The word please, when we use it today, is by way of being courteous, and it lets the person know that we are asking a personal favor and unless they really want to they don’t have to do what we ask.
In the English language the word please originates from the word pleasure used back in the 14th-century. It became popular in its use as a formal way of asking for a favor and expressed the idea of
‘If it’s not too much trouble’ and
‘if you don’t mind,’
but ‘only do it if you get pleasure from it.’
In Hebrew the word please is ratsah רצה
We read that David uses this word when asking the Lord for help.
Psalms 40:13 “Be pleased, O Lord to save me. O’Lord come quickly to help me.”
Be pleased, O LORD, to deliver me; O LORD, make haste to help me!
We often use the word in excess when we really really need a favor and its used in abundance by children begging for whatever they want at that particular moment with added emphasis in cooing tones!
Does David get his prayer answered seeing as he used this special endearing word… Please?
Many versions of the scriptures have translated this verse as
Please Lord save me.
Looking closer at
ratsah
רָצָה
the Hebrew word for please,
it has the idea of
taking delight in, pleasure in, or to be satisfied.
Strongs # 7521
ratsah:
To be pleased with, to accept favorably, to delight in, to satisfy
Original Word: רָצָה Part of Speech: Verb Transliteration: ratsah Pronunciation: rah-tsah’ Phonetic Spelling: (raw-tsaw’) KJV: (be) accept(-able), accomplish, set affection, approve, consent with, delight (self), enjoy, (be, have a) favour(-able), like, observe, pardon, (be, have, take) please(-ure), reconcile self NASB: accept, accepted, pleased, delight, delights, enjoy, favor Word Origin: [a primitive root]
1. to be pleased with 2. specifically, to satisfy a debt
it means the same in the Akkadian.
If you find pleasure in the act, then go ahead.
What we need to see is that David is not begging as we might understand it, he’s not trying to manipulate the Lord to rescue him using certain words, basically he’s making the conditions attached to any rescue attempts by the Lord very clear. By looking at the Hebrew word meaning we see that the condition is this:
Our Heavenly Father only steps into a situation to rectify it to the condition that we deem acceptable… if… He finds pleasure in it. This pleasure is critically attached to His will and plan and purpose for us and why sometimes we dont get our prayers answered because its our flesh that wants relief and there is still a lesson our Father wants us to learn with whatever the situation is. We receive not because…
James 4:3 Yeask, and receive not, because yeaskamiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts. Weymouth New Testament or you pray and yet do not receive, because you pray wrongly, your object being to waste what you get on some pleasure or another.
The word is spelled
רָצָה
Resh, Sade, and Hei.
These three letters express:
a submission to the divine will of our Heavenly Father.
David is saying that in his present trouble he really does need to be rescued by the Lord but also that he realizes this is a time for our Heavenly Father to gain pleasure for his rescue by stepping in to save him. Why? because David had an intimate loving relationship with our Heavenly Father and knew that as a loving parent, He takes pleasure/ratsah, in intervening to help and rescue His children when they are in great need. David did not doubt concerning the Lord’s ability to rescue him and neither should we, however he was sometimes unsure such intervention would be ratsah to the Lord God. So in this picture as with us, allowing David to experience growth by going through that difficulty, would for a loving Father bring Him greater ratsah/pleasure; he was willing to wait a little while longer, which at the same time would increase the strength of his faith.
Our Heavenly Father knows our needs before we even ask.
Matthew 6:8.
Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.
So we don’t need to beg Him, we must simply learn how to pray with confidence and trust in our Heavenly Father’s provision.
Looking at David in his situation he understood that If this was just a situation that potentially had no spiritual growth in it, then he knew that an immediate rescue would be the way the Lord would derive pleasure/ratsah. However if it was one that would please the Father and offered an experience for him to grow, then he was willing to go as long as it took, he was simply concerned for whatever brought his Heavenly Father the greatest pleasure/ratsah.
Can we say the same?
He faced a really difficult situation and needed the Lord to deliver him, but at the same time he also knew he wanted to please Him.
Would we think like David?..Do we?
It makes one think and ask the question why do we say please? What is our heart motivation is it just for our own personal benefit?
Maybe next time we are faced with a huge problem and need His help we should stop pleading as we have maybe done in the past with our please, please, please, and pray like David did and say instead…
Heavenly Father help me, but only if it brings you ratsah/pleasure to watch me grow.
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.
