january 20 bible reading

Today’s Old Testament chronological reading is in Job 27 and 28.

The Psalms/ Proverbs reading is in Psalm 20.

The New Testament reading is in Matthew 14.

Hebrew root words.

Psa 20:6 anointed Strong’s H4899, mashiyach, a concrete noun meaning, “Anointed One,” that is, Messiah; from Strong’s H4886 משח mashach, a primitive root meaning, “to anoint,” that is, to smear with oil. The 3-letter root is mem + shin + chet.

mem ם, מ = the water, thus chaos, mighty, blood
shin ש = two front teeth, thus sharp, press, eat, two, again
chet ח = the wall, thus outside, divide, half

The story: The cognate words from this root will help us find the story. One is marrow, the fatty liquid (mem) found inside the bone. When the bone is sharply struck (shin), the wall (chet) of the bone which kept the marrow separated, is broken and the marrow released.

Ointments were made from oils and smeared on injuries for healing. Oil was also smeared on the heads of individuals who are being given the office of a prophet, priest or king as a sign of authority. – Ancient Hebrew Lexicon

And He took the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven, He blessed and broke and gave the loaves to the disciples; and the disciples gave to the multitudes. Mat 14:19

And being in Bethany at the house of Simon the leper, as He sat at the table, a woman came having an alabaster flask of very costly oil of spikenard. Then she broke the flask and poured it on His head. Mar 14:3

Please note that the action of being broken is at the heart of the root! Messiah first humbled Himself to be made flesh and to dwell among us, and then was broken for us on the cross; without which the (oil of the) Spirit upon Him could not have flowed out to His disciples, empowering them to be His witnesses in all the earth. Likewise, God allows us to be broken, often at our conversion, and sometimes later as well, so that our anointing might be released to minister to those around us.

If you are going through a period of brokenness right now, I do sympathize and understand how hard that is. But God can use it, and perhaps allowed it, to anoint you for ministry, if you let Him!

Chiastic structures.

In the Psa 20:1-9 Chiastic structure below, the D pair is forced together by the surrounding elements, but how do they pair? They are proclaiming the Gospel.

1D: When He accepts your burnt sacrifice, that is, the whole burnt offering, the olah, He has accepted you as His worshiper free and clear.

2D: YHVH saves – yasha, the root of yeshuwah, salvation – His anointed – mashiyach. Yeshua Mashiyach is the blameless acceptable sacrifice by which He has accepted us as His worshiper free and clear.