King David, the shepherd boy who became Israel’s greatest king, certainly did. And it's a sentiment beautifully captured in the Midrash Tehillim, a collection of rabbinic interpretations on the Book of Psalms.
We’re diving into Psalm 116, verse 16: "Please, O Lord, for I am Your servant." Simple words. But within them lies a profound lesson about humility.
The Midrash tells us that David, despite his power and position, would always humble himself. There's a story in 1 Samuel (17:58) where King Saul asks David, "Whose son are you, young man?" And David answers, "I am the son of your servant, Jesse."
Now, here's the kicker. The Midrash points out that David didn't just say "I am the son of your servant," as if Jesse were a high-ranking official. Instead, he compared himself to a servant "who is taken from the market" – someone of the lowest possible status. It's like saying, "I'm from the bottom of the barrel, Lord, completely undeserving of your grace."
But there's more! Another explanation offered in the Midrash connects David to Ruth, the Moabite woman who converted to Judaism and became David's great-grandmother. Remember her famous words to Boaz: "I am Ruth, your maidservant. Spread your cloak over your maidservant" (Ruth 3:9). By identifying with Ruth, David acknowledges his lineage includes a convert, someone who had to actively choose to be part of the Jewish people. It's another layer of humility, recognizing that his greatness wasn't just inherited; it was intertwined with the story of someone who embraced faith.
What does this all mean? It's about recognizing our dependence on God. David, even as king, saw himself as God's servant, utterly reliant on divine grace. We, too, can adopt this posture of humility, acknowledging that whatever we have is a gift.
The Midrash then shifts to another, seemingly unrelated, interpretation. It says, "You have opened to the disciplined." "You have opened the prohibition of the date palm frond and permitted it." "You have opened to the forbidden and made it permissible." This is a bit more cryptic, isn't it?
Here, the Midrash is using the word "opened" in Psalm 116 to refer to legal interpretations. It suggests that God, through the wisdom of the Torah and its interpreters, can "open" what was once forbidden and make it permissible under specific circumstances. The example given is the date palm frond, perhaps referring to a specific ritual or law where its use was initially restricted but later allowed.
Connecting this legal interpretation back to David's humility, we can see a broader theme of divine guidance and the ever-evolving understanding of God's will. Just as David recognized his dependence on God, so too must we rely on the wisdom of the Torah and its interpreters to navigate the complexities of life and faith.
So, what can we take away from this deep dive into one verse of Psalms? Perhaps it’s this: True greatness isn’t about power or status, but about humility and recognizing our place in something larger than ourselves. Whether it’s acknowledging our humble origins, like David, or seeking guidance from divine wisdom, we're invited to approach life with a sense of awe and dependence on something greater than ourselves. And that, perhaps, is where true strength lies.