Trigger Words and the Bible

Sometimes when we come to the Bible, particularly depending on the translation, we run into trigger words. These words bring back a negative memory from being part of a church that mistreated us or of a spiritual leader who wielded power over us in unhealthy ways or of teachings that wounded our souls.

Psalm 1 is loaded with words that can trigger us. We’ll unpack a few of them today and look for ways God might be speaking to us even in these awkward passages. So as you read the text for the first time, note what emotions pop up for you.

Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked
Or stand in the way of sinners
Or sit in the seat of mockers
But his delight is in the Law of the LORD… - Psalm 1:1-2

First off, there’s all that male language, using ‘man’ in place of ‘humankind’ and ‘Lord’ as a male image of God. This passage was probably first written down over 2500 years ago, so we can understand the patriarchal context for those things and adjust them for our context - which is just another way of saying that we’re translating the words appropriately. So instead of ‘man’ in the text we can use ‘one.’

Interestingly, the word LORD in most English translations is in all caps because it represents the Hebrew word Yahweh - which was literally a name for God. It was not gendered, and it didn’t have to do with power/authority (so using the world “lord” as if God were the local feudal tyrant is not very helpful). Perhaps we could just use God’s name instead of translating it into our own patriarchal system!

Then there’s ‘the wicked’ (and later ‘the righteous’ come up) - as if people were one or the other. While a simplistic division of good people and bad people may be developmentally appropriate for those early in their spiritual journeys, as we grow we realize there’s more to each person than one label. What’s helpful here is at the end of the Psalm it teases out how it is ‘the way of the wicked’ (and not the wicked themselves) that perishes. it is ‘the way of the righteous’ that is blessed - and not a subgroup of people. Again, this is an invitation to think about how we’re living - not whether we’re monolithically good or bad.

And finally, there’s that word ‘Law.’ In Jewish tradition, that word was often translated as “the teaching” and it referred not so much to a set of rules that you kept or didn’t keep, but a body of teaching and a way of life that brought flourishing.

So let’s try a slightly different interpretation of that same passage - and ask God for the grace to connect spirit to Spirit as you read it/think about it:

Blessed is the one who does not walk in wicked ways
Or stand for injustice
Or sit with cynicism
But their delight is in the teachings of Yahweh. - Psalm 1:1-2