Psalms 39:13: “O spare me, that I may recover strength, before I go hence, and be no more.”

This is a very curious verse.  What is the Psalmist saying when he asks God to spare him so he can recover strength before he is no more.  All commentators agree the expression before I go hence and be no more is a reference to death.  The way this is worded in the English it is obvious he has accepted the fact that he is going to die so why is he asking to be spared to recover strength.

Looking at other modern English translations can be just as confusing. Some say: look away from me, leave me alone, turn your gaze from me, look away from me or look from me.   Then there are some who paraphrase so the verse so it would make some sense.  They say: O forgive me, save me, or turn your angry gaze from me.  None of these really make much sense.  All still want God to ignore him before he dies.  The only exception is the translation which says turn you angry gaze away from me.  That is only a guess assuming the Psalmist, which may very well be David himself, feels God is angry with him.   There is no evidence that this is the case in this particular Psalm.  That is a good example of trying to come up with some explanation for something that doesn’t make sense in Scripture.

Christian commentators are not much help as they talk about the writer wanting some breathing space before he dies others just say he wants God to turn away from his anger which I do not find any evidence for.  The word in Hebrew for spare me or turn away is hasha’. Christian Hebrew scholars say the root word is hasha’  which means to turn away in our Christian lexicons.  However, when I go to Jewish literature I find that the Jewish scholars, contrary to our Christian scholars tell us that the root word is not hasa’ but sha’ah which means the opposite.  Sha’ah means to look at me, gaze at me.

Now that makes more sense.  I cannot image any believer when it comes time to die is going to ask God to look away from him so he can find some rest or peace.  I know I want God looking directly at me.  I want him to sha’ah and not hasa’  My apologies to the Christian scholars but I think I will side with the Jewish scholars on this one, not only because they have been at this Hebrew language longer than Christianity but I like their renderings better.

Jewish scholars, however, just don’t quit there, they will mine this word for every gem they can find.  The go further by saying this means more specifically to turn in acceptance or approval. The writer is praying that God not only turns his gaze upon him but does with acceptance and approval.  They point out that this word is related to the word sha’a which means to give loving care.  The writer is asking to not only look upon him with acceptance but to give him loving care as he approaches his time to die.  These scholars also teach that this word  is also related to the word shachah which is the word for worship and swimming.  When you swim you are surrounded by water. When you worship you are surrounded by the presence of God like you are surrounded by water. As the writer approaches death he just wants to be surrounded by the loving presence of God.

He wants God to do all this, gaze upon him with acceptance and surround him with His presence so when he approaches death’s door he will recover strength. The word recover is not the Hebrew text,  it is only one word balag which Christians scholars says means strength but the Jewish scholars says means to smile. If you can smile at death’s door, then you have all the strength you need.  Oh but the Jewish teachers do not quit there.  That word balag also means to support.  Thus the writer is saying that he when it is time for him to die he wants God to gaze upon him approvingly and surround him with His presence so he will have the support of his Creator and he can smile as he faces death’s door.

Now come on isn’t that a little more encouraging than rendering this as turn away from so I can I have some alone time when I die? 

In my new book I write about an experience when I was a pastor and one of the charismatic women in my church called me and asked if I could come out to her neighbor’s home.  The woman was 94 years old and in hospice care. They brought her home to die.  Her husband wanted a preacher there and  this charismatic lady from my church called to ask if I could come right out.  I did and what I found was an elderly woman in a hospital bed who was dying. She was rolling back and forth in the bed, moaning, groaning and at time screaming.  Her husband was beside  himself and when I entered the house he came up to me and said; “Oh, preacher please pray, look at her, she is so upset, I just don’t know what to do.”   I walked over to the bed where the lady from my church was trying to comfort the woman and I whisper to her, “How do pray?  I mean she is 94 years old, do I pray she be healed?”  The little charismatic lady from my church said: “I know how to pray.”  So I said: “Good you do it.”   She placed her hand on the dying woman who was now ranting and raving and began to pray in an unknown tongue.  Suddenly the elderly woman became very peaceful and restful and remained that way for the next two days until the Lord just wrapped His arms around her and her with Him. The little lady praying for her just kept her eyes closed and I saw her lips moving.  I could not help but think that maybe her spirit was speaking to the spirit of this woman and telling her everything would be alright, in fact it would be wonderful. I figured that was what was happening because suddenly a smile broke out on this dying woman’s face.

The husband grabbed my hand and began to pump it thanking me for praying and said; “By golly, you preachers really know how to pray.”  I said: “But it wasn’t me, it was…huh?”  You know my little charismatic friend did not know Hebrew, but I will bet her spirit knew Hebrew and shared this verse with this dying woman as it really read in the Hebrew,  “Gaze with approval and surround me with your presence so that when I leave this body I will leave it with a smile.”