"Go West Young Man": A different reading of Psalm 103:12 that you will not want to read over in the Bible.

“As far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.”- Psalm 103:12

This verse is one of the most frequently cited verses from Psalms primarily because it provides great assurance that God has caste our sins away.  To be honest, I think growing up, and even as an adult, I like this verse because it allows me to quantify the great distance God will caste my indiscretions.  The use of directional language “east” and “west” is something I can get my head around.  While I was no geometry whiz in high school, I can at least understand that a straight line moving in opposite directions will continue to move on that plane never to meet again.  While I think the writer of this particular verse wants the reader to draw a similar conclusion, I believe the directional terms “east” and “west” are not actually directional at all.  I believe these are metaphors that reference not the distance God sends my bad decisions, but rather terms that were loaded with narrative meaning from the first five books of the Old Testament (the Pentateuch) that the original readers would have noticed.  

Disclaimer: one may continue to read this passage as infinite directional movement (two lines that depart in opposite directions that will never touch again) if one chooses too, and the jist of what the author is getting at remains in tact.  However, not to capture the “east” and “west” metaphor will be to miss a trove of metaphorical expressions that are thematically woven throughout the Old Testament that illustrate redundantly God’s desire to remove separation and judgment and restore community.  In short, to only read this passage as a placating proof-text that reassures us that the stupid decision made on Friday night is quickly jettisoned into divine geometrical forgetfulness is to only capture part of God’s love story for his creation.  This essay will help contextualize the redundant uses of “east” and “west” as both directional and metaphorical terms through the first five books of the Old Testament.

The first prominent use of “east” or “eastward” is found in Genesis 2:8, “The Lord God planted a garden toward the east, in Eden; and there He placed the man whom He had formed.” The Hebrew scholars remind us that the English translators preferred the term “place in the Garden” so as to highlight how man found himself in the planted Garden located in Eden.  However, the same Hebrew term is used elsewhere as “put” in 2:15 with two very particular purposes in mind of “safety” and “rest.”  In other words, our English vocabulary short changes the Hebrew language by missing all together that God's original purpose of man in the Garden that was located in Eden was for safety and rest and to be in community with God.  This is probably not a critical distinction since the reader of Genesis can easily conclude that the purpose of the Garden existence prior to man’s disobedience was to exist in special community with God. 

The directional term “east” in Genesis 2:8 is meant to locate the Garden that God planted in a place called Eden.  From this point forward in the first five books of the Old Testament, the term “east” will have a double meaning of location and the metaphorical meanings of judgment, separation, evil, and disobedience.  I will mention several examples of “east” as a juxtaposing condition from “west.”  I am certain my list will not be exhaustive, but maybe as you read the Bible you will pick up other intentional examples of this narrative language pregnant with meaning.

Old Testament Uses of "East" and "Eastward"

-Genesis 3: When Adam and Eve were driven from the Garden in Genesis 3:24, they were sent eastward and access to the Garden was denied by divine Cherubim.  Notice the double meaning of “eastward” in this context that explains both the physical direction they were exiled, but also the spiritual direction they were exiled.  Their punishment was the judgment by God of their actions in Gen. 3:9, “Where are you?” This is cross-examination language by God.  As a result, they experienced separation from God.

-Genesis 4: The very next narrative is Eve giving birth to Cain and then to Abel.  The events of this story are well known. Cain out of jealously kills his brother Abel.  Don’t miss the intentional cross-examination language by God with Cain in verse 9, “Where is Abel your brother?” The same forensic language used by God with his parents in the Garden.  God passes judgment on Cain.  According to the text, the punishment was too great that Cain leaves the presence of the Lord.  Notice the direction he takes in verse 16, “Then Cain went out from the presence of the Lord, and settled in the land of Nod, east of Eden.” 

-Genesis 10: Moving along through the book of Genesis we find ourselves with the descendants of Noah after the flood.  According to verse 30, “Now their settlement extended from Mesha as you go toward Sephar, the hill country of the east.” Their physical direction and spiritual direction continue opposite of God’s safety and rest.  This trajectory will continue to be a juxtaposition of God’s redemption and Salvation.

Not to get off track, there is a quick literary note I want to make linking the sin, nakedness, covering, and curse in the Garden and the sin, nakedness, covering, and curse that occurs with Noah between his sons.  In the Garden located in Eden, the seed that was planted that grew the tree that in turn produced the fruit that Eve ate in disobedience caused rupture between God and man.  Now in Noah’s narrative, the first thing he does after exiting the Ark is to plant his own garden.  The seeds he planted grew a vineyard that in turn produced the fruit of the vine (wine) that Noah drank to become drunk.  Admittedly, this is a strange passage, but nonetheless, Noah is asleep in his tent “naked.”  Ham, the father of Caanan, decides to view his nakedness and tell his other two brothers outside of the tent while Shem and Japheth decide to cover him with a loin cloth.  When Noah wakes he punishes/judges Ham and pronounces a curse on Canaan that he will be a maidservant to his brothers. In both passages, nakedness is viewed as knowledge of evil and something to be covered.  There is more to say on this maybe for a different post. 

Tower of Babel

-Genesis 11:1, “Now the whole earth used the same language and the same words. 2 It came about as they journeyed east, that they found a plain in the land of Shinar and settled there.”  This is the setting for the story of the Tower of Babel.  It is important to note that Noah’s descendants were instructed to scatter the earth and replenish; however, they opt to go “east” and settle to “make a name for themselves.”  Taking this permanent settlement a step further, they decided to build a great tower that would cause God to both destroy their tower and confuse their language. Again, notice the connection between “east” and disobedience.  John Sailhamer in The Pentateuch As Narrative makes the cogent observation, “It is important to the author of Genesis that we picture the starting point of the events of the story as the “land” west of Babylon.  Thus the movement of the story the builders moved eastward to build Babylon” (Sailhamer 134). Babylon will hold a consistent place all through the scope of scripture representing the reign and rule of evil. 

-Genesis 12: Abraham obeys God’s call to leave the land of Ur of Chaldean (Babylon) and travel east. He will set up tent with Lot his nephew and their families.  The text tells us that both clans were unable to get along and so guess which direction Lot travels, “So Lot chose for himself all the valley of the Jordan, and Lot journeyed eastward. Thus they separated from each other.”  Lot would settle in the valley in the city of Sodom.  You probably know how this stories ends.  Sodom will be destroyed by fire and brimstone because of the ubiquitous sin among the citizens of Sodom.  Redundantly, “east” represents man’s continued trajectory away from God’s redemption and salvation.

-Genesis 16: Abraham has a child by his Sarah's Egyptian maidservant.  This child was a result of Sarah's plan to accelerate God's blessing and promise to her husband Abraham.  There is a literary connection between Eve's attempt to work around God's plan by eating of the tree and Sarah's plan to work around God's timing.  As a result of this act, God declares of Ishmael, “He will be a wild donkey of a man,
His hand will be against everyone,
And everyone’s hand will be against him;
And he will live to the east of all his brothers.”

-Genesis 25: Ishmael clan will continue even after his death in eastward proximity to Assyria.  Genesis 25:17-18, “These are the years of the life of Ishmael, one hundred and thirty-seven years; and he breathed his last and died, and was gathered to his people. 18 They settled from Havilah to Shur which is east of Egypt as one goes toward Assyria; he settled in defiance of all his relatives.  Assyria will hold a prominent place in the history of Israel.  Keep in mind, the original readers of the first five books of the Old Testament were probably reading this already in exodus from Egypt and potentially, and maybe even, in exile.  They would have picked up on the geography of both Babylon and Assyria in the history of Israel.

-Exodus 10:13 “So Moses stretched out his staff over the land of Egypt, and the Lord directed an east wind on the land all that day and all that night; and when it was morning, the east wind brought the locusts. 

-Exodus 14:21, “Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea; and the Lord swept the sea back by a strong east wind all night and turned the sea into dry land, so the waters were divided.”

-Numbers 13-14: Israel would travel eastward after their exodus from Egypt.  They would eventually wander until an entire generation dies in the wilderness and NOT enjoy God’s blessing because they did not believe in the Lord (Numbers 14:11).

Conclusion:

I suspect I have not captured every instance or use of the metaphor of “east” and “eastward” as a spiritual direction opposite of faith and obedience, but you get the idea.  So back to where we started with Psalm 103:12, “As far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.” is a declarative statement of God’s desire to pursue after disobedient humanity for the purpose of reconciling us to Himself.  This is more than blotting out our indiscretions.  This is a passage of hope for a new identity and restorative image in Christ Jesus no longer following the “eastward” direction of our fractured image in sin.  For those in Christ Jesus (Christians), we are called to turn from our “eastward” ways and follow after Jesus.  The literal definition of the Greek term Metanoia from which we get “repentance” is to literally change directions.  In this context, when we repent of our sins, we are doing a 180-degree turn away from the “east” and journeying “westward.” In other words, as far as our sin, separation, judgment, and exile have caused us great distance with our Savior, so far has he removed those obstacles.  He brings us close to Himself and makes the first move of redemption.

To put in very superficial song lyrics, Christian artist Michael W. Smith says it best, “Go West Young man!”