Last week I shared from Psalm 119 (which is arranged in an acrostic style) with a verse that starts with the letter Aleph

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1 {Let Your Compass} Heart be Your Last week I shared from Psalm 119 (which is arranged in an acrostic style) with a verse that starts with the letter Aleph ( )א and this week I m going to continue with the letter Bet( )ב. Psalm 119:10 With all my heart I have sought Thee; Do not let me wander from Thy commandments What s interesting about this first word with all ( )בכל is that though it means complete, whole, and an expressive totality, it also means bride, bridal state : espousal. Describing the way in which God is being sought after with wholehearted, passionate love. The word sought ( )דרש is an inseparable pronoun form and has the idea of consulting an oracle, and inquiring of the Lord. Inseparable shows that the author was seeking God Himself. If it had been in a separable form, then he would be seeking something from God. The word wander shagah ( )ש גה means stray, to be hindered, sin or err out of ignorance. The word not ( )אלל is also the word for terebinth, an oak tree. Here it expresses the desire to be firmly rooted and grounded in the Lords commandments. So what does the word commandments really speak of? Tsavah

2 ( )צוה means, to appoint, decree, commission. All the different usages for this word have a military aspect, as in going forth to war or a service in the military. It is also used for trial, struggle, or affliction. For me, what this verse is expressing is epitomized by Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane. Since I don t (yet) know Aramaic I asked Chaim to look up some words for me from Matthew 26:39,42. We discovered that there was indeed a direct correlation between Psalm 119:10 and the verses from Matthew. In Matthew 26:39 Jesus is speaking Aramaic and literally says Not as I want, but as You. The word want that is translated into English as will, is the Aramaic word צבא and is the equivalent to the Hebrew word for command ( )צוה from Ps.119:10. This Aramaic word צבא gives us an even greater understanding of what Jesus was expressing because not only does it mean: go forth to war, to serve in the temple, warriors, soldiers, and commander in chief, but also purpose, to will, pleasure and choose, denoting Divine design. Matthew 26:42 Jesus literally says: if it is not possible for this cup to pass over except I drink it, your desire will be done. The word for desire in Aramaic is again צבא,which is equivalent to the Hebrew word for command ( )צוה. I can t count all the times I ve heard someone ask the question how do I know I m being led by God?. Let your heart be your compass, with Jesus as the example. When we yield our hearts to God and seek Him wholeheartedly, His desires become ours. Our steps are in sync with His and we are positioned to receive our marching orders. However, If we give ourselves the role of Commander in Chief over our lives and simply ask God to bless what we are doing, even if it s good and Godly, we cannot know for sure that it is His specific design. It s simply a matter of the will. Also, Chaim has done a word study on the Hebrew word Kavas

3 cup which is equivalent to the Aramaic word for cup that Jesus used saying if it is not possible for this cup to pass over The word cup in Hebrew is kavas, which has a double meaning, both a cup and a pelican or stork. Here s an excerp from his study which was previously posted: To the ancient world a pelican and a stork were considered the same bird and both were noted for the tender care of their young. They would even care for the young that was not their own. Hence, you have the legend of a stork delivering a baby. There was also the belief that when food was not available for its young, the pelican would feed its young on its own blood. There was also the ancient belief that if one of its young died, the mother pelican would resurrect it with her own blood. When Jesus was arrested He said: Do you think I cannot call on my Father, and he will at once put at my disposal more than twelve legions of angels? Matt.26:53 We see in this verse that Jesus had a choice, yet because He was a prisoner of love His only option was to do the will ( )צבא of His Father. The cross was the only way because love is designed to be sacrificial. Will we love the same way? Matt. 10:39 Whoever finds their life will lose it, and whoever loses their life for my sake will find it. Lastly, another meaning for the Hebrew word commandments ( )צוה can mean monument or pillar and can have the idea of a sign post. The entire time Chaim and I were discussing these Aramaic words it was raining outside. The moment we finished and left the coffee shop the sun came out and there was a big, beautiful rainbow in the sky. Sure you can say it was just a coincidence, but for me it was a nod from God, a sign post telling me that my study today was His desire ( )צבא Laura P.S. Chaim is going to do a devotional on this idea for

4 cup. It s going to be very interesting, so keep an eye open for it! Word Study: Cup Kavas WORD STUDY CUP Psalms 16:5 The Lord is the portion of my inheritance and my cup, thou maintains my lot. Psalms 23: 5b Thou anoints my head with oil, my cup runneth over. Cup Hebrew: kavas cup, pelican or stork The word cup in Hebrew is kavas, which has a double meaning, a cup and a pelican or stork. To us in the Western World, a pelican is a strange looking bird with a long beak connected to a pouch who is always eating fish. We see nothing special. Yet to the ancient world a pelican and stork were considered the same bird and both were noted for the tender care of their young. They would even care for the young that was not their own. Hence, you have the legend of a stork delivering a baby. There was also the belief that when food was not available for its young, the pelican would feed its young on its own blood. There was also the ancient belief that if one of its young died, the mother pelican would resurrect it with her own blood. If David was making a play on words here, the use of kavas would show a strong Messianic prophecy. Kavas or cup is spelled: kap empty mind filled with God s

5 thoughts, vav redemption, and samek abundance, mysteries of God, protection. In Psalm 16 when David says the Lord is his Cup he is say that God s thoughts fill his mind and that God is his redemption and protection. In Psalms 23 when he says that his cup overflows he is saying that he is overflowing with thoughts of God, His redemption and overflowing with an abundance of protection and knowing the mysteries of God. The numerical value of cup (kavas) is 96 kap =20, vav = 6, and samek = 60. What other Hebrew words have 96? One word is damamim which is blood or bleeding. In Aramaic this word means submitting to the will of God. In Mark 4:39 Jesus told commanded the sea: Peace be still. In the Syriac Bible which is the language Jesus spoke it uses the Aramaic word damam. Jesus really commanded the sea to submit to the will of God. Another word with a numerical value of 96 is vayoda which is knowing in an intimate way. David s cup is an intimacy with God and in Psalms 23 he is overflowing in this intimacy. The word ezuuwz also has a value of 96 and means strength. The Lord is my strength and in Psalms 23, we are overflowing with his strength. His cup overflows with oil. The word for cup is prefixed in the Hebrew with a beth, pathah and would be rendered, thou anoints my head in the oil. The word for oil is bashemen. Oddly this is not yitshar which is an anointing oil. Bashemen comes from the root word shaman which means to be fat, or rich. It is also used to express an oil used for medicinal purposes. The word anoint is dishaneth which is in a piel form and has the idea of making something fat. You could render, you anoint my head with oil as You make fat my fat, or in a piel form You make my head so fat it is obese. Actually, this creates the idea of abundance in success. When David says thou prepares a table for me in the presence of my enemies he is referring an ancient oriental custom where you invite an enemy over for dinner if you wish to make peace and/or reconcile with him. Thus David is saying you

6 make reconciliation with my enemies and as a result I am prosperous and an overwhelming success. Thus, when David said his cup runs over he is saying that God has made him an overwhelming success, prosperous, healthy and at peace with those around him. And if we throw in the pelican we realize that this is all accomplished through the blood of Jesus Christ and his redemption. May your cup overflow.