Salvation!
Rise Lord! Rescue me, my God Psalm 3:8 (translation: Robert Alter)
Rescue Me – “ho.shi e.ni.” Say it again, out loud! This one is worth remembering. The Hebrew root is yasha, “to bring help to those in trouble.” The pronoun “me” is attached directly to the verb. That’s what I want – direct connection to my helper. Save me!
Why is this word worth remembering? Not only because it is the cry of every man and woman who suddenly faces the reality of the broken world. Not only because it admits our own insufficiency. The word is worth remembering in Hebrew because it is the basis of the name of the Savior. Yes, Yeshua (the name of our Lord in His native tongue) is derived from the same root, yasha. When I call out to God for help, He answers me with the name of His Son. If we translated it into English, we would stop saying “Jesus.” “Jesus” is transliteration from Hebrew to Greek to English. But the meaning of His name is “Salvation!” When I call out for help, I use the name of the Helper. “Salvation, come save me!”
Life needs a lot of rescuing. The broken world just doesn’t work. How could it? Sin has infected every part of our earthly existence. That’s why Paul tells us not to be conformed to the blueprints of this world. We need rescue from a world that is insanely headed to destruction. But here lies an important distinction. Hoshi eni does not mean escape out of trouble. It means help in the midst of trouble. In our case, rescue doesn’t mean getting out. It means being empowered to act as redemptive agents in the mess sin left behind. Of course, that means constantly coming into contact with the infection – without hazmat suits. Salvation comes to my aid, giving me hope, help and heart to accomplish His will through my hands, right here, in the middle of trouble. This is important. In spite of the wonderful music, there is a real mistake in the idea that “this world is not my home; I’m just a’ passin’ through.” If you understand the concept of Hebrew yasha, you would never be fooled into thinking it only means getting to heaven. The Hebrew worldview is about here – on the earth where my Father’s will is to be done just as it is in the heavenly realm.
This is hard to take. So much of our contemporary theological dreamware is about escape. We long for heaven. We fix our eyes on the other world. We want out! How many times have you thought, “Lord, I get it. I accept you. Why can’t I just leave here now?” That’s not part of the Hebrew mindset. Yasha is a word for this world, not the next. Salvation is not about heaven. It’s about help. How can God accomplish His purposes for the restoration of your true humanity and the redemption of His creation if all we want to do is find the escape hatch?
What are you looking for – heaven, or help?
Topical Index: Salvation
