When we came together on the eve of the new moon, this past Wednesday, we looked into Psalm 27, one of the favourite psalms of many believers. Some commentators insist that there is a CONNECTION between the 6th Scriptural month, also called Elul, and Psalm 27. On Wednesday, at the beginning of the 6th month, we spoke about the reasons for this perceived connection, from a Jewish perspective. One reason for this connection is the wording of Psalm 27:13: “If I had not believed that I would see the goodness of Yahweh in the land of the living, (my life would have been without meaning and significance”). The words in brackets do not stand in the text, but one can clearly see that this was indeed what David was saying. One cannot help but being reminded of what the apostle had written in 1 Corinthians 15:19 “If our expectation in Messiah was for this life only, we would have been the most wretched of all men.” What a privilege it is for you and me to know that one day, we shall not only see and taste the goodness of Yahweh, but also discover that our expectation in Messiah was not in vain! This is one of the CERTAINTIES that makes life worthwhile and meaningful. So, what is the connection with Elul?
The connection, according to the understanding of some of the Jewish commentators, lies in the very first Hebrew word of verse 13, the word “LULEI” (in Hebrew: לוּלֵא). In English, this word is translated with four words, “If I had not”, and when one turns around the four Hebrew letters of this word, it spells out the word “ELUL” (in Hebrew: אֱלוּל). One may question this method of connecting a certain month to a seemingly unrelated verse in Scriptures. But I believe that we may take this CLUE and try to get to the bottom of this word “lulei” in Scriptures. On Wednesday we have highlighted three other places in Scriptures where the very same word is used. And while the “lulei” in Psalm 27 is translated with “If I had not”, the remaining three occurrences of “lulei” are translated: “If WE had not” (Genesis 43:10); “If THEY had not” (Judges 14:18) and “If YOU had not” (2 Samuel 2:27. Together with Psalm 27:13, these are the four times that the word “lulei” is used in Scriptures.
But there is more to say about this word “lulei”. The word is a COMBINATION of two other words, the word “lu”, meaning “if”, and the word “lo”, meaning “not”. There is almost a kind of rhythmic sound when these two words are used together, very much like the word “hoo-ha”, that is nowadays used when there was a great commotion about something. The Hebrew word “lu”, standing on its own, is used 22 times in Scriptures, and some of these 22 instances may help us to put an end to our obsessive tendency of OVER-USING the word “if” in English (“as” in Afrikaans). IF I had done things differently, the outcome WOULD have been better. IF you had not insulted me, I WOULD have accepted your offer. IF we had not been keeping the Shabbat, more people WOULD join us. IF they had listened to us, they WOULD understand us better. We may add a hundred more examples of how people are often getting into the habit of punishing themselves, and others, by using the word “if”. Notice also, how the word “if” is often followed by the word “would” (sometimes also “could” or “might” or “should”). As believers, we must come to grips with the fact, once and for all, that our lives are not built upon “ifs” and “woulds”, but upon YAHWEH’S CLEAR WORDS, and our clear response to those words. There is an English saying, “If ifs and ands were pots and pans, there’d be no work for tinkers’ hands”. There was a time when tinkers, or handymen, would go from town to town to fix the pots and pans in people’s households, and this precious piece of wisdom is telling us that the “ifs” of human action will lead to nothing but UNCERTAINTY and insecurity. Let us take a brief look at some of the 22 verses containing the word “lu” (or the “if” of human action) in Scriptures.
There is an “if” that is often just as useless as the “If I/we/you/they had not …” that we have spoken of just now. And this is when we use the words “WHAT IF he or she rejects me, or hurts me, or hates me?” We read about this in Genesis 50:15 “And when Yoseph’s brothers saw that their father was dead, they said, “WHAT IF YOSEPH HATES US, and pays us back all the evil which we did to him?” The word “if” in this case, is a word of suspicion, and may very well lead to actions that promote even MORE suspicion. TERRIFIED by this “what if”, Yoseph’s brothers told Yoseph that, before his death, Yaakov had commanded them to tell him (Yoseph) that he should forgive them (his brothers), for what they had done unto him. Was this the TRUTH? We simply do not know, and I believe it is only the forgiving attitude and the greatness of heart of Yoseph, that caused him to accept their apology and to reconcile himself to them. Someone once said, “The what-if’s and the should-have’s will eat your brain.” To that we may add, “It will also cloud your judgment and rob you of your conviction.” Let us always stick to that which is certain and true and wise!
In Numbers 14:2 the people of Israel MURMURED, for the umptieth time, about their being in the wilderness, and said among themselves, “If only we had died in the land of Mitsrayim … if only we had died in this wilderness!” IF ONLY. If only I could have stayed the way I was. If only I had done things differently. If only I had known what would happen later. If only I had someone with me who understood me. If only this wilderness period had not been so long and so difficult. In Numbers 14 the people were so consumed with their “if only”, that there were at least three wonderful and amazing things that they could NOT see and appreciate: Firstly, the land that they were about to enter, was “an exceedingly good land” (verse 7). Secondly, Yahweh was looking for a reason to delight in them (verse 8). And thirdly and quite simply, Yahweh was with them (verse 9). How they managed to keep on focusing on their occasional drawbacks, in the midst of Yahweh’s constant presence and favour, is mind boggling! IF ONLY they knew how one-track-minded and how blind they really were!
There was a huge chunk of Job’s life that was very m uch the opposite of easy and relaxed. In Job 6:2-3 he called out, “If my grief were thoroughly weighed, it would outweigh the sand of the sea.” Can we blame him for using an “if” here? Maybe not. His situation was almost unbearable. But still, what we can also sense here, is a deflated spirit and a mood of hopelessness. And it is so much different, than the way he looked at things later on, in a chapter like Job 28, having realized that YAHWEH’S HAND was upon him during all those times – no matter how desperate his situation was. In chapter 28 he used the same word “weigh” that he was using in chapter 6 (where he said: If my grief were WEIGHED …) but this time he used the word for a reason that is very much the opposite of the reason in chapter 6. In chapter 28 he says there are certain things that are so precious, that silver and gold cannot be WEIGHED out as its price (verse 15). What are these things? The grief and the difficulties are still there. But he is not weighing them any longer. What he weighs now and finds HEAVIER than any amount of silver and gold, is human wisdom and understanding (verse 12); the knowledge and understanding of Elohim (verse 23) and when a person decides to live according to the fear of Yahweh (verse 27-28). One feels like shouting out the question: Is this the same Job of chapter 6? Let us make the switch in our lives, like Job, and start weighing knowledge and understanding and the fear of Yahweh, instead of weighing our own grief, of which a large portion is often born out of self-pity!
As we have seen with Job, there are “ifs” that are UNDERSTANDABLE, even excusable. And then there are also “ifs” that are LIFE CHANGING. Like the “if” of Psalm 27:13, which we have mentioned before, “If I had not believed that I would see the goodness of Yahweh in the land of the living, my life would have been without meaning and significance”. And the “if” of Psalm 94:17, “If Yahweh had not been my help, my being would soon have settled in silence!” And the “if” of Psalm 119:92, “If Your Torah had not been my delight, I would have perished in my affliction!” And the “if” of Psalm 124:1-3, “If it weren’t for Yahweh who is on our side, then we would have been swallowed alive!” And the “if” of Psalm 137:5-6, “If I forget you, O Yerushalayim, let my right hand cease to function and let my tongue cleave to my palate!” And the “if” spoken by Y’shua, the Messiah, in John 4:10, “If you knew the gift of Elohim, and the identity of the one speaking to you, you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water.”
And then, of course, there are the “ifs” coming from the side of YAHWEH HIMSELF – “ifs” that are instructive, positive and inspiring ordinary people into action: Like Isaiah 48:18, “If only you had listened to My commands! Then your peace would have been like a river, and your righteousness like the waves of the sea.” And Exodus 22:23, “If they cry out to Me at all, I shall certainly hear their cry!” And 2 Chronicles 7:14, “If My people upon whom My Name is called, shall humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their evil ways, then I shall hear from the heavens, and forgive their sin and heal their land.” And Isaiah 58:13-14, “If you turn back your foot from the Sabbath, from doing your pleasure on My set-apart day, then you shall delight yourself in Yahweh!” And lastly, Jeremiah 4:1, “If you do return, O Yisrael, return to Me (not to anyone or anything else)!” Let us watch our hearts and our mouths, especially when the going gets tough. Let us remind ourselves not to revert to the “ifs” of despair and uncertainly. There are more than enough “ifs” – not of imperfect human action, but of Yahweh’s perfect wisdom – that we can hold onto in times of difficulty, and that can change our lives for the good!
