Back to Exodus
Be gracious to me, O Lord, for to You I cry all day long. Psalm 86:3 NASB
Be gracious – Some days it just feels like the world is conspiring against us. Some days we are overwhelmed with troubles. They might be the result of our own mistakes or they might seem to be the hand of fate, but either way, there are days when we cry out, “Lord, have mercy!” Fortunately, we don’t have to convince God to do this. We are not followers of some pagan deity who requires us to appease his anger before he will help. We don’t have to bring tithes and offerings in order to receive God’s favor. He is not angry with us. When the psalmist pleads, “Be gracious,” he recalls God’s own words given to the prophet Moses (Exodus 34:6-7), “The Lord, the Lord, compassionate, gracious, slow to anger . . .” The second word in God’s own description is ḥānan, precisely what the psalmist is asking for—graciousness. The poet is asking nothing more (or less) than that God be God.
ḥānan means “a heartfelt response by someone who has something to give to one who has a need.”[1] The word is frequently found in the Psalms.
The overwhelming number of uses in the Qal stem, some forty-one instances, have Yahweh as the subject. The plea ḥonnēnî, “be gracious to me,” appears nineteen times in the Psalms. The Psalmist asks Yahweh to show him favor in view of his loneliness (Ps 25:16 [H 17]), his distress (Ps 31:9 [H 10]), his transgressions (Ps 51:1 [H 3]) where the favor he asks for is that God will erase the indictment against him, etc. Cf. Isa 33:2.[2]
The emphasis of this word is clear. This is a description of God’s own character. That fact is wonderful relief for those of us who feel as if we have failed our commitments and obligations so often that God no longer loves us. ḥānan makes this impossible. God always loves His creation, including us even when we are miserable examples of His intention. We aren’t estranged from Him because He has turned away. We might have chosen the wrong path, but that doesn’t mean God has abandoned us. The prayer of Manasseh is a reminder that even the most wicked king can find grace in God’s eyes.
The psalmist doesn’t really need to remind God to be gracious. He needs to remind himself that God is gracious. Why? Because in our human struggle we often forget God’s true character. We react to life’s circumstances and allow them to dictate what we think about the nature of YHVH. We feel tossed or confused. We experience discouragement or betrayal. And we project these emotional upheavals onto God, as if He goes through the same cycles. The psalmist forces us back to Exodus to remind us that God is faithful to Himself, and we, praise God, are the beneficiaries of that faithfulness. No, we don’t need to plead with God to be gracious. He is. But we need to say these words so that we will remember that He is.
Topical Index: gracious, ḥānan, character, Psalm 86:3
[1] Yamauchi, E. (1999). 694 חָנַן. , Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament
[2] Ibid.
Yes, and amen! God will be God!
I think what Skip is saying about our need to remember how gracious
God actually is, is that as human beings we do in fact see through a glass
darkly. How easily His light escapes the depths of our beings . . .
How quickly we reach out to Him for the reminder that indeed
He is still there, gracious as ever!
Grace. We don’t get grace without its Giver, too, but grace will always accompany Him. I think there will be a time, post-sin, where we will no longer be suffering the deficits that call for grace, but if we had not gone through sin, the cosmos might well have never known that He is gracious. Grace is amazing! It can reach us everywhere! Now the whole cosmos knows that. Halleluah!
On another note; I have to share again, y’all. There is a new docu-series “Regain Your Brain” (regainyourbrain.awakeningfromalzheimers) that presents the new cutting edge of brain research. A couple of years ago, the first series, Awakening From Alzheimer’s, was bravely claiming that it was possible to “improve”, and even “reverse” cognitive decline: now, after more advances, the new word is “cure”. Who of us today does not have at least one precious person in our lives who does not need to hear those words?
Again, the new edge of medicine appears to be learning to follow the correct model of the nephesh as the basis for establishing problems and their solutions. Hundreds of trials of drugs based on the old model of fractional, dualistic, top-down approaches to the mind/body have yielded exactly zero results when it comes to Alzheimer’s. Even going after beta amyloid plaques which the body builds in response to brain insult, have only made the matter worse. The old nature-as-our-enemy, germ-theory, cause-and-effect models are breaking down in favor of wholistic, system-driven approaches that recognize the fact that we are more of a continuum than an end point.
We now know that the brain produces stem cells in the areas affected by Alzheimer’s: that amyloid plaques are not the cause of it – they in fact are protecting the brain. We know that there are over 100 identified factors that can be involved in cognitive decline of all sorts; it is not just one ‘disease’. We know that the brain produces its own growth hormone, called BDNF, that can regenerate lost neurons, too, but most importantly, cognitive decline is, more often than not, just a symptom of insults that originate elsewhere in the body. If those contributing factors are identified and addressed, the brain can regain itself. And there is more!
All over the country, a new breed of medicine is springing up. It refers to itself as “functional medicine” (I love it! It has the word “function” in it!) and is focusing on life as a wholistic, integrated phenomenon rather than an isolated singularity. There is a new frontier now in medicine, and I, for one, don’t think it could be more timely (you might even could say that it is grace in motion). The Bible is proven right once again! Halleluah!
Laurita, sounds very encouraging. My only question is, what is the catch with the documentary? They want my name and email address. At some point, they’ll want my money. What are they going to sell me, if you know? If, on the other hand, they are people who just want to share grace, I’ll be paying very close attention.
These series typically are free (each episode for 24 hrs – um, “grace period”?), or you can purchase the series. Its an honest way to share AND to make a living.
Hello Paul ; Skip travels the world as the Lord leads. Teaching the original gospel , with correct accuracy that has been lost with interpretations he is a blessed man , with a mission , he is faithful to God a,,,, servant of the Lord, he is not perfect . He has also written books .He rarely asks for support. Good ground to sow in.. just saying.
Thank you for this information.
As for the scripture I believe it does reveal that nothing is new under the sun. Each age just needs to rediscover it so that the age can come of age. We are now reaching this maturity. Or as Skip pointed out last week we are learning to trust on God to follow what He revealed as important and relevant and to achieve this we must unlearn that what we taught ourselves to be worth knowing. As you said before reach out and eat of the tree of life when we stop eating of the fruit of knowledge…
Thanks for posting this information. This would be amazing grace! As a pharmacist I see God created the chemical system of our body and how our culture has allowed drugs,medications to become a lesser god. There is a spiritual -chemical battle people are blind too !! Too much secrecy & if the enemy can’t make you sin -maybe he can get you to start a medication you think you need to take for the rest of your life and the side effects that go with it …..
The meds are occultic: in Paul’s day they were referred to more accurately as “pharmakiea” (not to knock your profession!) and were listed as a sin when used HABITUALLY to avoid life-supporting changes in choices. Unfortunately (fortunately?) with the nephesh, ALL choices are moral; all of them affect our ability to fully reveal life. What you ate this morning was a moral choice, too. Back to diet and lifestyle, and what we do to cover up the curses designed to reveal to us how we are defacing the Most High in our everyday life. The God of the Bible is a God of every part of life; not just the ‘spiritual’ part.
Colleen, I take care of sick people making poor life choices because of ignorance and delusion. They are just as stuck in sin that way as all the other ways, and it is killing them just as fast. I am sure you have a front-row seat, too, in your profession. Some things you have to see to believe. I am praying that you keep your faith strong; it can get really discouraging sometimes.
Yes yes I agree Holy Spirit has shown me the same things to all of the above… medications a false substitute for the wonder working grace of God , a false cover -up to the symptoms crying out to Him ..
Numerous studies have shown that when doctor availability is cut off, the rate of mortality from ALL causes drops by over half! The most significant study was done in Israel back decades ago when the medical profession went on strike for a few months. People stopped dying! The mortality rate also climbs back up immediately when they return, however. In Israel, within a week after the strike was resolved, everything was back to ‘normal’. Let us pause and consider.
I work at a veterens home where some members take 25 pills a day. Why would we give so much power to a medication to be a voice and barometer of my temple?
Grace, grace. God’s grace.
Grace that will pardon and cleanse within.
Grace, grace, God’s grace.
Grace that is greater than all our sin.
I got involved in a Facebook discussion thread yesterday about Dispensationalism, hosted by some major players in Dispensationalism (actually a former classmate of mine). I was able to share some worldview shattering truth/Scriptures that caught them all with their theological pants down. “If this is true….” “I’m confused.” “Sounds like Judaizing.” No, its grace. It’s all grace. It is God reaching out to us when we were lost on the sea of theological despair, clinging to doctrines that are from another time (paganism) and place (Greece). As I was reflecting on the groups desperate attempt to prop up their system with proof texts, I couldn’t help but be thankful in that moment. Grace. God delivered me from that same system that was hostile to God’s chosen people and his Kingdom. Grace. It continues to heal my broken heart and mind even today. Grace. God didn’t stop working on me even when I was so closed-minded to the truth, even when I was a card-carrying, rigid, intolerant, neo-platonistic dogmatist. Grace. It is all grace.
Bless you Paul sounds like we have alot in common. I stopped preaching two and a half years ago and now have finally left a traditional reformed calvinist chapel 3 months ago having really delved into the entymology of scripture and its roots. I could no longer bury truth and left the reformed protestant prison. Now though no fellowship and a confused family and friends. Wouldn’t change it for anything. Funny i have now returned to my first love and feel the same freedom again. It was a big mistake having encountered the Lord 15 years ago i started to go to ‘ Church’ . Lots of unraveling to do. Every blessing Mark
Mark, welcome on the road to Emmaus! Mark, your are among friends I share the following if you did not know already ; George Barna in his book Revolution points out that 20 Million American Christians have left the church because they are tired of playing religious games and want more reality.2 Barna points out these revolutionaries are walking away from church because of their objection to significant issues such as; worship without … This site and Skip with so many who challenge encourage and build up have been and are a shelter in the time of storms bread to the hungry and water living water to the parched, discover that it is YHWH who directs our steps in the path of Yeshua Up to Yerushalem we go Baruch !!!! Shalom
Little did we know where we were going Keep The Faith