to man. That makes His word of extreme priority in His self-disclosure. It is also true that Messiah is the Word, according to John 1, and "God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name" (Phil 2:9). That's interesting. What name is Paul refering to? How come we never talk about that?

So, I have no conclusions. Only more questions. I also did a google search of the text to see what people said about it. I only looked a little, but I found that people mostly were using it as a proof text for one thing or another, without really going into detail about what it meant. On the side, I found this highly amusing blog article in which the author rebuts a KJV-only person who uses Psalm 138:2 as a proof-text. Check it out, it's fun.

Anyway, if anyone has insight to share I would be glad to hear it. Don't worry, I won't be up all night thinking about this, I'm just curious. The strange thing is that while I should be frustrated with God's word for not being plain and simple, I think I have more respect for it. And I think I've learned something. . . maybe.

Now that I have spent over an hour on this mystery, I had better do some work on my "Theme and Variations" composition. I find it incredible that at a Bible College I have not had much time for theological musings recently. How sad.

Christmas?

For one of my classes I had to read Shadowlands by William Nicholson, a play about how C. S. Lewis meets, marries, and falls in love with Joy Davidman. I am posting a delightful interchange on the subject of Christmas between Lewis and his friends.

Christopher Riley: What I resent about Christmas is the general presumption of good will. I feel no good will towards my fellow men. I feel ill will.

C. S. Lewis: It's got nothing to do with how you feel, Christopher. Feelings are far too unreliable.

Riley: Maybe so, Jack, but they're very close to me. I'm very attached to my feelings. I won't hear a word against them. They're easily hurt.

Harrington: I'm afraid Christmas is something of a lost cause, Jack.

Lewis: That depends on how it's presented. If you tell people it's about peace in the world, and being kind to the poor and needy, then naturally nobody listens.

Riley: Aha! the archcommunicator in action! Give us the sales pitch, Jack!

Lewis: "Virgin has sex with Omnipotent Alien--Gives birth to God."

Riley: I've always thought the incarnation proves that God has a severely limited intellect. Who'd choose, voluntarily, to be human, when you have the option of being safely divine?

Lewis: Think of the magic, Christopher. The birth of a helpless, squealing creature that is also God. An all powerful baby. Doesn't that satisfy your taste for the peculiar? It's the coming of new life in the heart of winter, when all the land is dead. The snow falls, and the trees are bare. All but one tree, which bears fruit. That's real magic.

In my opinion, those of us who celebrate Christmas are doing so in vain, because of the ways in which we celebrate. The character of Lewis touches on what we lose sight of: the wonder of the incarnation, God in His glory humbling Himself to become human.

Maybe it's because we tend to do one of two things to concepts we can't understand: Explain them away, or don't think about them at all.

Sometimes we pay lipservice to "the true meaning of Christmas." We watch "Charlie Brown Christmas" and remind ourselves that Christmas is not about lights, trees, and Santa, but that it's about a baby born in Bethlehem. But even that does not go far enough!

Last night my dorm mom said, "What are all the things you associate with Christmas? If all those things weren't there, what would it be like?" Many girls said, "Sad, depressing, etc." But she was trying to get us to realize that all the things we focus on at Christmastime are in the way of what we really need to see.

We spend this time stressing more than worshiping. I find that my mind is more preoccupied with "What am I going to give so-and-so?" rather than meditating on the beauty of Emmanuel, God with us. Coming at the fullness of time to redeem.

That's real magic.