Psalm 36

In you, LORD is the source of life; in your light we see light."

This psalm begins by describing how the wicked have no fear of God. Then the psalmist sings: "Thy steadfast love, O LORD, extends to the heavens, thy faithfulness to the clouds." (v. 5) LORD is all in capital letters because it stands for the name of God that was too holy to be spoken. Modern Christian translations sometimes render this four letter symbol YHWH as Yahweh, and traditionally this was often written as Jehovah. The Hebrew text does not give the vowels, and because the name was not spoken no one knows how the four letters should be translated into English. It is clear in the psalm, however, that LORD is the same as God, even though in Hebrew these are different words with diverse histories.

Twice more in the psalm we read of the "steadfast love" of God, and this is the source of our life and our hope. God is "the source of life" and the "salvation to the upright of heart." The psalm ends with a prayer that the wicked will not gain the upper hand over the righteous.

Grace and peace...Bob