Group Policy
Behold, He who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep. Psalm 121:4 NASB
Keeps Israel – God watches over Israel. That’s basically the story of the Bible. The Bible is “God’s anthropology” (Heschel) where God’s dealing with anthropos (men) is narrated from the perspective of God’s interaction with Israel. That includes outreach to the nations, the Messiah and the ‘olam ha’ba. In the Bible, it’s all about Israel. Once we understand this, we experience a sense of shock and disbelief at the Christian idea that God has somehow changed His point of view so that the Church is now the supreme object of His attention. Of course, a bit of theological and political history suffices to demonstrate how this happened and why men were motivated to create such a fallacious and tragic reinterpretation of God’s watchfulness. Unfortunately, few modern believers on either side of the fence know much about the history that perpetrated this divide (or perhaps they simply don’t care to know). But there is no doubt whatsoever that the Psalmist viewed Israel as God’s chosen.
With that in mind, let’s notice the Hebrew verb translated “keeps.” It is šāmar, a word we first encounter in the creation of Man and his assignment (Genesis 2:15). God puts Man in the Garden to steward it (ä·vad’) and watch over it (šāmar). No other creature has this responsibility. Why? Because it is the exclusive prerogative of free-will agents. It is the assignment that reflects the character of the Creator who also compassionately tends and watches over the whole of creation. Insofar as a man acts with divine regard for the creation, he portrays the character of God. When he exploits or abuses the creation, he acts in opposition to God. The same attitude and action is applied to Israel.
But not to every Israelite.
The Psalmist extols God’s group life policy. Israel, as a people, as a whole, is under God’s banner, carefully watched and compassionately nourished. But that doesn’t mean every person within the group experiences the divine protection of permanent exclusion from hardship, misery, trauma, or even death. The plan is for a people, not for persons. But don’t despair. Your choices make you part of the people. There is a bloodline connection to the covenant God, but obedience is still part of the equation. Remember when Paul says, “Work out your salvation with fear and trembling”? Good advice. Life hangs in the balance.
The fact that the covenant God is committed to Israel only serves as a reminder of His faithfulness, and since we can count on that, we have no fear of being left outside simply because of divine exclusion. Israel might come first on the list, but the list is long. The Psalmist’s point is not about who is in and who is out, but rather about the continual pledge God made, a pact like no other. Count me in! That’s what it means, for the short or long term. It’s a group life policy with particular application.
Topical Index: šāmar, watch over, group, Israel, Psalm 121:4
