Psalm 17:5: “Hold up my goings in thy paths that my footsteps slip not.”

“I thought I understood, but I do not understand His ways.”  General Lee after the Battle of Gettysburg.

Most modern translations render this as a statement of fact rather than a request. The word hold up is in a Qal infinitive construct state and thus I would have to agree with the modern translators.  This should be rendered as, My steps have held to your paths.

I expected to find the word derek for paths but instead found the word ‘agal with the preposition in and from prefixed to the word with a pronominal suffix. The word itself means circle. In other words the word is rendered: in or upon from your circle. Some Christians say that they do not like paraphrases, they want to know what the word literally means. Well, there you have it, in or upon from your circle are you happy now? Like it or not every translation is basically a paraphrase with some translator giving his opinion. In or upon from your circle does sound like a lot of nonsense to me and I would just go ahead with the idea of a path except for the fact that the circle in ancient Semitic culture is highly symbolic.  The nature of God is often pictured as a circle. So long as we are a part of that circle we are on his pathway.

In Proverbs 3:5-6 we have God directing our paths where the Hebrew word is derek for path but here we have God holding fast our goings around his circle. The word goings is also a difficult word.  This word comes from the root ’ashar which means steps or going but has the idea of happiness and blessings as well.

I have absolutely no problem with the standard rendering, “My steps have held fast to your paths.  But suppose we substitute the secondary meaning for the word steps and what we have is My happiness is held fast within your circle or your nature. Going back to the word for path or circle (God’s nature) which is ’agal in Hebrew, you find it is spelled Ayin, Gimmel and Lamed.  The Ayin is the letter of wise judgment. When we travel the circle of God we are traveling in His wise judgment.  The next letter in the word for path or circle is the Gimmel. This letter represents the lovingkindness of God.  Within the circle of His nature we find lovingkindness.  So if I continue in his ’agal whatever events that take place are birthed in God’s wisdom and understanding. The last letter is the Lamed which represents God’s teaching.  No matter what our circumstances are, they are designed by God, with His lovingkindness for our instruction and happiness.

So long as our present circumstances are ordered by God, then our happiness is held fast in His wisdom, lovingkindness and instruction, even if our circumstances seem to be unpleasant at this moment.

The last phrase is really in a perfect form and should be rendered: My feet have not slipped.  Many times we think they are slipping but no matter what we go through, God will make sure that are feet are firmly in place upon his circle.

When we follow the path of God, it can get rough. General Robert E. Lee was a true man of God, he was often seen by his men kneeling by his horse Traveler praying before a battle. Often the men, enlisted and officers would approach him while he was on his knees and they too would fall on their knees and join their beloved General in prayer. Before every major battle General Lee would go to God in prayer seeking His guidance and the direction he should take before going into battle. He did this before Gettysburg commenting to his aid that he was certain this was God’s plan. We don’t often hear about this devotion in sermon illustrations because General Lee lost the battle of Gettysburg in fact it was the beginning of the end for the Civil War. We want to end the story by saying that with such dedication to God and seeking the face of God He will give you a mighty victory, instead General Less got a mighty defeat and many of those who prayed with him laid dead on the battle field.

Our tendency would be to say, “Well, prayer does not work.  Dedication does not work, I am just going to give up on God, what has He ever done for me? He only rewards my devotion with defeat.”  Perhaps the story of General Lee should be told, told over and over for we all find times when our prayers are unanswered and our dedication to God goes unrewarded. For this man of God who sincerely sought God in prayer and devotion, may have missed God’s derek but he did not miss God’s ‘agal, His circle or nature. Rather than just curse God General Lee admitted that, “I thought I understood, but I don’t understand His ways.” He went from there and continued to remain faithful to His God and continue to pray and seek God’s face, even when he surrendered at Appomattox.

We may not understand His ways.  We may not understand that our way does not fit God’s greater plan and as a result, like General Lee, we may be fighting on the wrong side and God will have to bring us defeat to carry out a greater plan. General Lee could not possibly see one hundred and fifty years down the road a great and powerful nation that would send missionaries throughout the world, be the one nation that raises the banner of God and be the one nation that supports and sustains the nation of Israel. General Lee could not see that if this nation was divided it could not have become such a  powerful nation to accomplish the great things for God that it did.  Had General Lee won the war this divided nation might not have been powerful enough to defeat Germany in World War II and we could be sitting in a concentration camp right now for our faith and the entire of race of God’s chosen people, the Jews, would have been destroyed.

We are part of God’s orchestra and we can appeal to our orchestra leader to play our instrument the way we want, but if it is not in tune with the rest of the orchestra and not what the leader wants, He will deny our request for the greater good of the performance. Our only request is that our foot does not slip and we do not hit a sour note when we venture down whatever path we take.