“But no one disputes that it is much more pleasant to learn lessons presented through imagery, and much more rewarding to discover meanings that are won with difficulty.”
This is Saint Augustine’s reasoning for the ambiguous and metaphorical wording of religious scriptures. There are many sign and symbols presented to us every day. Natural and conventional sign fold our senses and it is our duty to interpret them. The tough part in deciphering signs is the unknown and metaphorical symbols. Things can mean one thing but have a deeper meaning that give a whole new message to the reader. There are many things that go into the decoding of scriptures. One must know man languages so that they may understand the meanings and roots of words. Then, one must know science, math, history and art so that their knowledge will be sufficient to make sense of the words. This knowledge will help us understand the figurative signs and become closer to fully understanding the teachings of God. Knowledge is the key to unlock the secrets of the universe. In reading the Book of Psalms (the Robert Alter translation) we can see this wording and through rigorous interpreting we can find the deeper meaning within each psalm. Even in short, straightforward Psalms there are deeper meanings.
Psalm 134
Look, bless the LORD,
All you servants of the LORD,
Who stand in the LORD’s house through the nights.
Lift up you hands toward the holy place
And bless the LORD.
May the LORD bless you from Zion,
He Who makes heaven and earth.
Look, bless the Lord…
Use your senses and learn so that you can use what God gave you and make him proud, which in a way is blessing enough for him.
All you servants of the LORD…
Servants are people who serve. Therefore, it is our duty to do God’s bidding. But are we paid servants or slaves? This would have to come from other interpretations and better understanding of languages.
Who stand in the Lord’s House through the nights.
We are the people who stand in the house, which could either be earth or heaven. In art, night symbolizes darkness and evilness and suffering. Logically, this makes me think that the house is earth, for there is no evil in heaven.
Lift up your hands toward the holy place
and bless the LORD.
We must reach up to heaven, with both of our hands. This is something that all people have. This creates a unity between all people for we are all very similar. Toward the holy place is toward heaven and up is away from hell and where evil and the devil reside. Stay away from evil so that you may be in heaven with the LORD someday.
May the LORD bless you from Zion,
He Who makes heaven and earth.
Zion is the holy Promised Land. Because he made heaven and earth he is all powerful. Earth still holds mysteries that we know and the only explanation would be that God knows.
So, there you go. It’s not perfect but you get the picture. If you read into every detail of the Psalm you can pull out almost any meaning you can imagine.
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