HEBREW WORD STUDY – CAST DOWN – YACHAL  יחל

Psalms 42:3-4,11: “My tears have been my meat day and night, while they continually say unto me, Where [is] thy God? (4) When I remember these [things], I pour out my soul in me: for I had gone with the multitude, I went with them to the house of God, with the voice of joy and praise, with a multitude that kept holyday. (11) Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted within me? hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise him, who is the health of my countenance, and my God.”

We cannot say for certainty who the author of this Psalm is. Many believe this was written by David although it is not attributed to David as many Psalms are.  Still, I believe this is an expression of David’s heart. It is so like David to be open and candid with his heart. This really sounds like David during a time of great trouble.  Bible scholars believe it was written when his son seized the throne and put a price on David’s head sending him into hiding. This Psalm would certainly fit this occasion. He is continually crying day and night. He thinks of the days of how he was such a positive influence to others and led them to worship and praise to God and now his soul is cast down.  How could he worship God when he is under such distress? 

Yet, he speaks to his soul and asks his soul why it is cast down.  David is always speaking to his soul. Have you ever spoke to your soul? This is your nephesh which has a variety of meanings and it really depends upon the context you use the word to determine the English word you wish to apply to it.  It is sometimes used for the heart and sometimes for the mind. Sometimes for that part of you that will exist for eternity.  In this context it would appear to represent the heart or mind.  Either way David is speaking very strongly to his soul. “Why are you cast down?” 

That word cast down comes from the root word shacah which is also a word for worship. One meaning of this word is to fall down, prostrate yourself or to bow.  It is also a word for immersion.  The word is in a Hithpael imperfect form.  The best rendering I can give is; “Soul, why are you immersing yourself (in sorrow)?” The text doesn’t say what he is immersing himself in. This is poetry after all and much is left to your imagination. But it is quite obvious it is something like grief, sorrow, disappointment, sadness etc. We can draw from the history of David and realize that he had a lot of grief and sorrow to draw from to write this poem.  It may be that David’s name is omitted because it would be well understood he was a man of sorrows.  I know we use that term Man of Sorrows so much in relationship to Jesus that it seems almost blasphemous to use it on ourselves or for someone else. Yet, the world is filled with people of sorrow and I am sure Jesus would not mind sharing that name with others. 

One of the things that is really causing David stress is that people are now saying: “Where is you God, where is this one that you call upon?  What about all those promises from God you boasted about.  Hey David, looks like God has departed from you and is nowhere to be found. He is either unable or unwilling to help you.”

Do you ever feel like David? You have taught and encouraged others to just trust God and then when you need Him the most, it is almost like He has departed from you. Many Christians are clinging to what they believe are promises from God about the final outcome of the Presidential election.  I believe many in their quiet moments, when their faith grows weak wonder how will they face all those people that they boasted speaking with confidence of the Lord’s promise and what happens if it doesn’t pan out? 

You know, David lost his kingdom, he was disgraced and felt like such a failure as a father when his son staged a coup.  But Psalms 42 reveals, however, that these were not David’s deepest fears. “What do I tell the mockers, how can I face them with their “I told you so’s?”  That is David’s fear. Most Christians have no problem saying to God; “Thy will be done.”  When things don’t pan out. You can accept the results if the final tally does not go your way.  But how are you going to face all those just waiting to see you shacah, fall down. 

That is not you, that is you soul speaking. Your soul is always getting in the way. When you feel those fears arising and your soul shacahing, you need to do what David did, he picked his soul up by the collar and slammed it against the wall and gave it a regular dutch uncle talk: “Soul, now you listen to me. Hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise him, who is the health of my countenance, and my God.”  That word hope in Hebrew is yachal which means to pause and  wait expectantly. “Wait expectantly for I shall yet praise him no matter how this all comes out.”  That word praise is fascinating.  It is a play on the word shacah or cast down, because praise or yachal really means thanksgiving but it also means to cast down.  But what you are casting down is thanksgiving.  In shacah your soul is cast down and God is looking down on you but with yachal your soul has risen to cast thanksgiving down to God.

I was recently speaking with some Christians who I admire very much and consider them great spiritual mentors before whom I am humbled.  They are clinging to their faith that the election will be overturned, they are totally confident.   I went to bed that night crying out to God, “Oh God, what about all these prophets and people who love you with all their heart, soul and might, what will happen to them, to their faith if this does not work out the way they speak.”  I suddenly felt God say to me: “Let Me worry about that, you just continue to sing and dance and praise Me and I assure you, if they love Me with all their hearts soul and might, they will join you again in singing and dancing and praising Me?” 

Do you ever feel like David? You have taught and encouraged others to just trust God and then when you need Him the most, it is almost like He has departed from you. Many Christians are clinging to what they believe are promises from God about the final outcome of the Presidential election.  I believe many in their quiet moments, when their faith grows weak wonder how will they face all those people that they boasted speaking with confidence of the Lord’s promise and what happens if it doesn’t pan out? 

You know, David lost his kingdom, he was disgraced and felt like such a failure as a father when his son staged a coup.  But Psalms 42 reveals, however, that these were not David’s deepest fears. “What do I tell the mockers, how can I face them with their “I told you so’s?”  That is David’s fear. Most Christians have no problem saying to God; “Thy will be done.”  When things don’t pan out. You can accept the results if the final tally does not go your way.  But how are you going to face all those just waiting to see you shacah, fall down. 

That is not you, that is you soul speaking. Your soul is always getting in the way. When you feel those fears arising and your soul shacahing, you need to do what David did, he picked his soul up by the collar and slammed it against the wall and gave it a regular dutch uncle talk: “Soul, now you listen to me. Hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise him, who is the health of my countenance, and my God.”  That word hope in Hebrew is yachal which means to pause and  wait expectantly. “Wait expectantly for I shall yet praise him no matter how this all comes out.”  That word praise is fascinating.  It is a play on the word shacah or cast down, because praise or yachal really means thanksgiving but it also means to cast down.  But what you are casting down is thanksgiving.  In shacah your soul is cast down and God is looking down on you but with yachal your soul has risen to cast thanksgiving down to God.

I was recently speaking with some Christians who I admire very much and consider them great spiritual mentors before whom I am humbled.  They are clinging to their faith that the election will be overturned, they are totally confident.   I went to bed that night crying out to God, “Oh God, what about all these prophets and people who love you with all their heart, soul and might, what will happen to them, to their faith if this does not work out the way they speak.”  I suddenly felt God say to me: “Let Me worry about that, you just continue to sing and dance and praise Me and I assure you, if they love Me with all their hearts soul and might, they will join you again in singing and dancing and praising Me?” 

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