We are in a time un-paralleled in human history, and every news outlet seemingly offers only negative reports. It can cause people to become fearful and anxious, not knowing what may happen next. When we couple todays actual events, alongside Messiah Jesus’ words in Matthew 24, we can see that the signs of the times indicate He truly is close even at the door. It behooves us to be alert and have our hearts and lives acceptable to our Heavenly Father.
Are we truly of those who love His appearing?
Hereafter, the crown of righteousness – which the Lord, the Righteous Judge, shall give me on that Day – is laid up for me. And not only to me but also to all those who love His appearing. 2Tim.4:8.
When we see all these things He talked about in Matthew 24 coming to pass, all at the same time, we are to look up for our redemption draws near. We are not to be in fear of what is taking place but looking unto Yeshua/Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith; knowing that He is in control of everything and He knows exactly where we are and is watching over His children as any vigilant parent does. We are not to fear what man can do to us but rather fear what will occur if our trust is in anything other than our Heavenly Father, Who is the Lord God Almighty. Do not fear those who kill the body but are unable to kill the soul; but rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell. Luke 12:4.
In God have I put my trust: I will not be afraid what man can do unto me. Psalm 56:11.
So we can confidently say, “The Lord is my helper; I will not fear; what can man do to me?
Hebrews 13:6
In these days we are to encourage ourselves just like David did.
This verse records how David was in great distress because the people wanted to stone him, but he felt the LORD giving him courage.
1Sam.30:6 And David was greatly distressed; for the people spake of stoning him, because the soul of all the people was grieved, every man for his sons and for his daughters: but David encouraged himself in the Lord.
How did David respond to the threat of stoning by his own men when he returned to Ziklag? He trusted in the Lord his God, who had chosen him to be His anointed.
We are also to encourage not only our brothers and sisters in Christ/Messiah but to also have the Word of the Lord on our lips, ready to speak hope to those still lost. As David was able to speak to his own soul, so can we; by reading what he wrote when circumstances seemed overwhelming to him.
Ps. 43:5 Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God.
There are so many encouraging verses in the Psalms and many speak of the protection both physically and spiritually that our Heavenly Father supplies to His children. We are familiar with Psalm 91 and Psalm 139:5 is also one of many that reflects that protection.
Psalm 139:5: “Thou hast beset me behind and before, and laid thine hand upon me.”KJV
Below are the various versions offered by the translators, it is interesting to note the different words used in the same verse.
New King James Version
You have hedged me behind and before, And laid Your hand upon me.
New American Standard Bible
You have encircled me behind and in front, And placed Your hand upon me.
Amplified Bible
You have enclosed me behind and before, And [You have] placed Your hand upon me.
Christian Standard Bible
You have encircled me; you have placed your hand on me.
Aramaic Bible in Plain English
For from the beginning to the end you have formed me, and you have set your hand upon me.
Brenton Septuagint Translation
the last and the first: thou hast fashioned me, and laid thine hand upon me.
Douay-Rheims Bible
Behold, O Lord, thou hast known all things, the last and those of old: thou hast formed me, and hast laid thy hand upon me.
English Revised Version
Thou hast beset me behind and before, and laid thine hand upon me.
JPS Tanakh 1917
Thou hast hemmed me in behind and before, And laid Thy hand upon me.
Literal Standard Version
You have besieged me behind and before, | And You place Your hand on me.
Majority Standard Bible
You hem me in behind and before; You have laid Your hand upon me.
New American Bible
Behind and before you encircle me and rest your hand upon me.
Webster’s Bible Translation
Thou hast beset me behind and before, and laid thy hand upon me.
World English Bible
You hem me in behind and before. You laid your hand on me.
Young’s Literal Translation
Behind and before Thou hast besieged me, And Thou dost place on me Thy hand.
It seems that we can translate this verse in a number of ways.
There is something interesting in this verse when studied in the original Hebrew text:
Strong’s Hebrew: 6696a. tsur — to confine, bind, besiege
… Bible Strong’s Hebrew 6696a 6696a. tsur
Strong’s Concordance tsur: to confine, bind, besiege Transliteration: tsur
Definition: to confine, bind, besiege
NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Origin a prim. root Definition to confine, bind,
The word for beset which is tsur, as a noun, this is what Moses struck to get water from – a tsur, a rock.
Strong’s Hebrew: 6697. צוּר (tsur) — rock, cliff
… Bible Strong’s Hebrew 6697 6697. tsur
Strong’s Concordance tsur: rock, cliff
Original Word: צוּר
Part of Speech: Noun Masculine
Transliteration: tsur
Phonetic Spelling: (tsoor)
Definition: rock, cliff ..
This same word is also used for:
a fortress or fortified city.
Strong’s Hebrew: 1049. בֵּית (Beth-tsur) — “house of a rock,” a place in Judah
Definition: “house of a rock”, a place in Judah
NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Origin from bayith and tsur Definition “house of a rock,” a place in Judah.
The word for behind is ‘achor which has the idea of
behind or past,
and the word qedem means: to go forward.
That word qedem ends with a closed mem indicating
the hidden or unknown, as in the future.
קֶ֣דֶם forward qedem
This expression “‘achor vaqedem” expresses past and future.
Achor Psalm 139:5; Job 23:8;
in the phrase מָּנִיםוְאָחר in front and behind
Strong’s Hebrew: 6924a. qedem — front, east, formerly
… Bible Strong’s Hebrew 6924a 6924a. qedem
Strong’s Concordance qedem: front, east, formerly Transliteration: qedem
Definition: front, east, formerly NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Origin from an unused word
Definition front, east, formerly ancient (4), ancient times (3), before (1), before his of old (1), earliest times (1), East (1), east (26), east side (1), eastward (1), eternal (1), everlasting (1), formerly (1), forward
This indicates that:
in my past and in my future future, God tsur/besets me.
The word tsur is used as a verb here and is in a qal perfect form.
Strong’s Hebrew: 6696. צוּר (tsuwr) — adversary
… compare Th; 1 singular suffix אצורך Jeremiah 1:5 Kt, see יצר Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance adversary, assault, beset, besiege, bind up, cast, distress, fashion,
Original Word: צוּר
Part of Speech: Verb
Transliteration: tsuwr
Phonetic Spelling: (tsoor)
Definition: to confine, bind, besiegeBrown-Driver-Briggs
- צוּר verb confine, bind, besiege (Late Hebrew id., wrap (rare); Aramaic צוּר besiege, beleaguer); —
Qal Perfect2masculine singularוְצַרְתָּ֫
3 shut up, enclose: נָצוּר עָלֶיהָ לוּחַ אָ֑רֶז Songs 8:9 (על of maid [under figure of door] + accusative mater., compare Isaiah 29:3 above); with suffix person Psalm 139:5 (figurative, ׳י subject).
It is best expressed as
“you have entrenched me or FORTIFIED me.”
So it would read as:
In my past and in my future you have already FORTIFIED or entrenched me.
At that point in his life David looked to the future, and it did not look so good. In 2Chronicles 32, we read that there was unrest in the nation and that one generation later there was a civil war in the land.
There was the threat of the Assyrians were threatening the nation. And there was also the threat to the very throne, when his own son Absalom rebelled; and caused David to run for his life from his kingdom with a price on his head. 2Sam 15:13-23.
As the king, David would have faced escalating pressures day after day, and some of the enemy armies arrayed against Israel were no doubt cause for great concern. However David had a heart after God and when he woke up in the morning, once again facing the stress of what lay in front of him; which many times were unknown situations that came without much warning, he was reminded that God had
fortified him, entrenched him,
or another expression for tsur is hedged him.
David knew from previous times that the hedge or fortress was around him, and it remained around him in the present, and would continue to be around him in the future. An image that is also recorded in Proverbs.
Reading further in the Psalm, David says:
“You laid your hand upon me.”
The word laid in Hebrew is
שִׁית
tasheth /shith
and it is in a future tense and means:
to place or set.
