Category: More Manna
Extra Helpings
Who Is Searching For Who?
Doing a search is a popular statement these days.
We are able to search the internet using digital ‘search engines’ to find out details on whatever subject we want..
Many times all we ever hear is
“I looked it up using a search engine on our web browser..”
…and there are several well known names we use.
These AI (artificial intelligences) answers to our search, are so immediate that we have come to prefer this instant answer, instead of asking the Lord and waiting patiently for His Holy Spirit to tell us; or by taking the time to research for ourselves in the Bible and Dictionaries or Thesaurus. We need to be aware of not allowing a popular search engine and the internet to be our source of supply instead of or in preference to our Heavenly Father.
We are to Search/Zarah
or Seek
the Lord with all our hearts
….and He will direct our paths.
Prov.3:5,6 & Deut.4:29
We are to Seek for Him while He may be found.
6 Seek the LORD while He may be found;
call on Him while He is near Is 55:6
However there is a Psalm where David states that
the Lord
searches
out our path.
Psalm 139:3 You search out my path and my lying down and are acquainted with all my ways.
Below are various translations where some say search, others say discern, comprehend, know and compassest.
ESV: You search out my path and my lying down and are acquainted with all my ways. Psalm 139:3,
Psalm 139 :3, NIV: You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways. Psalm 139:3,
KJV: Thou compassest my path and my lying down, and art acquainted with all my ways.
Berean Standard Bible You search out my path and my lying down; You are aware of all my ways.
American Standard Version Thou searchest out my path and my lying down, And art acquainted with all my ways.
Aramaic Bible in Plain English You know my way and my steps and you have investigated all my ways.
English Revised Version Thou searchest out my path and my lying down, and art acquainted with all my ways.
King James Bible Thou compassest my path and my lying down, and art acquainted with all my ways.
A Hebrew word for SEARCH is ZARAH 2219
verb
זָרָה
zaw-raw
scrutinize, spread, scatter, winnow
Almost every modern English translation of the Bible will have a different rendering for the word search – zarah.
Some others are:
Living Bible: sees me
Aramaic Bible: know my ways
Holman Bible: observes me
International standard version: scrutinize my life.
King James version: compassest me
ESV: search me
Douay Reams Bible: understood me
New English translation: observes me
And NIV: discerns me
In all these different renderings, not one is wrong or better than another, and it could be that our Heavenly Father is showing us the rich meaning and depth of His Word. Through these words His Spirit reveals to us a greater understanding of the message He wants to impart to us. So in this case there is not a translation that is incorrect.
The Hebrew word comes from a primitive root: zuwr; to toss about; by implication, to diffuse, winnow — cast away, compass, disperse, fan, scatter (away), spread, strew, winnow.
Recall that every letter of a Hebrew word has its’ own meaning and pictograph. Each letter is a word and here the word zarah is spelled:
zayin resh hei.
זָרָה
The zayin זָ represents and looks like a sword which cut something open to expose the inner layers.
The resh רָ is bent over to the left some of the ancient Hebrew sages tell us that it is a sign of humility or shame.
The letter hei/hey ה is the third letter which represents the presence of God.
When God cuts through us and reveals what is inside of us it brings us to shame and humility in His presence…..However He does not leave us there…it’s a process.
Here the meanings: scrutinize, spread, scatter, winnow, carefully investigate; remind us of Messiahs words that were describing the divide and sift that was to come for His disciples in order to test their faith.
Just as Messiah Jesus/Yeshua said to Simon in Luke.
Simon, Simon, behold, Satan has demanded permission to sift you like wheat; but I have prayed for you, that your faith may not fail; and you, when once you have turned again, strengthen your brothers. Luke 22:31-32 (NASB)
The Greek word which is translated as
demanded actually has the idea of a request.
satan has desired to sift you ALL…
WHY is this necessary?…
it is for us to see what is in us.
Messiah/Jesus said
the devil comes and finds nothing in me.
The key word in the phrase he has nothing in Me is nothing. The English word nothing is the correct translation of the Greek which is ou oudeis.
The word ou means not
and oudeis means no one, none or nothing.
When the Greek word ou is combined with oudeis,
nothing becomes emphatic.
The Greek phrase is a Hebrew idiom which has the legal sense of no claim.
Therefore, Messiah was simply saying that Satan had
no legal claim on Him.
In what sense does Satan have no legal claim on Messiah?
The answer is that Satan has no authority, claim or control over Messiah Jesus/Yeshua in any way, but he does have control over the world systems, kingdoms and non-believers.
There are two important points to help us understand what Satan controls.
The first point is that during the temptation of Messiah by the devil, he reveals that he has authority over the kingdoms of the world Luke 4:5-6. Notice that the devil states all of the kingdoms of the world were handed over to me.
And he led Him up and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. And the devil said to Him, “I will give You all this domain and its glory; for it has been handed over to me, and I give it to whomever I wish.” Luke 4:5-6 (NASB)
These verses help us understand that the devil not only owns the kingdoms of the world, but he controls them as well. Luke 4:5-6.
The second point is that in John 8:43-44 we read that non-Christians, (those who do not accept and believe that Jesus/Yeshua was and is the only begotten Son of the Living God and died in our place;) are under the control of the devil and have the same desires as the devil.
Why do you not understand what I am saying? It is because you cannot hear My word. You are of your father the devil, and you want to do the desires of your father. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth because there is no truth in him. John 8:43-44 (NASB)
The Greek word translated as of in the phrase
of your father the devil is the Greek word ekin.
It means out.
This means the Pharisees were like the devil, out of, being of that seed.
1 John 3:10 also reveals that we belong to either Christ or the devil.
By this the children of God and the children of the devil are obvious: anyone who does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor the one who does not love his brother. 1 John 3:10 (NASB)
The verse tells us every man and woman either belongs to God or belongs to the devil. Those who practice sin belong to the devil. The verses before and after verse 10 make this clear, non-Christians belong to Satan and he has control of them because they are not Christians. Scripture states that the devil is the god of this age, the ruler of this world, and the prince of the power of the air.
We know that we are of God, and that the whole world lies in the power of the evil one. 1 John 5:19 (NASB)
In contrast 1 John 5:18 tells us that Christians cannot be touched or controlled by Satan.
We know that no one who is born of God sins; but He who was born of God keeps him, and the evil one does not touch him. 1 John 5:18 (NASB)
Therefore, since Messiah/Christ was God and sinless, Satan could not control Him.
Satan had no legal claim on Him.
This is why Messiah said, . . . he has nothing in Me… and when satan tempted Him in the wilderness, he was not successful: Matthew 4:1-11; Mark 1:12-13; Luke 4:1-13. Messiah/Christ was without sin Hebrews 4:15.
Can we say the same…
What will be exposed
when we are sifted and scrutinized
by His Spirit of Holiness?
Who will withstand the time of shaking?
What will the light expose in us?
Once our Heavenly Father has opened us up and revealed all the shameful things in our lives; He does not leave us in that state, He cleans up our lives so they are worthy to carry His indwelling presence. He is going to pursue us until we are willing to let Him open us and cleanse us, so that He can abide/live inside of us and we can become what He created us to be in the first place.
He will zarah/search us in our lying down.
The word for lying down is rava’ . רָבַע
raba: to lie stretched out, lie down
(recall the letters b and v are interchangeable.)
Original Word: רָבַע
Part of Speech: Verb
Transliteration: raba
Phonetic Spelling: raw-bah’
Definition: to lie stretched out, lie down
Strong’s Hebrew: 7250. רָבַע (raba) —
to lie stretched out, lie down
This word comes from old Akkadian word RV,
which has the idea of lying down to reproduce.
raba: to lie stretched out, lie down
In all modern ways of understanding today, our Heavenly Father is watching us even in our most private moments. He is there looking for anything that may hinder the fullness of His presence in our lives. When He finds it, He pursues us until we confess only pure motives and honest intentions of our hearts towards Him. He searches for anything that could prevent Him from being all He longs to be in our lives. He observes the fruit of our lives, our actions and what is reproduced, then He prunes us so that we will bear even more fruit.
Is He really that intrusive /interested in our lives, watching and observing our paths and even our most Intimate moments?
He is obviously acquainted with all our ways.
Here that word acquaint in Hebrew is
katan which is used in a hiphal form.
spelled with a letter c or k. Strongs 5532
cakan — to be of use or service, benefit
cakan: benefit
Original Word: סָכַן
Part of Speech: Verb
Transliteration: cakan
Phonetic Spelling: saw-kan’
… acquaint self, be advantage, ever, be, unprofitable, treasurer.
A primitive root; to be familiar with; by implication, to minister to, be serviceable to, be customary — acquaint (self), be advantage, X ever, (be, (un-))profit(-able), treasurer, be wont.
Hiph`il Perfect1singular הִסְכַּ֫נְתִּי Numbers 22:20; 2masculine singular הִסְבַּ֑נְתָּה Psalm 139:3;
Imperative הַסְכֶּןנָֿא Job 22:21;
Infinitive abs. הַסְכֵּן Numbers 22:30; — be used, wont, strictly exhibit use, or habit,
הַהַסְכֵּן הִסְכַּנְתִּי לַעֲשת לְךָ כֹּה Numbers 22:30 (J)
have I ever shewn the habit of doing thus to thee? hence shew harmony with (עִם) one Job 22:21, be familiar with, know intimately (subject ׳י) Psalm 139:3 (with accusative דְּרָכַי).
The word katan seems to have its origins in an ancient Phoenician word developed from: examining a wound to determine how to care for it.
It is a diagnostic search or a familiarizing. When used in a hiphal form it gives the picture of: God is not observing all our ways to make notes and assign grades for our performance; but to determine and understand the best way to correct and heal whatever wounds have been left as He fills us with His presence.
Like David there are no doubt many things in our lives we are ashamed of. Even though God has forgiven us we still have scars that remind us of our past sins and even some open wounds still remain that must be healed.
Maybe David is saying here that our Heavenly Father searches us out, even in our most intimate moments, to clean us up and forgive every single sin, no matter how secret and hidden we think it is. This is so He can enter our lives and fill us with His presence, His Spirit of Holiness.
There is another Hebrew word for
search – chaqar
resh quph chet
which also means:
to investigate,
examine thoroughly in order to expose a weakness.
Weaknesses can be in the form of old unhealed wounds and spiritual scars.
It is not only that He will search us, but He will also closely examine all of our wounds to determine the best treatment to heal them; so we can rest totally in His presence without the hindrance of guilt and shame. When we are running from God, resisting His searching gaze, it is often because we really don’t want to be cleaned up. We like our secret sins and we are comfortable with our wounds, preferring to live and walk as a casualty, with a victim mentality.
However, because our Father loves us and does not want to lose us, He will keep chasing after us until we allow Him to catch up with us and until we surrender; then He can clean us up and heal all our wounds. There are those rooms in our ‘house’ that need a deep, spiritual spring-cleaning. Attics, basements, cupboards and closets full of memories and hurts; those corners of our hearts and minds that we have closed off for too long.
It is only when we truly surrender and stop running, that we will discover the freedom giving joy of His presence. A relationship that is unhindered by sin, guilt and shame is one that allows true loving intimacy, the spiritual connection with our Creator Father, that of katan with Him.
Today…it’s time to stop running and hiding from Him, we often stay too busy to take the time we need to be in His presence.
We need Him, and we must seek His face/presence and only then we will find Him. If we truly want to walk with Him, it is critical to lay down self. Nothing less than total submission, a repentant heart and allowing Him to search us, will bring true humility and openness spiritually; which precedes the personal revival, restoration, maturity and Holiness of His called-apart-ecclesia.
Today it’s is time to answer the question for our own life….
Who is Searching For Who?
Shalom shalom mishpachah/family
and cheverim/friends!
You are loved, appreciated and prayed for
… and…
it’s all about Life and Relationship,
NOT Religion.
You are precious in His sight.
NOT SURE?
YOU CAN BE..
SAY THE FOLLOWING FROM YOUR HEART RIGHT NOW…
Heavenly Father I come to you in the Name of Jesus/Yeshua asking for forgiveness of my sins for which I am truly sorry. I repent of them all and turn away from my past.
I believe with my heart and confess with my mouth that Jesus/Yeshua is your Son and that He died on the cross at calvary to pay the price for my sin, so that I might be forgiven and have eternal life in the kingdom of Heaven. Father I believe that Jesus/Yeshua rose from the dead and I ask you to come into my life right now and be my personal Savior and Lord and I will worship you all the days of my life. Because your word is truth I say that I am now forgiven and born again and by faith I am washed clean with the blood of Jesus/Yeshua. Thank you that you have accepted me into your family in Jesus’/Yeshua’s name. Amen
Are We Melancholy Pelicans & Bereaved Sparrows?
6 I am like a melancholy pelican or vulture of the wilderness; I am like a [desolate] owl of the waste places.
7 I am sleepless and lie awake [mourning], like a bereaved sparrow alone on the housetop.
Psalm 102:6-8
Amplified Bible, Classic Edition. Bible Gateway.com
There are many references to birds all through the Bible from Genesis to Revelation. They are part of our Heavenly Fathers creation and He feeds them.
Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Matthew 6:26
These were Jesus/Yeshuas’ own words which are of great encouragement to us.
Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? and one of them shall not fall on the ground without your Father. But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear ye not therefore, ye are of more value than many sparrows.
Matt 10:29-31
There are also many English idioms using birds.
Our idiom
It’s for the birds.
Means: Worthless, useless, not to be taken seriously, no good.
This phrase often describes something that is only acceptable to people who are less intelligent or more gullible than oneself.
So why are these particular birds used by the Psalmist?
What is he trying to convey, and how does it apply to believers today?
In these 2 verses he mentions
a pelican or vulture, an owl and a sparrow.
We know from 2Tim. 3:16 that …
All Scripture is God-breathed [given by divine inspiration] and is profitable for instruction, for conviction [of sin], for correction [of error and restoration to obedience], for training in righteousness [learning to live in conformity to God’s will, both publicly and privately—behaving honorably with personal integrity and moral courage]; so that the man of God may be complete and proficient, outfitted and thoroughly equipped for every good work.
Amplified Bible 16&17
…He is trying to tell us something and it’s not to be taken lightly; it’s our Fathers’ Word to us on how to live the life of a believer and disciple. It is never worthless or useless because it is the Way, the Truth and the Life.
I am like a pelican of the wilderness –
A bird in the midst of desolation becomes a striking image of loneliness and distress.
The word rendered “pelican” –
קאת qâ’ath –
6893 qaath: קָאַת
Original Word: קָאַת
Part of Speech: Noun Feminine
Transliteration: qaath
Phonetic Spelling: kaw-ath’
The Hebrew name of this bird is generally understood to mean “the vomiter” (From the Hebrew qohʼ, “to vomit”). And is supposed to have been a name given to the pelican from the idea of regurgitating, as it brings up the shells and other substances which it has swallowed too quickly.
The translators of the Greek Septuagint and Latin Vulgate versions identified the Hebrew word with the “pelican.”
The word occurs in the following places, where it is rendered “pelican:” Leviticus 11:18; Deuteronomy 14:17; and in Isaiah 34:11; Zephaniah 2:14, where it is rendered “cormorant.”
It’s listed among the birds designated as ‘unclean’ in the Mosaic law. Lev. 11:13, 18; Deut. 14:11, 12, 17.
There is one place where the Hebrew word:
liq·’aṯ is used for the pelican.
לִקְאַ֣ת
liq·’aṯ
Pelican; or, as some translate bittern, as the same word is translated, Isaiah 34:11 Zephaniah 2:14.
It is a solitary and mournful bird, as also is the owl.
I am like a pelican of the wilderness: I am like an owl of the desert.
Always mourning in solitude and casting out fearful cries.
I am like a pelican of the wilderness,…. It may be so called, to distinguish it from another of the same name that lives on the waters; which has the name of “pelican” in Greek; however, it seems to be a bird of solitude, and the Psalmist compares himself to it.
According to references, it is an Egyptian bird, that inhabits the desert of the river Nile, this is where the name of Canopus Aegyptus comes from.
As to the Pelican. Leviticus 11:18. Some scholars say: “It has been objected that the pelican is a water-bird, and cannot, therefore, be the kâath of the Scriptures—“the pelican of the wilderness”—as it must of necessity starve in the desert; but a midbar (wilderness) is often used to denote a wide open space, cultivated or uncultivated, and is not to be restricted to barren spots destitute of water; moreover, as a matter of fact, the pelican after filling its huge pouch with fish, molluscs, etc., often retires to places far inland, where it consumes what it has captured. It breeds on the great sandy wastes near the mouths of the Danube. The expression ‘pelican in the wilderness,’ in the psalmist’s imagery, is a true picture of the bird as it sits in apparently melancholy mood with its bill resting on its breast.
Isaiah 34:11; Zephaniah 2:13, 14.
The Bible encyclopedia gives this insight on the Scriptures: “When the pelican is gorged with food, it often flies away to a lonely place, where it takes a melancholy attitude.”
He compares himself to solitude-loving birds which haunt desolate places and ruins, uttering weird and mournful cries. Isaiah 34:11; Zephaniah 2:14 (A.V. cormorant).
One observer recalls,
“this was certainly the most sombre, austere bird I ever saw….
It gave one the blues merely to look at it. David could find no more expressive type of solitude and melancholy by which to illustrate his own sad state. It seemed as large as a half-grown donkey, and when fairly settled on its stout legs, it looked like one. The pelican is never seen but in these unfrequented solitudes, and to this agree all the references to it in the Bible.”
(Heb. kaath , sometimes translated “cormorant,” as ( Isaiah 34:11 ; Zephaniah 2:14 ) though in the margin correctly rendered “pelican”), a voracious waterbird, found most abundantly in tropical regions. It is equal to the swan in size. It has a flat bill fifteen inches long, and the female has under the bill a pouch capable of great distention. It is capacious enough to hold fish sufficient for the dinner of half a dozen men.
The young are fed from this pouch, which is emptied of the food by pressing the pouch against the breast. The pelicans bill has a crimson tip, and the contrast of this red tip against the white breast probably gave rise to the tradition that the bird tore her own breast to feed her young with her blood. The flesh of the pelican was forbidden to the Jews. Leviticus 11:18 .
The pelican is one of the largest of the flying birds, attaining a length of over 1.5 m (5 ft), with a majestic wingspread of 2.5 m (8 ft) or more.
The yellowish beak is long and hooked, and the large elastic pouch beneath is scarcely noticeable when empty.
Heavy and lumbering on land, the pelicans are strong, graceful fliers and have been known to have their nesting places as much as 100 km (60 mi) from the places of their fishing. They are superb fishers, and their webbed feet enable them to maneuver swiftly in the water.
The pelican’s most distinctive feature is the large elastic pouch extending beneath its long beak.
The pelican plunges with open bill into a school of small fish. The pouch serves as a scoop, taking in the fish and often several quarts of water as well. When the bird comes to the surface the water runs out the sides of the bill and the fish are gulped down. They are never stored in the pouch.
Publications show that the pelican feeds its young by regurgitating partly digested food from its stomach, even bringing up whole small fishes when the young birds have attained sufficient size. The parent bird opens its beak and allows the young to poke into the vast throat, prodding for the regurgitated food.
Thus, the Hebrew name aptly fits the pelican.
When the pelican is gorged with food, it often flies away to a lonely place, where it takes a melancholy posture, with its head sunk on its shoulders, so motionless that it might be mistaken from a distance for a white stone. The bird assumes this attitude for hours at a time, thus befitting the melancholy inactivity to which the psalmist David refers when he illustrates the poignancy of his grief by writing that “I do resemble the pelican of the wilderness.” Ps. 102:6
So if we are ever lonely and melancholy, remember we might also resemble a pelican!
Here “wilderness” does not necessarily connote a desert, but simply an area away from human habitations, perhaps a swamp. During certain seasons, swamps in the northern Jordan valley are still the home of pelicans.
The pelican shows a distinct preference for uncultivated places, where it will not be disturbed by man. There it nests and hatches its’ young and retires after fishing. Because of this fondness for lonely, desolate places, the Bible uses this bird as a symbol of utter desolation. To symbolize Edom’s coming desolation, Isaiah foretold that the pelican would take possession of that land. Isa. 34:11. Zephaniah prophesied that pelicans would dwell among the pillar capitals of Nineveh, indicating total ruin and absence of humankind. Zeph. 2:13, 14.
The pelican is a high diver, although this may be difficult for one to believe when observing them on land.
Trying to walk about on his short, stout legs, the pelican is ungainly and awkward and his gigantic bill, with the large elastic pouch hanging beneath, only adds to his funny appearance.
In the air however, the picture is entirely different as he is extremely graceful, and at great heights exhibits a power and dignity equaled only by the eagle. His five-foot white body and eight/ten-foot wingspan make him spectacular in flight with apparently minimal effort.
The reference to flying and the ease of flight,
gives us an image of the believer
who encounters struggle on the ground
but when aloft in the spirit,
we are seated with Him in the heavenlies,
and we will find that the walk is much easier.
קאת construct of קאת
or קאת from קאה,
vid., Isaiah,
at Isaiah 34:11-12,
according to the lxx, is the pelican,
and כּוס is the night-raven or the little horned-owl.
In the second line,
I am become as an owl in desolate places.
I am like an owl of the desert –
The owl is a well-known bird which dwells in solitudes and old ruins, and which becomes, alike by its seeking such places of abode, by its appearance, and by its doleful cry, the very emblem of desolation.
Owl in Hebrew: khôs. Leviticus 11:17.
The bird is identified with the owl by the Hebrew in this passage, which should be rendered, owl of the ruins. Some, however, would identify this bird with the pelican, since khôs means cup, rendering as “the pelican, even the pouch-bird.”
The owl is called by the Arabs “mother of ruins,” and
“in the tombs or on the ruins, among the desolate heaps which mark the sites of ancient Judah, on the sandy mounds of Beersheba, or on the spray-beaten fragments of Tyre, his low wailing note is sure to be heard at sunset.” Tristram’s Nat. Hist. of the Bible, p. 194.
I am like an owl of the desert; or “of desert places“; in the Tigurine version; it is translated “the little owl” in Leviticus 11:17.
It delights to be on old walls, and in ruined houses, and cares not to consort with other birds, and it makes a hideous sorrowful noise.
Aelianus speaks of a bird of this sort in India, which has a large crop like a sack; and the Hebrew word “cos” here used signifies a cup or vessel, from whence it may have its name; and which he says makes a very disagreeable noise, to which the psalmist may compare the voice of his groaning.
Psalm 102:5.
or an owl of the desert
CJB
I am like a great owl in the desert, I’ve become like an owl in the ruins.
Always mourning in solitude and casting out fearful cries.
And that he resembles or, is like them.
1819 dā·mî·ṯî – resemble, am like.
Psalm 102:6
HEB: דָּ֭מִיתִי לִקְאַ֣ת מִדְבָּ֑ר הָ֝יִ֗יתִי
NAS: I resemble a pelican of the wilderness;
KJV: I am like a pelican of the wilderness:
INT: resemble A pelican of the wilderness have become
דּמה obtains the signification: to be like, equal, to be flat, even, and to spread out flat. They are both unclean creatures, which are fond of the loneliness of the desert and ruined places.
It is to such a wilderness, in loneliness and ruination, the psalmist has found himself. No doubt the words, hideous sorrowful noise of fearful cries, described the deep groaning at his condition. Many know that place, where no words suffice to describe our inner turmoil and distress. When we cry out to the Lord He always hears us and will comfort our waste places.
For the LORD will comfort Zion, He will comfort all her waste places; He will make her wilderness like Eden, And her desert like the garden of the LORD; Joy and gladness will be found in it, Thanksgiving and the voice of melody. Isaiah 51:3 NKJV
As children grafted-in to spiritual Israel, this promise is for us.
Clean and Unclean Animals
…17 the little owl, the cormorant, the great owl, 18 the white owl, the desert owl, the osprey, 19 the stork, any kind of heron, the hoopoe, and the bat.…
Leviticus 11:13
Additionally, you are to detest the following birds, and they must not be eaten because they are detestable: the eagle, the bearded vulture, the black vulture,
Leviticus 11:17
the little owl, the cormorant, the great owl,
Leviticus 11:19
the stork, any kind of heron, the hoopoe, and the bat.
Deuteronomy 14:17
the desert owl, the osprey, the cormorant,
Ps 102 :6I am like a [mournful] [a]vulture of the wilderness;
I am like a [desolate] owl of the wasteland.
7I am sleepless and lie awake [mourning],
I have become like a lonely bird on a housetop.
[a] 6 Lit pelican, or some kind of desert bird.
Leviticus 11:18 the white owl, the desert owl, the osprey,
So, it is to this
melancholy attitude of lonely desolation
that the Psalmist refers when he says,
“I am like a pelican of the wilderness” Psalm 102:6,
and it is also to its’ habit of building in deserted places.
Although believers may have such experiences, they are not to overwhelm us or cause us to remain in them. We are to learn from them and grow in our relationship with our Heavenly Father; and furthermore be better equipped to help others who are still struggling through personal wildernesses.
Sparrow
Psalm 102:7
KJ21
I watch, and am as a sparrow alone upon the housetop.
ASV
I watch, and am become like a sparrow That is alone upon the house-top.
AMP
I am sleepless and lie awake [mourning], I have become like a lonely bird on a housetop.
AMPC
I am sleepless and lie awake [mourning], like a bereaved sparrow alone on the housetop.
KJV
I watch, and am as a sparrow alone upon the house top.
He passes the nights without sleep
שׁקד: to watch during the time for sleep,
and is therefore like a bird sitting feeling lonesome
upon the roof, whilst all in the house beneath are sleeping.
His grief is that his enemies reproach him as one forsaken of God.
You are worth more than many sparrows.
Mt 10:29-31; Lu 12:6, 7
Sparrows are a symbol of hope.
Like the sparrows, we are to have hope in the Lord
and overcome grief and find comfort.
The Greek word strou·thiʹon is a diminutive form meaning:
any small bird,
but was used especially as applying to sparrows.
A variety of common house sparrow
(Passer domesticus biblicus) is abundant in Israel.
Small brown and gray birds, the sparrows are noisy and gregarious, chirping and twittering, fluttering from their perch on a housetop, tree, or bush to the ground and back again. Their diet consists chiefly of seeds, insects, and worms. The Spanish sparrow, Passer hispaniolensis, is also common, especially in the northern and central areas of Israel.
The only direct references to sparrows in the Bible are found in a statement that Messiah Jesus made during His third visit to Galilee which He restated approx. a year later in Judea. He pointed out that two sparrows sell for a coin of small value [literally, an assarion, worth less than five cents] or, if bought in quantities of five, for two coins of small value, Messiah stated that, though these small birds were counted as of such little worth, yet not one of them will fall to the ground without your Father’s knowledge and not one of them is forgotten. He then encouraged His disciples to be free from fear, and assured them, You are worth more than many sparrows. Matt. 10:29-31; Lu. 12:6, 7.
For many centuries, sparrows have been sold in Middle Eastern markets. As food, they were plucked and roasted on wooden skewers like shish kebabs.
An ancient inscription of Emperor Diocletian’s tariff law (301 C.E.) shows that of all the birds used for food, sparrows were the cheapest.—Light From the Ancient East, by A. Deissmann, 1965, pp. 273, 274.
Although the sparrow appears in the Hebrew Scriptures in the KJV Ps. 84:3; 102:7 and in other translations, the Hebrew term so rendered: tsip·pohrʹ, is evidently a generic term referring to small birds in general and not specifically identifying the sparrow.
“I am like an owl of the desert; I watch, and am as a sparrow alone upon the house top.”
The context of these verses is that of the suffering servant, crying out to God for salvation as his enemies surround him. This could be said to be a pretty good description of some believers today as both political and social forces try to suppress the Church. False religions and counterfeit spirituality creeps into members lives as they linger in leaving Babylon/the world and delay in obeying the call to come out from among them and be ye separate.
Strife, division and arguments arise from within, putting folks in opposition to one another; however, the Scriptures assure us of two things. First, that the gates of Hades shall not prevail against the Church. Matt 16:18. We should continually remind ourselves that the Church exists to reach the lost with Messiahs’ message of salvation; we do not need to save the institution of the Church and its’ many denominations. Secondly, that according to Col.2:15 Jesus Christ/Yeshua HaMashiach, has already disarmed and triumphed over the demonic forces, having made a public spectacle of them.
The world is not our home and those who identify with its’ systems will continue to stir up fear, violence and anger; but we who call ourselves by Messiah’s Name, are invited to share in the joy and peace/shalom, of His Spirit of Holiness, knowing that God has already judged; and will judge once more on the last day. Vengeance is mine, I will recompense’ says the Lord. Deut 32:35; Rom 12:19.
Like an owl in the desert,
we must wait and watch as our enemies surround us.
But there is no need to despair, for
God is with us… Isaiah 7:14; Matt 1:23.
Are any of us melancholy pelicans,
bereaved sparrows,
or desolate owls?
Feeling vulnerable or abandoned?
Circumstances may have brought us to compare ourselves to these birds; and if they have, our Heavenly Father has already prepared the remedy and the solution. We are to place our trust and hope in Him. We are to look up and focus on the Lord.
We are to trade our sadness, our melancholy for His joy;
our loneliness for His presence
our desolation for His promises which are always yes and amen.
This is the great exchange of 2 Cor. 5:21.
It is the good news that
lifts burdens,
gives joy and
restores strength.
Martin Luther called this
the great exchange,
where our sin is credited to Jesus/Yeshua and the earned righteousness of Jesus/Yeshua is credited to:
all who call upon the name of the Lord.
Rom. 10:9, 13; 2 Cor. 5:21; Eph. 2:8-9; 2 Tim. 1:9.
Where Adam brought death through his rebellion,
Messiah, Jesus Christ earned eternal life for all believers…
The Great Exchange, whereby Jesus Christ went to the grave in our place, while we receive by faith the credit for His righteous life…
He died that we might live eternally…
He has given us restored fellowship for our rebellion and independence…
A new heart and new spirit for our hearts wicked iniquities…
His righteousness for our sins…
Power to live victoriously instead of defeat by the power of sin…
Gods’ glory for our shame…
His blessings and His spirit for the curse of sin and death…
We have exchanged His Healing for our sickness…
His riches for our poverty…
Hope replaces sorrow and regret…
Joy and peace for anxiety…
Adoption as sons, family in exchange for rejection and fear.
This is a positive statement to confess out loud:
According to Col. 1:28… I am complete in Christ/Messiah. Jesus/Yeshua has given me restored fellowship, new heart desires, His righteousness, power over sin, His glory, His Holy Spirit, health, prosperity, hope, joy, peace, adoption into His family and eternal life.
In times of loss, separation, betrayal, abandonment and the grief that follows, we should turn to the One who knows more than anyone how we are feeling. As the bereaved sparrow David mentions, he endures the loss, and turns in a hopeful attitude towards the future. We are to turn to Messiah and to hope in the Lord, Who is the anchor of our soul where the pain is deepest. He bore our sorrows, our pains and our griefs. He was betrayed and abandoned by those who He loved and had in turn declared their undying love for Him. For the joy that was set before Him to be restored into His Father’s presence, He has offered all that He paid for – to us.
We have a hope and a future Jeremiah 9:11. The plans He has for us are for good, for a positive and victorious outcome. Whatever the situation you’re in, He knows. As we trust in Him with all we have and lean not to our own understanding, He will direct our paths and restore unto us the joy of our salvation; replacing the loneliness with His loving presence.
Those who feel like the owl who is desolate and solitary will find companionship in the friend Who is also our brother as well as Savior, Lord and King. He walks with us and converses with us knowing already the intimate longings of our hearts. He is the One who will never leave us nor forsake us, the friend that sticks closer than a brother and will never stab us in the back. His love Is unconditional and all encompassing and never fails or changes. With Him by our side we are never alone or desolate.
And as with the sparrows, not one of them shall fall on the ground without your Fathers’ knowledge or consent. He knows and is in overall control of everything so, there is no need to fear anything.
If we are identifying today with the melancholy pelican, just feeling ‘plain down in the dumps‘, depressed and wanting to pull the covers over our heads and hibernate until next spring. There is a risen Savior and He is it to stay. Jesus/Yeshua is the answer to melancholy, to sadness, sorrow which has to flee when we call upon His Name. His is the Name above every other name. He is the Prince of Peace, our Sar Shalom, where no melancholy or depression can overshadow us; and as we declare Him sovereign in our lives, His Blood cleanses us and washes away all oppression and the shadows that bring it. The light of His glory and grace will dispel all darkness that tries to overwhelm our tender hearts and bruised souls.
He was bruised and beaten for us. He was mocked and rejected by those He came to save. All sadness and sighing flee away as we look to Him, the author and finisher of our faith. The restorer of our souls and the resurrector of our spirits. There is no other name by which men must be saved and when we receive all that He has for us, our joy will be full and our strength restored, so we can persevere and run the race to the finish.
So even if we have been a melancholy pelican,
a desolate owl,
or a bereaved sparrow;
today we can receive or renew all those promises
contained within that
great exchange.
See I have made all things new… Rev. 21:5
and
fear not you are worth
MUCH more
than many sparrows.
Shalom shalom mishpachah/family
and cheverim/friends!
You are loved, appreciated and prayed for
… and…
it’s all about Life and Relationship,
NOT Religion.
You are precious in His sight.
NOT SURE?
YOU CAN BE..
SAY THE FOLLOWING FROM YOUR HEART RIGHT NOW…
Heavenly Father I come to you in the Name of Jesus/Yeshua asking for forgiveness of my sins for which I am truly sorry. I repent of them all and turn away from my past.
I believe with my heart and confess with my mouth that Jesus/Yeshua is your Son and that He died on the cross at calvary to pay the price for my sin, so that I might be forgiven and have eternal life in the kingdom of Heaven. Father I believe that Jesus/Yeshua rose from the dead and I ask you to come into my life right now and be my personal Savior and Lord and I will worship you all the days of my life. Because your word is truth I say that I am now forgiven and born again and by faith I am washed clean with the blood of Jesus/Yeshua. Thank you that you have accepted me into your family in Jesus’/Yeshua’s name. Amen
Trusting In The Arm of the Flesh = Kalah?
What are we to do when we hear of wars and rumors of wars?
Messiah Himself prophesied of the signs that will occur and increase in both frequency and intensity before His Second Coming and the end of the world/age.
As it is today, we see a worldwide convergence of these signs like never before in history!
Matthew 24:6. You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. These things must happen, but the end is still to come.
Aramaic Bible in Plain English
It is going to happen that you are going to hear battles and reports of wars. Take heed that you will not be troubled, for it is necessary that all these things should happen, but it will not yet be the end.
In Matthew chapter 24, Messiah describes the events leading up to His second coming and the establishment of His Kingdom on the Earth for His Millennium Kingdom. The scriptures in Revelation 5:10 New KJV
And have made us kings and priests to our God; And we shall reign on the earth. and in 2Tim. 2:12 if we endure we shall also reign with Him. as well as in 1Pet.2:9.
tell us that His chosen, will be kings and priests ruling with Him on earth.
This post is not a line by line study of all these verses in Mathew, rather a look at verse 6 wars and rumors of wars; and how we are to respond as His talmidim/disciples. Today there are many conflicting news reports of what is happening in the ongoing conflicts in Ukraine and elsewhere. This post is not a commentary on the wars in any measure, only on our response to how scripture is being fulfilled in our day and time.
We must as believers and disciples of Messiah pray earnestly for His will and plan and purpose to be established, and not what we think should be done. At times like these when distractions come and propaganda is flourishing, we should do as the disciples did and ask the Lord
what is happening,
how we should respond and
what is our role in these days.
This chapter in Matthew is doubly prophetic, in the sense that the Temple was destroyed in 70 A.D. after Messiah/Christ was resurrected and His ecclesia/called apart-ones/ church was established. However, it is also prophetic of events leading up to His return/ 2nd coming, when the Temple in Jerusalem will be rebuilt.
Jesus/Yeshua answered their questions and in all the scriptures we read He says we are:
to not be worried.
In verse 6
see that ye be not troubled:
Why?
Because our Heavenly Father knows what is happening
and what the final outcome will be.
Psalm 33:10-11 tells us clearly that:
8Let all the earth fear the Lord;
Let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of Him.
9For He spoke, and it was done;
He commanded, and it stood fast.
10The Lord brings the counsel of the nations to nothing;
He makes the plans of the peoples of no effect.
11The counsel of the Lord stands forever,
The plans of His heart to all generations. NKJV.
We are to look to Him, Who is the author and finisher of our faith and not to the arm of the flesh.
What does this mean for us?
It means, is He really first place in our lives?
Here in Lamentations 4 there is a great example for us.
Lamentations 4:17
New King James Version
Still our eyes failed us, Watching vainly for our help; In our watching we watched For a nation that could not save us.
Amplified Bible
[And as for us,] yet our eyes failed, Looking in vain for help. Watching [from the towers] we watched For a nation that could not save.
Aramaic Bible in Plain English
The Person of LORD JEHOVAH divided them, and he will not continue to gaze at them. Do not accept the persons of the Priests, and to the Elders do not show affection
tiḵ·le·nāh 3615
כְלֶ֣ינָה
תִּכְלֶ֣ינָה
tiḵ-le-nāh
failed
Strong’s Hebrew: 3584.
כָּחַשׁ (kachash) — to disappoint …
Definition. to disappoint, deceive, FAIL, grow lean
Lamentations 4:17
HEB: (עֹודֵ֙ינוּ֙ ק) תִּכְלֶ֣ינָה עֵינֵ֔ינוּ אֶל־
NAS: our eyes failed, [Looking] for help
KJV: As for us, our eyes as yet failed for our vain
INT: while failed our eyes to
New King James Version
Still our eyes failed us, Watching vainly for our help; In our watching we watched For a nation that could not save us.
Amplified Bible
[And as for us,] yet our eyes failed, Looking in vain for help. Watching [from the towers] we watched For a nation that could not save.
The Assyrians were ready to march on Judah and instead of turning to God for help, they, Judah, looked to the nation of Egypt to help and deliver them, yet Egypt had their own problems and would not come to help Judah. The people placed their hope of salvation in the arm of the flesh instead of the arm of the Lord.
The words..
our eyes yet failed for our help in watching…
is a sad state of affairs giving a picture of their situation.
We could say it in today’s vernacular as: our eyes have become worn out, or tired and exhausted watching for the help that never arrived.
This is reflected in our nations today.
Here in Lamentations, it is clear in what and in whom the hearts of the people were trusting; and the condition of their hearts was obvious by their behavior. We could say it’s the fruit ..it’s what is obvious for all to see.
Another Hebrew word for failed is kalah
which has the idea of:
becoming exhausted after putting
every part of your being into something.
kalah
Strongs# 3615
to be complete, at an end, finished, accomplished, or spent.
Original Word: כָּלָה
Part of Speech: Verb
Transliteration: kalah
Phonetic Spelling: kaw-law’
Kalah
hey lamed kaf
כָּלָה
KALAH: Word Origin: a prim. root
Definition: to be complete, at an end, finished, accomplished, or spent
NASB Translation
accomplish (2), accomplished (1), annihilate (1), annihilated (2), been consumed (2), been spent (1), brings to pass (1), brought (1), came to an end (1), ceased (1), come to an end (5), complete (1), completed (10), completely gone (1), completion (1), consume (6), consumed (16), decided (3), demolish (1), destroy (10), destroyed (4), destroyed them all (1), destroys (1), destruction (1), determined (1), devoured (1), died (1), end (4), ended (3), ending (1), exhausted (2), exterminated (1), fail (10), failed (1), fails (2), faints (1), feed (1), finish (6), finished (67), finishes (1), fulfill (2), languish (1), languishes (1), longed (1), make an end (1), over (1), perish (1), perishing (1), plotted (1), put an end (2), ravage (1), settled (1), spend (3), spent (5), terminate (1), use (1), used (1), vanish (2), vanishes (1), waste away (1), wastes away (1), yearned (1).
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