january 14 bible reading

Today’s Old Testament chronological reading is in Job 15 and 16.

The Psalms/ Proverbs reading is in Psalm 14.

The New Testament reading is in Matthew 10.

“Now brother will deliver up brother to death, and a father his child; and children will rise up against parents and cause them to be put to death. And you will be hated by all for My name’s sake. But he who endures to the end will be saved.” Mat 10:21-22

How can a man make himself an object of hatred to everyone, even his family, even his parents, or even his children? This, my friends, is the living definition of trust. Of faith. Of belief. You know that God is, that He loves you and has washed you and has accepted you. His love is greater than life! Someone who has encountered Him, and His love, knows that nothing on earth compares to Him, not the world’s respect, or even the love of family, as precious as that is. We are not only willing to give all to honor Him and retain Him, but it is our joy to do so!

Hebrew root words.

We have encountered many nuances of trust in Job and Psalms in the past two days:

Though He slay me, yet will I trust in Him. Job 13:15a

trust Strong’s H3176 יחל yachal, a primitive root meaning, “to hope.” The 3-letter root is yud + chet + lamed.

yud י = the closed hand, thus work, throw, worship
chet ח = the wall, thus outside, divide, half
lamed ל = the shepherd’s staff, thus teach, yoke, to, bind

The story: To work (yud) outside (chet) with the staff (lamed), i.e., to work as a shepherd caring for sheep, or to work as a farmer, for the staff also symbolizes the yoke of oxen who draw the plow. Why do men spend their labor in the field or pasture? They have an expectation of a return or profit. But that profit is not immediate, therefore his labor is an investment.

For we were saved in this hope, but hope that is seen is not hope; for why does one still hope for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we eagerly wait for it with perseverance. Rom 8:24-25

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If God puts no trust in His holy ones, and the heavens are not pure in His sight, how much less man, who is abominable and filthy, who drinks iniquity like water! Job 15:15-16

trust Strong’s H539 אמן aman, a primitive root meaning, “to be firm, to believe.” The 3-letter root is aleph + mem + nun.

aleph א = the ox head, thus strength, power, leader
mem מ ,ם = the water, thus chaos, mighty, blood
nun נ ,ן = the seed, thus continue, heir, son

According to the Ancient Hebrew Lexicon, ancient people used to put animal hides in a pot of boiling water, and skim off the thick substance that formed at the surface. This strong (aleph) water (mem) was used as glue, and is still the basis of glue production today. In fact the concrete noun from this verbal root is glue. The story: The bond (aleph + mem) that continues (nun). The Hebrew language defines the abstract concept of belief as ideas or truths that stick with us continually.

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But as for me, in Your mercy I do trust; my heart shall rejoice in Your salvation. Psa 13:5

trust Strong’s H982 בטח batach, a primitive root meaning, “to trust.” The 3-letter root is bet + tet + chet.

bet ב = the house, thus house, household, family, in, within
tet ט = the basket, thus surround, contain, hold, mud
chet ח = the wall, thus outside, divide, half

The story: The family (bet) surrounded by (tet) the wall (chet). The abstract concept from this verbal root is security, because the family is secure within its house.

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You shame the counsel of the poor, But YHVH is his refuge. Psa 14:6

refuge Strong’s H4268 machaceh, a concrete noun meaning “refuge;” from Strong’s H2620 חסה chacah, a primitive root meaning, “to seek or find refuge.” The 3-letter root is chet + sin + hey.

chet ח = the wall, thus outside, divide, half
sin ס = the thorn, thus grab, hate, protect
hey ה = man w/ raised arms, thus look, reveal, wonder, worship, breath

The story: When the wall (chet) which protects (sin) is found (hey, in the sense of pointing out a discovery). Our English word “house” comes from the CH-S root.