A Year in Review: October Through November – Word of the Week Series

    Throughout October and November we took a closer look at eight words used in the Bible that may be considered old or obscure, but as with every word in the Bible, it is important we know what they mean. 

Here is a summary of each word we studied:   

Beautify

beautify  (byut’-e-fi) verb: from Hebrew word pa’ar (H6286) to gleam, embellish, glorify. It is from this word that the Hebrew word ‘pehora’ came which means ‘foliage (including limbs), as bright green’ (Abingdon’s Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible, 1983)

    Isn’t it a lovely thought that the word ‘beautify’ also means to grow beautiful (consider 2 Timothy 3:16-17, 2 Peter 3:17-18) and it is the basis for the description of bright green foliage  - that is how those who trust in God are described in both Psalm 1:1-3 and Jeremiah 17:7-8 - please take time to read those passages! Also, read and think on Psalm 149:4 and Psalm 92:12-15.

Alleluia

alleluia (al-le-loo’-yah) a Greek word (Strong’s G239, ‘allelouia’) that literally means, ‘“Praise ye Jah!” (or in modern language, “Praise the Lord!”), an adoring exclamation’ Formed from the two Hebrew words ‘hawlal’ (Strong’s H1984) and ‘Yahh’ (Strong’s H3050.) which respectively mean, ‘to be clear, to shine, to make a show, celebrate, commend, make a boast, sing, praise, cause renown’ and ‘”Jah, the sacred name,” “Jah, the Lord, most vehement (to the highest degree)”’

    Alleluia exclaims a celebration of God’s renown! It commends His goodness, His greatness, His might, His majesty!! It is often followed by a direct mention of His doings that have caused joy in the heart of the one exclaiming His praise (Psalm 146:1-2)!

Cleave

cleave (klēv) verb: from Greek ‘proskooloa’ (Strong’s G4347); to glue, to adhere, join one (self). It comes from two other Greek words, ‘pros’ (Strong’s G4314) meaning by the side of, motion towards, you-ward (moving toward the other) and ‘kollao’ (Strong’s G2853) meaning to glue, to stick, to join (self), keep company.

    Considering Matthew 19:5-6 and Acts 11:23 when you married you made this commitment to your husband. When you were baptized you made this commitment to the Lord. Are you cleaving as you should? Are you always drawing nearer to these?

Succour

succour (səkər) from ‘boetheo’ (Strong’s G997), to aid or relieve, help, particularly assistance that relieves and delivers from difficulty, want, or distress.

    We find the word ‘succour’ (and its variations) only six times in the whole Bible (3x in OT, 3x in NT) and only in the older versions, like the King James. This word can be found in 2 Corinthians 6:2, Hebrews 2:18.

    As God the Father and Jesus the Son have succoured and continue to succour us, let us look for opportunity to also be a succourer, especially to those who are of the household of faith (Galatians 6:9-10)!

Hearken

hearken (härkən) verb: to hear, give audience to, come to the ears, understand, give self wholly to listening

    The now archaic word, “hearken” is used five times in the King James Version of the New Testament, six times if you include the alternate use of hearken that is ‘listening as a subordinate, be obedient, and obey’ as found in Acts 12:13 when Rhoda hearkened to the door when Peter knocked.
N.T. uses of the word ‘hearken’: Mark 4:3, Mark 7:14-23, Acts 4:19, Acts 7:2, Acts 15:13, and James 2:5, translated as “listen.”

    When we read/hear the word hearken it should alert us to pay attention to what is about to be said. It is an instruction telling us to give our full attention to the words, to not only hear them, but listen to them so that we may understand what is being said.

Peculiar

peculiar In Hebrew (Strong’s #H5459 ‘cegullah’) it means jewel, treasure, proper good, special, to save/protect as with wealth. In Greek (Strong’s #G4041 ‘periousios’) it means beyond usual, special. This Greek word comes from ‘peripoiesis’ (Strong’s G4047) which means acquisition (the act or the thing) and by extension, preservation – obtain purchased possession, saving.

    To God, you are beyond special! You are a precious jewel, a treasure worth saving!!        

    ‘Peculiar’ appears only seven times in the Bible (5x in OT/2x in NT). With the exception of one usage (Ecclesiastes 2:8, in which Solomon describes his acquired wealth as king of Israel) this word is used to describe God’s people (in the King James Version); and is often translated in newer versions as “special.”

    We are special! Beyond usual or common – we are peculiar! We are loved beyond measure, and therefore treasured!!

    With this status comes responsibility. In the two New Testament verses in which we find this word, we also find instruction for those described as “peculiar”: Titus 2:13-14, and 1 Peter 2:9

Leaven

leaven (levən) from Greek word ‘zume’ (Strong’s G2219) meaning to ferment (as if boiling up). A persuasive influence that modifies something or transforms it.

    Beware of the leavening of the world (Ephesians 5:15-17, 1 Corinthians 15:33-34). Consider your companions, are they helping you seek God or are they hindering your efforts to follow Him? Are you doing all you can to keep yourself from bad influence? Take time each day to examine your heart so you can identify and remove the granules of bad influence before they begin to ferment and modify your thoughts and behaviours! Throw away that book, turn off the TV, shut off the computer, put down your phone, shred or compost that newspaper/magazine, and instead fill your heart with God’s word, put on His armour, and continue to do whatever is necessary to live a life that is sincere and true, and influences others to turn to God!

Hallowed

hallowed (halōd) from the Greek word ‘hagiazo’ meaning ‘to make holy, purify, consecrate, sanctify.’ It comes from the Greek word ‘hagios’ (where our word ‘holy’ comes from) meaning ‘sacred, most holy;’ ‘to render or acknowledge to be venerable.’ Side note: venerable means ‘accorded a great deal of respect, especially because of age, wisdom, or character’

    ‘Hallow’ and ’hallowed’ appear thirty-five times in the Old Testament, but in the New Testament we find its use limited to one statement made by Jesus which was recorded in both Matthew 6:9 and Luke 11:2.

When speaking God’s name, make it your A.I.M. to:

• Give it your full ATTENTION; you are speaking of/to your heavenly Father and Creator.

• Speak of/to Him with sincere INTENTION, remembering all He has done and continues to do for you. 

• Make specific MENTION of His wonderful goodness, majestic greatness, and awesome glory (proclaim His praises, 1 Peter 2:9).  

    Read and consider how the psalmists spoke to/of God, begin with Psalms 100, 105, and 78.

    If there are any other words that you would like to study in the future, if the Lord wills, please send me an email and let me know.

    I hope that these word studies and all our previous studies this year were helpful to you!

    May we each develop a greater desire to do God’s will in humble, loving obedience.

You can do it! So can I!!   

WORD OF THE WEEK: HALLOWED

A study of old and/or unique words from the Bible that are worth knowing.

hallowed (halōd) from the Greek word ‘hagiazo’ meaning ‘to make holy, purify, consecrate, sanctify.’ It comes from the Greek word ‘hagios’ (where our word ‘holy’ comes from) meaning ‘sacred, most holy;’ ‘to render or acknowledge to be venerable.’ Side note: venerable means ‘accorded a great deal of respect, especially because of age, wisdom, or character’

    ‘Hallow’ and ’hallowed’ appear thirty-five times in the Old Testament, but in the New Testament we find its use limited to one statement made by Jesus which was recorded in both Matthew 6:9 and Luke 11:2.

“In this manner, therefore, pray: Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name…” (Matthew 6:9 NKJV)

    God’s name is to be holy, set apart as sacred, and special. It should be spoken only in reverence and sincerity as we approach His throne with thanksgiving (1 Thessalonian 5:17-18) and for help (Philippians 4:6-7, Hebrews 4:16), or when we make mention of His goodness and declare His greatness to others around us as we share the joy we find in Him.

    Consider the ten commandments that God wrote on the tablets of stone (which Moses taught to the Israelites), the first three pertained to properly reverencing Him (see Exodus 20:2-6 for the first two), and the third is this:

“You shall not take the name of the LORD you God in vain, for the LORD will not hold him guiltless who takes His name in vain.” (Exodus 20:7 NKJV)

    Pronouncing God’s name preceded by “oh my” has become so common an expression that I’ve even heard those who deem themselves atheists using it without thought of what they have actually said. Some have attempted to lessen the wrongness of the phrase by replacing God with ‘gosh’ (a worldly euphemism for ‘God’), ‘goodness,’ (consider Mark 10:18 and Psalm 16:2), or the more recent three-letter short-formed version, but all are still thoughtless statements sprouted from the original.

"But I say to you that for every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment.” (Matthew 12:36 NKJV)

    We must be careful of every word or phrase we use in our daily speech, and most importantly, we must be careful to hallow God in our mind and heart – hallow His name and hold it in proper reverence – so that we speak it carefully.

When speaking God’s name, make it your A.I.M. to:

• Give it your full ATTENTION; you are speaking of/to your heavenly Father and Creator.
• Speak of/to Him with sincere INTENTION, remembering all He has done and continues to do for you. 
• Make specific MENTION of His wonderful goodness, majestic greatness, and awesome glory (proclaim His praises, 1 Peter 2:9).  

    Read and consider how the psalmists spoke to/of God, begin with Psalms 100, 105, and 78.

    Let's do all we can to remove mindless words from our speech and teach ourselves to truly hallow God and His glorious, sacred name! It is worthy of our every effort!!

You can do it! So can I!! 

WORD OF THE WEEK: LEAVEN

A study of old and/or unique words from the Bible that are worth knowing

leaven (levən) from Greek word ‘zume’ (Strong’s G2219) meaning to ferment (as if boiling up). A persuasive influence that modifies something or transforms it.

    Although we don’t use this word much anymore, women often have the advantage of understanding what it means. We can grasp Jesus’ parables pertaining to it because of our own culinary experiences or from those gathered from our mothers or grandmothers.

    Leaven, as used in the Bible, refers to yeast. Many of us are familiar with the commercially produced yeast that comes in jars or packets; tiny round capsules of activity ready to transform our baked goods into pillowy clouds of deliciousness. Stop and think of that for moment. These granules of yeast are as small as this punctuation mark à . ß yet a few of them can modify an entire mound of dough!

    Jesus refers to this when He describes the kingdom of heaven in both Mathew 13:33 and Luke 13:20-21. “The kingdom of heaven is like leaven, which a woman took and hid in three measures of meal till it was all leavened.” (NKJV) The granules of yeast are the small beginning of the church: 12 apostles teaching and preaching the gospel of Christ in Jerusalem (Acts 2) where 3000+ souls were added to the church (Acts 2:41-47), then it continued to grow as the gospel was preached in all Judea and Samaria (Acts 8), and to the ends of the earth (Colossians 1:23, just as Jesus said it would in Acts 1:8). The three measures of meal is the world and the church, though small at first, grew and developed throughout it.

    Jesus used leaven to describe something else, something His disciples needed to be aware of and something Christians today need to be very aware of – bad/evil influences. Jesus warned His followers of the influence of the Pharisees and Sadducees (the religious leaders in the Jewish synagogues) and their corrupt doctrine (Matthew 16:6-12, Mark 8:13-21), we find out in Luke 12:1 that their doctrine is hypocrisy – commanding others to do one thing while they did something different (consider Matthew 23:3 – the whole of chapter 23 shows the depth of their hypocrisy).

    We see this warning issued again by the apostle Paul in Galatians 5:9 and 1 Corinthians 5:6-8, where he instructs Christians to rid themselves of the old leaven (our old ways: malice and wickedness) so it can no longer influence nor modify us; it only then that we can be truly unleavened (without evil influence of any kind) and living a life that is true and sincere!

“I will set nothing wicked before my eyes; I hate the work of those who fall away; it shall not cling to me. A perverse heart shall depart from me; I will not know wickedness. …  Your word I have hidden in my heart, that I might not sin against You.” (Psalm 101:3-4; 119:11 NKJV)  

    Beware of the leavening of the world (Ephesians 5:15-17, 1 Corinthians 15:33-34). Consider your companions, are they helping you seek God or are they hindering your efforts to follow Him? Are you doing all you can to keep yourself from bad influence? Take time each day to examine your heart so you can identify and remove the granules of bad influence before they begin to ferment and modify your thoughts and behaviours. Throw away that book, turn off the TV, shut off the computer, put down your phone, shred or compost that newspaper/magazine, and instead fill your heart with God’s word, put on His armour, and continue to do whatever is necessary to live a life that is sincere and true, and influences others to turn to God!

You can do it! So can I!! 

 

 

WORD OF THE WEEK: PECULIAR

A study of old and/or unique words from the Bible that are worth knowing.

“Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ; who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto Himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.” (Titus 2:13-14 KJV)

peculiar In Hebrew (Strong’s #H5459 ‘cegullah’) it means jewel, treasure, proper good, special, to save/protect as with wealth. In Greek (Strong’s #G4041 ‘periousios’) it means beyond usual, special. This Greek word comes from ‘peripoiesis’ (Strong’s G4047) which means acquisition (the act or the thing) and by extension, preservation – obtain purchased possession, saving.

    Do you know how special you are?

    To God, you are beyond special! You are a precious jewel, a treasure worth saving!!        

    ‘Peculiar’ appears only seven times in the Bible (5x in OT/2x in NT). With the exception of one usage (Ecclesiastes 2:8, in which Solomon describes his acquired wealth as king of Israel) this word is used to describe God’s people (in the King James Version); and is often translated in newer versions as “special.”

    We are special! Beyond usual or common – we are peculiar! We are loved beyond measure, and therefore treasured!!

    With this status comes responsibility. In the two New Testament verses in which we find this word, we also find instruction for those described as “peculiar”:

    In the Titus passage (at top of this post), we see that we are to be “zealous for good works.” God loves us SO much that He goes above and beyond to provide all that we need so that we can be zealous for good works  - see 2 Corinthians 9:7-11, particularly verse 8, take note of the words: “all,” “always,” and “every”!  

    In 1 Peter 2:9 we find that we are “His own peculiar people,” that we may proclaim His praises because He called us out of darkness into His marvelous light! We are to declare God’s greatness, speak of His goodness, behave in such a way to bring glory to His throne (consider Matthew 5:16, 1 Peter 2:12, 2 Corinthians 9:12)!

    Doing these things will definitely make us appear peculiar to the world, but now we know the true meaning of the word! So let’s continue to do these things, because to God we are peculiar - His own beloved treasure, that is beyond special! And knowing that He acquired us through Jesus’ sacrifice (purchased us with His blood, Acts 20:28, Hebrews 9:11-15) let’s joy in being peculiar, and make use of every opportunity to do good works with zeal and proclaim God’s praise to all!!

You can do it! So can I!!   

 

WORD OF THE WEEK: HEARKEN

A study of old and/or unique words from the Bible that are worth knowing

“And when He had called all the people unto Him, He said unto them, “Hearken unto Me every one of you, and understand…”” (Mark 7:14 KJV)

hearken (härkən) verb: to hear, give audience to, come to the ears, understand, give self wholly to listening

    The now archaic word, “hearken” is used five times in the King James Version of the New Testament, six times if you include the alternate use of hearken that is ‘listening as a subordinate, be obedient, and obey’ as found in Acts 12:13 when Rhoda hearkened to the door when Peter knocked.

    N.T. uses of the word ‘hearken’: Mark 4:3, Mark 7:14-23, Acts 4:19, Acts 7:2, Acts 15:13, and James 2:5, translated as “listen.”

    When we read/hear the word hearken it should alert us to pay attention to what is about to be said. It is an instruction telling us to give our full attention to the words, to not only hear them, but listen to them so that we may understand what is being said.

    Do we hearken unto Jesus’ words as we should? Do we try our best to listen as we read the Bible so that we may comprehend His Truth? Do we truly hear the words spoken by His apostles, those sent out by Him to teach people to observe all things that He commanded them (Matthew 28:20), to preach the gospel to every creature (Mark 16:15)? Do we hear attentively so that we can obey the instruction?

    Let us hearken unto Jesus, and let us hearken unto the apostles – every word in the Bible is important! Let’s determine to listen in such a way that we may properly understand and wholly obey God’s instructions and commands (Ephesians 5:8-10, 15-17)! It is a worthwhile endeavour to make every effort to truly hearken unto God’s word and will!

You can do it! So can I!!

  

WORD OF THE WEEK: SUCCOUR

A study of old and/or unique words from the Bible that are worth knowing.

    This is a word we simply do not use anymore, but it is a wonderful word to understand and think on!

    We find the word ‘succour’ (and its variations) only six times in the whole Bible (3x in OT, 3x in NT) and only in the older versions, like the King James. Today, we will focus only on its New Testament usage.

succour (səkər) from ‘boetheo’ (Strong’s G997), to aid or relieve, help, particularly assistance that relieves and delivers from difficulty, want, or distress.

succourer from ‘prostatis’ (as used in Romans 16:2), a patroness, i.e. assistant. A feminine derivative of ‘proistemi’ (Strong’s G4291) meaning to preside, to practice, maintain.

    The first time we see this word it is used by Paul in quoting the prophet Isaiah, instructing the brethren in Corinth (mainly Gentiles) of the help God has granted them through the apostles preaching of the gospel of Jesus. “For He saith, “I have heard you in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succoured thee.” Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.” (2 Corinthians 6:2 KJV)

    God, because of His great love for all mankind, has granted us aid; He has given us particular assistance that delivers us from the difficulties and distress of sin because we were/are in need of forgiveness. God has given us succour or aid through His Son, Jesus (John 3:16-21, Romans 5:6-11, Matthew 28:18-20)! Through Jesus, and in Jesus, we have hope and confidence in salvation (1 Peter 1:3-9, Colossians 1:3-6)!

“For in that He Himself hath suffered being tempted, He is able to succour them that are tempted.”(Hebrews 2:18 KJV)

    Jesus, Himself, provides succour to us; He helps us when we are tempted. He, too, was tempted like we are, so He understands (Hebrews 4:14-15); He knows the struggle, and He wants to help us endure and overcome just as He did, without sin (consider James 1:14-15). How does He help? Jesus is our Advocate and Mediator (1 John 2:1-2, 1 Timothy 2:5), and because He knows the extent of our struggles He instructs us to “come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need” (Hebrews 4:16) – just as He did so frequently in His time here (Mark 1:35, Matthew 14:13, John 6:15; 17:1-26)!

    We, too, can be a succour to those around us! A Christian woman named Phoebe was noted by Paul as a “succourer of many” and of Paul himself (Romans 16:1-2). This lady helped, aided, and assisted those around her in the church in Cenchrea, just as Priscilla is noted for aiding both her husband, Aquila, and Paul as well (consider Acts 18:2-3; 24-26, Romans 16:3-5, 1 Corinthians 16:19); just as Dorcas (Tabitha) is noted for good works and charitable deeds, helping the widows in Joppa (Acts 9:36-41) – we can be a succourer to the brethren with whom we worship! We can hold up the hands of those who labour in the gospel (1 Thessalonians 5:12-13) and “be careful to maintain good works.” (Titus 3:8, also consider the ways we can provide in Titus 2:3-5).

    As God the Father and Jesus the Son have succoured and continue to succour us, let us look for opportunity to also be a succourer, especially to those who are of the household of faith (Galatians 6:9-10)!

You can do it! So can I!!  

WORD OF THE WEEK: CLEAVE

A study of old and/or unique words from the Bible that are worth knowing

“…For this reason a man shall leave father and mother, and cleave to his wife: and the two shall become one flesh. So then, they are no longer two but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together let not man separate.” (Matthew 19:5-6)

Cleave (klēv) verb: from Greek ‘proskooloa’ (Strong’s G4347); to glue, to adhere, join one (self). It comes from two other Greek words, ‘pros’ (Strong’s G4314) meaning by the side of, motion towards, you-ward (moving toward the other) and ‘kollao’ (Strong’s G2853) meaning to glue, to stick, to join (self), keep company.

    This word appears four times in the New Testament when you read from the King James Version. The New King James version has updated the old word 'cleave' with “cling” (Matthew 19:5-6, Mark 10:7-9, Romans 12:9) and the phrase “continue with” (Acts 11:23).

    In both Matthew 19 and Mark 10 Jesus quotes the very first instruction given for marriage from Genesis 2:24. A man is to cleave to his wife – join himself to her, figuratively glue himself to her, adhere to her, be always moving wife-ward, stand beside her, keep company with her. Jesus adds in both accounts, “What God has joined together let not man separate.” That is what cleaving means – a permanent joining together – no paper clips or staples, but permanent bonding glue!

    My Dad (a gospel preacher of 50+ years) often uses the illustration that when you use wood glue to bond two pieces of wood together you will never again break the wood apart where it was joined, you may be able to break it elsewhere along their length but never where it was joined – the bond holds strong and true! That is what marriage is! Circumstances can happen, but the bond holds through it all!

    Now that the meaning of the word ‘cleave’ is established, I would like you to consider the other two occasions in which this word is used: Acts 11:23 and Romans 12:9

    In Acts 11:23 Barnabas encouraged the Christians in Antioch “to cleave to the Lord, with purpose of heart” – determine to glue themselves, adhere themselves, always be moving closer to the Lord!

    Paul gives instruction Romans 12:9 to “Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil. Cleave to what is good.” Be repulsed by evil – do all you can to separate yourself from it, but adhere yourself to goodness and doing good, always be moving closer to what is good, keep company with it and with those who engage in goodness (consider 2 Timothy 2:22)!

    When you married you made this commitment to your husband. When you were baptized you made this commitment to the Lord.

Are you cleaving as you should? Always drawing nearer to these?

You can do it! So can I!!   

   

WORD OF THE WEEK: ALLELUIA

A study of old and/or unique words from the Bible that are worth knowing

“…I heard a loud voice of a great multitude in heaven, saying, “Alleluia! Salvation and glory and honour and power belong to the Lord our God!” (Revelation 19:1 NKJV)

Alleluia (al-le-loo’-yah) a Greek word (Strong’s G239, ‘allelouia’) that literally means, ‘“Praise ye Jah!” (or in modern language, “Praise the Lord!”), an adoring exclamation’ Formed from the two Hebrew words ‘hawlal’ (Strong’s H1984) and ‘Yahh’ (Strong’s H3050.) which respectively mean, ‘to be clear, to shine, to make a show, celebrate, commend, make a boast, sing, praise, cause renown’ and ‘”Jah, the sacred name,” “Jah, the Lord, most vehement (to the highest degree)”’

    Although most every Christian is familiar with the word, “alleluia” only appears in the Bible four times – all in one chapter! Revelation 19:1, 3, 4, and 6.

    Alleluia exclaims a celebration of God’s renown! It commends His goodness, His greatness, His might, His majesty!! It is often followed by a direct mention of His doings that have caused joy in the heart of the one exclaiming His praise! 

    To further your study and understanding, make time this week to read Psalms 146-150. These psalms are not very long and you will find them very uplifting! You will see how the psalmist uses the Hebrew word “Hallelujah” to declare God’s greatness, making his boast in the Lord’s magnificence, everlasting love, and constant care!!

    Consider adding the word “alleluia” to your prayers – you can begin today, a day on which the whole of Canada is encouraged to thank God for His blessings* – follow your exclamation with specific praise of God – something wonderful He has done and continues to do - magnify His greatness in your heart and mind by recalling His blessings and His continual goodness, so that your lips may utter His praise!!

“PRAISE THE LORD! Praise the LORD, O my soul! While I live I will praise the LORD; I will sing praises to my God while I have my being.” (Psalm 146:1-2 NKJV)

You can do it! So can I!! 

*On January 31, 1957, the Governor General of Canada, Vincent Massey, issued a proclamation stating: "A Day of General Thanksgiving to Almighty God for the bountiful harvest with which Canada has been blessed – to be observed on the second Monday in October."

WORD OF THE WEEK: BEAUTIFY

    There are several old and/or unique words from the Bible that are worth knowing. If the Lord wills, over the remainder of the year, I would like to highlight a word each week so that we can enter the New Year with increased knowledge and a better understanding of the words found in the Bible.  

    This week, let’s take a closer look at the word beautify.

“For the LORD takes pleasure in His people; He will beautify the humble with salvation.” (Psalm 149:4 NKJV)

beautify (byut’-e-fi) verb: to make beautiful or add beauty to: embellish: to grow beautiful (synonym, adorn) (Webster’s Ninth New Collegiate Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, 1986 edition)

beautify  (byut’-e-fi) verb: from the Hebrew word pa’ar (H6286) to gleam, embellish, glorify. It is from this word that the Hebrew word ‘pehora’ came which means ‘foliage (including limbs), as bright green’ (Abingdon’s Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible, 1983)

    God made man in His own image (Genesis 1:27) – something already wondrous to consider – but because we falter and sin, we fall short of His glory (Romans 3:23), our souls become dingy and dull in the darkness of sin, and we are lost.

    What can we do in such a state as that? There is no soap or detergent on earth that can cleanse a soul from sin; how can we be washed and cleansed from all unrighteousness?

    By humbly submitting to God!

    When we submit to God, follow His clear instruction, and are baptized, we will be forgiven of our sins (Acts 2:38). It is in baptism (where we are buried in water, fully immersed) that our sins are washed away (Acts 22:16), and our souls can once again gleam! It is baptism that puts us into the body of Christ (Romans 6:1-14, Galatians 3:27) and we become members of His body (which is the church, His church, Colossians 1:13-18)! It is in submitting to God (in faith and repentance) and being baptized that our souls are beautified by God with salvation!

    As Christians and members of His body, we do our very best to walk daily in newness of life (Romans 6:4), to walk as Jesus walked (1 John 2:3-6, Colossians 2:6), but when we falter, we will repent and humbly confess our missteps to God, and He will cleanse us from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9)!   

    Isn’t it a lovely thought that the word ‘beautify’ also means to grow beautiful (consider 2 Timothy 3:16-17, 2 Peter 3:17-18) and it is the basis for the description of bright green foliage  - that is how those who trust in God are described in both Psalm 1:1-3 and Jeremiah 17:7-8 - please take time to read those passages!

“The righteous shall flourish like a palm tree, he shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon. Those who are planted in the house of the LORD shall flourish in the courts of our God. They shall still bear fruit on old age; they shall be fresh and flourishing, to declare that the LORD is upright; He is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in Him.” (Psalm 92:12-15 NKJV)

    May all come to a point of humble submission, while there is still time, so that they too can be beautified by God with salvation!!  And may we who have been beautified, continue to grow in beauty through obedience as we joy in the God of our salvation (Habakkuk 3:18)!

You can do it! So can I!!