(Read this post to see why I'm studying this particular passage in this particular way. Scroll down down down to see the entire passage.)
I say to the LORD, "You are my Lord;
apart from you I have no good thing."
Photo by Samuel Martins on Unsplash
I say to the LORD,
The more I think about it, the more interesting this phrase is. Why does the psalmist have to announce that he's talking to God? He established that in verse 1 with, "Keep me safe, my God".
Nor does "I say to the LORD" seem necessary to the phrase that follows: "You are my Lord." We're reading the Psalms, David. When you say "You are my Lord," there's no need to break the fourth wall and remind readers you're praying.
No; "I say to the LORD" holds a different purpose than clarification, and two elements stand out to me.
1 - "I say" highlights what is going to be said next. When you're telling a story and you get to the part where you said something very clever, you might build up to it like this: "And do you know what I said? Here's what I said. I said..."
You'll see this throughout the Bible. Jesus will be talking to his disciples and he'll say, "I say to you..." Well, yes, Jesus. We know you're talking. We know who you're talking to. But it's an expression with a purpose: to emphasize whatever follows.
2 - "the LORD" is a special term. Once you've been reading the Bible for a while, you'll notice that it calls God both "LORD and "Lord". "LORD" is a reference to the personal name of God, YHWH. Here's a quick non-scholarly attempt to explain.
In my opinion, we can simply appreciate that in verse 1 the psalmist appealed to God's deity - his power and ability - to keep him safe, by using the term "God." In this verse, the psalmist uses God's personal name to express the person God is and what he does.
"You are my Lord;
As opposed to LORD, lowercase "Lord" is the same word slaves used to address their masters, students used to address their teachers, and anyone in a low position used to address someone in a higher position. I tell kids that "Lord" means "boss" or "in charge" - the one you obey. But it's more than that. It's the one with power to bestow both blessing and curse.
Photo by Alejandro Hollander on Unsplash
apart from you I have no good thing."
Other places in the Bible phrase this a little more positively, like "Every good and perfect gift comes from above". So I find this double negative interesting. Apart from God? No good thing? (The reason for the negative phrasing becomes more apparent in the next verse.)
I can think of many unbelievers who would disagree with this verse. "I have no desire to be near God, yet I have experienced many good things in life. I'm a positive person. I have no major complaints!"
I would respond that according to Christianity, that is not true joy. It's as C.S. Lewis said - we are "like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased." (And again, C.S. Lewis was an atheist who set out to prove Christianity logically false but became convinced of its truth instead. I realize his journey may not convince everyone, but he was certainly not a stupid man.)
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