Daily Lesson for December 14, 2016

Today's Daily Lesson comes from Psalm 49 verses 10 through 15:

10 For he sees that even the wise die;
the fool and the stupid alike must perish
and leave their wealth to others.
11 Their graves are their homes forever,
their dwelling places to all generations,
though they called lands by their own names.
12 Man in his pomp will not remain;
he is like the beasts that perish.
13 This is the path of those who have foolish confidence;
yet after them people approve of their boasts. Selah
14 Like sheep they are appointed for Sheol;
death shall be their shepherd,
and the upright shall rule over them in the morning.
Their form shall be consumed in Sheol, with no place to dwell.
15 But God will ransom my soul from the power of Sheol,
for he will receive me. Selah

Yesterday during worship planning, we were talking about the reading of a psalm in an upcoming service. As I was going through the psalm verse by verse, I asked the pastors and other ministers at the table what we should do with the "Selah" that comes at the end of so many of the verses. Do we read it out loud?  Do we translate it? What does it mean?

Well, it turns out nobody really quite knows what it means. A lot of Biblical scholars think it is some kind of musical direction, set in between the verses of scripture to be played at certain poignant moments in the psalm. Other, more pastoral traditions believe it was a kind of directive refrain to the reader, the meaning of which could be translated, "Be still, listen, hear and know."

The reading of the psalms are now mostly private and personal (if done at all), but throughout history the psalms were first written and have been presented as public readings -- even dramatic readings. When we read the psalms in private, and especially in silence, we mostly skip over "Selah", because it has such little meaning to us. It's almost unconscious how we pass right over it. It's the most skipped over part of scripture in the Bible -- not counting the begets!

But what if we are meant to read the "Selah", to consider it, to let it do its work, even if the meaning of the work is not altogether clear. In fact, what if that's just the point?  What if the "Selah" was left untranslated for a reason?  And what if that reason is discovered only in its reading, its hearing, and its consideration?  What if not knowing the exact verbal translation of "Selah" means that it opens it to broader personal, and communal meaning -- meanings like, "Pause." "Listen." "Hear." "Believe."  "Let the community believe for you." "Be still and know." "Drink the wisdom."?

What if the exact meaning of the word "Selah" is not translated because it is altogether untranslatable -- beyond strictly logical meaning and into the realm of the spirit? In other words, what if there aren't other words -- none that will do anyway?  What if instead it is the shaking of the head, the affirmation of the soul, the musical score that transcends all language and accompanies the moment when deep truth calls out to deep being?

 Man in his pomp will not remain;
he is like the beasts that perish.
 This is the path of those who have foolish confidence;
yet after them people approve of their boasts. Selah
 Like sheep they are appointed for Sheol;
death shall be their shepherd,
and the upright shall rule over them in the morning.
Their form shall be consumed in Sheol, with no place to dwell.
 But God will ransom my soul from the power of Sheol,
for he will receive me. Selah