COVID 19: PSALM 91 TO REMIND OURSELVES THAT WE ARE UNDER THE SHELTER OF ELYON

During these trying times, let us remind ourselves that God is in control. The Covid-19 may affect many thousands of people around the world, but God allowed it with a reason.

Nothing will happen to us who come under the shelter of Elyon (בְּסֵתֶר עֶלְיוֹן). Elyon (עֶלְיוֹן) simply means God Most High. It goes without saying that everything is under God's control. Whether we live or we die, God will still be protecting us from any pestilence. Psalm 91 is a great source of comfort to all of us who have to battle with the disease.

The restricted movement order currently practised in Malaysia (and in some countries, a complete lockdown), is a reminder that we need to stay at home in order to protect ourselves against the disease.

When we look for shelter, it also means we cease from all other activities and stay safe. סֵתֶר עֶלְיוֹן parallels the second part of verse 1 which reads, בְּצֵל שַׁדַּי יִתְלוֹנָן. When we are under the shadow of the Almighty בְּצֵל שַׁדַּי, although it appears like night and darkness is upon us, this is nothing but the shadow of the Almighty. And in this shadow of protection, we will abide יִתְלוֹנָן and dwell in safety יֹשֵׁב.

Like the psalmist said, "מַחְסִי וּמְצוּדָתִי" (my refuge and my fortress), let us also call to God and tell Him that He alone is both our refuge and stronghold. Although we face all sorts of challenges and the יָקוּשׁ (fowler, trapper) try to trap us, God will be deliver us from the מִדֶּבֶר הַוּוֹת (translated in New American Standard Bible as 'deadly pestilence'). However, we know the root word is דֶָּבֶָר can also be translated either as 'thing' or 'word.' BDB Hebrew Lexicon translates it as 'thorn.' Although this 'thorn' has the sting of death, yet God will deliver us just as He has promised. Be reminded of verse 3:  כִּי הוּא יַצִּילְךָ מִפַּח יָקוּשׁ מִדֶּבֶר הַוּוֹת׃ which can be paraphrased as 'For He will set you free from any trap placed before you by the devil (fowler) who wants your life and (protect you) from the deadly flying arrows or the thorns that have the sting of death."

May God protect us all from the deadly thing now known to us as Corona Virus n-2019 (or Covid-19, in short).

For those who can read Hebrew, it is time to meditate on His Word:

‏‎Psa. 91:1‏ יֹשֵׁב בְּסֵתֶר עֶלְיוֹן בְּצֵל שַׁדַּי יִתְלוֹנָן׃ ^‎2‏ אֹמַר לַיהוָה מַחְסִי וּמְצוּדָתִי אֱלֹהַי אֶבְטַח־בּוֹ׃ ^‎3‏ כִּי הוּא יַצִּילְךָ מִפַּח יָקוּשׁ מִדֶּבֶר הַוּוֹת׃ ^‎4‏ בְּאֶבְרָתוֹ יָסֶךְ לָךְ וְתַחַת־כְּנָפָיו תֶּחְסֶה צִנָּה וְסֹחֵרָה אֲמִתּוֹ׃ ^‎5‏ לֹא־תִירָא מִפַּחַד לָיְלָה מֵחֵץ יָעוּף יוֹמָם׃ ^‎6‏ מִדֶּבֶר בָּאֹפֶל יַהֲלֹךְ מִקֶּטֶב יָשׁוּד צָהֳרָיִם׃ ^‎7‏ יִפֹּל מִצִּדְּךָ אֶלֶף וּרְבָבָה מִימִינֶךָ אֵלֶיךָ לֹא יִגָּשׁ׃ ^‎8‏ רַק בְּעֵינֶיךָ תַבִּיט וְשִׁלֻּמַת רְשָׁעִים תִּרְאֶה׃ ^‎9‏ כִּי־אַתָּה יְהוָה מַחְסִי עֶלְיוֹן שַׂמְתָּ מְעוֹנֶךָ׃ ^‎10‏ לֹא־תְאֻנֶּה אֵלֶיךָ רָעָה וְנֶגַע לֹא־יִקְרַב בְּאָהֳלֶךָ׃ ^‎11‏ כִּי מַלְאָכָיו יְצַוֶּה־לָּךְ לִשְׁמָרְךָ בְּכָל־דְּרָכֶיךָ׃ ^‎12‏ עַל־כַּפַּיִם יִשָּׂאוּנְךָ פֶּן־תִּגֹּף בָּאֶבֶן רַגְלֶךָ׃ ^‎13‏ עַל־שַׁחַל וָפֶתֶן תִּדְרֹךְ תִּרְמֹס כְּפִיר וְתַנִּין׃ ^‎14‏ כִּי בִי חָשַׁק וַאֲפַלְּטֵהוּ אֲשַׂגְּבֵהוּ כִּי־יָדַע שְׁמִי׃ ^‎15‏ יִקְרָאֵנִי וְאֶעֱנֵהוּ עִמּוֹ־אָנֹכִי בְצָרָה אֲחַלְּצֵהוּ וַאֲכַבְּדֵהוּ׃ ^‎16‏ אֹרֶךְ יָמִים אַשְׂבִּיעֵהוּ וְאַרְאֵהוּ בִּישׁוּעָתִי׃

BOTH BURNT OFFERING AND ALIYAH SHARE THE SAME ROOT WORDS: WHY?

Source: By Maria Laura https://www.pinterest.com/pin/126593439503866981/?lp=true

In Genesis 8:20, we see the word עֹלֹת  (construct form of the word עֹלָה) used to refer to the burnt offerings.

Gen. 8:20 וַיִּבֶן נֹחַ מִזְבֵּחַ לַיהוָה וַיִּקַּח מִכֹּל הַבְּהֵמָה הַטְּהוֹרָה וּמִכֹּל הָעוֹף הַטָּהֹר וַיַּעַל עֹלֹת בַּמִּזְבֵּחַ׃

NASB translation: "Then Noah built an altar to the LORD, and took of every clean animal and of every clean bird and offered burnt offerings on the altar."

The word עֲלִיַּת is often used to refer to the 'upper chamber' or the 'upper room'. It is commonly used to mean moving up to Jerusalem to worship YHWH in the Old Testament.

According to our Hebrew teacher, Michael Bellofatto, both words share the common root letters עלת, which is no coincidence.

Just as the Jews were exhorted to go to Jerusalem to worship YHWH in the Old Testament, the burnt offering produces a fragrance that goes upwards. All this is a reminder of our prayers that are directed upwards.

ABEL'S NAME MEANS BREATH OR VAPOUR

Cain and Abel were two of Adam and Eve's children. We know that Cain killed Abel out of jealousy but have you ever wondered what is the meaning of Abel's name?

In Hebrew, Abel's name is  הֶבֶל which means 'breath or vapour (m.s.).' 
Meanwhile, Cain's name in Hebrew is קָיִן , which simply means 'acquired' in Hebrew. 

Both were legitimate children of the first couple. Cain and Abel, Acquired and Breath (Vapour). Cain is remembered for his jealousy leading to the first act of murder. Abel, although he was like the vapour that disappeared, still lives (breath of life) on to this very day as an example of people who seek to honour the Lord by offering their best to Him. God looks at the attitude of the heart, not what was offered to Him. 

I am still puzzled about these two names and do not fully understand how significant they are, but at least, with the Hebrew names, we gain some new insights which we would not be able to get when we read the Bible in English. Certainly, their names are not related to Cane (Sugarcane?) and Able!

I searched for some clue and found this answer interesting:


In the Hebrew version of Gen 4:2 Cain's name is part of a word play in Eve's cryptic statement made at her first son's birth. This word play is created by her claim to have "gained" (קנה) a man which would have had a poetic similarity to the name Cain (קין). [...]
[Philo] further develops the pun in the Hebrew by declaring that Cain's name means "possession" and then goes on to provide his own etymology of the name: "The first of these two views is figured by Cain who is called Possession, because he thinks he posses [sic] all things" (Sacrifices 1.2). Josephus also notes that the meaning of Cain's name is "possession" (Ant. 1.52) as does Augustine (City of God 15.17). As we will discover in a later chapter, the etymology of Cain's name became important to those who sought to describe him as greedy and the archetype of the rich oppressors of the poor. As with the attribute that Cain was the son of the devil, anything that could be found to explain why he killed Abel was used to help fill out the details of the story.
The naming of Abel is complicated once again by the complete lack of any detail. Abel's birth is described almost as an add-on to that of Cain's, and there is no declaration made about the son by the mother, nor is there any etymology provided for the name as there is with Cain and Seth. In Hebrew הבל means "breath" or "vanity" and is used elsewhere to describe the shortness of human life (Job 7:16; Ps 144:4; Eccl 1:2). But in spite of the lack of an etymology, interpreters were able to extrapolate meaning from Abel's name which in turn allowed them to expand the text with their own interpretations. Thus Josephus says that the meaning of Abel is "nothing" (Ant. 1.52). There is a variant in Josephus which replaces "nothing" (οὐθέν) for "sorrow" (πένθος) and is similarly found in Philo's interpretation of Abel's name (Migration 13.74). [...]


[...] By reading the story this way, exegetes could demonstrate that even the names of Cain and Abel communicated a message about their lives and the way that God works in the world. [...] The accusation that Cain was a greedy grasper is repeated often in conjunction with the details surrounding his crime of fratricide and his subsequent life following his expulsion.

Anyone who has a clue what these two names mean, please share with me. Email to LearnHebrew5780@gmail.com. 

Thank you. 

HOW DO WE KNOW THAT ELOHIM IS USED IN THE SINGULAR?

Many people have asked, "Elohim" אֱלֹהִים appears plural with the ending '-im'. Therefore, they believe this is an error. Or some use this to mock the Christian God saying it is God in the plural.

However, allow me to use my understanding of Hebrew to explain why Elohim when it is used for the God of Israel, it is always SINGULAR.

Like Greek, in Hebrew, the adjective must always agree with the noun. What this simply means is: when you use an adjective for a plural noun, the adjective must follow the grammatical number (either singular or plural) of the noun.

We have lost this in English, except for one or two examples, like you cannot say, "This are the men who came to school this morning." Automatically, you know something is not write and you have to swap the word 'This' with 'These'.

In Hebrew, if the noun is plural, the adjective also must appear in the plural form. Therefore, we have the example of:

נְעָרִים טוֹבִים

This means, "Good young men".
The adjective טוֹבִים     (טוֹב  means 'good') is in the plural; hence, the adjective in this case, 'agrees' with the plural noun 'young men'.

More examples here:

Likewise, in Jeremiah 16:6, we see the adjective גְדֹלִים refers to the 'great men' (plural noun).









NOW, once you understand that the Hebrew noun and adjective must agree (plural noun/plural adjective and singular noun/singular adjective), we then see how the word גָּדוֹל which means 'great' does not appear as a plural adjective. This is because it could never be the case when Elohim when referring to the God of Israel is in the singular.

 

THE HOPE תִקְוָ֔ה

תִקְוָ֔ההַ

It is interesting that a country's national anthem should be just titled, "The Hope". As I analyse it, I begin to understand and know who God is.

Hope is all there is for a nation that has been crushed for many centuries. They were often attacked by their enemies but the biggest devastation encountered was the attack of the Babylonians in 576 BC where they were taken on exile to Babylon. The Solomon temple was destroyed and Jerusalem was razed to the ground.

Then in 70 AD, the nation was again destroyed by the Romans and the second Jerusalem temple was destroyed. Once again, they became exiles. For many years, they were dispersed throughout the world.

All that the people had was continuing on with their hope that God gave them. 

From Job 4:6 we are reminded that our integrity is our hope:

Job 4:6 הֲלֹ֣א יִ֭רְאָתְךָ כִּסְלָתֶ֑ךָ תִּ֝קְוָתְךָ֗ וְתֹ֣ם דְּרָכֶֽיךָ׃

Job 4:6  “Is not your fear of God your confidence, 
And the integrity of your ways your hope?


Hope is something that God -- and God alone -- can give us for the future. As believers, we do not depend on the fortune tellers to tell us about our future. We know that in God, we have a future and a hope.

Jer. 29:11 כִּי֩ אָנֹכִ֨י יָדַ֜עְתִּי אֶת־הַמַּחֲשָׁבֹ֗ת אֲשֶׁ֧ר אָנֹכִ֛י חֹשֵׁ֥ב עֲלֵיכֶ֖ם נְאֻם־יְהוָ֑ה מַחְשְׁב֤וֹת שָׁלוֹם֙ וְלֹ֣א לְרָעָ֔ה לָתֵ֥ת לָכֶ֖ם אַחֲרִ֥ית וְתִקְוָֽה׃

Jeremiah 29:11 ‘For I know the plans that I have for you,’ declares the LORD, ‘plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope.


We know that our hope in God is that He will restore double to us.

Zech. 9:12 שׁוּ֚בוּ לְבִצָּר֔וֹן אֲסִירֵ֖י הַתִּקְוָ֑ה גַּם־הַיּ֕וֹם מַגִּ֥יד מִשְׁנֶ֖ה אָשִׁ֥יב לָֽךְ׃

Zech. 9:12  Return to the stronghold, O prisoners who have the hope; 
This very day I am declaring that I will restore double to you.

And lastly, we know that God Himself is The HOPE.

Jer. 17:13 מִקְוֵ֤ה יִשְׂרָאֵל֙ יְהוָ֔ה כָּל־עֹזְבֶ֖יךָ יֵבֹ֑שׁוּ יְסוּרַי [וְ][סוּרַי֙] בָּאָ֣רֶץ יִכָּתֵ֔בוּ כִּ֥י עָזְב֛וּ מְק֥וֹר מַֽיִם־חַיִּ֖ים אֶת־יְהוָֽה׃ ס

Jer. 50:7  “All who came upon them have devoured them; 
And their adversaries have said, ‘We are not guilty, 
Inasmuch as they have sinned against the LORD who is the habitation of   
        righteousness, Even the LORD, the hope of their fathers.’


Indeed, the national anthem of Israel grew "from the depths of despair to the heights of a new hope!" God is the hope who gives hope.

You can watch by clicking this Facebook link,

FREE ONLINE HEBREW CLASSES FOR BEGINNERS USING ZOOM

Do you want to read the Old Testament in Hebrew?

It is not difficult. All you need to learn is the Hebrew Alphabet which has only 22 consonants. Greek has 24 letters while English has 26!

After learning the alphabet, you need to learn the niqquod (or the Hebrew vowel system) which was developed by the Masoretic scholars around the ninth century AD.

Once you are able to read the syllables (made up of the consonants and the vowels), you should be on the path to reading the Hebrew Bible yourself!

To kickstart your learning, I have decided to do a three-lesson programme on Zoom. This is offered free-of-charge. To join, you have to register yourself on Zoom and download the App either on your computer or smart phone.

You can view the previous recording of the classes on Zoom. Click here to download the files on your PC.. Bear with me as I am still very new in using Zoom.

This is a form of support that I try to provide in addition to the book, "You can't read Hebrew? Let me prove you wrong!" Read comments about the book.

Date:                           Time:                       Lesson: 
30 Jan 2020 Thurs       9:00 - 9.40pm          Learning the Aleph-Beth
31 Jan 2020 Fri             9:00 - 9.40pm           Learning the Niqquod
1 Feb 2020 Sat             9:00 - 9.40pm          Learning to read the Syllables
                                                                              and Words

Check here for future dates of similar classes. There is nothing like being able to participate in the classes.

To Join Zoom Meeting
https://zoom.us/j/5041625369
or open the Zoom app and key in the Meeting ID: 504 162 5369

No password is created for you to join this session. Meeting will be for only 40 minutes as Zoom allows it for only 40 min.

Please check here for any change of time.