God keeps me in a perpetual state of “WOW!!”. I know I’ve shared this already, but this year, I am studying through a chapter of Psalms and a chapter of Proverbs each morning. I am seeing more and more how ALIVE God’s word is. There is always something new that He reveals and teaches. This morning I was impacted by Proverbs 6:20-21.
“My son, keep your father’s commandment,
And forsake not your mother’s teaching.
Bind them on your heart always;
Tie them around your neck.”
The Spirit drew me to zero-in on the verbs in these verses. I can’t tell you how thrilled my heart gets when He shows me something I hadn’t seen before. Check this out.
KEEP (nāṣar) is in an imperative, a command, not a suggestion. The Hebrew meaning is observe or obey with faithfulness. If I do something with “faithfulness”, I am not willy-nilly or lackadaisical about it.
FORSAKE NOT (nāṭaš ‘al) is jussive. This is the type of verb that is also a command, but holds something deeper. Jussive is a command given while being concerned with another. Think about that!! This father is commanding his son to not forsake his mother’s teaching, while having the focus of his heart on his wife’s feelings. If this son doesn’t obey this “forsake not”, it will hurt his mama’s heart. How’s that for a “wow” and a big fat “awwwwww”?!
The Hebrew meaning of “forsake not” is to leave, to let alone, to abandon, to lie fallow. To lie fallow?! Huh? The dictionary defines fallow as being, cultivated land that lies idle during the growing season; the tilling of land without sowing seeds in it. Without the sowing of seeds, no matter how well land is tilled, there will be no fruit.
What comes to mind as I think this through is James 1:22-25 where James talks about not only being a hearer of the word but being a hearer and a doer, as well as the Parable of the Sower in Matthew 13. It’s kind of like two opposite extremes – till land, no seed sown — seed sown on the wrong type of ground. Neither will produce fruit.
BIND THEM (qāšar) is imperative, and it means to bind or confine. When I looked up bind in the dictionary I was blown away at what God had to say through the definition – to make secure by tying; to restrict as if by bonds. “To restrict as if by bonds” brings to mind Romans 6:15-23, where Paul talks about believers no longer being a slave to sin, but a slave to God. Just wow.
TIE THEM (ʿānaḏ) is also imperative, and it means to lace securely around or upon. The dictionary definition of lace is to draw or pass through something. A lace passed through the eyelet of the shoe becomes a part of the function of the shoe, keeping it securely on the foot. Lace God’s words throughout your life to function in life the way God created you to function.
Another part of the dictionary definition of lace is, to add something to impart pungency, savor, or zest. Add God’s word to your life – taste and see that the Lord is good!
The intransitive verb form of lace was a WOW to me. It means, to admit of being tied. I looked up admit, and It means to allow scope for; to permit; to allow entry (as to a place, fellowship, privilege); to give entrance or access. That sounds A LOT like SURRENDER to me!!
God’s word is so multilayered! His desire for us is to dig deep. If we choose to slow down and dig, God will never disappoint! He is AWESOME!