“Examine me,
O LORD, and try me;
Test my mind and my heart.
For
Your lovingkindness is before my eyes,
And I have walked in Your truth.
I do not sit with deceitful men,
Nor will I go with pretenders.
I hate the assembly [ἐκκλησίαν] of evildoers,
And I will not sit with the wicked.
I shall wash my hands in innocence,
And I will go about Your altar, O LORD,
That I may proclaim with the voice of thanksgiving
And declare all Your wonders.
O LORD,
I love the habitation of Your house
And the place where Your glory dwells.
Do not take my soul away along with sinners,
Nor my life with men of bloodshed,
In whose hands is a wicked scheme,
And whose right hand is full of bribes.
But as for me, I shall walk in my integrity;
Redeem me, and be gracious to me.
My foot stands on a level place;
In the congregations [ἐκκλησίαις] I shall bless the LORD”
(Psalm 26:2-12).
I’ve been spending a lot of time in 2021 during my daily devotions reading the Psalms from the Greek translation of the Old Testament (trying to keep once-learned things fresh). While the original Hebrew for “assembly” or “congregation,” קָהֵל, means the same thing as the Greek ἐκκλησία, the Greek caught my attention today.
When used in the New Testament, ἐκκλησία is the word usually translated “church.”
In Psalm 26 David describes two assemblies (only two): the gathering where the LORD is blessed, and a gathering where He is not.
Two groups of humanity: those who desire to be submitted to and conformed to God’s character and truth, and those who do not have a longing for the things of God.
Two “churches”: one that desires God’s glory and presence now and forever, and one that rejects God and His truth.
With which do
you identify most? Do people around you know it? Do people reading your social
media output know it? Of which “church” do your daily habits, priorities,
words, relationships, and passions mark you to be a member?
