“[May the Lord] Send forth your
help from the altar [lit. from the sacred], and from Zion [He may] support you.” (Psalms 20:3)
All comes from God, and He sustains and supports His
creation. This principle includes the help we need to fulfill our existence, especially
when it is according to His will. In this verse King David is referring to a
particular kind of help and support that only comes from the sacredness of
God’s presence in this world, which is His chosen place known as Zion.
We realize that the Creator has multiple ways to
sustain His creation, ones more sublime than others, as we see it in this
verse. We have to be sacred in order to approach God’s sacredness.
This ideal requires from us to detach from the negative
traits and trends derived from an egocentric approach to life, by embracing the
ways and attributes of goodness that are our bond with the Creator of all. For
this we need the help that comes precisely from the highest level of our consciousness
also known as the altar of the Sanctuary in Zion.
The verses that follow give us the context of the
Psalmist’s plea to God.
“[That may the Lord] Remember all your meal offerings
and your burnt offerings forever. [To] Grant you according to [what] your heart
[desires], and fulfill all your plans.” (20:4-5)
The offerings we bring to the Temple of Jerusalem are
commanded by God to make us close to Him. We have mentioned that the Hebrew
semantic root for “offering” is the same for “closeness”.
In this closeness we
are actually redeemed from anything that prevents our well being, plenitude and
self-realization. Hence our desires and plans must be aimed to pursue only
goodness in life, as God wants us to experience His ways and attributes in this
world.
“Only loving kindness and compassion shall follow me
all the days of my life; and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord
forever [lit. for many long days].” (23:6)
If we paraphrase this verse, we understand that in
order to dwell in God’s presence manifest in His house, the Temple of
Jerusalem, only loving kindness and compassion must lead every aspect and
expression of life.
The previous verses in the chapter quoted here refer to
what happens in us when we embrace God’s ways and attributes as the ruling
ethical principles and fundamentals to experience life in this world.
The
outcome is stated in this verse, as the culmination of living in full awareness
of the goodness coming from our Creator.
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