In preparing for our Lifeway “Consider the Word” small group with the goal of learning techniques to study the Bible, I checked my “Prayer List” verse with tonight’s lesson. This verse is one that I put at the head of the list to read before praying about the rest of the list.
It’s been there for at least 3 months. And it’s been there for a reason.
It’s Psalms 30:11-12
Psalm 30:11-12 NASBS – 11 You have turned for me my mourning into dancing;
You have loosed my sackcloth and girded me with gladness,
12 That my soul may sing praise to You and not be silent.
O LORD my God, I will give thanks to You forever.
Tonight’s group will be talking about Hebrew Morphology and Tenses. You know, usual everyday chit chat . . .
Seriously though, I find it important to dig into the language of scripture. There’s so much meaning and application to your life if you go searching for it.
Back to Psalms 30:11-12. This scripture has helped me with grief. Verse 11 says that overcoming your grief is a work of God and not dependent on what you do. That’s freeing in a sense. It’s not your work, but His work in you that gets you through.
The word that is catching my eye now is the word translated as “silent” in verse 12. It’s the Hebrew Tenses “Qal”, a “simple active” tense, meaning it’s something you do or you participate in. That’s easy. Grief makes you silent.
And that’s the big thing I learned here. Silent (Hebrew “damam”) is in 3rd Person. You’re actively made silent by someone or something else, in my case grief.
But I have a God that changes that for me. He makes me dance and gives me gladness if I let him. That’s on me.
Thank you God for your great patience with me.
More on Psalm 30:11-12 next time.
Consider God's Word 