Journal for Christ: Oh To Be a Man After God's Own Heart

January 30, 2018

Worship: Leave Me Astounded by Planetshakers

Verse 1

All my hands have made I'm laying down
All that I hold dear, my many crowns
I've tasted and seen of Your great love
You satisfy me, You satisfy me

Chorus 1

Spirit fall, open up heaven's doors
We're waiting with worship for more
You're the only love that satisfies me

Verse 2

My constant request above all things
Every hour I wake, be near me
Though I've tasted and seen of Your great love
Show me Your glory, Show me Your glory

Chorus 2

Spirit fall, open up heaven's doors
We're waiting with worship for more
You're the only love that satisfies me

Lord we run into Your loving arms
We're safe and secure in Your love
You're the only One that satisfies me

Bridge/Ending

Leave me astounded, leave me amazed
Show off Your glory, let heaven invade
We're waiting with worship, we're waiting with praise
For the almighty presence of God to invade

Singers / Artists: Planetshakers

Albums: Endless Praise (2014)

Lyrics: http://www.lyricsforjesus.com/lyrics/planetshakers/leave-me-astounded/280aaf2b#.WnEmBIjwbDc

Video: https://youtu.be/B_wB-RDmaEE

Witness:

It has been three years since my wife left me. I tried to call her last night, but she never answered. I left a message, but she never called back. I messaged her today, but she did not respond. In the past, I would have wept a little perhaps. I would have felt a deep sense of loss. Today I only felt empty and tired. Maybe I still hoped for some kind of response. Yet I kept telling myself that I would not make my human relationships my source of strength and reason to live. Tonight as I sat at my computer trying to make my February cash flow budget, I heard a song playing that ministered to me and confirmed what I was thinking earlier. Now as I sing and worship the Lord, I also can see that the words went well with Psalm 27:4. The verse I am studying at the present time.

Ps 27:4

One thing I ask of the Lord,

this is what I seek:

that I may dwell in the house of the Lord

all the days of my life,

to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord

and to seek him in his temple.

NIV

They echo the desire of David's heart, my heart, and the hearts of all true believers whose heart is right with the Lord.

Ps 9:1-2

I will praise you, O Lord, with all my heart;

I will tell of all your wonders.

I will be glad and rejoice in you;

I will sing praise to your name, O Most High.

NIV

Believer, if your heart has grown cold because someone has hurt you badly. Someone has been unfaithful to you. They have betrayed you. Please, call upon the Lord today. Seek His presence. Stop making your earthly circumstances your reason to live. That’s Idolatry. I am not speaking harshly but humbly as one who understands. One who has wrestled with the same feelings you are having. Come and praise the LORD. May you be able to sing the words to my song of worship:

“You're the only love that satisfies me.”

I will not promise that you won’t hurt anymore. I still do. Yet, in the arms of the Lord as He holds us tight against His chest as we live and worship, we can hear His heartbeat. And it is beating out a love song for you and me, His beloved ones.

WORD:

Ps 27:4-6

4 One thing I ask of the Lord,

this is what I seek:

that I may dwell in the house of the Lord

all the days of my life,

to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord

and to seek him in his temple.

5 For in the day of trouble

he will keep me safe in his dwelling;

he will hide me in the shelter of his tabernacle

and set me high upon a rock.

6 Then my head will be exalted

above the enemies who surround me;

at his tabernacle will I sacrifice with shouts of joy;

I will sing and make music to the Lord.

NIV (84)

Ps 27:4-6

4 The one thing I ask of the Lord—

the thing I seek most—

is to live in the house of the Lord all the days of my life,

delighting in the Lord's perfections

and meditating in his Temple.

5 For he will conceal me there when troubles come;

he will hide me in his sanctuary.

He will place me out of reach on a high rock.

6 Then I will hold my head high

above my enemies who surround me.

At his sanctuary I will offer sacrifices with shouts of joy,

singing and praising the Lord with music.

Ps 27:4-6

4 One thing have I desired of the Lord, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to inquire in his temple.

5 For in the time of trouble he shall hide me in his pavilion: in the secret of his tabernacle shall he hide me; he shall set me up upon a rock.

6 And now shall mine head be lifted up above mine enemies round about me: therefore will I offer in his tabernacle sacrifices of joy; I will sing, yea, I will sing praises unto the Lord.

KJV

Ps 27:4-6

4 One thing have I asked of the Lord,

that will I seek after:

that I may dwell in the house of the Lord

all the days of my life,

to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord

and to inquire in his temple.

5 For he will hide me in his shelter

in the day of trouble;

he will conceal me under the cover of his tent;

he will lift me high upon a rock.

6 And now my head shall be lifted up

above my enemies all around me,

and I will offer in his tent

sacrifices with shouts of joy;

I will sing and make melody to the Lord.

ESV

If the second point was a challenge interpretively the third is that and a translational one as well. This can be seen from the following listing of how different versions handle this phrase.

· seek him in his temple - NIV84/2011

· meditating in his temple - NLT

· inquire in his temple - KJV, NKJV, ASV, ESV, RSV, NRSV, WEB (World English Bible), YLT

· (Young’s Literal Translation)

· meditate in His temple - NASB, NASU

· visit in his temple - CJB (Complete Jewish Bible)

· Pray in your temple - CEV (Contemporary English Translation)

· Search for an answer in his temple - GOD’S WORD

· Ask for his guidance - GNT, TEV (GNT - Good News Translation, TEV – Today’s English Version)

· Seeking Him in His temple - HCSB, CSB (Holman Christian Standard Bible. Its revision drops the word Holman from its title)

· I’ll study at his feet -THE MESSAGE

· Look with my own eyes at his Temple – NCV (New Century Version)

· contemplate in his temple – NET (New English Translation)

· and to consider his temple – LEB (Lexham English Bible)

It appears that the more “formal” translations prefer to use the word “inquire.” Merriam-Webster defines the verb inquire this way:

inquired; inquiring

transitive verb
1: to ask about
some kindred spirit shall inquire thy fate
—Thomas Gray2: to search into : investigate

intransitive verb
1: to put a question : seek for information by questioning
inquired about the horses2: to make investigation or inquiry —often used with into
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/inquire

If we take this as the correct translation of the Hebrew here. Then the less formal translations such as GOD’S WORD, GNT, and TEV ( the GNT & TEV are essentially the same translation), as well as Eugene Peterson’s paraphrase The Message, all agree and perhaps clarify what is meant by “inquire.” That of seeking wisdom or guidance.

Other versions seem to try to make this phrase less about gaining guidance and more about emphasizing David’s desire to experience God’s glorious presence. This seems to be the bent of the NIV, CJB, HCB and the CSB).

Others would play off the previous phrase as meditating on God’s beauty and here as praying to God such as the CEV translate it.

Others as an extenuation of the previous phrase by translating it as “meditating”(NLT); “meditate” (NASB, NASU), or “contemplate”(NET – New English Translation).

Finally, some translate this as David looking at the Temple itself. We see this in the NCV as well as the LEB.

Let us look at this word we are trying to understand. Do the lexicons help us any here?

Strongs says:

OT:1239 rq^B* baqar (baw-kar); a primitive root; properly, to plough, or (generally) break forth, i.e. (figuratively) to inspect, admire, care for, consider:
(Biblesoft's New Exhaustive Strong's Numbers and Concordance with Expanded Greek-Hebrew Dictionary. Copyright © 1994, 2003, 2006 Biblesoft, Inc. and International Bible Translators, Inc.)

The TWOT says:

274† OT:1239 rq^B* ‎(‎b¹qar‎) Seek, inquire (only in the Piel stem). (ASV

and RSV generally similar except Prov 20:25 where RSV renders "reflect.")…



          b¹qar ‎is found seven times. Much more frequent are synonyms ‎b¹qaš

          "seek," "secure," and ‎d¹raš ‎"seek," "study," "seek (i.e. pray to) a deity."

‎b¹qar‎, it is suggested, from the Arabic cognate, originally meant "split,"

"divide" and hence "discern." Its biblical use is largely in worship contexts,

e.g. "checking" for ritual purity (Lev 13:36; cl Lev 27:33) or "inquiry," in the

sense of meditation, possibly self-searching (Ps 27:4; cf. 2 Kings 16:15).

Only in Ezek does ‎b¹qar ‎refer to search of animals (Ezek 34:11-12).

BDB Abridged says:

baqar
OT:1239* baqar —

to seek, to enquire, to consider (Piel)
to seek, to enquire, to consider (Piel)1) to seek, to look for2) to consider, to reflect(from The Online Bible Thayer's Greek Lexicon and Brown Driver & Briggs Hebrew Lexicon, Copyright © 1993, Woodside Bible Fellowship, Ontario, Canada. Licensed from the Institute for Creation Research.)

Vines says:

baqar OT:1239, "to attend, bestow care on, seek with pleasure." Although this verb is found only 7 times in biblical Hebrew, it occurs in early, middle, and late periods and in both prose and poetry. The word has cognates in Arabic and Nabataean. Some scholars relate to this verb the noun baqar, "herd, cattle, ox." In Lev 13:36 baqar means "to attend to": "...if the scall be spread in the skin, the priest shall not seek for yellow hair...." The word implies "to seek with pleasure or delight" in Ps 27:4: "...to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to inquire in his temple."(from Vine's Expository Dictionary of Biblical Words, Copyright © 1985, Thomas Nelson Publishers.)

So what does this all mean? How do we straighten this all out? Well, I’m not sure I can come to any final conclusion. If we choose the word “inquire” then we see David looking for guidance. The word “seek” could mean David was seeking God’s presence, but it could as well as mean that he was seeking guidance from the Lord. This is a very attractive interpretation if we consider the words of another King in 2 Kings 16:15.

King Ahaz then gave these orders to Uriah the priest: "On the large new altar, offer the morning burnt offering and the evening grain offering, the king's burnt offering and his grain offering, and the burnt offering of all the people of the land, and their grain offering and their drink offering. Sprinkle on the altar all the blood of the burnt offerings and sacrifices. But I will use the bronze altar for seeking guidance."NIV

One objection one might bring up is that chronologically the setting for this verse came many years later than in the days of David and the Tabernacle. Perhaps one could recounter that Ahaz was following David’s example. When we go to church, do we go seeking guidance for our lives?

Equally attractive is translating this word as “to seek with pleasure or delight.” That David sought the Lord with great desire and delight. What does that say to those who attend church out of duty and not delight?

And what about “consider” or “reflect?” Surely to behold and meditate on the “beauty” or “favor” of the Lord is an apt interpretation. When we go to church, do we muse upon what we sing, see, and hear said?

I do not like to conflate the interpretation of verses. A verse usually has one meaning from which one or sometimes several applications can be made. However, in this instance, I think that blending the various definitions may be appropriate. Perhaps that is why the Holy Spirit through David kept this verse rather terse and didn’t elaborate. David delighted in seeking out God whether it was for answers or assurance or to be awed by God’s majestic fairness*.

So as we have traveled through this verse, we saw Davids heart. Truly he was a man after God’s own heart (see 1 Samuel 13:14; Acts 13:22). He desired God’s presence. He delighted in God’s beauty. He was determined to delve more deeply into knowing God and His ways (see also v. 11).

Oh, how I yearn for a heart like David’s. To have a singular passion for Lord’s presence. A pensive mind focused on the glories of God. A riveted pursuit of God’s will and ways.

Distractions tug at me every day

They seek to hold me in their sway

Binding my heart to lesser things

Than beholding my heavenly King

Oh God of glory and God of grace

Free me to see Thy marvelous face

Bind my heart to Your will and way

And from You my King, never stray

- Amen

* See https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fair- especially definitions 5,7, and 10

Journal for Christ

Saturday, February 10, 2018

Oh To Be a Man After God's Own Heart

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