Godly One
"Gather My godly ones to Me, Those who have made a covenant with Me by sacrifice."
The Hebrew word here translated "godly one" is Hasid. It typifies the most intense and dedicated form of orthodox Judaism. A Hassid is a person whose life is totally wrapped up in God. He is a person who exists only for God.
Hasidism
Hasidism is a movement in modern Judaism. Followers believe that God is everywhere and that divine light and power touch everything. Therefore, there is no cause for despair or unhappiness. They believe they can best serve God by expressing joy. Hasidism emphasizes joyous prayer. In their religious services, followers sing and dance a great deal. They also express their beliefs through storytelling.
Hasidism is organized around spiritual leaders. Each leader heads a local center. Every leader has his own way of teaching and living and his own interpretation of the Hasidic tradition.
Baal Shem Tov, a Jewish teacher, and his followers founded Hasidism in Poland and Lithuania about 1760. The movement spread rapidly throughout eastern Europe. By the late 1700s, Hasidic settlements had been established in Palestine. Today, the most important Hasidic center is Habad Hassidism, located in the precinct of Brooklyn in New York City.
Cutting a Covenant
Back to the Scripture at hand, the psalmist defines the "godly ones" the true Hasidim, as "those who have made a covenant with Me by sacrifice" - more literally, "those who cut My covenant on the basis of a sacrifice." The Hebrew speaks of "cutting a covenant, rather than merely making one. This verbiage suggest the action that puts the sacrifice to death. "My" covenant means specifically the covenant that God Himself initiated the eternal covenant. There is only one basis on which God makes a covenant - the basis of a sacrifice.
