Today’s Old Testament chronological reading is in Job 41 and 42.
The Psalms/ Proverbs reading is in Psalm 27.
The New Testament reading is in Matthew 19.
Hebrew root words.
YHVH is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? {n} YHVH is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? Psa 27:1
Wait on YHVH; be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart; wait, I say, on YHVH! Psa 27:14
Psa 27:1 Stronghold. Strong’s H4581 ma’owz, a concrete noun meaning, “a fortified place;” from Strong’s H5810 עזז azaz, a primitive root meaning, “to strengthen.” The 3-letter root is ayin + zayin + zayin.
ayin ע = the eye, thus watch, know, shade
zayin ז = the mattock, thus tool, food, cut, nourish
zayin ז = the mattock, thus tool, food, cut, nourish
The story: Watching over (ayin) while wielding one tool or weapon (zayin) after another (zayin), i.e., employing all necessary tools in defense.
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Psa 27:14 Strengthen. Strong’s H553 אמץ amats, a primitive root meaning, “to be firm.” The 3-letter root is aleph + mem + tsadey.
aleph א = the ox head, thus strength, power, leader
mem מ, ם = the water, thus chaos, mighty, blood
tsadey צ, ץ = the trail, thus a man concealed, journey, chase, hunt
The story: To strengthen (aleph) the mighty (mem) side (tsadey, as a hunter lying in wait on the trail is on his side, not upright). Related words are “to squeeze” and “to suck,” as pressure is applied to both sides at once. Thus to be firm physically is to be sure-footed, as you have planted your body, using the strength of your mighty or muscular sides to remain well-grounded. To be firm mentally is to be courageous, as you have planted your mind to also not be moved.
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Psa 27:14 To wait. Strong’s H6960 קוה qavah, a primitive root meaning, “to wait.” The 3-letter root is quph + vav + hey.
quph ק = sun on the horizon, thus condense, circle, time
vav ו = the tent peg, thus add, secure, hook
hey ה = man w/ raised arms, thus look, reveal, wonder, worship, breath
The story: Measuring time (quph, as sunset measures one day from another), secure (vav) in Him to whom we look (hey).
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How do we make YHVH the strength of our life, so that we do not fear, so that we can be of good courage, and so that we can wait on Him? I believe this is a difference between David and Job. While Job was like David in the beginning of his trials, when he told his wife,
Shall we accept good from the hand of God, and shall we not accept evil? Job 2:10
His extreme suffering moved him off of his confidence in YHVH, just as the adversary designed it to do.
But put forth Your hand now, and touch his bone and his flesh, surely he will blaspheme You to Your face. Job 2:5
He never cursed God, but he despaired of a better future – something that David kept in the forefront of his eyes.
I would have lost heart, unless I had believed that I would look upon the goodness of YHVH in the land of the living. Psa 27:13
To be fair, Job had only the book of God’s works, while David had the book of God’s words which were filled with His promises and the history of His past deliverances. So here we see again the benefit of continually feeding our heart and mind on the word of God, which strengthens it and causes it to grow. It makes an incredible difference!
Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word which proceeds from the mouth of God. Mat 4:4
So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. Rom 10:17
Psalm 27:1-14 {p} Chiastic structure.
Links to previous studies.
Chiastic structure of the book of Job
Psalm 27 Chiastic structure
Psalm 27 Meditation
Matthew 19 Chiastic structures
Matthew 19, Of such is the kingdom of heaven
Matthew 19, On fathers and children
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