Saturday, September 4, 2010

Isaiah 41:13

כִּי אֲנִי יְהוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ מַחֲזִיק יְמִינֶךָ הָאֹמֵר לְךָ אַל־תִּירָא אֲנִי עֲזַרְתִּיךָ׃

13 For I am the LORD your God, who holds your right hand, who says to you, "Stop being afraid! I will help you!"

כִּי אֲנִי יְהוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ For I am the LORD your God,  כִּי is causal, following 41:12, but it emphasizes that follows. This is the God who is the same, yesterday, today and tomorrow. He is the God of free and faithful love, and free and faithful grace. He is powerful (he created everything), yet he stoops to love us (cp. Solomon's "yet" in 1 Kings 8:28!). The wonderful ךָ- ending reminds us that his love is for us.

מַחֲזִיק יְמִינֶךָ who holds your right hand, מַחֲזִיק hifil participle showing constant action, like Valleskey's image of a child holding his dad's hand on the ice. God is actually the one hold our hand.

הָאֹמֵר לְךָ אַל־תִּירָא who says to you, "Stop being afraid! The negative before a (qal) jussive shows an immediate prohibition, although here its more an invitation than a command. "Don't be afraid, from this moment."

אֲנִי עֲזַרְתִּיךָ I will help you!" It's so hard not to translate this as a future imperfect, "I will help you," but notice the actual Hebrew tense of עֲזַרְתִּיךָ, qal perfect 1 sg (עָזַר). In God's own frame of reference, his help is so utterly certain that he can in effect say, "I have already helped you." Help isn't just on its way. Help is already here finishing up the job, and asking where it can wash its hands. Help is done; and to quote Jesus: "It is finished."

A setumah (ס) paragraph mark follows this verse.

There was a scene, not long ago in Isaiah, when the people of Jerusalem were being threatened by the Assyrians, and God made war on them. That time, 185,000 died (Isaiah 37:36). Another time, the city of Samaria was under siege from the Arameans, and God caused them to run away in terror (2 Kings 7:7). Remember the enemy soldiers at Jericho (Joshua 6:21)? Or the Egyptians at the Red Sea (Exodus 18:8)? Or the Amalekites who kidnapped the families of David and his men (1 Samuel 30:17)?

What battles against you? Temptation? Anger? Fear? Worry? Do not fear: God will help you. Help is already here.

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