{Lessons from the Almond Tree}

Transcription

1 {Lessons from the Almond Tree} Jeremiah 1:11-12 The word of the Lord came to me saying What do you see ש ק ד saqed Jeremiah? And I said I see a rod of an Almond tree. Then the Lord said to me, You have seen well, for I am watching soqed,ש ק ד over my word to perform it. Both the word for Almond, and the word for watching, come from the same ש קד word- root Here is the Remez (Hint to go deeper): Why did God use an Almond tree to show that His word will come to pass? In these verses, we have what is called a Play on Words which is something very prevalent in scripture, though often only seen in the Hebrew. One of its purposes is to give greater insight and intention behind the Author s words. We have in verse 11 saqed which means almond and verse 12 soqed which means an intense watching over. So why did God choose an almond tree to show how His Word will come to pass? In Israel, the Almond tree is one of the earliest to bloom and

2 actually blossoms in late winter. The process from the branch growing and ready to yield fruit takes two years but from this point, literally overnight, a beautiful white flower appears. In fact, it happens so quickly sometimes the blossoms will form even before its leaves grow. After a long wait the tree SUDDENLY blossoms. How many are waiting for their suddenly, and their breakthroughs? I m one who is, and a few years back when the Lord gave me this verse I asked for a confirmation that He really was watching over His Word concerning specifics in my life. I asked Jesus to please wake me up at 1:11 am, and since I always sleep through the night, I knew if it happened it would be God confirming this promise. Well, that night I woke up out of a deep sleep and turned over to watch the clock turn exactly 1:11! I share this for everyone who is waiting for their fulfillment of a Word given by God. He is diligently watching over His word to you, making sure to fulfill it. This tree is a picture of strength and endurance because though this flower looks fragile and delicate, it can withstand harsh winter winds and rain James 1:2-4 Consider it all a joy, my brethren when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance, and let endurance have its perfect result, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing. The almond tree blossom heralds the soon arrival of spring. In the Spirit, many find ourselves toward the end of a very long winter. Well, hold on because (spiritual) spring is coming and your sudden breakthrough of God s word is about to blossom and bear fruit. Laura :- )

3 WORD STUDY THE TREE OF LIFE Proverbs 13:12: Hope deferred maketh the heart sick, but when the desire cometh it is the tree of life. The most common understanding of the verse is that unfulfilled desired brings pain to the mind, but the fulfillment of the desire brings gratification. I don t discount this, but I am curious as to the writer s choice of words. The word for hope here is yachal. There are a couple other words in the Hebrew which is rendered from hope such as kavah which is a hope of anticipation. It is an expectation that is questionable as to its fulfillment, so you hope it is achieved. There is the word savar which is a hope that your investigation or inspection will achieve results. Then there is yachal. This is rendered as hope but not in the sense that you are not certain of the outcome, but it is more of a waiting for something to happen as you work toward its fulfillment. This is the word that I would render as imagination. If you are an architect you will imagine a

4 building, but you must wait for it to be designed on paper and then wait longer for it to be built. The outcome of yachal is assured, but you must wait for it to find its fulfillment. The word deferred comes from the root word mashak which is from the same root where the name Moses comes from and means to draw out. It is the idea of a protracted start, long enduring. Let s go back to a building. Donald Trump imagined a building and owning the tallest building in Chicago. It took years to become a reality. There were times he almost gave up on his yachal hope. Over the years we would hear the project was on, then it was off, then it was on again. Today it stands as a reality, although not the tallest building in Chicago, it is still an architectural wonder. This is a hope deferred a yachal or something imagined that took a long time to develop, build and become a reality. Many times Donald Trump became heart sick over waiting for the building to become a reality but he clung to his dream or imagined it as it went through the process of getting approval, financing, permitting and building. The word sick is chalah which means to make weak, or weary. Let s take this to a more personal level. Do you have a prayer or promise that came from God, something that you are imagining and you know God is in it. You keep praying, believing, imagining but like Trump s tower, you begin to grow weary and almost give up. It makes your heart weak and weary. These last words prove to be very interesting. There is a play on words here. The word for desire is t avah. This not only

5 means to long for or desire, it is also used for the word lust and object of desire. It is also the same word used for wailing or and an expression of grief. But, hey, let s not quit there, the very same word is used for a sign or a miracle. This is a word used for the pain of giving birth. You long for the birth but in the meantime, giving birth is a painful experience. The word cometh means to fulfill, so when this object of desire, this sign or miracle is fulfilled it is - wait a minute, did I not say there is a play on words. Here it is, the word comes from a similar root for a gazelle. This is not so much the expression of the animal itself, that word is kitsevi in the Hebrew, but this word has the idea of the speed and swiftness of the gazelle. In other word the passage is saying that when your desire (miracle, sign) comes (and it will come swiftly), it is the tree of life. Let s take a look at the expression tree of life. Do not share this with your local rabbi, he will probably throw salt in the air, if not on you. But the word tree otz has in its origin the idea of fallen. As trees grow old or face storms and winds they fall. Carpenters chopped down trees and they fall, which is most likely how the word in a noun form came to pick up the idea of tree from original verb fall. It later took on the form of wood and in the Aramaic by the time of Jesus s day it also meant in a noun form a carpenter. Now there is one slight difference between the tree of life in Genesis 2 and the tree of life in Proverbs. There is a definite article attached to the word life which is in a plural form in Genesis 2. Oddly, the word otz (tree) does not have an article nor is it in a plural form and if tree were an adjective it would have to also have a definite pronoun and be in a plural form or it should at the very least have a megeth attached. That is simply not there. You could and may translate it as The lives of a tree. Or how about the original use of the word otz and say The lives of the fallen one. Well that is another topic.

6 Anyway, the one difference between the tree of life in Genesis and the tree of life in Proverbs 13:12 is that there is no definite article. In other words it is rendered A tree of a life or a fallen one for a life. Extra Biblical literature sometimes uses this word otz (tree) for a gallows or as a carpenter. Now tell me who was a carpenter who died on a tree to render lives. Jesus is our tree of life. When the object of our desires, miracle, or sign finally comes after we have become heartsick and almost given up hope or imagining; it turns out to be Jesus Christ Himself. Oh yes, also embodied in that word desire (a vah) is an idea of healing our hearts which were sick, weary or weak, are healed by This Tree of Life. I have to conclude as my Looking Glass is beckoning me to pay a visit Beyond the Daleth. If you enjoy the Hebrew Studies please like our Facebook page, join our mailing list and/or pass along the Word Studies to friends and family. Thank you and we truly appreciate all your support! WORD STUDY THE GREEN TREE Luke 23:31: For if they do these things in a green tree, what

7 shall be done in the dry tree.? This is an example of a verse which is unintelligible in the Greek, but it makes perfect sense when read in the Aramaic or language that Jesus actually spoke. When translating one must know something about rabbinic methods of Scriptural interpretation. In a very rabbinic way Jesus is giving a hint into an Old Testament passage found in Ezekiel 20:47, And say to the forest of the south, Hear the word of the LORD; Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I will kindle a fire in thee, and it shall devour every green tree in thee, and every dry tree: the flaming flame shall not be quenched, and all faces from the south to the north shall be burned therein. In this prophecy Ezekiel declares that God will send a forest fire, it will sweep through the forest of Negeb. The heat was so intense that even the green trees were burned up. Allegorically, the green tree represents the righteous and the dry tree the not so righteous. Here s the kicker, the sages also see the Green Tree as a representation of the Messiah. Now back to Luke. As Jesus was being led to the cross a company of women followed Jesus weeping. Jesus turned to them and said: Weep not for me but for yourselves and your children. Jesus was making a reference to the coming destruction of Jerusalem. In other words: If this is done in the Green Tree (referring to Himself) what will happen to the dry trees, your children who will follow me?

8 The Aramaic text reads, For if they do these things so in the Green Tree, what will be done with dry wood? The Greek text in verse 31 literally says: If they do these things in a Green Tree. The Aramaic says so in which is an Aramaic idiom meaning to do to someone. If you do not consider this idiom you can get a little confused when translating this passage. The RSV for instance recognizes the Aramaic use of dry wood but then translates this as: For if they do this when the wood is green, what will they do when it is dry? Some translations say green wood rather than Green Tree missing the illusion to the Messianic intent behind the words Green Tree as shown in Ezekiel 20:47. If we were to understand that Jesus was using a rabbinic form of teaching by hinting at an Old Testament passage then we would see that this passage should be more correctly translated: For if he do these things to a Green Tree as a reference to Ezekiel 20:47 which was recognized by the sages and the people of that day as a reference to the Messiah in Ezekiel 20:47. Thus when Jesus referred to Himself as the Green Tree, He was declaring Himself to be the Messiah. It is have often been said that nowhere in the Gospels does Jesus actually call Himself the Messiah and some take that to deny the divinity of Jesus. However, a little understanding of the teachings of those through whom the Messiah came, the Jews themselves who ironically rejected Him as the Messiah, would reveal that Jesus was constantly declaring Himself as the Messiah, as God Himself in human form. He may not have said openly, I am the Messiah but he sure dropped enough hints.

9 Jesus was also hinting at another Aramaic symbolism. Green wood was a symbol of innocence where dry wood was symbolic of guilt. If they did this to an innocent man how much more when followers of Christ face who will be forced to live under Roman law which would eventually make it illegal to be a believer. A greater suffering was about to come for the children of these women who would follow after Jesus. Green wood burns slowly, but dry wood burns much quicker. In this Jesus was declaring that He was the Messiah and warned that following him would not be an easy journey. His followers would also be called upon to pick up their cross daily and share in His sufferings for the sake of bringing His message to a lost world. Jesus was not using some slick marketing skill promising all sorts of wonderful things like prosperity, restored relationships, constant joy, but instead he was promising a walk on the Calvary road if you choose to follow Him. Accepting Jesus as your Savior is not to be motivated by getting a bag of goodies and when the goodies run out you run to another God. Instead it is like a marriage, you marry out of the desire to make a commitment to love someone in sickness and in health, for better or for worse, no matter what happens you want to do it with that person. So too with God, no matter what happens you committed yourself to love God for better or for worse, whatever happens, you want it to happen together with God.

10 WORD STUDY MYRTLE Isaiah 55:13: Instead of the thorn shall come up the fir tree, and instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle tree: and it shall be to the LORD for a name, for an everlasting sign [that] shall not be cut off. Throughout history and through the many world cultures myrtle has been a symbol of beauty, love, paradise, immortality, justice, divine presence, peace, prosperity and promise. Myrtle is one of the four plants used to build the Sukkot used by the Jews in the celebration of the Feast of Tabernacles recalling the days they lived in huts (sukkot) during their wanderings in the wilderness. There are two reasons given for the use of myrtle as one of the four plants. The four plants represent a particular member of the body with myrtle representing the eye and the other reason is that myrtle has a sweet smell but no taste to represent Jews who do good deeds but with no knowledge of Torah. Myrtle obviously played significant role throughout history with its many symbolic and metaphoric usages. So what is God trying to say that instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle tree? Why not the oak tree, it is stronger, or the cedar tree, it is more practical? I mean we are talking

11 metaphors and symbols here, right? In the words of the Prime Minister of Israel Netanyahu s favorite phrase, Who says? I mean would it not create a feeling of peace and security to see the land filled with myrtle trees rather than briers? I believe this has a literal meaning as well as a symbolic meaning. The word brier in Hebrew is sirepad which appears to come from the same Semitic root סנ which is the same root for the burning bush in Exodus, senah. All these bushes have one thing in common, they have thorns, and they are dried out and easily catch fire. In other words they are dead bushes. If you walk onto a vacant property and see it filled with dead thorny bushes you will instantly think of property that is abandoned. The prophet Isaiah is saying that when Babylon enters and takes the nation of Judah captive, all its lush growth will fall into abandonment and old dead bushes will appear over a desolate land. But God will one day bring the rains and prosper this land so that the dry dead bushes will disappear and in its place will be myrtle trees. There are many different species of myrtle trees that can range in height from 100 feet to just a bush. Most likely in keeping with the flow of this passage it is referring to the bush type myrtle common in the area. Thus, God is going to replace and old dead thorny bush with something that is alive, beautiful and colorful. But what about myrtle, what is going through the minds of someone from a Semitic culture living 2,500 years ago in the Near East? Many world cultures assigned meaning to the myrtle which includes beauty, love, paradise, and immortality. It has the idea of creating a balance with nature. Indeed modern

12 science has found that the essential oil myrtle helps to create a balance in one s hormones which may explain why myrtle was the symbol for the goddess Aphrodite, later known in Roman cultural as Venus. These goddesses were the goddess of fertility, the sexual goddess whose main job was to create a balance between man and woman. The word myrtle in Hebrew is hadas which was Esther s Hebrew name and indeed God use her to create a balance between the Hebrew people and the Persian Empire. Prime Minister Netanyahu said in a recent speech to the United Nations that up until the turn of the 20 th Century the Jews enjoyed a special friendship with Persia now known as Iran. Mordecai through the inspiration of God chose Esther s Hebrew name well as she created centuries of balance between the Hebrews and the people of Persia. Myrtle is used for purification ceremonies both in Hebrew and pagan cultures. Purification is simply purging of things that keep one from having a balance in relationships and health. Indeed, the goddess Aphrodite and Venus were known for their magical healing powers. Julius Caesar wore a myrtle wreath around his head and Roman commanders were often awarded a myrtle wreath to wear. The idea was that the myrtle would purify them of the blood they shed in battle. Actually scientists have found that myrtle can create a hormonal balance with the thyroid. A hormonal imbalance can cause mood swings and depression so often felt by returning warriors and the crown of myrtle that they wore was believed to reduce these feelings of guilt and stress. The ancient Semitic people were a holistic people; they

13 believed that if you remain in balance with all of nature your health will also come in line. Indeed today there is much holistic thinking arising in our culture as there is a surge in the market for organic and natural foods. More and more people are supplementing their therapy of pills and exercise with eating more natural foods. I heard one physician respond when asked what the best food was and he said, Anything that was created by God and not a synthetic made by man. What is happening is that we are moving, like the Semitic people, to a more holistic thinking. In other words we are seeking to create a balance with our lives and the creation of God. That is not a new concept and myrtle is the symbol of this holistic thinking of bringing oneself into balance with God s creation. Thus Isaiah is saying in 55:13 that God will take what has been put out of balance through man s sinfulness (briers) and bring it into balance by replacing it with myrtle. Do you find your life out of balance, filled with sirepads (briers)? Check and see, perhaps God is holding a branch of hadas (myrtle) out to you to bring you into balance with Him. For you see, Jesus is our myrtle tree who died upon a tree to restore our balance with God. For more information or to purchase Myrtle essential oil visit our link at

14 WORD STUDY ZAMAR AND TELILLAH Psalms 147:1, Praise ye the LORD: for it is good to sing praises unto our God; for it is pleasant; and praise is comely. As one linguist once said, Every English translation of the Bible is at best a paraphrase. This is why you have so many different versions, none are mistranslations, just a different way to explain ancient Hebrew words which often do not have a one to one English equivalent. The word zamarah is one such word. It is often rendered as sing praises unto God. I mean that works if you are giving the short version, yet this word has no direct English equivalent. The word must be explained more than just translated. Tracing this word to it s Semitic root you find the root word zamar originated with the idea of pruning a tree. The emphasis on this word is not the idea of pruning but the way pruning took place, there was a form of cadence or rhythm to the cutting and would make a musical sound when branches were cut away. Yet, the word also has the idea of pruning itself which is cutting away the old and dead branches which are hindering the tree from producing the best fruit.

15 David is saying in this verse that it is good to bring about this pruning process. The word good is tov in Hebrew and means to be in harmony with something. To get to the Semitic root of this verse we can only paraphrase it and this is how I would read this verse and I believe the way David intended for this verse to be read, Songs of pruning will bring you in harmony with God. The Talmud explains it this way, when a king goes off to war he will dress like any other soldier for if the king is killed in battle, the battle is ended and his army loses. Yet, being dress like any other soldier it is hard to figure out who is the king. Yet, you can figure it out because he will be surrounded by his best soldiers as body guards. The only way to kill the king would be to break your way through all those body guards. This is how the game of chess originated. The most important piece on the board, the one piece you are trying to get to is the king. Yet it is the king that is the weakest participant. He can only move one space in any direction. So too in our quest to be in harmony with God. God is surrounded by a strong army of our personal fleshly desires, thoughts, longings. These personal desires of the flesh are very strong keeping us away from God. It is very difficult to determine which desire is of God and which is not, they are very strong, yet the one of least resistance is the King himself or God. Once we have torn away all those fleshly desires we find our King who is there to receive us with open arms.

16 David is giving us a clue in how to overcome these fleshly body guards which is using zamar music or pruning music, music which will prune away our fleshly desires and leave only the desires of God s heart which we learn are our true desires. This verse goes on to explain this pruning music. The remaining verse says, For it is pleasant and praise is comely. Actually the word for is rendered from the Hebrew word ki which in most Semitic languages is often rendered as because. The word pleasant is na im and the word comely is ne vah. Both words mean beautiful but na im is a beauty which comes when everything is in harmony with each other. It is the word for the name Naomi. A Naomi was a person who got along with everyone and was a very agreeable person. Thus, these pruning songs brings us into harmony with God and bring us into agreement with His will and His heart s desires. His heart s desires become our heart s desires. Not only that these pruning songs are comely or ne vah. This word comes from a Semitic root meaning to inhabit or dwell in a beautiful place. This word is rendered as pastures in Psalms 23 as pastures represented to David the most beautiful and place on earth, devoid of any of man s creations. All you see is God and His creation in a pasture. Thus, these pruning songs bring us into harmony with God such that it causes us to enter a place where all we see is God and his desires. Now, here is the key word for accomplishing a pruning song. The word for praise that is used here when the verse says, praise is comely is the word telillah. Note the double L s or Lameds in this verse they indicate uplifted hands. But telillah in its Semitic root has the idea of creating music. This is not the song in your hymnal or the song that flashed on a screen in church where you read the words. This is your own invention, a song from your heart.

17 I witnessed such a song yesterday in a service where two young people for over two hours played an instrument and sung from their hearts. Sometimes it was just music, sometimes it was an expression of the heart, but what it did was to gradually draw the speaker and the congregation closer to God. It was music put to a battle to destroy or prune ourselves of all the fleshly desires of not only the speaker but the congregation as well and after almost two hours of this telillah (created music) we began to ne yah and na im, enter into the oneness with God s heart and desires. All our fleshly desires were gradually defeated as we and the speaker made our way to our King and His desires. The service ended with a sort of celebration of this oneness with God. God had earlier forbidden me to participate in this celebration as He wanted me to observe and learn. I observed and did learn that we often can not enter into that presence of God without a period of doing battle with those fleshly desires, attitudes, bias, and needs. David laid it out for us in an ancient tongue in how we can do this battle, it is with music we create from our hearts, it is zamar and telillah, music that we create which prunes away all those fleshly wants and desires. WORD STUDY REJOICE (BEYOND THE DALETH) Habakkuk 3:17-18: Although the fig tree does not blossom neither shall fruit be on the vine, the labor of the olive shall fail and the field shall yield no meat, the flock shall

18 be cut off from the fold and there shall be no herd in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will joyin the God of my salvation. The only ones who did not suffer from the effects of the Great Depression were those who were poor before the Depression. John Kenneth Galbraith, American/Canadian Economist Yesterday during our midweek service my pastor commented that we in this country basically suffer from things that others in less developed countries think nothing about. In other words if we had to suddenly go down to the Chicago river every day to wash our cloths we would feel as if the world is on the brink of collapse. If we had to walk three miles every day just for a cup of water we would be wondering why God was putting us through such suffering. Yet people in third world nations do this all the time and don t think much about it, it is just the way they live. If you had nothing to begin with it is much easier to weather a recession or depression than if you had couple new cars, house, with all the trimmings and to then suddenly lose it all. Job did not mourn on a pile of ashes because he had nothing; he mourned because he had much and then had nothing. Israel had entered a time of great prosperity just before the Babylonian Captivity. Suddenly all their wealth and prosperity was torn away. Chapter 3 verse 17 declares they would suffer not only disaster at the hands of man but natural disasters as well, a double whammy. Ever get hit with a double whammy. You look up only hoping someone got the license number of that truck that just ran over you. The last thing you feel like doing is to rejoice. Yet the prophet says that when this happens he will rejoice in the Lord. He is not rejoicing over someone else s misfortune, he is right in the middle of this misfortune. His stocks and bonds will go down the tubes just like everyone else, yet he says he will rejoice. Not only that but the word for rejoice e elazah which has a paragogic Hei which means he will dance with joy. Well, goody gum drops for Habakkuk, he may be able to dance for joy over losing everything, but I can t even fake joy after being run down by that proverbial truck.

19 I know I should be joyful, I should be dancing with joy like the prophet, but that is not my story. So I think I will just sit down and have a little chat with this word Joy and see what this is all about. Now the root word for rejoice is alaz (Ayin, Lamed, and Zayin) and it is found.well it was here a minute ago, Where did he Ah ha, I knew it, trying to sneak out to go behind that my Looking Glass hanging from my Daleth were you? Alaz (rejoice) don t you go crawling away from me like that, you stop right there and come back here, I have few words to Alaz, Alaz, don t make me come after you. Blast it anyways, there he goes running through mylooking Glass and I have to take in after him through the Looking Glass and I don t have time for this. I chase Alaz (rejoice) behind my Daleth through the Looking Glass and run smack dap into a giant Gimmel followed by an equally large Yod and Lamed. Who are you I ask? I am Gil (joy), Alaz s (rejoice) big brother. I have Alaz (rejoice) right here, is he trying to run away from you again? Yeah, you bet your esoteric little heart he is, but how do you fit into all this? I ask. Gil (joy) replies: Well, you see that last part of the verse: I will joy in the God of my salvation? Well, that s me, I am that word joy. Now come on, join hands with me and Alaz (rejoice). I am forced to take Gimmel s (joy) hand with my right hand and Ayin s hand (from Alaz rejoice) with my left and suddenly we are dancing around in a circle with Alaz (rejoice) singing Here Go Round The Now cut that out I shout, My fig tree is not blossoming and I don t feel like rejoicing ( alaz). Suddenly Alaz (rejoicing) starts to cry: He don t love me no more and runs away. Gimmel looks at me sternly, See what you ve gone and done now. You wait here. No, I say, I ll get him. That you will not! shouts Gimmel, That is my job With that Gimmel (the first letter in joy) takes off after his brother Alaz (rejoice). I turn to Yod and Lamed, Gil s (joy) other two letters whom he left behind and asked why he has to get Alaz (rejoice) back. Yod (which represents the beginning point) says that people are always offending Alaz (rejoice) with their negative attitudes and Gimmel (lovingkindness) always has to bring Alaz (rejoice) back to us. I suddenly realize that the Yod in Gil is the beginning point where Alaz (rejoice) is reminded

20 of the Lamed (receiving joy from heaven) the last letter in Gil (joy). Lamed? I ask Yes? says Lamed standing there with his hand lifted to heaven receiving the joy of the Lord into His heart. Uh never mind I reply. Suddenly Lamed starts to glow with the joy of the Lord and turns to me and says, He, Alaz, needs to be reminded that his joy is not dependent upon circumstances but upon what is given from God. Here, now look, Gimmel (lovingkindness) and Alaz (rejoice) are returning, let s join hands and form our circle again. Hold it right there. I demand What is this circle business? Gimmel now being reunited with his other two letters Yod and Lamed (joy) joins hands with Alaz (rejoice) and me and answers, Why that is another use for the word Gil(joy) a circle. No I respond stamping my foot in defiance, Gil means joy. Indeed replies Gil But don t you find such joy when you spin in a circle. You go to an amusement park where there are a variety of ways to spin you in a circle to feel pleasure. The circle is a symbol of God and that is why I (Gil joy) am much bigger than Alaz (rejoice) because our joy is bigger, it is the joy of the Lord. Look at my belt buckle? Sure enough on Gil s belt buckle is a Paragogic Hei adding even more strength to Gil s (joy) joy. I return through my Looking Glass with Alaz (rejoice) contently resting in the palm of my hand. I open my hand and he jumps back into my Hebrew Bible. But before returning I mention to Alaz (rejoice) that this was all very interesting but I still do not feel the joy of the Lord. Alaz (rejoice) runs back and whispers in my ear, When I ran away it was Gimmel (lovingkindness) that brought me back. Now after I jump back into your Hebrew Bible and the Book of Habakkuk, you go and turn to Romans 8: Saying good bye to my friend Alaz (rejoice), I then turn to Romans 8:38-39 and read the words of the Apostle Paul who once had wealth, power, comfort and lost it all when He found Jesus. Here he says that nothing will separate him from not from his wealth, health or things but from the love of God in Christ Jesus. Man or natural disasters can separate me from everything on this earth except one thing: The Gimmel (lovingkindness), the love of God in Christ Jesus, His lovingkindness. As long as I

21 have that I can join hands with Alaz (rejoice) and Gil (joy) and we can sing, dance and praise the Lord together. For you see we will always have the Gimmel (God s lovingkindness in Christ Jesus) in Gil (joy of the Lord) to chase after Alaz (rejoice) when he tries to run away. Devotional Proverbs 8:19 Good Morning Yamon Ki Yesepar; Proverbs 8:19: My fruit is better than gold, even pure gold, and my yield than choicest silver. God is telling us that His fruit is better than gold and his yield better than silver. I heard an economist on the radio the other day say the best thing we can have today is gold and silver. Yet, what I am reading in God s Word is that there is something better than that. That is encouraging news since there seems little chance that I can get a hold of any gold or silver. My next question is: What is better than gold and silver? And do I stand a better chance of obtaining that than I do of obtaining gold and silver? In answer to my first question, it appears God s fruit is better than gold or even find gold. Gold is gold right? Perhaps not. The first gold mentioned here is charaz which literally means to cut or sharpen, decide or determine. This type of gold could be one of two things, gold dust or power ie., gold that has been beaten down or, which is more likely, is gold that has just been chiseled from the ground. Gold in

22 the rough, unrefined. This gold represents wealth and savings. The second gold mentioned is fine gold pazaz. Bet you can guess what word comes from that? This is gold which has been refined and shaped into something artistic such as jewelry, vessels, or certain type of decoration. Not only does this gold have it s inherent value but now has some artistic value as well. This gold represents extravagance or materialism. In other words, you need a cup to drink water. You don t necessarily need a cup made of gold to drink water. God s fruit is better than wealth or material possessions beyond the necessities. So what is God s fruit. The word is pireyiy. It is from the root word parah. In it s basic form it is results, rewards or product. That is why fruit is often referred to as produce, it is the product of the tree or vine. So what is the product of God? Every word in the Hebrew will define itself. Look at the word parah and it will tell you what God s product or fruit is pe, resh, he. That represents His voice, His divine power and His presence. He is a God who offers his voice, his Word, or Promises. Are not his Scriptural promises better than an IRA? He offers his divine power. Can money purchase everything that His divine power can bring into existence? You may have heard on the news lately of a billionaire who has cancer. All his wealth can not give him a cure for this disease. Finally, what would you rather have? A mansion filled with great works of art and expensive gold plated décor or a little shack filled with the presence of God? Note the passage is not saying either/or it is telling us which is better. Solomon who wrote this passage had both and he is able to tell us, Don t sweat it, possession of gold is not all it s cracked up to be. God is the genuine article and He is much easier to obtain than gold. Finally, God s yield is better than silver. The word yield

23 is bo which basically means to enter. I can see how some translators get the idea of income from this, but really, I think Solomon has something else in mind. The word bo is the same word used for intercourse, or a connection with a woman. This word is a relationship word, a word describing an intimacy between a man and woman. I don t have to tell you that Solomon had first hand knowledge of this. Solomon is here to tell you that an intimacy with God is much better than the choices silver. The word for silver is kesef which is the same word for sexual desire. Hebrew does not use adjectives as much as we do, but there is an adjective here, bachar which is the finest, best, choicest. Solomon knew intimacy with the most beautiful women in the world and yet he found an intimacy with God to be far better.