Hebrew Word Study – Unjust Gain – Batsar – Beth Sade Resh

Psalms 30:9 “What profit is there in my blood, if I go down to the pit.  Will the dust praise thee, will it declare your faithfulness?”

It is believed that David wrote this Psalm during a time of illness when he thought he was going to die and he was pleading with God to extend his life.  This verse gives David’s reason for wanting his life extended.  David’s reason for wanting to stay on this earth is pretty much the same as that given by Paul in Philippians 1:21: “For me to live is Christ, to die is to gain.”  

Oddly, this verse has baffled many commentators.  Some felt David did not believe in a life after death.  Others feel that David is saying he wants his life extended to fulfill a mission or God’s purpose.  However, I remember an orthodox rabbi telling me: “You Christians, you just don’t understand the heart of David. You are so one dimensional.” By one dimensional he meant that we latch on to a teaching from our favorite teacher and we will not even listen to another interpretation, let alone consider it.  Indeed, if you interpret this verse from the standpoint of David’s heart and the heart of God the Christian commentator’s interpretation doesn’t seem to fit.  

The word for profit is batsi which is used for unjust profit.  David, like Paul, could say: “For me to live is Christ to die is gain.”  Yet, for David, to die prematurely would be an unjust gain.  We can grow weary in this life. We can envy those who have gone on before us. Their battle is over, they no longer have to deal with stress, anxiety, disappointments, and all that life throws at us. They are at peace, eternal rest. How can we not get homesick for heaven?  Well, we have something that those who have gone on before us no longer have. David recognizes it in this Psalm.  

It is found in this phrase: “Will the dust praise thee?” The word dust in Hebrew is ’afar which means dust or dry earth.  But in its Semitic origin it has the idea of being devoid of spiritual discernment, speech, and divine power.  David is contrasting the state of death with life. In death there will be no need for spiritual discernment for you will be in the presence of God and you will not have to seek spiritual insight to decide if what you are about to do is God’s will or not.  In death you will no longer have a physical speech where you struggle to express your heart to God. Your heart will be your speech. Then too in death, you will no longer need the Divine power of God to deliver you from difficult situations as you will no longer have difficult situations.  

So what did David mean that the dust, or in the state of death, we will not be able to praise Him?  Will we not praise Him for all eternity?  True, but we will not be able to exercise one type of praise.  This is the praise David is referring to, he uses the Hebrew word yadah. There are many types of praises, but this one is special, it is a praise we can only offer her on earth, in the flesh.  It is a voluntary praise. It is a praise or thanksgiving for receiving a message of divine power or deliverance from heaven which opens a portal to the presence of God. This is a praise you offer to God in the midst of suffering, and trials.  A praise in the midst of persecution. It is a praise you will never be able to offer in eternity, for in eternity you will never have need for deliverance. It is a praise that the angels can never offer to God.  Although we will never have the opportunity to offer this praise in eternity, we will spend eternity giving testimony to the angels and other created beings of our time on earth when we could offer that praise. We will spend eternity traveling the universe to visit other created beings to share our stories with them. Can you imagine spending eternity traveling the universe with a team of saints, to share to an eager audience of created beings the time you lost your job and God met your need or the time you faced a broken heart and God healed it.  Together with these created beings you will again rejoice over the faithfulness and love of God. You will spend eternity reliving the joy of that moment when God delivered you. 

This is why David wanted his life extended, so he would have more opportunity to offer a yadah. To be able to praise God in the midst of trial and in the midst of dire circumstances. David wants his life extended so he could have more testimonies to share in eternity of God’s faithfulness.  This is why James said in 1:2 “Consider it all joy when you encounter various trials.” What so joyful about trials? Because we are being given something of eternal value. We are building a backlog of testimonies. It is no fashionable in many churches today for people to give a testimony and many are feeling frustrated that their pastor will not let them testify.  Well, if that is you, I’ve got news for you, you will spend an eternity testifying and the thrill will never go away and you will never experience stage fright.  Through God’s deliverance we will have a testimony to share throughout eternity.  That financial need, that health problem, that relationship problem are all potential testimonies in eternity.  Every day when you face a difficulty, it is another opportunity to experience the power of God and a new testimony that you will share for eternity. Every day God gives you on this earth is a gift to get just one more testimony that you will share for eternity. David looked forward to every day because he saw it was an opportunity to see the power of God in action.

So this is a day that the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it. You lose your job, a bad medical report, you experience a broken relationship or broken heart, rejoice – one day angels will seek you out and take you aside and say: “Tell me again about that day you lost your job and God delivered you.”

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