Word Searches

You have given me the shield of Your salvation, 
and Your gentleness made me great." 

(2 Samuel 22:36)

- - -

Isn't that a pleasant little verse? Just because I had some extra time this morning, I decided to drag out my Strong's Concordance and do some word searches. Sometimes my findings are just what I anticipate...a word means exactly what I think it does. Other times? Just WOW.

This was a "Just WOW" kinda morning, as I dug into this little verse.

 Had to share. :)

First of all, this Psalm of David is in two places. Recorded in Psalm 18 as well as in this chapter of 2 Samuel, are King David's pourings-forth of praise to God for deliverance from the hands of all his enemies. Talk of a shield in the verse above makes sense! And here David proclaims that HIS shield was God's salvation.

Shield, let's look up the word shield! 

SHIELD--"meginnah"

"a shield (i.e. a smaller one or buckler); 

figurative: a protector; 

also the scaly hide of the crocodile."

I really like that last one. :) God's salvation wrapped around David like scales on a crocodile, protecting him from harm--which is odd because you think of "salvation" as an outcome rather than a defense:

e.g. "I was in trouble, and then he saved me."

But no. David speaks of God's salvation AS his greatest protection--even before being literally delivered. God had promised him salvation, and David had believed God, strapped on the promise, 

and used it as his greatest defense against the enemies of doubt and fear. 

God's promise of salvation was as good as accomplished salvation.

- - -

The next little piece is what really blew me over, though. 

 "Your gentleness made me great."

THIS is what originally made me stop and do some extra word studies. What does God's gentleness have to do with David's greatness? It's just not what I would have expected to read there.

Are you ready for this?

The word "gentleness" is used only 4 times in the Bible. Used with a slightly different connotation each time:

--"Sweet reasonableness" (2 Cor. 10:1)

--Goodness expressed in action (Gal. 4:22)

--"Divine condescension", aka. clemency (Ps. 18:35)

aaaandd...

hey wait a minute. 

Isn't this 2 Samuel passage a re-quote of Psalm 18? Shouldn't it be the same word? I certainly thought so...but it's NOT. Are you ready for this last definition of "gentleness", as used in our nice little verse up there?

GENTLENESS--"anah"

affliction

painful treatment

discipline

Wh-wh-WHAT?!?!

Okay, who wrote this dictionary? Those sound like antonyms to me.Who even thought to translate that word "anah" into gentleness, in both the ESV and the KJV? I don't get it! Why can't it be:

"Your sweet reasonableness made me great"

or even

"Your goodness made me great"?

But even as I puzzled and puzzled--I realized it's actually really really effective. How humbling that David could be so submissive to what had the appearance of very harsh dealings--and be able to see beyond the pain to God's goodness, and call them "gentle". Affliction from the loving heart and active kindness of God that must sometimes appear harsh in order to produce the kind of heart He desires--one that submits to and even blesses the rod!

The making of a truly great man indeed!

- - - 
"For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, 

and those who find it are few." (Matt. 7:14) 

Narrow and hard, not to discourage any from walking it, but because it must be to produce the steadfast, sinewy disciples Jesus wants. Few find it because few see God's good "gentleness" in suffering, and don't recognize it as the way to Life. Christ bore God's wrath...will we complain over the suffering that is gentleness by comparison? Jesus is the way, the truth and the life--and to walk with Him means to participate in both His joys and His suffering. Oh, how we must wrap ourselves up (like a crocodile in its scales!) with the promise of His final salvation! This isn't easy stuff.

But generations of the faithful tell us--
it is good.

- - - 

"The hill though high, I covet to ascend;

The difficulty will not me offend;

For I perceive the way to life lies here:

Come, pluck up heart, let's neither faint nor fear.

Better, though difficult, the right way to go,

Than wrong, though easy, where the end is woe."
  
 --John Bunyan 

"Strive to choose, not that which is easiest, but that which is most difficult. Do not deprive your soul of the agility which it needs to mount up to Him."

 --St. John of the Cross

Followin'

"'If any man would come after me, let him deny himself.' The disciple must say to himself the same words Peter said of Christ when he denied Him: 'I know not this man.' Self-denial is never just a series of isolated acts of mortification or asceticism. It is not suicide, for there is an element of self-will even in that. To deny oneself is to be aware only of Christ and no more of self, to see only Him who goes before and no more the road which is too hard for us. Once more, all that self-denial can say is: 'He leads the way, keep close to Him.'"

 

--Dietrich Bonhoeffer

Childhood Reflections

As bright and shiny as I wish my track record were, I am here to tell you today that there have in fact been times in my life when I have embarrassed my mother.

The particular story brought to mind today is one that (for some odd reason, unknown to myself) frequently comes up in our household: The day--surely more than 20 years ago--when we were visiting the Pastor's family.  A fun-filled afternoon in their basement, playing with toys far more fascinating than my own, in the company of my little friends! I was, no doubt (?), a perfect angel the entire time.

Until it was time to go.

When called upon by dear Mother to clean up and get ready to go, there was just no way I was ready to give up my fun. I glowered up the stairs where my mother and the pastor's wife were standing, clenched my little fists, stamped my foot and hollered "NO!!!"

Yes, I do believe that is one day my Mom could have lived without.

- - -

Thanks to proper discipline and training (not to mention a few years to grow up) I can assure you my mother and I are on much better terms now than on that afternoon. In fact, I have given up foot-stomping altogether. When it comes to appropriate behavior, I at least get it right far more now than when I was an undisciplined, selfish little child. No longer do I shout "NO!!!" to my Mom when she asks me to do something that doesn't tickle my fancy. I've learned all those lessons, right?

Ummm.

Today I learned that something precious to me is to be outwardly taken away in the next few months. A friendship not dissolved, but made physically distant--in the midst of a huge project we were beginning to work on together, that had so many hopes in it for the future. Wanna know how my heart was tempted to respond?

"NO!!!"

"I don't LIKE this plan of yours!! I want things to stay how they have been!!"

Ah yes, that rebellious little child is yet residing in this 23-year-old. Still needing to be dealt with. But between the years of then and now, Someone called the Holy Spirit has taken up residence in my heart. I may not like or understand something my heavenly Father doles out for me...but I know who He is...

He is good.

He is wise.

And His promises is that:

"The LORD will perfect that which concerneth me: Thy mercy, O LORD, endureth forever: forsake not the works of Thine own hands." (Psalm 138:3, KJV)

All the things in my life, including dear friends and dear plans, are gifts--works of His hands. Not something that belongs to ME to do what I think best with. I must let go and trust that not only will He not forsake that work, He will perfect it according to His mercy!

Just as I couldn't know as a little girl why my Mother was needing to leave (nobody else could fix our dinner!), I can't know even now what work my Heavenly Daddy is doing. But just as I was trained to trust my Mom and to obey joyfully...so my Father is teaching me to trust Him. And to submit even to the things that hurt, or that I don't understand.

And in that sometimes painful submission?

So much peace.

Contentment

"Contentment is grounded in the confidence that the Lord has and will provide all of your needs."

--Timothy Witmer