Psalms 77:10: “And this is my sickness, the years of the right hand of the most high.”
The writer of this Psalm is very troubled. He has cried to God, but has found no peace. Throughout the night, he is unable to sleep, his spirit feels overwhelmed. He is so troubled he can not even speak. He communes with his heart and diligently searches his spirit but he finds no relief.
Then he says a curious thing, that his sickness is God’s right hand. The right hand of God is suppose to be a good thing, yet he considers it his sickness. It seems every translation has their own take on this. The NIV says: “I will appeal to the right hand of God.” The Living Bible says: “This is my fate, your right hand has turned against me.” The NASB says: “It is my grief that your right hand has changed.”
Literally from the Hebrew the passage says: “The is my sickness, the years of the right hand of the most high.” It seems translators just do not have the stomach to translate this verse literally. I mean how can the right hand of God be a sickness. The word sickness is chalah which has the idea of weakness. Yet this is a play on words. The writer is a musician, he is speaking like a musician and in his poetry he is most likely making a play on the words sort of a pun on the word mahalath which comes from the same root as chalah (weakness). A mahalath is a stringed instrument like a harp, lute or lyre. Such an instrument was noted for it’s ability to sooth a troubled soul. David played such an instrument before King Saul to sooth his troubled soul.
The writer is saying that the right hand of God, is both at the same time a source of comfort but an affliction. How is that possible? I don’t know about you but I think I can relate to this old boy. I go through a time where my soul is troubled. I do all the right things, pray, cry out to God, remember Him and I search out my heart and spirit for anything that may be causing this lack of comfort from God. Then, like the writer of this Psalm, I begin to think on the many times God rescued me in the past, how He always has been faithful. I find comfort in these thoughts, like the soothing sounds of a harp. Yet, I continue to be afflicted with the thought: “Well, He delivered me in the past, why is He not doing so now?” Then I meditate on His past faithfulness and I find comfort knowing that He has proven the power of His right hand in the past.
The writer is meditating on the right hand of God. The right hand of God is the word yaman which expresses a close friendship of God who shares His secrets and divine revelation. He remembers that God is his close friend. He meditates on all His works and miracles, and talks to others about His deeds. But the reason for his affliction remains a mystery something that is only known by God.
Then there is a shift in the tone of this Psalm when we get to verse 11. The writer is now focusing on the mighty works of God rather than his own problems. He remembers how He has delivered in the past, how He controls nature. Then in verse 19 he declares, “Your path led through the sea, your way through the mighty waters, though your foot prints were not seen.” The sea is a symbol of the hidden mysteries of God. God leads him through these hidden secrets, these things known only to Him and the writer concludes his Psalm on a note of faith. Although he does not understand the reason for his affliction, God has not failed in the past, He will not fail now. Although his circumstances are unchanged, he still faces whatever problem it is that started this Psalm off, he is going to trust in God and accept the fact that the solution to his struggle remains a mystery, known only to Him.
Back in the early 50’s there was a famous cowboy named Stuart Hamblen who played in many movies and wrote many of the songs that were sung by Roy Rogers and the Sons of the Pioneers. He hosted a very popular radio program. Through the ministry of Billy Graham this successful entertainer and song writer found Jesus. His life was completely changed. God cleaned up his language so much that he lost complete control of his hound dogs. Stuart Hamblen was also an alcoholic and God delivered him from alcoholism. He returned to his radio program and found that his new sponsor was a beer company. Alcohol had almost ruined his life and marriage before he found Jesus that he could not stomach selling it on his radio show. He refused to sell beer and because of his refusal to sell beer and for his stand for Jesus, he was fired. Not only that God had so cleaned up his life that he was no longer the rough, hard drinking cowboy that made him famous and no one wanted to hire a cowboy that had gotten himself religion. Because his personal life and image had so changed he was no longer in demand and was unable to find any work. His money quickly ran out. Yes, he could have went back to his hard drinking, foul mouth cowboy image and he could have gotten his radio program back, but his new relationship with God was worth more to him than his career. Eventually the bank was ready to foreclose on his house. In the midst of his struggle, he, like the writer of Psalms 77 could find no peace. You would expect things to get better in life when you accept Jesus as your Savior, but for Stuart Hamblin things only got worse, yet, his walk with God was so precious he clung to his faith and resigned himself to the fact that the reason he lost his fame and fortune such that he would lose his home was just a mystery and a secret held by God. He even wrote a song for Elvis Presley about it.
Known only to him are the great hidden secrets
I’ll fear not the darkness when my flame shall dim
I know not what the future holds
But I know who holds the future
It’s a secret known only to Him.
In this world of fear and doubt
On my knees I ask the question
Why a lonely, heavy cross I must bear
Then He tells me in my prayer
It’s because I am trustworthy
He gives me strength far more than my share.
Because of my books I tend to receive messages from people all over the world. I received two yesterday from people just like the writer of this Psalm and Stuart Hamblin who have found the right hand of God to be a chalah (sickness). As they live their life for God they find they are going through a dark valley but at the same time they have also found the right hand of God to be a mahalath, a stringed instrument of comfort.
Oh by the way, just a side note. As the bank was foreclosing on Stuart Hamblin’s house a song he wrote It Is No Secret was recorded by Jo Stafford and became number one on the Hit Parade and Stuart Hamblin received a royalty check for enough money to pay off his house. As Stuart Hamblin said, “Sometimes the Lord waits until the furniture is loaded on the truck before he tells the driver, ‘hey put it back.’ I mean that’s hard on your heart.”
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