Psalm 24:3-5 Who shall ascend into the hill of the Lord? or who shall stand in his holy place? 4 He that hath clean hands, and
A PURE HEART;
who hath not lifted up his soul unto vanity, nor sworn deceitfully.
This is Messiah Who, because of what He has done we can ascend to the hill/presence of the Lord! So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God.
This phrase
a pure heart
lev tahor
is used in many scriptures.
‘and a pure
וּֽבַר־ (ū·ḇar-)
Conjunctive: waw – vav
Adjective – masculine singular construct
Strong’s 1249: Beloved, pure, empty.
heart,
לֵ֫בָ֥ב (lê·ḇāḇ)
Noun – masculine singular
Strong’s 3824: Inner man, mind, will, heart.
When we think of a pure heart
we often think of an innocent child.
Someone not yet exposed to the issues of life that cause
a pure heart
to become tainted, calloused and hardened by lifes’ experiences. Yet these verses are not specifically pointing to young children.
Ps. 73 is directed to Israels offspring.
The Psalms and David have much to say of the heart.
Psalm 73:1
HEB: לְיִשְׂרָאֵ֥ל אֱלֹהִ֗ים לְבָרֵ֥י לֵבָֽב׃
NAS: to Israel, To those who are pure in heart!
lə·ḇā·rê
לְבָרֵ֥י
to such as are pure in
1249 [e] lə·ḇā·rê
heart
3824 [e]
lê·ḇāḇ.
לֵבָֽב׃
וּֽבַר pure
לֵ֫בָ֥ב heart
Labara levav
The Hebrew letters:
Lamed resh beth yod lamed beth beth
A PURE HEART – LEV TAHOR לב טהור
Strong’s Hebrew: 2889. טָהוֹר (tahor) — clean, pure
Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance. clean, fair, pureness. Or tahor {taw-hore’}; from taher; pure (in a physical, chemical, ceremonial or moral sense) — clean, fair, pure (-ness). see HEBREW taher.
Strong’s Hebrew: 2890. טֳהָר־ (tahor) — pureness
tahor: pureness Original Word: טְהוֹר Part of Speech: Noun Masculine Transliteration: tahor Phonetic Spelling: (teh-hore’) Definition: pureness
טהור – pure, clean (figurative); pure, unalloyed – Hebrew …
Inflection of טָהוֹר Adjective – katol pattern Root: ט – ה – ר The middle radical of this word is guttural; this affects the adjacent vowels. Meaning pure, clean (figurative); pure, unalloyed
The Hebrew word Tahor (Tet-Hey-Resh), which is reference number 2889. It is an adjective and is from the verb Taher 2891.
Strong’s Hebrew: 2891. טָהֵר (taher) — to be clean or pure
taher: to be clean or pure Original Word: טָהֵר Part of Speech: Verb Transliteration: taher Phonetic Spelling: (taw-hare’) Definition: to be clean or pure
HEBREW WORD STUDY – A CLEAN VESSEL – BIKELI TAHOR
May 19, 2021 · A clean vessel is bikeli tahor in the Hebrew which spoke of a very common vessel in oriental culture as it is today. A potter often made vessels which were referred to as vessels fo
We have looked at
heart lev/leb levav in previous posts
(link below for newer readers.)
https://www.minimannamoments.com/because-9/
However a pure heart …what is it?
and how do we attain one?
Because according to
Jeremiah 17:9 – the heart is wicked and deceitful
and yet, if it were possible to have a pure heart,
then it would not be something David
both desired and asked for in
Psalms 51:10.
Create in me a clean heart and who can ascend the hill of the Lord; and in Psalm 24:3-5. Who shall ascend into the hill of the Lord? or who shall stand in his holy place? 4 He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart; who hath not lifted up his soul unto vanity, nor sworn deceitfully.
This is Messiah, Who because of what He has done, we can ascend to the hill/presence of the Lord! So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God.
Create a clean/pure heart in me, O God: and renew a right spirit within my bowels.
David asks directly for
a pure/clean heart and a renewed/steadfast spirit:
Create in me a PURE heart, O God,
And renew a steadfast spirit within me.
This verse invites
a radical renewal
from our Heavenly Father.
His request – create in me a PURE/clean heart;
is it simply another way of asking for
forgiveness and spiritual cleansing?
What does ‘Create in me a PURE/clean heart’ mean?
When David prayed Create in me a PURE/clean heart, he used the same Hebrew verb that is used in Genesis 1:1 for the creation of the world; a cosmic cleansing before starting anew from scratch. This type of cleansing is enormous and all encompassing.
Jesus/Yeshua said:
The PURE in heart will see God…
so it must be possible…
but only through Him.
In Psalms 73:1: A Psalm of Asaph.
Truly God [is] good to Israel,
[even] to such as are of a pure/clean heart.
Israel and his descendants are His children of promise, to which, if not born naturally to the covenant chosen; are the gentile believers grafted-in by grace. This is only through being born again from above by His spirit and washed in the Blood of Messiah Jesus. So the promise applies to those as well.
God is Good to those with a pure heart and who doesn’t want the goodness of God? Yet to receive that goodness we apparently need a pure heart.
We recently looked at the word
good which in Hebrew is tov/tob
and discovered its’ Hebrew meaning was:
to be in harmony with something.
Click below for link to post.
https://www.minimannamoments.com/who-or-what-is-good/
We know Yeshua/Jesus said: Only God is good
or
in harmony with everything in His creation.
SO could we then understand that:
God is good
or
in harmony with those with a pure heart?
We know from scripture that clearly we cannot make our hearts pure by our own efforts. The good news of the gospel of the kingdom is that Jesus Messiah, died on Calvary’s cross;
He alone bore ALL our sins,
removed them,
nailing them to the tree and
thus leaving us with
a pure heart.
Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross; Col 2:14 KJV
Colossians 2:14 New King James Version 14 having wiped out the [a]handwriting of requirements that was against us, which was contrary to us. And He has taken it out of the way,
So our question, how do we get one, is answered in that Jesus/Yeshua gives us
a PURE heart
and it comes by
putting our faith and trust in Him.
An interesting thought here is, at the cross He took away not only all our past sins but those He knew we would commit against Him today and in all our future days! It’s is such an overwhelming miracle of His grace and merciful forgiveness, that even before we do wrong, He has made provision for the truly repentant heart. This should not however be a license for us to just do as we please, but rather, to look soberly at our lifestyles and keep our walk very close to Him on the narrow way.
The questions we should ask are,
what do we do when we receive that clean/pure heart?
And..
what are the characteristics of a clean/pure heart?
As we have seen previously in the Hebrew language, there is often a play on words which is used to give a wider picture and offer deeper understanding for us. In Ps. 73:1 the word
PURE – LABARA,
has an l, a Hebrew letter lamed in front of it
לְבָרֵ֥י
to such as are pure in
1249 [e] lə·ḇā·rê
which in Hebrew language and sentence construction is a preposition.
The lamed or L stands for:
TO UNTO or FOR.
In its’ root form, the word
PURE is BARAR
and can be seen in the scripture verse as
labara.
The word has the picture of:
cleansing and rejuvenating;
so in translating this verse it would read:
God is good to the pure heart.
or
He is in harmony with a pure heart,
rather than reading as: those who are pure in heart!
Why is this important?
Well, do we want to know truth, or do we want to settle for what we think we know or have been taught; which is often our comfort zone? (Re-read the parable of the old wine and old wineskins). Isn’t it important to know what our Heavenly Father means? For the writer it is very much so, none of us wants one day to discover we have been believing something that is not correct; because only the truth will make us free, not what we choose to think or believe, simply because it fits our paradigm.
The idea or picture the Hebrew language describes and creates for us is that:
Our Heavenly Father relates to our hearts – not our bodies and minds but our hearts. Yeshua/Jesus came to save and redeem our spirits, NOT our flesh bodies.
Yet Jeremiah 17:9 tells us the heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked. Who can know it I the Lord search the heart verse 10 I try the reins even to give every man according to his doings.
Our minds and souls can be responsible for some impure and unclean things /doings and the fruit can be very ungodly. An example is debate, or debating an issue. This is something we think is ok and yet when 2 people so called debate, they are really arguing from their minds and souls, thinking they are discussing from a pure heart. Yet really they are each trying to prove their position correct over the other person and it becomes competition and they are not really serving God. They are simply trying to exert their control over the conversation, seeking advantage to be right.
This can lead to a divided heart with divided interests and we are to love God with our whole heart, not a divided one. Let us live by His truth with our whole heart. Ps 86:11 12
Debate opens up a door to a spirit of competition and a competitive spirit often leads to jealousy and offense. To remove a spirit of offense means removing the competition.
There are no scriptures telling us to debate or argue. In fact Gal. 5:19 lists the works of the flesh and we should be Gal. 5:22-26 instead.
Only God can give a pure heart.
Do the words for pure heart in Jer. 17:9, tell us that having a pure heart could clean up our minds and souls? This seems to be confirmed in Prov. 3:5-6. Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not to your own understanding (mind) and in all your ways (body or physical actions) acknowledge Him and He will direct your paths. When we deny our flesh life, our old carnal nature, subduing and crucifying the flesh, our mind and body; and put our heart and spirit-man first, we will, with His help, be walking in the way/life of righteousness.
What is our Heavenly Father doing when He gives us a pure heart?
Pure heart in Hebrew is Barar levav.
We noted that barar
in its’ root form,
means:
to cleanse or rejuvenate
so when we willingly open up our hearts to Messiah,
He cleanses our hearts and rejuvenates them.
However, that is not all that is accomplished because Hebrew Rabbis teach that the word barah
is related to the word
bara without the h.
Barah with the letter h at the end means;
to be bright.
This is a connection to Jesus/Yeshua’s words in Matt. 5:16. It shows when He enters and fills our hearts, He cleanses it rejuvenates it, so that He is in harmony with our hearts. Then His light shines out from our hearts, which aligns with His command: to let our light shine before men.
When we debate /argue/ compete with other believers, trying to be right, it’s not letting our light shine forth to others. But is rather letting our own minds and intellect shine and it rarely if ever impresses unbelievers or believers for that matter.
Another word mentioned earlier, which is related to
barar is bara
which we are familiar with from Genesis 1.
Bara the word for
creating something new.
The very thing David prayed for in Ps 51:10
create in me a pure heart and reNEW…
When Messiah gives us a
pure heart He is creating in us a new heart.
One final point of interest is the word
barar in a Niphal form.
Niphal is a verbal form which expresses a simple passive voice. Example – He was destroyed.
Recent understanding of Hebrew grammar suggest that the Niphal is also reflexive.
As in my voice was heard by me.
Apparently this word
barar
comes from the old Akkadian word
Nibiru which means in Akkadian
a crossing.
As in crossing a river or a crossing over.
The flood of Noahs’ day is now a fact according to the scientific community and some of the scientists now believe the flood was as a result of the earths close encounter with either a huge asteroid, or a planetary body – that nibiru /crossed over, or by the earth, so close that it was the cause of the catastrophic flood.
Readers may note there are many articles and youtube internet sites referencing nibiru in recent months. We know by faith in His Word, that the flood was God cleansing and rejuvenating the earth from all the sin, ungodliness and violence; and it’s a clear example of what He does when He cleanses our hearts from all the sin and uncleanness.
He washes it all away and what remains is a pure heart.
Prov. 22:11. He that loveth
pureness of heart
for the grace of his lips the king shall be his friend.
Messiah also said He calls us friends
John 1:35-51, John 15:15.
and there is also a reference in His own words in
Matt. 24:36.. as it was in the days of Noah.
Many believe that there is a recurring cycle of celestial bodies moving, that will result in another nibiru/crossing known in some circles as the planet of the crossing. Whether you believe this or not is not as important as preparing our hearts before a Holy God and maintaining a lifestyle and walk that is pleasing to Him. One which shows forth His light, His brightness, and the fruit of a pure heart created by His indwelling Spirit of Holiness.
Today is the day of salvation… it’s time to make absolutely sure we are in a right relationship with our Heavenly Father.
We are only promised today and with David, our desire should always be,
create in me a pure heart oh Lord!
A PURE HEART – LEV TAHOR – לב טהור
A brief look at the letters of the ancient
Hebrew pictographs, adds further fullness
contained in the words..
Lev Tahor
Tahor is spelled Tet Hey Vav Reysh.
Ancient Hebrew – Read right to left.
Modern Hebrew
TET
Tet is the picture of
a coiled snake
and means:
to surround or to encircle.
HEY
Hey is the picture of
the man with his hands lifted up to the heavens
and means:
to behold
and
can be a picture of
the One Who Reveals/His Spirit of Holiness
VAV
Vav is the picture of
the wooden hook or the iron nail
and means:
to add, or secure, or
join two things together that are separated from one another.
REYSH
Reysh is the picture of
the head
and means:
the leader, the highest, or the prince.
These pictographs give a picture of how we become pure/clean according to Our Heavenly Father.
David was asking for:
his heart to be surrounded by the Spirit of Holiness that is connected to the prince.
The numerical value of each of the 4 letters in TAHOR reveals further information about the prince.
The numerical value of Tet is 9
and the number 9 refers to
the conclusion of a matter, the summation of man’s works, and can refer to the fruit of the spirit.
The numerical value of Hey is 5
and stands for:
grace or favor with God.
The numerical value of Vav is 6
and it describes:
man and his enmity with God.
The numerical value of
Reysh is 200
and
contrasts the insufficiency of man
with the sufficiency of God.
David has not yet met
this prince Who is to come but He will be
the One Who will be sufficient or able to overcome the enmity that David has with God and make him pure/clean.
He will accomplish this through God’s Grace and will bring an end to Davids situation and produce the fruit of God’s Spirit in his life.
We know this Prince/Sar as Yeshua Ha-Mashiach, Jesus the Christ, Who will bring victory that we so earnestly desire in our hearts
The 3 letters in the word for heart /Lev
reveal what is hidden there.
Lev is spelled
Lamed Beyt.
Ancient Hebrew
Modern Hebrew
LAMED
Lamed
is the picture of:
the shepherd’s staff
and describes:
control, authority, or the voice of authority.
BEYT
Beyt
is the picture of
the floor plan of the tent
and can mean:
the house, the family, the physical tent or body,
and is
the first letter in the Torah that identifies the Son of God.
Here is a picture for us to understand the heart/lev/leb
The heart/lev/leb was:
the leader or the one in control of the physical body, the tent in which David was dwelling.
The cause of David’s problem was that his heart was full of things which were leading him in a direction he didn’t want to go any more.
The numerical value of these two letters seem to complete the mystery of David’s heart.
The numerical value of
Lamed is 30
and stands for:
a blood sacrifice.
The numerical value of
Beyt is 2
and refers to:
God the Son.
Surely this is what Our Heavenly Father wants in David’s heart. The leader in his heart needs to be the Son of God, Who by His blood sacrifice can set David free from his old nature.
Hebrews 10:22 echoes this mystery too.
Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water.
David turned to the place that is the only solution for our wicked human hearts.
Jesus our Prince, Yeshua Ha-Mashiach, will with His own blood wash our hearts pure/clean. His Spirit of Holiness will reveal and lead us in ways pleasing to our Heavenly Father. With a Lev Tahor, we will no longer suffer from an evil conscience but will be able to draw near with full assurance of our faith in Him.
Today is the day of salvation… it’s time to make absolutely sure we are in a right relationship with our Heavenly Father. We are only promised today and with David, our desire should always be,
create in me a pure heart oh Lord.
