Monday, March 26, 2012

Looking high and low for inspiration

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The inspiration for illustrating Psalm 55 for our Sunday PsalmChallenge was just not coming last week.
Then yesterday the right photo appeared in the Jerusalem sky: this lone man climbing slowly to his solitary crane operator's cabin.
Please enlarge the picture to appreciate his situation.

He was working above the bottomless pit that will someday become our underground train station.

Psalm 55

1. For the leader; with instrumental music. A maskil. Of David.

2. Give ear, O God, to my prayer; hide not Yourself from my plea;
3. attend to me and answer me. I am agitated as I complain, I am in turmoil
4. at the voice of the enemy, because of the oppression of the wicked; for they bring down trouble upon me and furiously harass me.
5. My heart writhes within me; deathly terrors fall upon me.
6. Fear and trembling invade me; horror overwhelms me.

7. I said, “Would that I had wings, like a dove! I would fly away and [there] dwell;
8. behold, I would flee far away; I would lodge in the wilderness. Selah
9. I would make haste to my refuge from the sweeping, tempestuous wind.

10. O LORD, confound and confuse their speech! For I see Violence and Strife in the city;
11. day and night they make rounds on its walls; Trouble and Mischief are within it.
12. Ruin is within it. Fraud and Deceit never depart from its square.

13. In fact, it is not an enemy who taunts me—I could bear that; it is not my adversary who deals insolently with me—I could hide from him;
14. but it is you, a man who is my peer, my companion, my friend;
15. he, who together with me shared sweet fellowship; we walked amidst the assembly in God’s house.

16. May He incite death against them; may they descend alive into Sheol! For wherever they reside, evils are within them.

17. But I call to God; the LORD will save me.
18. Evening and morning and noon, I complain and am in turmoil, and He hears my voice.
19. He redeems my life, unharmed, from the battle against me; indeed, many were against me.
20. May the Deity, who is enthroned from of old, hear and humble them—Selah—for they never change; they have no fear of God.
21. He stretched out his hand against his ally, he violated his covenant;
22. his mouth was smoother than butter, but battle was in his heart; his words were softer than oil, but they were drawn swords.

23. Cast your burden on the LORD and He will sustain you; He will never let the righteous man fall down.
24. As for You, O God, You will make them descend to the lowest Pit; those murderous, deceitful men shall not live out half their days. As for me, I place my trust in You.

This translation is by Rabbi Benjamin Segal. His commentary and the original Hebrew text can also be found at his blog. Recommended!
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10 comments:

  1. visual interpretation of the word!

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  2. There was this feeling that it might appear, that's why your site was included as a link even from Sunday on. Thank you very much for your effort and kindness to participate.
    Please have a safe step ahead and a wonderful week as well.

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  3. Excellent, Dina! I am glad I saw the pit and can imagine the depth of it in contrast of the huge crane.

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  4. That's a very scary looking bottomless pit. Look at that "ladder" thrown over the edge that goes down into the blackness!

    The crane operator has a long climb up to his station atop the crane too. Quite a workout.

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  5. Great post, Dina.
    I often think of Saint Augustine's words, which you certainly know: "God loves each of us as if there were only one of us."

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