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Concluding from previous post:
What is blessing and who is blessed?
Again we need to remember that the New Testament, as we know it, has been translated from Hebrew/Aramaic/Latin/Greek and finally into the English language; and not discounting all the additional translations into every known language of the nations.
For the purpose of this post, we are looking at the most ancient meanings, not what we think or perceive it to mean.
In the New Testament, there are two primary Greek words translated as blessing and they shed some light on the Scriptural meaning.
The first is Makarios, which carries the same meaning as the Hebrew word esher.
The other is Eulogeo, which is used:
to give a good report or
say a good word;
it is more similar to the meaning of barak.
We bless God for all the blessings He gives us in Christ (Ephesians 1:3), and we are to bless those who mistreat us, because we were called to receive a blessing from God (1 Peter 3:9).
In the Greek translation where the word is
Makarios
Strong’s Greek: 3107:
μακάριος (makarios) — blessed, happy
According to the Key-Word Study Bible:
The Greek word translated blessed in these passages is makarioi
which means: to be fully satisfied.
It refers to those receiving God’s favor, regardless of the circumstances.
makarios: blessed, happy
3107 Strongs – Greek
Original Word: μακάριος, α, ον
Part of Speech: Adjective
Transliteration: makarios
Phonetic Spelling: (mak-ar’-ee-os)
Definition: blessed, happy
Usage: happy, blessed, to be envied.
3107 makários
(from mak-, become long, large) –
properly, when God extends His benefits
(the advantages He confers); blessed.
3107 /makários blessed:
describes a believer in: enviable fortunate position from receiving God’s provisions (favor) – which (literally) extend (make long, large) His grace (benefits).
This happens with receiving (obeying) the Lord’s directions and commandments in birthings of faith.
Hence, faith (4102 /pístis)
and 3107 (makários)
are closely associated.
(Rom. 4:5-7,14:22,23; Rev. 14:12,13).
The Greek word for blessed used in the Beatitudes
is makarios (plural: makaroioi).
This word has been used, mostly taken from the Theological Dictionary of the New Testament.
In ancient Greek times, makarios referred to the gods. The blessed ones were the gods.
Makarios carries the meaning of happiness that we just looked at.
The Beatitudes of Matthew 5 and Luke 6 describe: the happy state of those who find their purpose and fulfillment in God.
In the Psalms, the best life is available for those who love and fear God and order their lives according to His Word.
Romans 4:6-8 ties this happy blessing to those whose sins are forgiven, for they know the relationship to God has been restored.
Strictly speaking, there is no Greek meaning of the word blessed.
The word blessed comes from a German word ‘bletsian’ meaning ‘blood’! –
the reference being back to Old Testament sacrifices….
The English-speaking church chose to use the word bless as a translation for the Greek eulogeitos; this Greek word actually gives us the English word ‘eulogy‘. ‘eu‘ means ‘good‘ and ‘logy‘ means word – hence the meaning of eulogy is literally ‘a good word‘.
This Greek word eulogeitos was chosen by the New Testament writers as the nearest equivalent word they had for the contextual meaning for the Old Testament Hebrew word barak, which as already mentioned in Part 1/last post; literally means to kneel.
eujlogevw – Eulogeo – (yoo-log-eh’-o);
Word Origin: Greek, Verb, Strongs #: 2127
to praise,
celebrate with praises
to invoke blessings
to consecrate a thing with solemn prayers
to ask God’s blessing on a thing
pray God to bless it to one’s use
pronounce a consecratory blessing on
of God to cause to prosper,
to make happy,
to bestow blessings on,
favored of God, blessed.
KJV Word Usage and Count bless 43x
praise
makavrioß
Makarios – (mak-ar’-ee-os);
Adjective, Strong #: 3107
blessed, happy
KJV Word Usage and Count:
blessed 44x – happy 5 happier
makavrioß – Makarios – (mak-ar’-ee-os);
Adjective, Strongs #: 3107
Eulogeo focuses more on good words or the good report that others give of someone and also describes the blessing that we say over our food.
(Matthew 26:26).
This word is where we get our English word eulogy, in which we speak well of one who has passed away.
Having looked it up in Strongs and Lexicon this is what they all said:
ευλογημένος – Evlogimenos means blessed. Makarios does too.
The correct translation is ευλογημένος (evlogimenos).
Makarios is sometimes used but it means more that that…as in
happy, having a peaceful soul
rather than simply blessed.
In the Vulgate, each of these blessings begins with the word beati, which translates to happy, rich, or blessed (plural adjective).
The corresponding word in the original Greek is μακάριοι (makarioi), with the same meanings.
Thus Blessed are the poor in spirit
appears in Latin as:
beati pauperes spiritu.
The word blessed that was used by Jesus/Yeshua in the Sermon on the Mount also called, the Beatitudes, with which we are probably most familiar.
Here the word is derived from the Greek word makarios which translates into happy or blissful. There are around 5 Hebrew and 2 Greek words that are interpreted as happy in the Bible.
The word happy in the English language is often thought of as Fortunate or lucky, cheerful, contented, characterized by or indicative of pleasure. (Random House College Dictionary).
The way happy is portrayed in the Bible is much more meaningful.
As an example, the Bible doesn’t just present happiness to be an event or occurrence that results from luck or a brief feeling of elation. (There is no such thing as luck, coincidence or chance, in Hebrew thought, as everything is planned by God’s providence.)
The Bible states that happiness can be there, despite experiencing a correction from God or enduring hardships while on the path to virtue. (Job 5:17; I Pet. 3:14, 4:14)
We should think more in terms of JOY as in the Joy of the Lord.
The joy of the Lord is your strength
(Nehemiah 8:10)
The first Lord means my lord of men or of God; a title spoken in place of Yahweh in Jewish display of reverence. LORD, in all caps later in the verse, refers to the root of our joy, which strengthens us. It is the Hebrew word Yehovah (YHWH).
This Joy, is a spiritual force because, God’s Strength and Joy are in Heaven.
David writes,
Strength and joy are in his place (1Chr. 16:27)
When David said that, he was probably thinking about the tabernacle – due to the fact that the ark of the covenant had been stolen, and David brought it back to Jerusalem.
The joy of the Lord is our strength, and is brought to fullness when we accept His provision of righteousness by grace that reunites us so we can enjoy His presence.
For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking but of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. Rom. 14:17).
One Hebrew phrase is: to be at rest, safe.
(Matt 11:28-30). 28 Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.
If we read carefully Jesus/Yeshua was
only talking with His disciples,
NOT
the multitudes or the huge crowds following Him.
We may not have realized that He was quoting the Bible/Old Testament scriptures (Tenach/Torah/Prophets etc.) These verses read like a spiritual checklist…. References added..
See verse 1: His DISCIPLES came to Him
2. and He opened his mouth and taught THEM saying
BLESSED
are the poor in spirit for theirs is the kingdom of heaven
(Here poor in spirit is a Hebrew idiom for Repentant) Is.61:1
BLESSED
are they that mourn for they shall be comforted
(mourn can be interpreted as prayer/intercession)
Is.61:2,3
BLESSED
are the meek for they shall inherit the earth
(meek, also translated humble. Heb:ANAV.) Ps.37:11; when used collectively, it refers to a faithful minority/ a group remaining godly through all their trials, not giving in to the temptations of the world. 1Kings19:18 remnant referred to by God.
Around 24 verses refer to the remnant but are not so obvious because the Hebrew word ANAV has been translated into different words such as POOR/MEEK & LOWLY as well as HUMBLE. e.g.’s. Is 29:19, 61:1; Zeph. 2:3; Ps. 25:9, 37:11, 76:10; Prov. 3:34.
Humble and Meek used to mean the same but todays modern understanding of humble denotes a lack of pride but not a lack of confidence; while meek means low self esteem and lacking confidence.
BLESSED
are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness
Righteousness is ACTION it’s DOING!
Hosea 10:12; Matt.6:33; John 6:53.
Being not just a hearer but a doer – the perfect will of God – This is hungering to DO His perfect will. We are made righteous by faith and grace but as righteousness is action, we don’t just sit by and wait for our redemption, we work out our salvation by following Jesus/Yeshua and doing what He did and what He told us to do.
Hebrew root is Ts D K – Tsadik; and the Gk. verb is Dikaio: both mean to do right, to be just. They are verbs that require action by the subject of the verb. When we are made righteous by our faith, our behavior and lifestyle has to change. If it doesn’t 1John 2:3 applies. Righteousness and holiness are the foundation of relationships for all of humanity. Each of us has a relationship with God, with other people, even with animals who have souls. We are to do right, to be just in every endeavor, and we are to keep ourselves pure; this is our minimum standard! To go beyond that is Ts dakah – Hebrew translates as acts of loving kindness and doing unto others as we would have them do unto us – often called the golden rule.
No one can be perfect while in this earthly body but we can daily work towards being more like Jesus/Yeshua wants us to be. God knows our hearts and sees our faith and the Blood of the Lamb.
BLESSED
are the merciful for they shall obtain mercy.
Also meaning those who forgive – literally this says to be merciful – which is a Hebrew idiom meaning to be forgiving – 2Sam.22:26; Matt.6:12-15; Mark 11:25. Also to be forgiving of self and walking in repentance – having all sins forgiven.
Those who are forgiving will be forgiven – this action is repeated in the ‘Lords Prayer’.
BLESSED
are the pure in heart
for they shall see God.
2 Sam.22:27; Ps.24:3,4
BLESSED
are the peacemakers
for they shall be called the children of God
Ps.37:37; Is 32:17
BLESSED
are they which are persecuted for righteousness sake for theirs is the kingdom of God.
Blessed are those who press on for the sake of righteousness – this means to walk in all the promises of God.
Prov. 21:21; Matt 11:12.
BLESSED
are you when men revile you and persecute you and shall say all manner of things against you falsely for my sake
Rather than a fleeting happiness dependent on current circumstances, the blessedness that Yeshua/Jesus spoke of is: deep, abiding, unshakable joy –
rooted in the assurance of God’s blessing,
both in the present and in the future.
The book of Matthew was written in Hebrew, so we can refer to the places where Blessing – Blessed – Bless is recorded.
Matt. 5:3-11
In the Beatitudes in Matthew 5:1-12,
is where Jesus/Yeshua lists
what it means to be blessed..
However this list is certainly not the first thing that comes to mind when we think of being blessed, or when we pray for others to be blessed.
Remember all those childhood prayers, God Bless Mother, Dad, Grandma and Grandpa, etc., we had no idea what we were saying!
Because we were actually saying,
Let them be
poor in spirit,
mourning,
meek,
hungering and thirsting for righteousness,
merciful,
pure,
peacemakers,
and persecuted! etc …
So how could such things lead to happiness?
It seems like they lead more to the opposite of happiness??
However, the Beatitudes tell us one thing clearly… and that is, we can never be happy when we live self-centered lives. We may be fooled into thinking we’re happy for a while, but eventually it will fold in on us because true happiness can be found only in a relationship with our Creator.
Only the One who made us, knows what will truly make us happy and give us satisfaction in life.
We have to get to the end of ourselves and to the beginning of God, if we are to gain any lasting contentment in life, and that can happen only through divine revelation and transformation through God’s Word and His Holy Spirit dwelling in us.
This is the
pearl of great value
(Matthew 13:46),
worth selling everything to gain it,
and ultimately, it’s the secret to true satisfaction.
What was Yeshua/Jesus’ purpose in saying such things?
Did He want to make sure we were miserable while here on Earth so we would long for heaven, or was it because He knew what would really make us happy?
This of course is in spiritual terms and not just for here and now but for our eternal home.
While trials are not blessings in themselves, they are channels for them and what if the trials of this life, the rain, the storms, the hardest times the loneliest nights, are our mercies in disguise? What if our blessings come through rain drops?
There shall be showers of blessing, this is the promise of love sent from the Savior above and this idea of blessing is also firmly established in Scripture.
One translation of the New Testament (ESV) has 112 references with the words bless, blessing, or blessed, none of which connects blessing to material prosperity.
Sometimes saying we’re blessed can be a subtle way of boasting while trying to sound humble. We sometimes attribute it to such circumstances as e.g:
College scholarship? Blessed.
Unexpected raise? Blessed.
Wonderful family? Blessed.
As Christians/Believers in Jesus/Yeshua, we use that term too, of course. We pray God will bless our family. We attribute our undeserved gifts to God’s blessings. We talk about ministries being blessed, etc., etc.
For believers, is the blessed life synonymous with the successful life? Is it really the Christian version of the good life? A loving marriage, obedient children, a vibrant ministry, a healthy body, a successful career, trusted friends, financial abundance — if these are the characteristics of a blessed life, then having all of them should translate into an extraordinarily blessed life.
But does it? If someone had all those things, would they be extraordinarily blessed? Maybe by the worlds standards.
Rather than turning to God, they might feel self-sufficient and proud, perhaps a bit smug and self-righteous. After all, their hard work would be yielding good fruit.
Moreover, they wouldn’t need to cry out to God for deliverance; everything would already be perfect. They wouldn’t need to trust God; they could trust in themselves. They wouldn’t need God to fill them; they would already be satisfied?
What is blessing, then?
Scripture shows that blessing is:
anything God gives that makes us fully satisfied in Him.
Blessing is:
anything that draws us closer to Jesus/Yeshua.
Blessing is:
anything that helps us relinquish the temporal and hold on more tightly to the eternal; and often it is the struggles and trials, the aching disappointments and the unfulfilled longings that best enable us to do that.
Pain and loss transform us.
While they sometimes unravel us, they can also push us to a deeper life with God than we ever thought possible and they make us rest in Him alone.
It is Not what we can do or achieve for Him, nor is it what He can do or achieve for us.
During times of pain and loss, we long for His Presence; they are the important and often critical times when we long to know that God is for us, and with us, and in us. Good health, great families, financial wealth, are all wonderful gifts we can thank God for, however, they are not His greatest blessings.
Why?
because they may make us delight in His gifts
but not
in Him for Himself.
God’s greatest blessing always rests in God Himself.
When we have that, we are truly blessed.
He, Himself, IS the blessing.
As noted earlier there are other Hebrew words for blessing are: ashrei/asre and esher, which is also translated as happiness.
Here we see the Hebrew word translated as ASHREY
ASHREY is a Sanskrit word which means:
a shelter.
In Hebrew it’s a prayer which translates into ~
Happy are they who dwell in Your house, they will praise You always..
and so we make a shelter out of love for everyone who believes in consciously living the WAY Father intended us to.
Some commentators note that ashrei/ashrey is a pun on ashur, meaning to strive forward… Ha’ish (the man) represents the ideal man of God who is not ensnared by the ways of the wickedness that surrounds him. The WAY forward is the Torah-perspective.
ba’atzat resha’im – is the counsel of the wicked.
In modern Hebrew אשרי
means: happy or praiseworthy
Ashrei ha’am shekakhah lo, ashrei ha’am she’Adonai elohav
Happy is the people for whom it is so, happy is the people for whom Adonai is their God תְּהִלָּה לְדָוִד
Strong’s Hebrew: 835.
אַשְׁרֵי (esher) —
happiness, blessedness.
Original Word: אֶשֶׁר.
Transliteration: esher.
Ashrei (Hebrew : אַשְׁרֵי)
is a prayer that is recited at least three times daily in Jewish prayers, twice during Shacharit (morning service) and once during Mincha (afternoon service).
Ashrei yoshvei veitekha, ode yehalelukha selah.
Happy are those who dwell in Your house, may they always praise You, selah!
אַשְׁרֵי הָעָם שֶׁכָּכָה לּוֹ, אַשְׁרֵי הָעָם שֶׁיהוה אֱלֹהָיו.
Ashrei ha’am shekakhah lo, ashrei ha’am she’Adonai elohav
It is composed of different passages from the Book of Psalms, primarily psalm 145.
The prayer, praises God for being both mighty and a protector who takes care of the righteous.
Strong’s Hebrew: 833.
אָשַׁר (ashar) —
to go straight, go on.
Ashar meaning: to go straight on, advance. to lead on (causative) to set right, righten, to pronounce happy, call blessed. (Pual) to be advanced, be led on. to be made happy, be blessed.
In the paleo pictographs the letters can also mean:
fire on the head or the chief fire:
Alef – shin = fire
Alef – an ox, strength, leader, first.
Shin/sheen – a tooth, to consume, to destroy.
Resh/Reysh – the head person, the highest.
alef sheen resh
alef shin = fire ish
Reysh = head highest chief
This may seem confusing however in light of
Proverbs 25:21-22 (NKJV)
If your enemy is hungry, give him bread to eat;
And if he is thirsty, give him water to drink;
22 For so you will heap coals of fire on his head,
And the Lord will reward you.
Romans 12:20-21 (NKJV)
Therefore
“If your enemy is hungry, feed him;
If he is thirsty, give him a drink;
For in so doing you will heap coals of fire on his head.”
21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.
To us, this doesn’t sound like forgiveness, but like taking vengeance and we have interpreted it as heaping fires of justice or judgment or condemnation or vengeance on the heads of our enemies.
This is primarily because our generations are so far removed from the lives and the lifestyle of those generations these words were speaking to. In the Bible lands almost everything is carried on the head—water jugs, baskets of fruit, vegetables, fish or any other article. Those carrying the burden rarely touch it with the hands, and they walk through crowded streets and lanes with perfect ease.
In many homes the only fire they have is kept in a brazier which they use for simple cooking as well as for warmth.
They plan to always keep it burning. If it should go out, some member of the family will take the brazier to a neighbor’s house to borrow fire. Then she will lift that brazier to her head and start for home. If her neighbor is a generous woman, she will heap the brazier full of coals.
To feed an enemy and give him drink was like heaping the empty brazier with live coals, — which meant food, warmth, and almost life itself to the person or home needing it and was a symbol of finest generosity.
Giving a person coals in a pan to carry home on his head was a neighborly, kind act; it made friends, not enemies. Proverbs 25:22 instructs us to give our enemy so many burning coals they have to carry them the way burdens are carried in the Middle East: in a container on the head.
If he is thirsty, give him a drink; for by doing this you will heap coals of fire on his head.” Aramaic Bible in Plain English “And if your enemy hungers, feed him, and if he thirsts, give him a drink, and if you do these things to him you will heap coals of fire on his skull.”
So the act of heaping coals of fire to an enemy was to show a love that is usually reserved to those who are our neighbors or kindred. It is a way to show a kindness reserved for those you love and trust, even when not deserving of it.
Blessed, happy, content, full of His joy.
Here are some of those who are blessed:
Matt 5 & 6, 13:16, 20:29, 24:46
Matt. 11:6 Blessed is whoever would not be caused to fall away because of Me.
Luke 11:28, Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and keep it!” 14:14, 42:43 Gk. Fulasso: means to guard, protect and to take care not to violate!
Luke 12:37, 38, 43 Blessed are those servants the Lord finds ALERT!
John 13:17
Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven Rom.4:7
Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial Jam.1:12
1Pet 4:14
Rev. 14:13, 16:15,19;9, Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on. . . . Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb also 20:6, 22:6-7, 22:14
Blessed are…
Those who watch!
There is no hint of material prosperity or perfect circumstances in any New Testament reference.
On the contrary, blessing is typically connected with either those who are dead, in poverty and trial or the spiritual benefits of being joined by faith to Jesus/Yeshua.
Ephesians 1:3 blesses God for all the blessings that He gives us in Christ, and 1 Peter 3:9 instructs us to bless those who mistreat us, because we were called to receive a blessing from God.
Bringing these threads together, we see that:
a blessing is a statement of good will and happiness that is said about another, as well as the condition that fulfills those good words.
God’s original design in creation was for His creatures, including mankind, to experience spiritual prosperity, peace, and fulfillment, but that design was destroyed when sin entered the world.
Statements of blessing are a wish for God to restore His favor on others or a declaration of His inherent goodness.
The ultimate blessing that God has given is the new life and forgiveness that comes through faith in His Son, Jesus Christ/Yeshua HaMashiach.
The material blessings we enjoy from day to day are temporary, but the spiritual blessings available to us in Messiah transcend both here in time and eternity, as well as both material and immaterial things.
As the Psalmist said, “Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the LORD his God” (Psalm 146:5).
A final thought
Those who receive a
blesSING – SING
of them in praise to the Lord who gave them!
We are blessed, We are blessed, every day of our lives we are blessed. When we wake up in the morning, when we lay our heads to rest; we are blessed, we are blessed!
Let us rejoice and be glad and declare…
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places… (Ephesians 1:3)
No matter what we do or don’t receive in this temporal form, we have been given every blessing through the complete work of Jesus Christ/Yeshua HaMashiach – His righteousness, resources and privilege.
In ourselves we are too small to bless the Lord!
However, we can think of how great He is;
and how wonderful the God of the universe is;
and tell Him while
humbling ourselves in a kneeling position of surrender!!
Baruk atta adonai eloheinu melehck haolam..
Blessed are You, Lord our God, King of the universe!
Shalom shalom mishpachah/family and cheverim/friends!
Don’t leave this page…until you are BLESSED!
You are loved and appreciated and prayed for daily and
that coals of fire are heaped on your heads!!!
Thank you so much for taking the time to read the posts. If they have been a blessing and if you haven’t already, please sign up for free email notification, like, share and subscribe, it all helps to freely spread the Gospel to the uttermost parts of the earth and reaches others with His Truths.
Meanwhile let’s remember to stay alert and ready, be in prayer and in His Word for in an hour we think not He is coming… and…
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
God’s meaning of Blessing compared to our concept.
Baruch Haba B’Shem Adonai
ברוך הבא בשם יהוה
Barukh atah Adonai
bah-ROOKH at-TAH ah-doh-NIGH
בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יהוה
Words that begin Hebrew blessings, are commonly rendered in English as:
Blessed art Thou, Lord our God, King of the Universe.
This phrase is sometimes called the
Shem umalkhut;
it includes the name and the sovereignty, affirming that God is King over the entire universe.
Messianic blessings are recited in Hebrew with the intent of remaining true to the Jewish identity of Yeshua as the Mashiach/Messiah of Israel and Savior of the world.
God Bless You, Bless You and Blessings to you; are probably some of the most familiar sayings yet, what are we really saying?
The scripture says:
Blessings like showers in
Jeremiah 3:3 I will make them and the places around My hill a blessing. And I will cause showers to come down in their season; they will be showers of blessing.
This word shower in the Hebrew is geshem, which means: to rain violently, pour down in heavy shower, according to Strong’s Concordance.
There are two main Ancient Hebrew words for rain used in the Hebrew Bible:
גשם geshem and מטר matar;
they are used for different types of rain.
Geshem: rain, shower, גשם, in the Bible is usually associated with a heavy rain.
Strongs#1653. גֶּ֫שֶׁם (geshem)
— rain, shower.
geshem -gheh’-shem; a shower: rain, shower
geshem, used of gentle rain in Job 37:6:
shower of rain, KJV small rain; and
used of the flood in Genesis 7:12.
Figuratively of blessing: showers of blessing (Ezekiel 34:26 );
Figuratively of destruction:
There shall be an overflowing shower in mine anger, and great hailstones in wrath to consume it. (Ezekiel 13:13).
Ezekiel 34:25-26 (NIV)says, “I will make a covenant of peace with them and…I will send down showers in season; there will be showers of blessing.”
This word shower in the Hebrew is geshem.
Transliteration: geshem
Phonetic Spelling: (gheh’-shem):
which means to:
rain violently, pour down in a heavy shower,
as showers from heaven cause the earth to become fruitful and produce abundantly.
Deuteronomy 32:2. Let my teaching fall like rain and my words descend like dew, like showers on new grass, like abundant rain on tender plants.
The best place to live is with the blessing of the Lord, and the Lord has already poured out the shower of blessing in Messiah. Eph. 1:3!
Deuteronomy 28:2 (AMP) says, “And all these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you if you heed the voice of the Lord your God.”
We know what we mean, when we speak it out to an individual, or over a nation or even when we say, Bless God, or, We Bless You Lord.
It’s probably one of the more common words in the scriptures in the English translations
but what does it really mean?
A blessing, according to Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary, is:
the act or words of one that blesses, or
a thing conducive to happiness or welfare.
What was the original meaning according to the scriptures?
In the Bible, there are several words that are usually translated as blessing or bless. The Hebrew word most often translated bless is barak, which can mean to praise, congratulate, or salute, and is even used to mean a curse.
Genesis 1:22 is the first occurrence, when God blessed the sea creatures and birds, telling them to be fruitful and multiply in the earth.
Likewise, in verse 28, God gave the similar blessing to Adam and Eve, adding that they were to exercise dominion over creation.
The Hebrew Word for blessed in the paleo Hebrew script:
The word is translated as bless krb.
בָרַךְ
and blessed looks like this:
Strongs #1288 to kneel, bless
When this Hebrew script is directly translated into English, we get the spelling of Barak.
Barak (pronounced Baw-rahk) is the Hebrew pronunciation for the verb bless and the past tense word blessed.
When written in this form it means to show respect (usually translated as bless) as seen in Genesis 12:2.
A related Hebrew word is berakhah meaning a gift or present. This shows that behind the paleo form of the verb barak there is a concrete meaning.
That is: to bring a gift to another while kneeling out of respect.
(Think Magi as they found Jesus/Yeshua after following His star!)
Barak ברך Bet/beyt/beit – resh/reysh – Kaf
It could also be interpreted as the son of tenderness –
to treat as a mature son, with tenderness.
ר ב – ב Bet/beyt/beit – ר resh/reysh – son
רך – ך Kaf – ר reysh /resh – Bless/Tenderness
So what are we saying when we say, God bless you?
Strangely ..it would seem we are saying, God kneel to you!
It’s interesting that the saying, take a knee has become more popular! Is that taking a blessing? Well.. it depends on who or what you are kneeling to!
When the scripture speaks of blessings and curses, in the literal translation it’s saying:
God will bless/kneel to those who are obedient and will give His lightnings to those who are not!
The Lord responds in mighty power, riding upon the Cherubim as He comes to help David.
In Psalm 18:14 David declares The Lord sent out His arrows and scattered the foe, lightnings in abundance.
In Psalm 144 David again speaks of warring against his enemies and states in verse 6 that he is liberated when the Lord’s lightnings come. We do know that lightnings and thunderings proceed from the throne of God.
Also in Exodus 19:16 when the Torah was first given to Israel during Shavuot/Pentecost:
On the morning of the third day there were thunders and lightnings and a thick cloud on the mountain and a very loud shofar blast (קל שׁפָר חָזָק מְאד),
We should not take lightly the curses for disobedience!
Looking at the ancient Hebrew pictographs that make up the word bless, more specifically to bless.
The word bless in Hebrew is barak, and is comprised of the Hebrew letters
Bet– Kaf – Reysh
Barak ברך
Bet – reysh son
kaf – reysh tenderness
bet – a house household BET (the equivalent of our letter “B”, and represented in the ancient Hebrew pictographs as a house or tent, meaning house, as in lineage – e.g. the house of David).
kaf – open hand a palm to open allow cover KAPH (K) (pictured as the palm of a hand, meaning to bow or bless).
reysh – the head person the highest. RESH (R)(pictured as the head of a man, and meaning the first or highest person).
House – head of person – palm of hand
could be understood as:
the house inheritance is being given to the person whose head I place the palm of my hand on.
Genesis 48:13, 14 – 22
From earlier posts remember that the Hebrew/Aramaic word for son is bar (BET RESH).
Therefore the ancient Hebrew pictographs show that to bless is for the SON (Jesus/Yeshua) to extend the PALM OF THE HAND to, or to lay his hand on, you.
TO BLESS you!
Above shows the paleo word with a Vav added to the spelling, and its possible meaning.
Dabar means WORD: Messiah was and is the WORD made flesh.
Qodesh means Holy/Set apart.
Gen. 1:28: God blessed them and said to them, ‘Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it.
The Hebrew word translated blessed is v’ibarak, which is more appropriately translated
He will bless or He is blessing,
suggests an ongoing and future blessing, rather than a past blessing.
To form v’ibarak, two letters are added to the word barak shown below,
the letter VAV (similar to our letters V or W)(pictured as a tent peg or nail, and meaning a nail or hook),
and YOD (Y)(pictured as the arm from the fist to the elbow, meaning my hand or my works)….
therefore, v’ibarak, or
God’s first blessing to humanity
is prophetic of
God’s ultimate blessing to humanity:
the NAIL in the HAND of the SON is God’s BLESSING.
Most Hebrew roots consist of three letters and can be written as a noun or a verb, but both are related in meaning.
A good example is the root ברך which can be used as a noun, ברך berek [H:1290], meaning knee
or as a verb, ברך barak [H:1288], meaning to kneel.
Both the noun and verb form can be seen in the following passage.
and kneeled (barak) down upon his knees (berek) before all the congregation of Israel, and spread forth his hands toward heaven 2 Chronicles 6:13 (KJV)
Additional nouns are developed out of the root by adding specific letters to the root, the most common being the addition of the letter ה to the end of the root, such as in the word:
ברכה berakah [H:1293]
(The כ and ך are both the same letter kaph.
The form ך is used when it comes at the end of a word.).
This word is a gift or present and is related to the root through the idea of: bending down to the knee and presenting a gift to another.
Each verb also has the ability to slightly change in meaning by changing the form of the verb.
The parts of speech can be confusing so, simply explained is that what is termed the Piel form is a stem formation in Biblical Hebrew from the verb, usually indicated by a speech mark called a daghesh.
The Piel stem is the most flexible in its use of all the various stem formations; it can express simple action, intensive action, resulting action, causative action, or other kinds of action (all in active voice) depending on the context and the specific verb.
This is why the piel form of the verb ברך barak [H:1288] literally means to bend the knee to present a gift.
These definitions are the original concrete meanings of these words, but we will recognize them more easily by the abstract words the translators usually use to translate them.
And Esau said unto his father, Hast thou but one blessing (berakah), my father? bless (barak) me, even me also… Genesis 27:38 (KJV)
A more literal translation of this verse would read as;
And Esau said unto his father, Hast thou but one gift (berakah), my father? Kneel down and present me a gift (barak), even me also…
The Hebrew language is filled with abstract thought, but the difference between Hebrew and Greek abstracts is that Hebrew abstracts are related to something concrete, while Greek abstracts are not.
For further info. click link below:
A blessing from Greek thought is a pure abstract one, with no foundation in the concrete, but from a Hebraic perspective a blessing is any action or object that is presented out of respect to another.
Just as artwork may be created in the concrete or the abstract, words can also be created in the concrete or the abstract. A concrete word, idea or concept is something that can be perceived by the five senses. It can be seen, heard, smelled, tasted or touched. An abstract is something that cannot be perceived by the five senses.
As the Bible was written from an Eastern philosophical perspective, it is important that we recognize that we cannot interpret it through our own Western philosophy. To do so, would place a meaning and interpretation that may not be that of the original authors.
The Aaronic Blessing given by the Priests is another familiar berakah:
Other Hebrew words for blessing are: ashrei/asre and esher, which are also translated as happiness.
It is said that David opened and closed his favorite Psalms with the word ashrei/asre.
This word has been translated as the praises, praiseworthy, or as happy, blessed, and fortunate. It can also mean enriched.
Psalm 1 begins with ashrei – ha’ish and
Psalm 2 ends with ashrei kol choso vo.
Job 5:17 declares “Blessed is the man whom God corrects; so do not despise the discipline of the Almighty.”
This blessing is connected to the knowledge that God is at work to direct us in the right path.
God’s chastisement is actually a display of His love for us, like a parent who disciplines a child about to do something that would be dangerous.
Psalm 1:1-3 carries that theme further when it states,
“Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers. But his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers.”
The book of Psalms is full of references to this kind of happy blessing for those who love and fear the Lord God.
so it is not too long!…
Blessings will be concluded next post in PART 2.
Shalom shalom mishpachah/family
and cheverim/friends!
You are loved and appreciated and prayed for daily.
Thank you so much for taking the time to read the posts. If they have been a blessing and if you haven’t already, please sign up for free email notification, like, share and subscribe, it all helps to freely spread the Gospel to the uttermost parts of the earth and reaches others with His Truths.
Meanwhile let’s remember to stay alert and ready, be in prayer and in His Word for in an hour we think not He is coming… and…
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.
Al Tirah – Fear Not!
We are living in uncertain times in the world and this uncertainty will naturally cause some to experience anxiety and fear
yet,
we know that God’s Word tells us
to fear not.
Fear not little children for it is your fathers good pleasure to give you the kingdom and that kingdom is righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit.
For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit.
Romans 7:14
This is His will for us.
Righteousness – Yashar – ישר
Peace – Shalom – שָׁלוֹם
and Joy – Sim•cha – שִׂמְחָה
Letters for JOY – sameach – mem – chet – hey.
The Hebrew words tsadiyq, translated as righteous,
and ישר (yashar, Strong’s #3477),
translated as upright,
are paralleled many times in the Bible; indicating that in the Hebrew mind, they were similar in meaning.
Upright is another abstract word but it is used in a ‘concrete manner’, such as in Jeremiah 31:9, where it means:
straight – as in a straight path.
(The straight path/WAY of Jesus/Yeshua).
As a noun:
יוֹשֶׁר. integrity, honesty, equity, probity, straightness.
Hebrew words for righteousness:
Another noun:
tsadiyq,
צֶדֶק.
justice, Jupiter, right, justness, rightness.
PEACE – Shalom – שָׁלוֹם
and JOY – Simchah – שִׂמְחָה
joy, gladness, mirth, exceedingly, gladness, joyfulness, mirth, pleasure, rejoicing
From sameach;
Strong’s Hebrew: 7321. ר֫וּעַ (rua) — to raise a shout … …cry aloud (1), crying (1), jubilant
As far as fear is concerned, worries, and anxious thoughts will try to encircle us, seeking entrance.
On so many occasions Jesus/Yeshua said
Fear is such a basic human emotion that many constantly live in the grip of fear, worry and anxiety.
God told us to fear not because He knew that we would all wrestle with fear of one sort or another, sooner or later.
Instead of fear, we are to let trust and thankfulness stand guard at the doorways to our hearts; turning back fear before it can gain a foothold.
When our focus is firmly on the Lord, His love casts out all fear and His shalom/peace, which He gives to us, fills our hearts and minds; so there is no room for anything else.
Fear/yare is displaced by love/ahava and peace/shalom.
The same way that light displaces darkness.
If we are anxious, then the scripture reminds us that His love is not yet perfected in us; and as fear is the opposite of faith, we are not moving, walking and thinking by faith; and without that faith we cannot please God.
The WAY to build our faith is to read and listen to His Word…
Al tirah – Fear Not or Be Not Afraid
Books about fear are helpful but if we want to change and conquer fear once and for all, we have to live continually, which means we are to abide in His Word. As Jesus/Yeshua is the Living Word, we are to abide/live our lives in and through Him.
NOTHING compares to the living word.
There are two ways to look at fear; it can that of the feeling of being afraid or terrified of something, and it can also be termed;
the fear of the Lord
where we are to have a reverential respect of Who He is, and to know the reverential fear, the awe that His presence inspires.
Some definitions of awe:
Awe is an overwhelming feeling of reverence, admiration, fear, veneration, and wonder produced and inspired by that which is grand, sublime, extremely powerful, or the like: in awe of God;
Awe is the feeling we get in the presence of something vast that challenges our understanding. When people say something is awesome, they are really saying it is causing or inducing fearful awe; inspiring an overwhelming feeling of reverence, reverential fear, sadly it has become a byword and we have lost its efficacy.
You may have even heard that the words fear not are in Scripture as many as 365 times. While unable to find those exact two words 365 times in Scripture, He did give that direct command over 100 times; God’s Word addresses our fears again and again.
The subject of fear and anxiety is mentioned in the Bible over 365 times and that doesn’t even include all the many fear God (reverence) verses. Adding all the relevant scriptures may indeed give us a daily mannabite to take us through a year without fear!
Link to longer list at the end:
Fear is spoken of over 500 times in the KJV. Furthermore, in addition to the Fear nots, many times the Bible teaches us to Fear God, which really as already mentioned, means reverence God alone and do not fear anyone or anything else.
What we think of as fear of the Lord,
this type of fear is good and should be encouraged.
As mentioned previously fear of the Lord is a fear of, as in awe, reverence or respect. This type of fear will result in blessings and will greatly benefit us in life; unlike the spirit of fear that we may experience, which is the type of fear that we must look to God for His help to overcome.
On the other hand, there is also a spirit of fear, this type of fear should be avoided.
A spirit of fear will hinder our walk with the Lord.
We find this in 2 Timothy 1:7, which says,
“For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.”
Some versions use the words timidity or fawning fear.
We can overcome fear by looking to God and receiving His Love to fill our hearts and minds and overcome the thoughts that engender fear. Again, scripture tells us that perfect love casts out fear.
Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another… There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love” (1 John 4:11, 18).
The key is to allow the love of God to rule and reign in our hearts and let His Word/debar, dwell in us richly.
Satan does not want us to embrace the love of God, instead he wants us to remain alone in our fears. He will use this to cause us to doubt God.
Many times we allow our worldly fears to get in the way of our relationship with God. The good news is that we do not have to remain in our fears. God’s Word tells us to call out to Him in our times of fear.
Psalm 34:4 says, “I sought the Lord, and he answered me and delivered me from all my fears.” (ESV)
This means we must first take our fears to God in prayer. At first, this can often be difficult to do but over time once we make this a good new habit, we will be willing to keep going, as we experience Our Fathers Holy Spirit/Ruach, calming our anxieties and fears with the breath of His Ruach and the Oil of Joy.
It has been said that all fear is rooted in fear of death, and as we are now in the kingdom of His dear Son the scripture/His Word tells us that death has no power over us – then fear has no power over us either.
When we fully realize we have gone
from death to life in Christ Jesus/Yeshua HaMashiach;
the law of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus, (Romans 8:2),
has made us free from the law and its’ consequences of sin the wages/result of which is death.
It is, the Truth shall make you free, not set you free. John 8:32
Once we know the truth, the bonds and the thoughts of others no longer matter or have any power over us. We are made free and their hold no longer applies, this includes the bonds and chains of satans devices.
This is the truth that makes us free.
And might deliver all them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage. – American Standard Version (1901) And let those who all their lives were in chains because of their fear of death, go free. Hebrews 2:15
It is a proven fact that our body gives off a physical response when our brain believes or perceives a threatening situation. An increase in adrenaline occurs, making the brain choose to either fight the situation or flight/flee from it.
Our body reacts and it is said that animals can not only sense fear in and from us, but that fear has a distinct odour and they can smell the fear we are feeling.
Anytime we feel emotional, mental, or physical pain or other trauma, this can cause us to be fearful. Yet, even in those moments, God calls us to trust in Him by the spirit, rather than in what we can see in the physical realm. We must focus on Him and believe in the evidence of things not seen. Hebrews 11:1
The moments when we cannot see or feel God are prime times to experience fear, yet God promises we can overcome fear.
In a biblical sense, fear is an opportunity to choose faith.
When God asks you to put your trust in Him and believe He will do things in our best interest, our human nature resists that, choosing instead to take a position independent from God. We naturally tend to try to control outcomes, and this can be a hindrance and keep us apart from God.
Fear is the enemy of God because God gives peace/shalom. He promises it to those who trust in Him wholeheartedly, even in the midst of inevitable fear.
As already noted the Bible teaches us to Fear God, which really means reverence God alone and do not fear anyone or anything else.
yirah: a fear
yir-aw’
3374
יִרְאָה
Of the 10 Hebrew nouns and 8 verbs that are regularly translated fear, to fear, to be afraid, and those similar, only one of each is commonly used in the Old Testament and they both come from the root yr.
The noun being yira [ h’a.rIy] or mora [ a’r/m] and the verb yare [ aer”y ]).
The English word fear is used to translate several Hebrew and Greek words. In the Old Testament, the most common word used to express fear is yir’ ah , which means fear/terror ( Isaiah 7:25 ; Jonah 1:10,16 ).
The word most often translated in the Old Testament as fear is the Hebrew word (transliterated as yirah) which can possibly mean fear, but also means awe, reverence, respect and devotion. A closely related Hebrew word is (transliterated as yare) which can mean fearful, but also means to stand in awe, reverence or honor.
Similarly, the King James translators also chose to translate the Hebrew (transliterated as mowra) as fear, although it also means reverence, object of reverence, or an awe inspiring spectacle or deed. Another word that the King James translators chose to call fear is the Hebrew (transliterated as guwr) which can mean fear, but which also means to stir up, sojourn, dwell with, remain, dwell in or to stand in awe.
Fortunately, some of the newer bible translations are slowly beginning to correct this situation and are beginning to use fitting terms such as honor and reverence to express our relationship with God. What a magnificent difference it is to change from an attitude of fear of a dreadful, vengeful God into the beautiful, loving attitude of awe, reverence, respect and devotion towards a kind, loving God.
The Fear (yirah) of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. Prov 9:10
Here fear is the word YaRATh (sometimes written with a letter Hey).
The root meaning of the word yara is to flow
and is related to words meaning:
rain or stream – as a flowing of water.
In Hebrew thought, fear can be what is felt when in danger;
or
what is felt when in the presence of an awesome sight or person of great authority.
The word fear in the this verse is the noun יראה yirah [H:3374], derived from the verb yarah.
The common understanding of this verse is if one is afraid of or in great awe of Yahweh, he will have wisdom, however, this is not consistent with its use in the Hebrew language.
The Hebrew for fear of the LORD (as found in the verse above) is written with two nouns,
יהוה יראת yirat Yahweh
(Yirat is a feminine noun ending with the letter ה, such as yirah, it is used in the construct state, the ה is converted to a ת, in this case it becomes yirat.)
When a noun precedes another noun, the first noun is in the construct state, meaning it is connected to the second noun-two words together forming one concept. In the phrase is an example of a construct noun:
אלהים מלכות malkut elohiym (kingdom of God).”
Here the first noun, kingdom, ‘belongs’ to the second noun, God.
Yud Reysh Alef Tav
Below are the paleo letters
Below their meanings:
Yud/Yood – the Hand /Branch Endowed with All Power and Authority. Set to the task – doing all the work..to complete the Plan/Task, according to the process of entering in through the instructor – the Ddoor/dalet, the Way dereck ,Truth emet, and Life chaim. Strength – resolute – force.
Resh /Reysh – His power made evident Esteemed exalted and regarded as supreme and soverign. Could be summed up in the words: Goal objective destination
Alaph/alef – the first, leader – the strength to carry out to the completion. The infinite, eternal,vsupreme authority, the commander represented in His instruction,(Torah), His governing spoken established written. Could be summed up in the words: certain established surety guaranteed confirmed.
Tav/Tau/Tuh the promise of the word of YHVH DaBaR YaHUaH to be united together with His restored creation forever.
The YaRATh /fear of the Lord/ YaHUaH is the beginning of wisdom.
Fear is an abstract concept, but the Hebrew words translated as fear have a more concrete definition behind them.
The first root is פחד pahhad [H:6342].
Fear (pahhad – noun/object) came upon me, and trembling, and caused all my bones to shake (pahhad – verb/action). Job 4:14
In this verse, the word fear is the noun פחד pahhad [H:6343] meaning shaking, while the word shake is the verb פחד pahhad [H:6342]meaning to shake.
The second Hebrew root is ירא yara [H:3372].
In the following verse, we read that this verb means fear in the sense of what we would consider fear.
So when the Lord says once more I will shake the earth, there is fear attached to that event.
The second Hebrew root is ירא yara [H:3372].
In the following verse, this verb means fear in the sense of what we would consider fear.
And he said, I heard your voice in the garden and I feared (yarah) because I was naked and I hid myself. Genesis 3:10
In the next verse, the same Hebrew word is used in a more positive context.
You will revere (yarah)Yahweh your Elohiym and you will serve him and in his name you will swear. Deuteronomy 6:13
From these two passages this Hebrew word would appear to have 2 different meanings, fear and reverence.
In translation with many Hebrew words this is often the case, but often caused by a lack of understanding of the Hebrew vocabulary seen from a non Hebraic perspective.
This is explained by realizing that each Hebrew word has only one meaning – but can have different applications.
The meaning of yara
in the literal concrete sense
is a flowing of the gut,
which can be applied to fear or reverence.
This feeling is the meaning of this word felt when an individual is so scared or was in the presence of something so incredible that it could be felt in the gut. There is also that similar feeling of having butterflies in the tummy when one is nervous.
Because the Hebrew people are often considered to be very emotional, it follows that in many cases their words are describing a feeling, rather than an action.
Why do we put the emphasis of the word fear as being our fear and not Yahweh’s/God’s in the phrase fear of Yahweh?
We know that it is not possible for God to have fear, however as previously mentioned, the Hebrew verb yara literally means to flow out of the gut.
So, then, the question has to be asked:
What flows out of the gut of God/Yahweh?
2 other scriptures, may illuminate what the fear of Yahweh could be.
But his delight is in the law of the LORD ; and in his law doth he meditate day and night Psalm 1:2 (KJV)
The Hebrew for the law of the LORD is:
יהוה תורת torat Yahweh.
The definition the word
תורה torah [H:8451]
as teachings.
Torat is the form of the feminine noun torah.
This word is derived from the verb ירה yarah [H:3384] meaning:
to throw
(in the sense of flowing)
and is closely related to the verb yara.
They related in the sense both are from the same root, יר yar, and they are also related by their meaning.
In Judges 3:10 is the 2nd scripture.
And the Spirit of the LORD came upon him… (RSV)
In the words יהוה רוח ru’ahh Yahweh
the word ru’ahh, meaning wind
We are familiar with this as:
Ruahh/ruach HaKodesh Spirit/ Holy Spirit;
another type of flowing and,
it can also mean an individuals character.
So, what is it that flows out of the gut of God/Yahweh?
His teachings and His character/traits, showing us Who He Is.
Look at Proverbs 9:10 again from a Hebrew perspective.
The flowings (Yirah – the teachings (torah)
and character (ru’ahh) of Yahweh
is the beginning of wisdom
(Hhakhmah – the ability to distinguish between good and bad.):
and an intimate relationship with the special one is understanding.
Yeshua/Jesus Himself said:
Out of your belly/gut will flow rivers of living water…
Who and what is the living water?
Yeshua/Jesus is the source of living water
the river of life
and
water is the symbol of the torah/teaching instructions
for living a life before the Lord as in
following Yeshua/Jesus
and
when we do then John 7:38 will be fulfilled in us.
He that believes on me, as the scripture has said,
out of his belly shall flow
rivers of living water.
While preparing this post an interesting point to note is that the word yara/yare is in the word yarah/yareh/Yireh which is Hebrew for – will provide – coming from Yahuah Yarah/Yireh. Genesis 22:11-18.
Abraham trusted in God as he offered his son and did not fear; then God stepped in to provide the ram instead.
So when the presence of God manifested
He changed the situation
from death to life
and
from any fear to faith
with His provision.
The difference in the 2 words is the letter H Hei/Hey and we associate with breath when we pronounce the letter!
When the breath (Hei/Hey) of God is added to the word for fear (yara/yare), is it telling us:
Hey look, God’s breath of life/His presence, changes fear to faith by His provision! Yareh?
We may be more familiar with it written as Jehovah Jireh.
So when fear tries to overwhelm us ….
breathe deeply
and think on the point that we are one breath of Gods’ life away from His provision of faith to sustain us –
hen breathe out that faith life… Hhhhhey….
and
dispel that fear in Jesus/Yeshuas name!
This is the WAY to be an overcomer trusting completely in Him and not be one of those of whom Jesus/Yeshua said in Luke 21:26
Men‘s hearts failing them for fear, and for apprehension of those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken.
But rather verse 36
Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man.
Our confidence and trust is in Him…
strongs 3374 yirah a fear
Phonetic Spelling: (yir-aw’)
יִרְאָה
strongs 3372 Yare/ Yara – to fear – affright – to fear to revere
Phonetic Spelling: (yaw-ray’)
יָרֵא
יָרֵא
Yod – resh – alef (reading Hebrew R to L.)
Letter meanings: The hand you see.
Genesis 15:1
HEB: לֵאמֹ֑ר אַל־ תִּירָ֣א אַבְרָ֗ם אָנֹכִי֙
NAS: saying, Do not fear, Abram,
KJV: saying, Fear not, Abram:
תִּירָ֣א
One effective way to stop fear in its tracks is …..to stop…
Be Still and know that I AM God.
Be still means to let go…
let go of the fear
don’t hold onto it ..
How??
by stopping and make a determined effort to focus on Him
and remember the place of the letting down of wings.
Rather than include all the references in this post they will be available on a separate page.
Click link below
Shalom shalom mishpachah/family and cheverim/friends!
Always remember Who has got our VAV!
You are loved and appreciated and prayed for daily.
Thank you so much for taking the time to read the posts. If they have been a blessing and if you haven’t already, please sign up for free email notification, like, share and subscribe, it all helps to freely spread the Gospel to the uttermost parts of the earth and reaches others with His Truths.
Meanwhile let’s remember to stay alert and ready, be in prayer and in His Word for in an hour we think not He is coming… and…
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.
Our Times Are in His Hands!
(and NOT the hands of the clock…)
Psalm 31:15
It is true that we are not alone during challenging times because not only is Fathers Ruach HaKo’desh always with us..
but as Peter reassures us… that it is NOT unusual or unexpected, knowing that your brothers and sisters throughout the world are undergoing the same kinds of suffering and much worse.
Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial among you, which cometh upon you to prove you, as though a strange thing happened unto you if your faith is tested as by fire. 1Peter 4:12 and 5:9
Resist him, standing firm in your faith and in the knowledge that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kinds of suffering.
1Peter 5:9
There are many, many people everywhere, who are going through tumultuous situations and persecutions those in the west have never even imagined. The old adage is also true there is always someone worse off than where we find ourselves at any given time.
We are encouraged to remember 2 Cor.4:17 For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh out for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory;
Compared to our temporal afflictions eternity surpasses all imagination.
During research this video came across the desk and it serves to remind us to remember that the garment of praise will lift the spirit of heaviness off of our lives.
In Psalm 43:5 David encouraged Himself in the Lord declaring with hope and confidence.
Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted within me? hope in God: for I shall yet praise him, who is the health of my countenance, and my God.
God’s love is stronger that the deepest darkness
Whatever the circumstances that prompted David to write Psalm 31,
it sounds as if he was feeling overwhelmed and in need of urgent rescue,
he cries out to his Rock and His Fortress.
Be enCOURAGEd…He’s got YOU..
We too must cry out to Him, when things in our lives seem overwhelming…
Our times are in Your hand; O God, we wish them there;
Our lives, our souls, our all, we leave Entirely to Your care.
Our times are in Your hand: Whatever You deem to do;
Pleasing or painful, dark or bright, As best may seem to You.
Not everything that happens is overwhelming to everyone but that doesn’t make it any less of a trial. We are all different and deal with things in as many ways; yet His Word says in Rom 8:28 And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.
Here, encouragement is given to saints in suffering.
To them, under God’s providence, all things, even their sorrows, trials and persecutions, work together for blessing.
Because it continues
For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.
We are being conformed to the image of his Son/ Jesus/Yeshua through all these things.
We can know God through reading His Word and when we seek to know Him, He has promised us understanding. In order to grow and thrive in our relationship with Yeshua/ Jesus, we need to be rooted in the Word of God, our source of life and strength because….
We are to be rooted in His Word which will keep us grounded in His Word.
Col 2:7
having been rooted and being built up in Him, and being strengthened in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding with thanksgiving.
The necessity of being rooted and grounded in the Word of God is because it holds supernatural power and authority which cannot be defeated by the wisdom of mankind.
We are to do whatever it takes to be thoroughly grounded in the truth. (Ephesians 2:19—20).
Pray in the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 6:18). This means we need to use the connection that we have with God so that we can take on God’s mind. Our prayers should strengthen that bond and make us more like Him. Keep yourself in God’s love. That ye, being rooted and grounded in love. Eph. 3:17
When we need encouragement to begin the day, a reminder to keep us going, or the comfort only God can give, being rooted in His Word will keep us grounded in His Word so then God’s Word will accomplish its purpose in our lives.
Being rooted and grounded means we will be properly prepared to BRACE OURSELVES and be equipped for that which is to come.
His hand is upon us and His fingerprints are everywhere!
He knows our situation and He knows the future. He has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for each of us.
For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.” —Jeremiah 29:11
God’s Word transforms our lives—healing, guiding, and changing the way we live.
Ephesians 3:17
so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and grounded in love,
Colossians 1:23
if indeed you continue in your faith, established and firm, not moved from the hope of the gospel you heard, which has been proclaimed in all creation under heaven, and of which I, Paul, have become a servant.
1 Corinthians 1:8
He will sustain you to the end, so that you will be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.
The center of encouragement is COURAGE and this is what we need…
Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the LORD thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.
Be strong, and of good courage,
“Be Strong and Courageous!”
In Hebrew, the word for that phrase is “Hazaq“.
(or Chazak)
“khazak ve’ematz”
(חזק ואמץ).
Be strong= khazak
(kheit zayin quf) חזק.
and courageous = ve’ematz
(vav alef meim tzadik sofit) ואמץ.
Deuteronomy 31:6 New International Version (NIV) 6 Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.”
Qof – Zayin – Chet
Be strong. chazaq (khaw-zak’) to fasten upon; hence, to seize, be strong (figuratively, courageous, causatively strengthen, cure, help, repair, fortify), obstinate; to bind, restrain, conquer. and of a good courage. ‘amats (aw-mats’) to be alert, physically (on foot) or mentally (in courage) be not afraid.
“ Be strong, and of good courage, for you will cause this people to inherit the land which I swore to their fathers to give them.”
Joshua was to be ‘strong’, The word often indicates strength of hand, however Joshua’s hand was to be strong because his spirit was strong.
In Joshua 1 the children of Israel commanded four times to be strong and of good courage. Sometimes we are neither strong nor of good courage, no matter how hard we try to be and no matter how many people tell us to be.
Here is where we have to trust the Lord to supply our need according to
Phil 4:19 But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.”
and those riches are
The measure of His supply to you will be the immeasurable “riches of His grace” (Eph 1:7)
God is not just telling us to be strong and of good courage, within the words themselves He has built how we are going to be strong and of good courage. the word for strong is chazak/chazaq;
this strength is a strength that comes from binding oneself to something…and this is where we are to bind ourselves to Him and receive His strength.
The combination of the Chet and Zayin is quite unusual.
The Hebrew word strengthened is Chazaq and means to fasten upon, to seize, to strengthen, to encourage, and to fortify.
Maybe these were the circumstances that prompted David to write Psalm 31,
This envy and jealousy turned to hatred, and Saul was determined to kill David, even though the prophet Samuel had said David replace Saul as king. Even as Saul pursued David, there were some including Saul’s own son Jonathan who came alongside to help David,
And Jonathan Saul’s son arose, and went to David into the wood,
and strengthened his hand in God.
And he said unto him, Fear not: for the hand of Saul my father shall not find thee;
and thou shalt be king over Israel.
1 Samuel 23 15-17
Jonathan strengthened David’s hand in God. when those we know are in distress we are to come alongside them and care for their needs. As already mentioned the word strengthened in Hebrew is Chazaq and means to fasten upon, to seize, to strengthen, to encourage, and to fortify.
Chazaq is spelled Chet Zayin Qoof. (Read r to l)
aq z cha
Chet 
is the picture of the fence.
Zayin 
is the picture of the axe or harvesting tool 
and means to cut or cut off, to prune, or to harvest.
Qoof/Quf
is the picture of the back of the head 
and means behind, the last, or the least.
From these we could interpret that; the least will be cut off or separated into a sanctuary/placed apart.
David was so discouraged and must have felt like he was the least important person in Israel thinking that he would be cut off /killed by the Saul. However, Chazaq reminds us of God’s protection towards David and although his fear of King Saul was justified; God had other plans for David; in particular that one day he would indeed be king.
The numerical value of the letters reveal that God would be influential in David survival and ultimate victory.
Chet 
is the number 8 and indicates a new beginning.
Zayin 
is the number 7 and stands for spiritual perfection.
Qoof 
is the number 100 and means election or the children of promise.
Below are some more paleo pictures of
Chet – Zayin – Qoof
Looking at the meaning of the numbers, we can see that God has had an absolutely perfect spiritual plan resulting in a new beginning for each of His children…
which is – freedom from the penalties of sin would come through Messiah Jesus/Yeshua.
The ultimate example of God’s Chazaq for us:
But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God,
ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life.
For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Romans 6:22/23
It is expressing both a joining with God and an involvement with God. The Qof at the end indicates that this binding process is a purifying process. Our Heavenly Father has to take away from us all the trust we place in ourselves so that the world can see that our trust is only in Him. Sometimes it feels like having a bandage ripped off your skin!
Another Hebrew word is emas which can also means strength, but this is a resolute strength, meaning being firm in one’s position.
(The word Hamas also comes from this.)
The letters that make up the word: emas
Strong’s Hebrew 3988
and is spelled אֶמְאַ֥ס
and this expresses the idea that this courage comes from humbling yourself to the revealed Word of God and being resolute in it. In this case of the revealed Word of God in Joshua 1:9 is that He will be with us wherever we go.
If we are firmly planted in that Word, we will have that courage to face our Jerichos.
Even though we may have to march around our Jericho seven times or more but each time we march around and each time we walk away, our faith will be increased a little more until we have reached the point of faith that we can simply shout and the walls will come tumbling down.
Let your character or moral disposition be free from love of money [including greed, avarice, lust, and craving for earthly possessions] and be satisfied with your present [circumstances and with what you have];
for He [God] Himself has said, I will not in any way fail you nor give you up nor leave you without support. [I will] not, [I will] not, [I will] not in any degree leave you helpless nor forsake nor let [you] down (relax My hold on you)! [Assuredly not!] [Josh. 1:5.]
6 So we take comfort and are encouraged and confidently and boldly say, The Lord is my Helper; I will not be seized with alarm [I will not fear or dread or be terrified]. What can man do to me? [Ps. 27:1;118:6.]
Be encouraged mishpochah
He IS Anochi
He Is I AM
and
He is
Chazak, chazak, ve-nit chazek
(Be strong, be strong, and let us be strengthened!) –
For courage
is the very center
of our encouragement!
Open the eyes of our hearts Jesus/Yeshua, that we may see YOU in all the events of our lives….and that we have the heart courage of the lion of the tribe of Judah!
Shalom shalom mishpachah/family and cheverim/friends!
You are loved and appreciated and prayed for daily.
Thank you so much for taking the time to read the posts. If they have been a blessing and if you haven’t already, please sign up for free email notification, like, share and subscribe, it all helps to freely spread the Gospel to the uttermost parts of the earth and reaches others with His Truths.
A special thank you for all who have prayed for the recent circumstances, storms, power out, communications down, and ongoing persistent issues with IP and connections – which hopefully have been resolved with yet another new modem! MMM will continue as long as the platform is accessible…
meanwhile let’s remember to stay alert and ready, be in prayer and in His Word for in an hour we think not He is coming… and…
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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