Zakhar beShem YaHUaH
– to remember/glory in the Name of YaHUaH, from Psalm 20

André H. Roosma
6 March 2012

David probably writes Psalm 20 at the time when he just lost the first born son with Bathsheba, and his chief commander Jo’ab calls him, to come quickly to take a hostile city (2 Samuel 12: 26 vv.).¹ He then calls the people together to sacrifice with him, seek God’s face and ask God YaHUaH to give victory once more this time:

Psalm 20 (Hebrew from the Tanakh)

Verses 2 to (including) 4 form the introduction denote the subject of the Psalm: it is a prayer for victory in a battle. These verses immediately start with the glorious Name of God: YaHUaH. Why is the great Personal Name of God used with the hope for an answer? That is related to the meaning of that glorious Name!² The magnificent Name YaHUaH reminds the people of God Who said that He wants to be close; yes, with them. The glorious Name also reminds them, that He is The One Who gives life – full life in joyful wonder and worship towards our Creator and in joyful and peaceful community with Him and each other. That magnificent Name is connected also with His protection. Remarkable is the Hebrew word used here (translated by ‘set you on high’): יְשַׂגֶּבְךָ - jesaggebhkha, from the root שָׂגַב - sagabh. In the old script:³ . This denotes, that God places the basis (foundation) of the house (of David, here) at a palm tree (symbol of the tree of life), in other words: that his house is supported by a palm tree. As we saw in the series of articles on the palm tree,⁴ that is symbolically the place where God Himself dwells, and in any case a most stable and inviolable spot, with very rich nurturing fruit.

Also the ‘may He give you support’ from verse 3 contains a reference to the palm tree. The root of this verb is: סָעַד - ca‘ad - . Here the palm tree is a very firm and balanced pillar functioning as a solid doorpost, carrying the door (literally ‘sees to the door’, remaining stable with all the movement of the door).

Then there is a pause: סֶלָה - Celah - . This is not an ordinary pause, but a time in which the palm tree worships the Leader/Shepherd; so, a time to stand still at God’s presence. The old Dächsel Bible¹ already noticed that this is the moment in the Psalm when the sacrificing takes place.

From this moment – when the sacrifice is offered as a symbol of the reconciliation with God – the tone of the Psalm is even more full of hope and expectation in the verses 5 to 7.
This culminates in verse 8: „Some boast/glory in chariots, and some in horses; but we remember / boast/glory in the Name of YaHUaH our God.”
The verb used for ‘to boast or glory in’ or ‘to remember’ is זָכַר, old: - zakhar. I interpret the symbols as follows: - to see as valuable; - the mighty, blessing hand; [of] the (higher) Other / God.
When we regard the power and blessing of God as precious, we like to remember and revisit our experiences with it, joyfully wondering about it again and again. And we will speak about it to others – for out of the abundance of the heart [our] mouth[s] speak (Luke 6: 45). That is the character of the verb zakhar - to remember, commemorate, celebrate, glory in, proclaim.

David applies this word here to the precious Name of God: YaHUaH. Why does he want to remember and glory precisely in this magnificent Name of God? Again: the glorious Name YaHUaH reminds the people that God wants to be close to them; with them. And that He is The One Who gives life – full life in joyful wonder and worship towards our Creator and in joyful and peaceful community with Him and each other.
Zakhar beShem YaHUaH – therefore to remember / glory in the Name of YaHUaH is very important in the daily life of the believer. To stand still at God’s character, His nearness, His love and His power, and what we experienced with Him in the past, gives us hope and security for today and for the future. When He is near to us in love, and has rescued us from misery in the past or got us through, who or what will really harm us then? (cf. Romans 8)
This is very important lesson from the First Testament.

It is a lesson also confirmed by neurological research. It is not our superior thinking as Christians that ultimately changes our lives. Our thinking influences only a small part of our behavior.⁵ Much more it is our experiences that determine our lives.
By remembering the experiences that I have with God’s loving nearness and power again and again, I care that especially those experiences will determine the course of my life and behavior.

This is the very best way to a practically healthy living with God, under His blessing and mighty protection.
Therefore, David follows this verse by: „They (who boast/glory in chariots, and in horses;) will collapse and fall; but we shall rise and stand upright.” Trust in our own might and/or in the power of physical resources cannot beat the power of YaHUaH the God Who is with us (cf. Yesha‘-Yahu (Isaiah) 31: 1). Therefore also in the last verse all hope is only established in Him. (From the context of 2 Samuël and from the next Psalm (21) we see that this was not in vain. God indeed heard their prayers!)

Psalm 119 affirms this principle:

In the night I remember Your Name, o YaHUaH, and let myself be refreshed by Your Torah (testimonies / instructions).

Psalm 119: 55

Also the prophet Yesha‘-Yahu (Isaiah) says:

I will remember/mention the loving-kindnesses of YaHUaH, the praises of YaHUaH, according to all that YaHUaH has benefited for us, and the great good to the house of Israel [by] which He benefited them according to His mercies, and according to the multitude of His loving-kindnesses.

Yesha‘-Yahu 63: 7

Even the prophet Jonah – on the run to avoid God and His calling – knew this principle. When he was thrown into the sea and about to drown, he knew what to do:

When my soul fainted within me, I remembered YaHUaH; and my prayer came in to You, into the temple of Your holiness.

Jonah 2: 7

Hallelu YaH !

Notes

1	K. Aug. Dächsel, Bijbel, of: De geheele Heilige Schrift, bevattende al de kanonieke boeken van het Oude en Nieuwe Testament (Bible, or: The entire Holy Scriptures, containing all the books of the Old and New Testaments, in Dutch, according to the States-translation), with in-line explanations and notes of the most famous theologians of all times (Dutch edition: H. van Griethuijsen Antzn.; after the High German), Part 3: Chronicles – Song of Songs, J.H. Bos, Kampen, NL, 1897; ISBN 978 90 3310064 2 (?). At the beginning of this Psalm Dächsel notes: „David, about to go into battle against the Ammonite kingly city of Rabbah (2 Sam. 12: 26 vv. Cf. 2 Sam. 12: 31 Note) first brings sacrifice to the LORD in the tent at Zion, as was common before the start of such a military campaign. (1 Sam. 13: 9). What he pleads for at this occasion, namely God’s graceful assistance towards a successful end of the undertaking, that the community is also to help him ask - the community present at the religious ceremony; therefore he suggests her to sing this song, to be performed by the Levite singers; he therefore unites himself with her in one body, of which he is the head.”
2	The glorious Name of God I presented here - as well as I could - from the oldest Hebrew original, instead of replacing this grand personal Name of The Most High by a common word, such as ‘Lord’. For more background information on this see: André H. Roosma, ‘The magnificent and most lovely Name of the God Who was there, Who is there, and Who will be there’ , extensive Accede! / Hallelu-YaH! study, July 2009.
3	More information on this old pictographic Bible script in: André H. Roosma, ‘The Written Language of Abraham, Moses and David – A study of the pictographic roots and basic notions in the underlying fabric of the earliest Biblical script’ , Hallelu-YaH Draft Research Report, 1st English version: 18 April 2011 (1st Dutch original: January 2011).
4	See The palm tree in the Bible - Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4 and The great golden Menorah.
5	See: Antonio R. Damasio, Descartes’ error – emotion, reason and the human brain, Putnam / AVON Books, New York, 1994.

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