Our theme for April is: Remember Who God Is and our first verse for April is Psalm 27:1
For part b of the blog, we’ll look more closely at the second quality listed, God as our Savior.
2. Yahweh is my salvation. Hebrew noun = yesha. (H3468)The noun is primarily used to mean physical rescue by God. It is from the verb yesha’ which is part of Jesus’ Name in Ancient Hebrew, Yahusha, or in Aramaic Hebrew, Yeshua, meaning “Yahweh saves” or “Yahweh’s salvation.”
Basically, anytime you see “The LORD is my salvation” or in some translations, “God my Savior,” in the Old Testament, that is Jesus’ Name! So, underneath each of the following verses where this phrase appears, I have paraphrased the verse and substituted Jesus’ Name for that phrase.
“We cry out, ‘Save us, Jesus…’ that we may give You thanks… that we may glory in praising You.”“Yahweh lives! I praise my Rock. I exalt my Jesus.”“Yahweh blesses the pure in heart, and Jesus declares them righteous.”“Guide me in God’s truth and teach me, Jesus, Because I look to You for answers all day long.”“By awe-inspiring acts and By Your righteousness, Jesus, You answer our prayers, You alone are the Hope of all the Earth. “
WOW! Isn’t that awesome? It gives me a whole new view of Jesus in the Old Testament. I hope it does for you too.
Our theme for April is: Remember Who God Is and our first verse for April is Psalm 27:1
In Psalm 27:1, David declares Yahweh is our light (H216), our salvation (H3468), and our strength (H4481). I’ll look at some other verses that contain each of these qualities about the LORD God in three separate blogs.
1. Yahweh is our Light. David uses a common word for ‘light’ here. Literally the Hebrew word means ‘illumination.’ It is used for anything that supplies a clear light to see by, such as the sun by day or the full moon at night. It is also used of a candle, a fire or a lamp.
Used here figuratively of Yahweh as the source of illumination that allows us to see clearly in life, to pick a safe and right path, and to avoid pitfalls and other dangers.
Yahweh יthe light’, as known to Israel, would be the revelation of His ways and His commands through the Law. Other places where the LORD (YHWH) is referred to as light:
Psalm 43:3; David equates God’s light to His revealed truth that draws people to Yahweh.Isaiah 2:5. The prophet extends an invitation to Israel to walk in Yahweh’s Light.Micah 7:8. When we find ourselves in dark times and fall in life, we can depend upon Yahweh’s illumination to show us the right way to go and get back on our feet again.
There are many more verses for the three qualities from Psalm 27:1. See blog b for some verses about God our Savior.
2. Psalm 34:17-18 – How He has answered your prayers:
There are many ways we can better understand and apply Scriptures. Here are some of those ways using this week’s verses.
I. Original Language. Sometimes we can understand a verse of Scripture better if we look at the original text. Translators add small words, sometimes, to help the English flow better. The added words in the following direct translations from the Interlinear Bible are in parentheses. Compare these minimalistic interpretations to how your favorite translation states these verses in Psalm 34:
CRY OUT! YAHWEH hears (and) delivers out of trouble. YAHWEH (is) near to broken-heartededness, and saves (a/the) contrite spirit.
II. Amplified. In contrast to the minimalist approach from direct translations, we can go the other direction and look at all of the different ways a particular word in the original lamguage is translated into English. Many of the Hebrew words are translated into more than one English word within the same translation, usually based on context, and dometimes translated as different English words between different translations of the Bible.
Every word in any language has an original, literal meaning (denotation), then a broader figurative meaning according to usage (connotation). Following are the expanded meaning and translation of key words from our verses:
A. Call with a loud voice. Literally ‘shriek.’ Figuratively appeal to, call together, cry out, gather together, shout, summon.
B. He will deliver. Literally to ‘snatch away’ or ‘pluck from.’ (Same as ‘rapture’!) Figuratively to defend, escape, preserve, recover, rescue, save, take from.
C. Out of all troubles. Literally a ‘tight spot.’ Figuratively = adversity, affliction, anguish, distress, tribulation.
D. God is near–in place (literal), kindred or time (figurative). • Place–near at hand, a neighbor, next to, standing by. • Kindred–close kin, kinsman redeemer, next of kin. • Time–about to, ready, shortly, soon.
E. Broken. Literatly means to ‘burst into pieces’, also translated to break down, break off, break up, destroyed, shattered, smashed, or a modern simile–torn up into itty, bitty pieces. Used figuratively for when you feel that way mentally, emotionally, and/or physically. In other words, it is used to mean a complete and total breakdown.
F. Heart. Literally the center of anything i.e. ‘the core’. Used figuratively for the feelings, the will and even the intellect. In other words, our inner person.
G. Saves. Literally to be open, wide or free. –by implication (noun) to be safe, preserved, victorious. –causatively (verb) to deliver, free, help, rescue.
H. Contrite. Literally ‘crushed to powder,’ or completely destroyed. Figuratively means “feeling and showing sorrow and remorse for improper or objectionable behavior, actions, etc.” (Websters) Biblically that would be for a sin, transgression, trespass, etc.
I. Spirit. Literally moving air like breath or wind. Figuratively the spirit–personal as well as God’s. That is, something we cannot see, but gives or shows life (breath), or shows God is acting (see John 3 for Jesus comparing the movement of God’s Spirit to the wind).
III. Paraphrasing. Sometimes it’s helpful when trying to get a mental grasp of what a verse means to cycle through all of the alternate translations of each key word, and find what makes the most sense to you, and then state the verse in your own words.
The first English paraphrase I saw was The Living Bible in the 70’s. It made what the Bible was saying much clearer than the King James version I had grown up with. A more recently popular paraphrase has been The Message. Here is verse 18 as those authors paraphrased it:
Try paraphrasing the verses to reflect your own feelings and understanding.
IV. Personalization. Another way to make a verse part of your life is to personalize it. Here is an examples from this week’s verses that’s been personalized. Use your preferred translation and write your own personal version of Psalm 34:17,18:
When I cried out in my distress to God in prayer, He heard and rescued me. When my heart was breaking and I poured my pain out to God in prayer, He felt so close to me.God freed my heart from pain when I had been crushed by life and I took it to Him in prayer.
V. Conclusion. Whichever way helps you to get a better grasp on a Bible verse, use it to remind yourself how this verse tells us God answers our prayers!
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