Throughout the Psalms, the Psalmist progressively changes from the concept of God thus self to self thus God. This variation in the perception leads to the change in the psalmist structures the Psalms and the overall view of God, self, good, evil and reward. The view of God and self proposes that God first begot himself before creating the world. Therefore, begetting is an act that comes before creation (Buber, 1980). In effect, it suggests that God achieved the objective of creating the world for man first by creating the man who resembles him and thus begetting himself. On the contrary, the concept of self thus God proposes that God first created man and the world before begetting the man to himself (Buber, 1980). The changes in the two concepts largely determine the definition of self, God, evil, good and reward.
First, the two concepts introduce a distinction in the concepts of self. In God thus self, God created people from that resemble him in the world and hence achieved the objective of creation. As such, the self-identity of people in God comes from the knowledge that God created them primarily to be identical with him. In essence, man has an identical self-identity with God by being created by God (Buber, 1980). In contrast, the concept self thus God proposes that Man was created or is born outside the identity of God. However, the creation of God brings him the identity of God. In other words, creation comes before begetting. Therefore, the self-identity of man is a deliberate effort by God to bring a man to himself in a way that reflects the nature of god long after he has created him (Buber, 1980). Self thus God approach does not directly give man God’s identity but rather requires him to work on it and hence attain an identity similar to God.
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Secondly, the two views also differ on how they define good and evil. In God thus self, people are created with the inherent good. Their identity is that of God. Therefore, the abiding by this identity constitutes good because good is an act aligned with the nature of God. Someone engaging in virtuous actions does what God would have ordinarily done under that circumstance (Buber, 1980). Similarly, a person who does evil dos contrary to what God would have ordinarily done under that circumstance. The self thus God view presents a different scenario rather in the definition of Good and evil. Under this view, man possesses God’s identity through a continuous and couscous process. As such, the definition of good and evil relates to the actions of man and his struggle to have a personality similar to God’s (Buber, 1980). Good can be defined as an act approved by God and leads one to have an identity that is more similar to God’s Identity. On the other hand, an action the largely deviates from the identity of God and leads one to have a different personality from God is said to be evil. In this way, the two views differ on the perception of good and evil.
Thirdly, the two views offer conflicting information about God and his identity. In God thus self, the identity of God is reflected in the human beings he has created. In begetting god creates humans that are identical to him. Since begetting precedes creation, the human beings created are first identical to God and second his creation (Buber, 1980). As such, the identity of God is directly depicted by his creation. Since God and man are identical, it then follows that God has an identity similar to Man’s identity. On the contrary, self thus God presents a scenario in which the identity of God cannot be guaranteed as a reflection of humanity or his creation. Ideally, God is distinct from his creation and humanity at large. It is incumbent upon Humanity to learn the nature of God and consequently try to reflect. Therefore, the two views give a different and conflicting view of the definition of God and his identity.
Lastly, the two views have an associated perception of reward. This definition of reward is based on the perceived relationship between God and his creation as depicted by the two views. In God thus self, the reward is mainly the satisfaction that comes from having a similar identity with God. Under this concept, the award is entitled to all human being since they are directly created into the nature and identity of God (Buber, 1980). Conversely, the self thus God defines reward in the context of man’s attainment of the nature of God. As man strives to achieve the identity and nature of God, he is rewarded based on the progress he or she makes in that attainment. Therefore, reward under this view can be defined as the material, emotional and spiritual possessions that a man gains for striving to attain the nature of God.
In summary, the psalmists change from the view of God thus self to the view of self thus man largely directs the change in these psalms. This change in the psalms is informed by the differences in the definitions of God, self, good, evil and reward from the two views. Since these concepts are central to the themes in the psalms, a change in their definition will lead to a change in the psalms.
References
Buber, M. (1980). Good and evil, two interpretations: I. right and wrong ; II. images of good and evil (1st ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson
