Psalms 10:4 “ The wicked, through the pride of his countenance, will not seek after God: God is not in all his thoughts.”
In studying an ancient language we must bear in mind that there exist ellipses just as in modern English. The only difference is that in modern English we set our ellipses off with a series of three dots (…). An ellipsis is a literary device used to build a sense of tension. It is the elimination of a noun which, in poetry particularly, is used to express sarcasm or make the reader think about his last point. Sometimes it is used to represent irritation, or disgust. Some writers will use it to show shock or dismay. Such literary device date back to ancient times and is seen in Hebrew poetry.
During the time of the King James Version, scholars did not recognize the existence of this literary device in Hebrew poetry which is why you do not see it expressed in the KJV. Yet, as we moved into the 21st century where Christian scholars and Jewish scholars started finally putting their heads together and comparing notes, we are now quite certain that such literary devices did exist in Hebrew poetry.
We have a good example of an ellipsis in this verse. To put it in modern English, we would write it out as: “The wicked, through the pride of his countenance…there is no God…God is not in all his thoughts.
In 1662 the great and brilliant philosopher, mathematician, physicist, inventor and writer Blaise Pascal passed away at the age of 39. Going through his unpublished writings they discovered his work known as Pensees. In this work he postulated that everyone bets with their lives that God either exists or does not exist. Given the possibility that God actually exist and assuming the infinite gain associated with the belief in God and the loss associated with the unbelief, a rational person should live as though God exists and seek to believe in God. If it turns out that God does actually exist, then such a person will have only experience a finite loss (some luxury or pleasure). However, if it turns out that that person chooses to not believe in God for the sake of a finite gain, and it turns out that God exists, he will suffer an infinite loss. A rational person, according to Pascal, will choose a finite loss over an infinite loss. This became known as Pascal’s Wager, will you choose a finite loss for the sake of an infinite gain? Pascal’s Wager charted new territory in understanding the laws of probability and decision making. It is said that this treatise even opened the door to existentialism, pragmatism and voluntarism.
Yet, Pascal was saying nothing more than King David said three thousand years earlier in Psalms 10:4. By use of ellipsis’s he was declaring that any rational man will not deny the existence of God and risk an infinite loss in favor of a finite loss. Yet, David takes this one step further by declaring that such a person who will sacrifice an infinite loss in favor of a finite loss and will do so because of the pride of his countenance.
Pride of his countenance is two words in Hebrew, kegovah ‘apho. Kegovah comes from the root word kavah which is a word used for pride or arrogant, but it really comes from the idea of lifting up or exalted oneself over someone or something else. C.S. Lewis said that a proud man cannot know God for a proud man is always looking down on others and if he is looking down, he cannot see what is above. This is kavah always looking down on others, a sense of self importance, taking oneself too seriously. This is very common in Christianity where someone feels they have entered into some truth that most, if not all Christians, have yet to discover. This makes them feel superior to other Christians, above them in some way with their special knowledge, but in reality it is kavah a trick of the enemy to keep you always looking down and not seeing what is above.
The word for countenance is ‘apho which could come from two possible roots words, ‘aneph which is a word used for anger, but really has the idea of snorting or breathing through the nose. It is an old Bedouin term derived from the snorting of a camel. A camel will snort when it is being forced to do something it does not want to do. It is used to express a great emotion. The other possible root word is ‘apah which mean to bake or cook. It is most likely a play on words, another poetic device used by David, expressing the idea of formulating an idea or plan that is completely selfish and becoming so absorbed in this plan that it becomes kavah, prideful, looking down on others. This selfish plan has you so absorbed that … there is no God. In other words, Gods does not even enter into the picture, He is not even in one’s thoughts. According to Pascal’s Wagersuch a person will suffer an infinite loss in favor of a finite gain and as such would not be a rational person.
How many times do you see that pastor of a large church and wish it was you? How many times do you see someone singing with the worship team and wish it were you up there demonstrating your talents to everyone and getting all the praise. How many times do you wish to dominate a Bible study with all your fancied knowledge, thinking you have special insight that the others do not? Such kavah causes you to see only your ‘apho and not what is above and therefore at that moment…there is no God. You have lost Pascal’s Wager.
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