Deal bountifully with Your servant,
That I may live and keep Your word.
Open my eyes, that I may behold
Wonderful things from Your law.
I am a stranger in the earth;
Do not hide Your commandments from me.
My soul is crushed with longing
After Your ordinances at all times.
You rebuke the arrogant, the cursed,
Who wander from Your commandments.
Take away reproach and contempt from me,
For I observe Your testimonies.
Even though princes sit and talk against me,
Your servant meditates on Your statutes.
Your testimonies also are my delight;
They are my counselors. Psalm 119:17-24
The Hebrew symbol for the letter Gimel is said to represent charity and a camel. Both representations lead into this section of the Psalmist’s reflections. The letter is the third in the Hebrew alphabet. It symbolizes the Torah which was given on the third month to Moses, the third son of his family. When reading verses 17 through 24 of Psalm 119, we see God is bountiful physically here on earth. God is also bountiful spiritually, both with our spiritual home, Heaven, and by helping us to understand His Word.
God’s Bounty
The Gimel looks like a rich man running. But he isn’t just running for exercise, but rather, he is running to give to the poor. The philosophy is, all money belongs to God in the first place, therefore, it is our obligation to give to the poor (Raskin, 2003). Our obligation doesn’t stop at giving financially, but also of all our resources, including time and talents. Raskin (2003) explains that the greatest level of charity is not giving financially, but of one’s self to another. Great charity happens when we set a person on his/her feet. That is, nourish that person and then wean him/her so he/she can stand on their own. The best result of charity is when a person is able to live on his/her own, and will never have to ask for money again. It’s basically the old adage: Give a man a fish and he will eat for a day. Teach a man to fish and he will eat for a lifetime.
If we are so blessed to experience God’s bounty on earth, then we need to give Him praise and use it to help others. However, we may not experience His bounty, financially, in our lifetime. This doesn’t mean that God is not being bountiful towards us. His bounty lies in His omni-presence, protection, joy, peace and wisdom that He gives us no matter what our circumstances. Ultimately, we will experience God’s goodness and love for us in our Heavenly home.
We are Sojourners
The Psalmist understood that earth was not his real home. It is just a country where we are nomads traveling on our way to the real Promised Land. When we become Christians, we are no longer citizens of whatever country we were born in, rather, we become children of God and citizens of Heaven. We know that no matter what our circumstances are on earth, we are just passing through to our home country where our bountiful God is preparing our true home.
All these [Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Sarah, Isaac, and Jacob] died in faith, without receiving the promises, but having seen them and having welcomed them from a distance, and having confessed that they were strangers and exiles on the earth. For those who say such things make it clear that they are seeking a country of their own. And indeed if they had been thinking of that country from which they went out, they would have had opportunity to return. But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God; for He has prepared a city for them. Hebrews 11:13-16
Possibly the ג looking like a camel connotes this idea of traveling for a long time, as this animal is able to go long periods without water. As we travel on earth all our lives, nourished only by the Word and Spirit of God, we will arrive at our eternal home in the actual presence of God the Father when we die. Then we will truly experience such bountifulness that our human brains can’t even begin to comprehend.
As the ג section of the Psalm closes, the Psalmist declares that he will continue meditating on God’s Word, even though others don’t follow God’s ways and talk against him. We also can walk the journey God has laid out for us with confidence because we know God has our best interests at heart. He will provide for us along our way home – the incredible home He has prepared for us.
Resources:
Raskin, A. 2003: Letters of Light. Sichos Publishers.
Photo credit: Robbins, K. Aug. 15, 2019. Five Things to Say to a Homeless Person. Invisible People. https://invisiblepeople.tv/five-things-to-say-to-a-person-whos-homeless/. Retrieved on May 18, 2021.
