That’s a question that the ancient Rabbis wrestled with, and their thoughts are preserved for us in the Midrash Tehillim, a collection of interpretations on the Book of Psalms. to one fascinating passage from Midrash Tehillim 78.

The verse we’re looking at speaks of priests falling by the sword. The Midrash identifies them as Hophni and Phinehas, sons of Eli, whose story is recounted in the Book of Samuel (1 Samuel 4). They were corrupt priests, and their deaths marked a period of great loss and upheaval for the Israelites.

But it's the next part that really grabs you: "And the Lord awoke as one asleep."

Rabbi Berechiah, quoting Rabbi Elazar, offers a powerful, almost unsettling, idea. He says that until the very end of days, the Holy One, blessed be He, makes Himself "as if He were asleep." It suggests a period of divine withdrawal, a seeming absence while the world unfolds according to its own chaotic course.

But don't despair! Because then, Rabbi Elazar continues, He will awaken. And not just awaken, but "as one who has been asleep." It's an awakening with a purpose, a renewed energy, and a decisive action.

And when the end really comes? Well, then He will rejoice "like a warrior who has had wine." Now, that's a potent image! It speaks of triumph, of victory hard-won, and a celebration well-deserved. It’s a visceral description, and it paints a picture of God's ultimate intervention with strength and determination.

But how does He fight? What does divine action even look like?

Rabbi Yitzchak bar Mariyon offers a mind-bending image of God’s sword. He says it has sixteen faces! He bases this on a verse from Ezekiel 21:21, "Unite the right, turn to the left, wherever your face is set." By counting the different directions mentioned—unite, right, left, and back—and assigning four faces to each, Rabbi Yitzchak arrives at sixteen.

What does it mean for God’s sword to have sixteen faces? It hints at the multifaceted nature of divine justice, the idea that God can approach any situation from any angle. It’s a comprehensive, all-encompassing power that leaves no room for escape. It’s a power that meets every challenge, every threat, with the perfect response.

So, what do we take away from this? The Midrash isn’t just a historical commentary. It’s a living, breathing text that speaks to our own anxieties and hopes. It acknowledges the times when we feel like God is absent, when injustice seems to reign supreme. But it also reminds us that this is not the final word. There will be an awakening, a reckoning, a time when divine justice will prevail, wielding a sword with sixteen faces, ready to set the world aright.

The question for us, perhaps, is: how do we live in the meantime, while the world feels like it’s waiting for that awakening? How do we act in a way that hastens that coming?