Meditation and The  Holy Bible 

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But the Lord [YAHWEH] is in his holy temple; let all the earth keep silence before him.          (Habakkuk 2:20)

Be still . . . and know that I am God.          (Psalm 46:10)

          There are spiritual blessings and other benefits to be realized from being in silence using the name of God, or the original "Holy Word (YHWH)."  Those blessings are summed up in Psalm 91. However, careful study of this reference reveals that there are specific requirements to be met in order to activate the shielding process and to receive the benefits promised.

          He that dwelleth in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord [Yahweh], He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust. Surely he shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler, and from the noisome pestilence. He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust: his truth shall be thy shield and buckler.  Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night; nor for the arrow that flieth by day; nor for the pestilence that walketh in darkness; nor for the destruction that wasteth at noonday.  A thousand shall fall at thy side and ten thousand at thy right hand; but it shall not come nigh thee. Only with thine eyes shalt thou behold and see the reward of the wicked.  Because thou hast made the Lord [Yahweh], which is my refuge, even the Most High thy habitation.  There shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling.  For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways.  They shall bear thee up in their hands, lest thou dash thy foot against a stone.  Thou shalt tread upon the lion and adder: the young lion and the dragon shalt thou trample under feet.  Because he hath set his love upon me, therefore will I deliver him: I will set him on high, because he hath known my name.  He shall call upon me, and I will hear him: I will be with him, and honor him.  With long life will I satisfy him, and show him my salvation.

Note the Requirements:

1. Understand where the "secret hiding place of the Most High" is to be found (verse 1)

2. "Dwell" there in that "secret hiding place" (verse 1);

3. "Abide under the shadow of the Almighty" (verse 1);

4. Know "the name"  (verse 14); and

5. "Call upon him" (presumably this means calling on or invoking the name repeatedly      (verse 15).

       Many people are initially surprised to discover that meditation, and  particularly meditation on the Name of God, plays any role whatsoever in Biblical teachings.  It is a subject not often discussed in this context, and many individuals otherwise knowledgeable in biblical thought are hardly aware that numerous Christian and classical Judaic commentators interpret certain passages as referring to meditation experiences. Aryeh Kaplan is a Hebrew scholar who has identified and interpreted  words that the bible uses to describe meditative methods based on a study of etymology, context and comparative philology. Even in Hebrew the word for meditation is often not recognized as such and translators render it incorrectly. He says,

. . . . There is, however, one word that is consistently used as a term for meditation. . . . The one word which most often denotes meditation is Hitbodedut.  The verb “to meditate" is represented by the word Hitboded. . . . The word refers to a kind of internal isolation, where the individual mentally isolates his essence from his thoughts. (Reference: Meditation and the Bible by Aryeh Kaplan, Published by Samuel Weiser, Inc., York Beach, Maine, 1989)

          It should not be too surprising that very little direct mention is made in the bible about meditation on the name of God because it is a spiritual practice held to be so sacred that for centuries it was taught and passed on orally and to only very  few initiates. The realization that so few people in modern times are committed to a daily program of meditating on the name of God leads to the conclusion that this form of meditation must be one of the greatest mysteries of the Bible.

        Once an adequate understanding of the methods and vocabulary associated with meditation and centering prayer are understood, many references in the Bible and in classical literature take on meanings quite different than popular interpretations.  For example “Holy Word,” “Name,” “silence,” “rest,”  “Light” and “Enlightenment,”  and "transformation" can easily relate to transcending using the Name of God in meditation. This practice is a principal method for attaining  mystical states and higher realms of consciousness and religious experiences.  Where meditation is not practiced, it is no wonder that the words associated with it are misinterpreted, and that their meaning in the context of meditation has either been lost or forgotten.