Praise the Lord! I will praise the Lord with my whole heart, in the assembly of the upright and in the congregation. (Psalm 111:1)

Before we move further into this psalm, I’d like to consider one other Hebrew word used by the psalmist; one that conveys much more than what we see on the surface of the text. It is the composer’s earnest desire to “praise the Lord” with his whole heart among the upright within the congregation of the Lord. Sounds simple enough but let’s look at the Hebrew wording. The term translated as “assembly” is not the Hebrew word we would normally expect. In this case, the term is סוד sod — a word that might be familiar to those who have delved into the fascinating world that is the Hebrew language.

Judaism teaches that there are four primary interpretations of Scripture: the basic and literal interpretation followed by things that are obviously hinted at in Scripture but not necessarily stated. Then there are doctrinal concepts that are developed when stringing associated passages together (e.g. hermeneutics). Lastly, those things that are hidden — i.e. those Scriptural jewels that must be searched out. The Hebrew word that describes this fourth level of study is סוד sod. So, why is this word used in the verse above to describe the assembly of the upright?

To answer that question, it is important to first acknowledge an important concept addressed repeatedly in Scripture. As has been noted in a previous devotion, the Lord wants our whole heart, not just a piece of it. That is why He tells us, again and again, that we are to love and serve Him with all of our heart. The point is that those who are upright are those who serve the Lord wholeheartedly, meaning they seek the Face of their Maker; they go beyond what is just on the surface. As it is written, “Seek the Lord; you will find Him if you seek Him with all your heart and with all your soul” (Deuteronomy 4:29). The Messiah reaffirmed this saying that if we seek, we will find; if we knock, the door will be opened to us.

Taking all of this into consideration, we understand that the psalmist expressed a desire to worship with those who love the Lord above all; those who want more than just a surface relationship with the Almighty. The upright want an intimacy that goes beyond the surface; they possess a desire to search out the depths of God’s Presence and experience those things that God has reserved — you might even say, hidden — for those who love Him with all their heart. And so it is written, “Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him” (1 Corinthians 2:9).

Blessings and Shalom,  

Bill