Nearing the End (4)
Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me away from Your presence and do not take Your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of Your salvation and sustain me with a willing spirit. Psalm 51:10-12 NASB
Your Holy Spirit – Hebrew poetry rhymes ideas, not phonemes. David’s plea to see God’s face is paralleled by this second thought. Seeing the face of God is experiencing the holy spirit of God. I have not capitalized the words “holy spirit” because the capitalization implies doctrine, not translation. The words in Hebrew are simply ruach qodeshka, literally “spirit holy yours.” If the spirit of the Lord is the action of God in the creation, then David is not asking for a visitation from the third person of the Trinity. The parallelism of the poem should make that clear. In his view, seeing God’s face is the spirit of God within me.
David is a Near Eastern tenth century BCE king. He knows what it means to be in the presence of royalty. If the king doesn’t acknowledge you, you are dead. Now David, the humble and humiliated servant of the Most High God, is requesting entry to the throne room. If the King doesn’t acknowledge him, he is finished. A glance is all that is needed, but David pleads for more. He pleads that the Most High King will not only look in his direction but will grant him audience. He asks that the inner awareness of mutual camaraderie that once characterized this relationship be somehow, some way, restored.
Let’s not argue about the doctrinal implications of capitalization. Let’s concentrate on David’s emotions. How about you? Have you been outside the throne room of the Most High King, terrified that He will no longer admit you because of your gross disobedience? Have you experienced the punishment of dismissal, the agony of abandonment? How would you live if God no longer cared about you? How could you live at all? David is dealing with the greatest tragedy anyone could face. It’s not the sin of adultery or conspiracy to commit murder. It’s not the disregard for duty, the disrespect for law or the destruction of proper authority. It’s the obliteration of relationship. David, the man who is king, is on the outside of the throne room, begging to once more be accepted as a subject. Unworthy, perhaps, but nevertheless a subject. And what about us? Have you and I experienced the removal of the spirit of the Lord? Have we known what it means to have His face turned away? Are we no longer invited into His presence?
Is there something that stands between you and the entrance into heavenly royalty? Don’t excuse your situation by casting your troubles on the grace of the Messiah. Yes, he provides the means, but you must act on it. Grace isn’t free. It will cost you your life. So, let’s ask the question again. “Are you willing to die in order to enter God’s presence?” This seems like the right question for the end of the year.
Topical Index: holy spirit, ruach qodesh, Psalm 51:11
Today’s Word 2014
We have reached the end of another year of study. There are now 5352 editions of Today’s Word. The full year in Word format will be available soon on the web site. Just imagine how much we have learned over these years. Is it all becoming a reality in your life? Have we graduated from knowing to doing? 2015 starts tomorrow. It seems to me that we must concentrate on the actions in the next year. Maybe you feel the same way. Time to make it real. 5352 pages of information are useless unless they change things. Right?
Yes.
Becoming a Doer
~ But be doers of the word and not hearers only! ~ (James 1.22)
[In memory of Carol Fay Ellison,- “the Biscuit Lady.”]
http://www.lovelesscafe.com/about/biscuit-lady/
Friends, – you gotta get your hands in the dough! Whether making biscuits or riding a bicycle, becoming a plumber or a painter, – we learn (best) by “doing!” Was the very first batch of biscuits Carol ever made “successful?” Or was our very first attempt at balancing a bicycle successful? Every time we burn the biscuits- or fall off the bike, – learning takes place! – We “learn” what not to do!- and? – we learn what TO do. Do “this”- don’t do that! The good news? Whether a “success” or “failure”- learning “occurs.”
The talumdim (disciples/learners/students) of Yeshua (Jesus, who is the Christ) were taught by the Master Teacher (Himself). They learned in order to teach others. – (Amazingly, in Hebrew,- “teach” and “learn” are the very same word!)
https://faculty.gordon.edu/hu/bi/ted_hildebrandt/otesources/20-proverbs/text/articles/zuck-provteach-bsac.pdf
This was once King David’s prayer: ~Teach me Your way, LORD, that I may rely on Your faithfulness; give me an undivided heart, that I may fear Your Name ~ (Psalm 86.11) David the King, willingly volunteered to be David the student. His humble and heart-felt request? “Teach me Your way, LORD..”
And what do the scriptures say to us? “Ask, and you (also) will receive!”
Isaiah knew: ~ Although the LORD has given you bread of privation and water of oppression, He, Your Teacher will no longer hide Himself, but your eyes will behold your Teacher. Your ears will hear a word behind you, “This is the way, walk in it,” whenever you turn to the right or to the left. ~
David Henry Gilmore knew:
He leadeth me! – O blessed thought!,
O words with Heav’nly comfort fraught;
Whate’er I do, – where’er I be,
Still ’tis Christ’s hand that leadeth me.
He leadeth me! He leadeth me!
By His own hand He leadeth me;
His faithful follower I would be,
For by His hand He leadeth me.
Sometimes ’mid scenes of deepest gloom,
Sometimes where Eden’s bowers bloom,
By waters still, – o’er troubled sea,
Still ’tis His hand that leadeth me.
LORD, I would clasp Thy hand in mine,
Nor ever murmur or repine;
-Content, whatever lot I see,
Since it is Thou that leadest me.
And when my task on earth is done,
When, by Thy grace, the vict’ry’s won,
E’en death’s cold wave I will not flee,
Since Thou in triumph leadest me.
Yes, and to us, the ones who belong to Him, – what do the scriptures say?
~ He shall feed His flock like a Shepherd: He shall gather the lambs with His arm, and carry them in His bosom, and shall gently lead those that are with young ~ (Isaiah 40.11)
~ My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me ~
(John 10.27)
Ask, and you will receive!
*Savior, like a Shepherd lead us! – much we need Thy tender care!
Thanks Skip! Yes and amen! I ‘ve learned how much I don’t know; the planks of my doctrinal platform are wormwood and the overseers of the “church” enterprise that I am known in are no longer in meaningful relationship with me. It is amazing how quickly you are considered outside the camp when you start asking honest questions and politely refuse lame answers.
Beginning this year, I changed the flow of my life to honor the sabbath; I had no idea how disruptive that would be to most relationships and to my construction business. It is painful and my dedication to that is challenged nearly every week. I’ve learned about my ‘ezer kenegdo in a new way that has positively challenged a good marriage; I am, at age 58, learning how to listen.
Abba is a good Father; Holy Spirit is an amazing teacher; and Yeshua has walked the walk here, knows more about us than we do and yet bids us “come unto me.” Their leadership is perfect! Let’s keep moving.
I love this forum, this e-community and I am grateful for the technology that allows us to communicate like this. I have never met a single soul on this site, yet I feel a common union in the pursuit of truth and the application of that truth into the verbs of my relationship with Abba and others.
thank you Skip and everyone who participates in this life giving conversation.
shalom aleichem
dave
Welcome Dave. Good to have you in this community. Don’t forget to fasten your seat belt though; the ride can get “rough” at times, but to the best of my knowing no one has ever been injured… as long as you don’t count bruised egos and broken doctrinal bones. Shalom, Michael
“Maybe you feel the same way. Time to make it real. 5352 pages of information are useless unless they change things. Right?”
Right. The words you have written this year, especially over the last few weeks have hit me in the gut, and rightly so. I pray that I will have the courage and will to DO the right things, and not just think about doing them. I am at long last still only beginning to recognize the significance of the Sabbath, but I have started on the road at least.
Me, too, John.
With the Sabbath as well as the new paradigm shift.
It’s like I’m on a real life road now as I travel instead of observing from the outer edges of existing with only motions.
It is substantial.
Thank you, Skip, for expanding Psalm 51 the last few days. Years ago, in previous church associations, we sang compositions based on Psalm 51 in choir…some of my favorite pieces to perform. I’ve also often used David’s words in private prayer.
“Yes, he provides the means, but you must act on it. Grace isn’t free. It will cost you your life.” “… information are useless unless they change things.”
These few weeks’ Torah portion has been about Yosev, and how he seeks confirmation and assurance of his brothers’ repentance. No repentance, no forgiveness, though he fully understood it was YHWH who orchestrated the entire situation, but he had to somehow bring them to their accountability for their actions in trying to get rid of him, due to their jealous spirits.
Then in I Kings 2, king David instructs his son to be a man, to walk in all of Torah, in YHWH’s ways. That is so exhilarating! That means, to me, to be gutsy, bold in standing up for His standards, truth in every situation, and NOT be a man-pleaser!
Indeed, knowledge, nor information is vain if they are not applied, and not transforming our ways, our yetzer -ha’ra.