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Is our Heavenly Father silent when the heavens are as brass?
There may have been times in our lives where we feel that our prayers don’t rise any higher than the ceiling and the heavens seem like brass; and we have experienced the frustration of what appears to be unanswered prayer….
And thy heaven that is over thy head shall be brass, and the earth that is under thee shall be iron. Deut. 28:23.
That Scripture tells us that the heaven over a person’s head can become like brass, and the earth under their feet can become like iron. The meaning of ‘heavens like brass’ is a state of unyielding skies when divine care is withdrawn, causing drought and barrenness. It is a sobering reminder that straying from our heavenly Father’s path can cause our abundance to turn into lack, in the same way as a closed heaven cannot provide rain. Elijah proved that!
It is a strong image of our Heavenly Fathers displeasure and ensuing consequences as brass or bronze, is associated with judgment and salvation/deliverance. In this verse, the heavens are described as being made of brass, and the earth as iron; and this strong language indicates that there may be severe drought and barrenness in the land. We all know that rain is absolutely necessary for farming all over the earth and particularly in ancient Israel, where rain for the agricultural economy was vital for survival.
We all need to remember that although we live under His grace, when we refuse to listen and obey Adonai’s commandments, it often leads to severe consequences, as indicated in this verse.
The picture of the heaven as brass represents a closed sky, and indicates that prayers for both rain and blessings are ineffective. At that moment, nothing is more frustrating than feeling like our requests and desires are not being heard and that the heavens above us are hard like brass; and even reflecting our prayers back without reaching their destination or desired outcome.
Further understanding of this scripture causes us to ask why; and it reminds us to check on the condition of our hearts because every time we turn away from what is pure and true, we may quickly find ourselves in situations that seem harsh and unyielding.
There are 2 key points in this verse:
heaven that is over thy head shall be brass and
the earth that is under thee shall be iron.
Each phrase pictures a warning of uncomfortable and even life threatening conditions caused by disobedience.
As the heaven of brass, pictures unanswered prayers and Fathers disapproval, it should make us think about the fact that when we seek Him for blessings but don’t align our actions with His will, we will not grow and mature spiritually.
Secondly the earth that is under thee shall be iron, represents a solid surface. Iron is hard and unyielding; it does not nourish or give life so there is a lack of growth. This is a picture of our lives, when we are not rooted in our faith we have no ability to flourish and we produce no fruit.
When we neglect our spiritual lives, we often feel overwhelmed and pressured by our circumstances, and this makes it hard to see the Fathers blessings in life. We need to be reminded of these key points and that disobedience can lead to a spiritual drought in our lives, leaving us feeling depleted and disconnected; and that obedience is not simply about following rules but about establishing and maintaining a relationship with Him.
The positive side of this is that when we live in line with our Heavenly Father’s will, heaven is open for Him to pour blessings into our lives.
Yes, it seems that silence speaks volumes.
There is another place in Psalm 28:1 where David begs the Lord not to be silent to Him.
“Unto thee will I cry, O Lord my rock; be not silent to me: lest if thou be silent to me, I become like them that go down into the pit.”
What is David wanting and what does it mean when he says that he calls on Adonai and He is silent? Does it mean that when David offers his request and Adonai remains silent, David will either die or enter a pit.
In Hebrew the word for pit is bowr (bore)
which could mean
a well, a prison, or a crypt.
Strongs 953
bowr: Pit, cistern, well, dungeon
Original Word: בּוֹר
Part of Speech: Noun Masculine
Transliteration: bowr
Pronunciation: bohr
Phonetic Spelling: (bore)
KJV: cistern, dungeon, fountain, pit, well
Word Origin: [from H952 (בּוּר – explain)
1. a pit hole (especially one used as a cistern or a prison)
Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance
cistern, dungeon, fountain, pit, well
From buwr (in the sense of bo’r); a pit hole (especially one used as a cistern or a prison) — cistern, dungeon, fountain, pit, well.
In those days a prison was often a pit or unused well that someone was thrown into and could not get out without someone sending down a rope. If an individual fell into one they would need help to get out. Old abandoned wells were called pits and often used as a prison, and a crypt was much the same; it’s a place you go into and you do not come out again without assistance. Two scriptural examples of people being thrown into a pit are found both in Genesis 37:23/24
and Jeremiah 38:6 who needed help to get out.
When Joseph came to his brothers, they attacked him and tore off his long and beautiful coat. 24 Then they threw him into an empty well that was dry.
A pit is a place from where David perceives that he will not be able to return from.
Most of us, at one time or another, have felt like we are in a dark place from which we would never come out if we did not get some direction from our Heavenly Father; and so like David we wait for an answer and He is silent.
In Hebrew the word
silent is chashah
Strongs 2814 chashah: To be silent, to be still, to hold peace
Original Word: חָשָׁה
Part of Speech: Verb
Transliteration: chashah
Pronunciation: khaw-SHAH
Phonetic Spelling: (khaw-shaw’)
KJV: hold peace, keep silence, be silent, (be) still
NASB: keep silent, silent, still, calmed, hushed, keeping silent, kept
Word Origin: [a primitive root]
1. to hush or keep quiet hold peace, keep silence, be silent, be still
A primitive root; to hush or keep quiet — hold peace, keep silence, be silent, (be) still.
It is closely related to the word qara pronounced kah-rah
which means
to be rough, cut out, rend, surely, tear.
Strongs 7167 qara: To tear, rend, rip
Original Word: קָרַע
Part of Speech: Verb
Transliteration: qara`
Pronunciation: kah-rah
Phonetic Spelling: (kaw-rah’)
KJV: cut out, rend, X surely, tear
NASB: tore, torn, tear, rend, cut, split apart, enlarge
Word Origin: [a primitive root]
A primitive root; to rend, literally or figuratively (revile, paint the eyes, as if enlarging them) — cut out, rend, X surely, tear.
chashah mimeni תחשׁח. ממני
There may have been times when we feel that, and wonder why He is being so rough with us.
chashah is not only used for silence but as a noun in its original form it’s referring to a plow or till which makes an engraving into the ground, it’s describing a cutting instrument. The word karas spelled with a letter sade at the end means to lacerate, or wound.
The picture created is that silence from our Heavenly Father is like the cutting of a deep wound.
Reading back over David’s words they suggest he is experiencing deep emotional distress because of the lies people are saying about him. The following verses seem to indicate his confidence that Adonai has taken care of his deliverance from the problem but it’s the emotional stress of the worry, fear, and the deep hurt that he is feeling from which he is seeking deliverance. There are times when people can be so filled with fear and dread that they can’t enjoy life and just wish the Lord would take them home to be with Him.
Even when we feel a sense of oppression trying to overwhelm us, we must remember that our Heavenly Father is in control and has never failed.
Although David had experienced many losses and sad situations it would seem that the problem he faced in this verse was not focused on these losses but how they affected his relationship with the Lord. He was not so concerned about his health, his relationships and his position, if he lost those he could still keep going but he would not be able to make it without the Lord. If the Lord left him he would just go into a dark pit and die.
Unlike David, we have the privilege of the promise given by Messiah Yeshua/Jesus to each of us in Matthew 28:20, that He will always be with us and also read below Hebrews 13:5 from the Amplified Bible:
for He has said, “I WILL NEVER [under any circumstances] DESERT YOU [nor give you up nor leave you without support, nor will I in any degree leave you helpless], NOR WILL I FORSAKE or LET YOU DOWN or RELAX MY HOLD ON YOU [assuredly not]!”
When silence speaks volumes it is to cause us to check our spiritual position and the condition of our heart before Him; we can make the changes necessary by cutting away the things that hold us back. Then we are delivered from the pit of despair and the heavens are no longer as brass. Broken fellowship is restored and we are once more in a place of faith, victory and true shalom, planting our roots deep in Him and bearing fruit to His glory.
Shalom, shalom mishpachah/family
and cheverim/friends!
It’s all about Life and Relationship,
NOT Religion.
You are greatly loved and 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
In the list of kings that ruled over the children of Israel, both 2 Kings and 2 Chronicles record the reign of Josiah, the sixteenth king of Judah.
He was the son of King Amon who had ruled for 38 years before being assassinated. Amon was a short-lived and idolatrous king according to 2 Kings 21:19–26.
His Grandfather was Manasseh, whose long apostasy had filled Jerusalem with blood. 2 Kings 21:16.
Josiahs sons were called Johanan, Jehoiakim (Eliakim), Shallum (Jehoahaz), and Zedekiah (Mattaniah) 1 Chronicles 3:15).
Prophetic contemporaries of Josiah were Jeremiah (Jeremiah 1:2), Zephaniah Zephaniah 1:1, Nahum (implicitly dated), and possibly Habakkuk.
JOSIAH – יאשׁיהו yō·šî·yā·hū
Strongs 2977 Yoshiyyah or Yoshiyyahu:
Josiah had a godly mother who directed him in the ways of the Lord because he was so young when he came to the throne. Parents have a great influence on children and how they will grow up, his mother was instrumental in shaping the future of a whole nation through her son.
2 Kings 22:1
HEB: שְׁמֹנֶ֤ה שָׁנָה֙ יֹאשִׁיָּ֣הוּ בְמָלְכ֔וֹ וּשְׁלֹשִׁ֤ים
NAS: Josiah was eight years
KJV: Josiah [was] eight years
Through her godly influence, and after a spiritual awakening at sixteen:
“He began to seek the God of his father David” 2 Chronicles 34:3.
At the age of 20 he purged the rampant idolatry in the land. 2 Chronicles 34:3–7. He tore down the altars, Asherah poles, carved images, and molten images grinding them to powder and scattering them on the graves of their worshipers, he destroyed all the idols, abominations and witchcraft in the land.
2 Chronicles 34:33
HEB: וַיָּ֨סַר יֹֽאשִׁיָּ֜הוּ אֶת־ כָּל־
NAS: Josiah removed all
KJV: And Josiah took away
INT: removed Josiah all the abominations
In the eighteenth year of Josiah’s project to repair the Temple in Jerusalem,
“the Book of the Law of the LORD given through Moses” was discovered. 2 Chronicles 34:14-15.
The Torah scrolls that had been hidden for so long brought a great revival to the land by Josiah leading the people back to the Word of God written in the Holy Scriptures.
This led to a national covenant renewal and 2 Kings 23:3 records that,
“The king stood by the pillar and made a covenant before the LORD… to perform the words of this covenant written in this book”
Following that we read in 2 Chronicles 35:18-19. that they held
‘The greatest Passover since the days of the judges.’
Josiah was the last of the good kings in Judah, the last God-fearing monarch of the Davidic line before the Babylonian exile, whose reign highlights the final marker of covenant faithfulness in Judah.
In 2 Kings 22:15-20 Huldah’s oracle affirmed that judgment on Judah was inevitable but was delayed because Josiah’s heart was tender before the LORD.
His total commitment reads loud and clear in 2 Kings 23:25.
“There was no king like him who turned to the LORD with all his heart and with all his soul and with all his strength, according to all the Law of Moses.”
Josiah is a model of wholehearted obedience that encompasses the entire covenant laid out in Deuteronomy 6:5.
Original Word: יאֹשִׁיָּה
Part of Speech: Proper Name Masculine
Transliteration: Yo’shiyah
Pronunciation: yo-shee-YAH-hoo
Phonetic Spelling: (yo-shee-yaw’)
KJV: Josiah
Word Origin: [from the same root as H803 (אֲשׁוּיָה – Work)
JOSIAH – יאשׁיהו yō·šî·yā·hū s
Strongs 2977 Yoshiyyah or Yoshiyyahu:
Josiah’s name means: the one through whom God heals.
It comes from a Semitic root ‘ashah, – one who supports
and is also closely related to the word
‘ashur which is the root word for Assyria;
the whole story of Josiah is told in and through his name.
God healed the nation through Josiah and it was Josiah who supported God’s mission and call upon Israel, however it was Josiah’s fear of Assyria that brought him down.
Sadly in this account we read of a king, Josiah, who loved God with all his heart, who brought his people back to God, helped to introduce a revival in his land and then after 38 years as Judah’s king, God took him home at the age of 46. At the end of his life in one of his greatest tests, after years of faithful service, Josiah failed to trust God.
II Chronicles 35:22: “Nevertheless Josiah would not turn his face from him, but disguised himself, that he might fight with him, and hearkened not unto the words of Necho from the mouth of God, and came to fight in the valley of Megiddo.”
Josiah gave in to fear of the Assyrians, that they would make an alliance with Egypt, and regain their position as a world power and in turn fight against Judah. Josiah still fought the battle the Lord told him not to fight, even when He spoke through the Egyptian general Necho to stand down.
After a lifetime of walking with and trusting Him, he could not trust God in the matter with the Assyrians and he went ahead and took his army to stop the Egyptians. In the ensuing battle, Josiah was killed.
When Josiah died his two sons fought over the throne, which was seized by Jehoahaz the youngest. However only three months later Necho, the Egyptian general, deposed him and set his brother Jehoaiakim up as king. His name means “whom God has set up” and he ruled as a puppet for Egypt for another eleven years. He is described him as a ruthless tyrant by Hebrew historians. Judah was eventually led into captivity by the Babylonians having never returned to God.
When we are faced with a real test of our faith, the enemy will come to tempt us to trust in the arm of the flesh, rather than in our Heavenly Father; especially when in the natural circumstances we don’t see how He will work in our situation. This is a good time to remember Josiah. We must be aware that even after a lifetime of trusting our Heavenly Father and serving Him, he let fear overtake him, looked to the arm of the flesh and he failed. No matter how many years of service to the Lord, trusting Him and seeing his power, the enemy lurks in the shadows; he knows our weaknesses and we are still vulnerable no matter how many years we have trusted in our Fathers provision. We must always be on guard no matter how strong we think we are, and no matter how strong the temptation is to lean on the arm of the flesh; we must always trust in His timing and keep the faith that He will intervene on our behalf.
Josiah stands as Scripture’s great example of a reformer-king, whose heartfelt obedience, reverence for the written Word, and serious actions against idolatry offer a timeless blueprint for covenant faithfulness. For a short period of time his reign reversed the rising tide of judgment, showing that when a ruler and the people align themselves with divine revelation; genuine spiritual renewal can occur even in the darkest cultural hour. We can relate to the meaning of Josiah today as ‘the one through whom God heals.’ Because it is also true of each of us who belong to Messiah Yeshua/Jesus of whom Josiah was a type and shadow. We are His vessels His Josiahs, and He heals through us.
Shalom aleikhem
chaverim and mishpachah!
Peace to friends and family.
Shavua Tov, Have a blessed week.
Make certain Messiah Jesus/Yeshua is your Redeemer, Savior, Lord and soon returning King and that you have a personal relationship with Him.
It’s all about Life and Relationship, NOT Religion.
You are very precious in His sight.
Not sure ..you can be…
SIMPLY SAY THE FOLLOWING MEANING IT FROM YOUR HEART..don’t delay one more minute,
SAY IT 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.
No doubt most readers will have heard this phrase at one time or another, usually from children and sometimes from adults during their journey; wondering when they will reach their destination.
The answer is often,
‘it won’t be long now’ or
‘we’re getting there’.
Most of our natural journeys have a destination that we are looking forward to so we are eager to do all we can to get there quickly.
Can we say the same for our spiritual journey, which should be more important than any physical one?
Do we really want to get there, to the place where sin and sorrow stop and the believers song of joy begins?
As they grow up, children have many questions and it’s no different for all of us as children of our Heavenly Father, we too have many questions; and yet there are really very few questions that truly matter in life, and they are all answered by Messiahs words in Matthew 11:28. Come to Me. If we will humbly come to Him, our real life will be transformed into harmony with our real desires, those placed in us by our Father and we will actually stop sinning; then we will experience the song of joy welling up from inside us.
This request from Messiah, come to me, is so simple, it’s a childlike action and if we want to experience stopping sinful behavior we must come to Yeshua/Jesus. So ask ourselves the question.
Have we ever come to Jesus/Yeshua?
We need to check to see if there is any stubbornness in our hearts, is it possible we would rather do anything else than Come to Him?
1Samuel 15:23 says stubbornness is as the sin of idolatry.
At the most unexpected moments in our lives, we will hear the gentle whisper of His voice inviting us to ‘Come’ and we are immediately drawn towards Him. He makes Himself the test to determine our genuineness, obedience and faithfulness. Having personal contact with Messiah changes everything; and we are to be childlike enough to come to Him and commit ourselves to what He is saying to us. There is an attitude that is essential for us to have in order to come to Him, and that is the one where we have made the determined choice of our will to let go of everything, and deliberately commit all of it to Him.
Come to Me …..and I will give you rest. Matthew 11:28-30.
So what and where is the destination?
It’s in Him.
He is the place of rest, meaning, He will sustain us and cause us to stand firm. His resurrection life is imparted to us and energizes us, quickening our mortal bodies so we are equipped for the work He has called us to do.
In John 1:38-39, again He said to them, Come and see. They remained with Him that day. Sadly that is all some of us ever do, we stay with Him a short time when it is convenient and then we wake up to our own life and its realities. Our self-interest reemerges and our time of staying with Him is over; and yet there is no situation in life where we cannot stay and abide in Messiah. Are we there yet, at the place where our self-interest is dead and the real interest is alive?
When Messiah changed Simons name in John 1:42, it was to let us know that He writes our new name only on those places in our lives where He has removed all traces of self sufficiency, pride and self interest. Pride is the sin of making ‘self ‘a god, an idol. Some people have their new names only applied in certain places like a skin rash, and in those places they look ok. When they are in a spiritual mood they appear of a highest saintly standard but if seen when not in that mood it is a different matter.
In Luke 18:22 He said Come follow Me.
One of the biggest barriers in people coming to Jesus/Yeshua is the excuse we make for our own individual temperament because we make our natural desires a hindrance. Finally when we do come to Him, we will realize that He pays no attention whatsoever to our natural desires and what we want. We seem to be of the opinion that we can dedicate our gifts to Him, but how can we dedicate something that is not ours, they all came from Him originally. Romans 12:1. There is only one thing we can dedicate to our Heavenly Father and that is our right to ourselves.
One true indication of a disciple is the inner creativity that flows from being totally surrendered to Messiah, the well where the Spirit of the Living God dwells is a continual source of resurrection life springing up and always fresh and vital. One who truly knows their Lord and Savior realizes that it is He, Who orchestrates their lives and circumstances and they have no complaints, just complete surrender. If we will abandon everything to Messiah and come when He says Come, then we will go out into the world and share His invitation that all may come to Him.
A true disciple is one who has their new name written all over them where all self-interest, pride and self-sufficiency are nowhere to be seen. It’s a place where we choose to come to Him and make our home with Him as John 14:23 says, then He will make His home with us. We are to put no conditions on our life but rather let Yeshua/Jesus be everything to us, then He will take us home with Him, not just for a day but for eternity.
Are we there yet?
Have we come to Him and totally completely laid down our life for Him once and for all????
Are we there yet?
Shalom, shalom mishpachah/family
and cheverim/friends!
It’s all about Life and Relationship,
NOT Religion.
You are greatly loved and 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.
We all need encouragement and never more than in these days of uncertainty. Our feet need to be firmly planted on the Rock of our Salvation. We should be in a position of unshakeable faith in our Heavenly Father and our Lord and Messiah Yeshua/Jesus, abiding in Him and keeping our eyes firmly fixed on Him and not on the issues and circumstances in the world around us.
Matthew 6:31-33
31 Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For the Gentiles strive after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33 But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added unto you.…
Luke 12:6-7
Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? Yet not one of them is forgotten by God. / And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So do not be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.
We turn to familiar scriptures to comfort and strengthen our faith, scriptures that give us confidence our Heavenly Father knows what is happening and sees our situations as is not taken by surprise. He knows our future and sees our heart of trust depending on Him to protect us and lead us through our troubles. He ensures that the testing and trial of our faith is never above what we can handle. 1Cor. 10:13 No trial has overtaken you that is not distinctively human; and God is faithful; · he will not let you be tested beyond what you can bear, but with the trial will also provide the way through, so that you will be able to endure it.
Among the many promises in scripture there is one in
Psalm 139:5: “Thou hast beset me behind and before, and laid thine hand upon me.”
This verse has been translated in a number of ways…
but what does the Hebrew say… literally?
Behind and before You take hold of me and You have laid upon me Your Hand.
Breaking down the Hebrew words in this verse gives us a wider understanding of the thoughts behind Davids statement:
achor: Back, behind, backward
Original Word: אָחוֹר
Part of Speech: substantive
Transliteration: achowr
Pronunciation: a-khor
Phonetic Spelling: (aw-khore’)
KJV: after(-ward), back (part, -side, -ward), hereafter, (be-)hind(-er part), time to come, without
NASB: back, backward, rear, afterward, away, backs, behind
Word Origin: [from H299 (אֲחִירַע – Ahira)]
afterward, back part hereafter, hinder part, time to come, without
(hence, adverbly) behind, backward (also, as facing north) the West
אָחוֹר (’achor) occurs about forty-one times, functioning adverbially (“back, backward, behind”) and as a noun (“rear, hinder part”). Scripture uses it both literally—describing spatial orientation—and metaphorically—expressing retreat, apostasy, concealment, shame, and divine protection.
Assurance of victory: Prayer trusts God to make spiritual adversaries retreat
ṣar·tā·nî
Psalm 139:5
HEB: אָח֣וֹר וָקֶ֣דֶם צַרְתָּ֑נִי וַתָּ֖שֶׁת עָלַ֣י
NAS: You have enclosed me behind
KJV: Thou hast beset me behind and before,
INT: behind and before have enclosed and laid and
6924 qedem: East, ancient times, antiquity, front, before
Original Word: קֶדֶם
Part of Speech: noun masculine; adverb; noun
Transliteration: qedem
Pronunciation: keh’-dem
Phonetic Spelling: (keh’-dem)
KJV: aforetime, ancient (time), before, east (end, part, side, -ward), eternal, X ever(-lasting), forward, old, past
Word Origin: [from H6923 (קָדַם – meet)]
-
the front, of place (absolutely, the fore part, relatively the East) or time (antiquity)
2. often used adverbially (before, anciently, eastward)
The Strongs word 6696 in Hebrew for beset is
tsur or tsuwr:
To bind, besiege, confine, cramp
Original Word: צוּר
Part of Speech: Verb
Transliteration: tsuwr
Pronunciation: tsoor
Phonetic Spelling: (tsoor)
The verb צוּר (Strong’s 6696) portrays the purposeful act of hemming in—whether by an enemy army, by difficult circumstances, or by the Lord Himself. Its roughly thirty-six occurrences fall largely into military narratives, covenant warnings, wisdom reflections, and prophetic oracles. The word’s range moves from hostile siege to benevolent encirclement, revealing the Lord’s sovereign control of both judgment and protection. Strong’s Hebrew 6696 presents siege not merely as an ancient military tactic but as a theological instrument revealing the Lord’s righteous judgment, protective care, and redemptive purpose. Whether depicting armies at city walls or God’s hand surrounding His own, the verb summons every generation to covenant faithfulness and confident trust in the One who alone controls the boundaries of distress and deliverance.
KJV: adversary, assault, beset, besiege, bind (up), cast, distress, fashion, fortify, inclose, lay siege, put up in bags
צוּר verb confine, bind, besiege (Late Hebrew id., wrap (rare); Aramaic צוּר besiege, beleaguer); —
Indicating Sovereign control: God employs siege to discipline or to shelter, demonstrating mastery over human warfare.
2. Covenant accountability: Siege fulfills covenant blessings or curses, linking military events to spiritual realities.
3. Protective encirclement: For the faithful, being ‘hemmed in’ signifies safety within God’s providence.
4. Eschatological preview: The transition from judgment to protection anticipates the consummate security of God’s people in the Messianic age.
When believers feel confined by trials, Psalm 139:5 invites them to interpret the hemming in as God’s purposeful care rather than mere limitation.
• Intercession for Nations: Biblical sieges warn modern societies that persistent rebellion invites divine discipline; prayer should therefore combine repentance with appeal for mercy.
• Spiritual Warfare: Christians may build “siege works” of prayer and Scripture against strongholds of sin (cf. 2 Corinthians 10:4), appropriating the constructive use of the verb.
• Hope in Christ: Just as Zechariah foresaw God’s encampment around His house, believers rest in the risen Christ who “will never leave you nor forsake you” (Hebrews 13:5), the ultimate assurance that no hostile encirclement can prevail.
Fortified – tsur צ ור is also used for a fortress or fortified city.
As noted, the word for behind is ‘achor which has the idea of behind or past, and the word qedem means to go forward. That word ends in Hebrew with a closed letter mem, which indicates the hidden or unknown, as is the future which is yet to unfold. The words “‘achor vaqedem” expresses both the things that are behind us in the past and whatever is ahead of us in our future. This is very encouraging as it confirms to us that our Heavenly Father tsur /besets us/ encloses us, in a protective way both in our past and future.
The word tsur is used as a verb in this verse and is in a qal perfect form. Qal Perfect 2 masculine singular – shut up, enclose: And can be expressed as
you have entrenched me or fortified me.
Or simply:
In my past and in my future you have already fortified or entrenched me.
In Davids situation there was unrest in the nation and the future was not too bright; there were threats from the Assyrians and to his own throne when his son revolted and David had to flee from his kingdom with a price on his head. David daily faced the ever increasing pressures of being a king, but when he woke up in the morning not knowing what would happen, he was reminded that our Heavenly Father had fortified him, entrenched him and as noted, another expression for sur is hedged him. That hedge or fortress was around him in his past and it was around him in the present and would continue to be around him in the future.
David then says: You laid your hand upon me. Here the word laid /tasheth is actually in a future tense and means to place or set.
7896 shith: To put, place, set, appoint, make
Original Word: שִׁית
Part of Speech: Verb
Transliteration: shiyth
Pronunciation: sheeth
Phonetic Spelling: (sheeth)
KJV: apply, appoint, array, bring, consider, lay (up), let alone, X look, make, mark, put (on), + regard, set, shew, be stayed, X take
NASB: set, make, put, laid, made, lay, demanded
Word Origin: [a primitive root]
“You will set me in – kap·pe·ḵāh -.your hand
3709 kaph: Palm, hand, hollow, sole
Original Word: כַּף
Part of Speech: Noun Feminine
Transliteration: kaph
Pronunciation: kaf
Phonetic Spelling: (kaf)
KJV: branch, + foot, hand((-ful), -dle, (-led)), hollow, middle, palm, paw, power, sole, spoon
NASB: hands, hand, pan, sole, pans, palm, soles
Word Origin: [from H3721 (כָּפַף – bowed down)]
1. the hollow hand or palm (so of the paw of an animal, of the sole, and even of the bowl of a dish or sling, the handle of a bolt, the leaves of a palm-tree)
2. (figuratively) power
The verse literally says:
You have set me in the palm of your hand.
or
We are sheltered in the hollow of His hand.
Recall from previous posts that back in those days, they believed a persons heart was in the palm of the hand; so with this in mind, David was saying that he will not fear or live in dread of the future, because he is sheltered in the heart of his Heavenly Father.
Peoples fears of the future are increasing with negative news reports fueling those anxieties, and we could spend all day worrying and fretting over the uncertainty of what may or may not happen; or we can be like David who said: My past, present, and future is hemmed in, enclosed, entrenched, sheltered in You. If any disaster happens, You will tsur – fortify me. I will be sheltered in the hollow of Your hand or I will be resting in Your heart whatever comes, You already know and see all my past present and future.
Don’t look at the world and all the problems and allow fear to rise in your mind, look to Jesus/Yeshua, the author and finisher of our faith.
Our Heavenly Father knows and sees…
and will never leave us nor forsake us. Turn your eyes upon Jesus, look full in His wonderful face and the things of the world will grow strangely dim in the light of His Glory and Grace; and let the true shalom, the peace that passes all understanding fill our hearts and minds and dwell in us richly.
Shalom, shalom mishpachah/family
and cheverim/friends!
It’s all about Life and Relationship,
NOT Religion.
You are greatly loved and 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.
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