PoC

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man: ish 376 (Hebrew) one, each, individual; often used with a more definite term to express personhood, relationship, or social identity and responsibility.

anger: aph 639 (Hebrew) nose, forehead, face, ire, wrath, fury; literally referring to the angry flaring of the nostrils and wrinkling of the forehead, presenting anger as a volatile emotion that must be restrained. Repeated warnings are given against hasty and capricious anger.

stir up: garah 1624 (Hebrew) provoke, contend, engage, meddle, strive; depicts the deliberate stirring of emotion or action, most often of hostility, revealing the moral weight attached to provoking conflict to enhance reputation. Self-exalting provocation places people under judgment as inner dispositions such as anger, greed, or contempt for the law kindle destructive quarrels.

man: baal 1167 (Hebrew) husband, owner, master, lord, captain, leader; a relational word denoting rulership or possession, thereby marking legal responsibility and liability.

rage: chemah 2534 (Hebrew) fury, anger, heat, indignation, wrath; burning heat expressed as wrath, rage, or jealousy, always conveying an intense, potentially destructive force. Believers are called to self-control and reliance on divine mercy.

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vinegar: chomets 2558 (Hebrew) sour wine, oxidized to an acidic liquid. Its pungent flavor and stinging sensation made it a vivid metaphor for irritation or disappointment as its effervescence on soda/natron dramatizes the aggravated pain produced by insensitive cheer and emotional tactlessness.

soda: nether 5427 (Hebrew) natron, lye, alkali; a naturally occurring alkaline substance commonly employed in the ancient world for laundering and medicinal cleansing. Incompatible combinations such as acidic vinegar and caustic soda highlight through its famous fizzing reaction and disabled cleansing capacity how a well-meant but misplaced gesture can intensify sorrow.

singing: shir 7891 (Hebrew) to sing; the active exercise of singing in joy, worship, celebration, or triumph.

heart: leb 3820 (Hebrew) feelings, care, concern; the center of a person's life, thoughts, and emotions.

No matter how much of a mess we make, regardless of how short we fall, in spite of our shortcomings and failures, when we repent God gives us another chance.

He takes us back, not as damaged goods, but as honored members of the family, privileged, accepted, showing His grace, letting others see they, too, can be restored.

Jeremiah 31:40 The whole valley where dead bodies and ashes are thrown…will be holy to the Lord.

God knows, and we quickly learn, that it is only from having failed in life that we can gain true humility.

Humility rises from a deep sense of gratitude to God for giving us the strength to rise above past failures.

Humility is not inconsistent with self-respect. A truly humble person has self-respect, as well as the respect of others, yet is humble.

The humble person is tolerant of others' failings, and does not have a critical attitude toward the foibles of others.

Humble people are hard on themselves and easy on others.

Jeremiah 32 v.27 I am the Lord, the God of all mankind. Is anything too hard for me? v.38 They will be My people and I will be their God. v.39 I will give them singleness of heart and action, so that they will always fear me for their own good and the good of their children after them. v.40 I will make an everlasting covenant with them: I will never stop doing good to them, and I will inspire them to fear Me, so that they will never turn away from Me. v.41 I will rejoice in doing them good and will assuredly plant them in this land with all my heart and soul.

Isn't that astounding and refreshing?

We are to love the Lord our God with all our heart and soul, and He promises to plant us in His kingdom with all of His heart and soul.

Nothing can overturn what God has determined to do!

Jeremiah 31 v.16 Restrain your voice from weeping and your eyes from tears, for your work will be rewarded. v.17 So there is hope for your future, declares the Lord.

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better: towb 2896 (Hebrew) good, bountiful, cheerful, favor, kindness, pleasant; the divine harmony, beauty, and suitability of all that God created to meet practical needs rather than vain desires.

portion: aruchah 737 (Hebrew) healing, restoration, allowance, ration, dish; a meager meal of food whose size is determined and prepared by others and supplied on a regular basis, often referencing a military ration or a captive's daily meal.

fattened: abas 75 (Hebrew) refuse, unwilling, stalled; the idea of select livestock penned up and fed rich fodder. By extension, it speaks of prosperity and opulence allowing one or more animals to be removed from work loads for special occasions of sacrifice and feasting.

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joy: simchah 8057 (Hebrew) exceeding gladness, mirth, rejoicing, delight; the inner emotion, expressed outwardly in public testimony, that arises when the people of God experience His presence, provision, and promises. transforming duty into delight and looking beyond present distress. Joyless obedience is disobedience.

righteous: tsaddiyq 6662 (Hebrew) lawful, blameless, innocent; a person with right standing before God & right conduct toward people, joining inner integrity with outward justice. Demonstrates faith, integrity, generosity, truthful speech, & courage. Ritual without righteousness is denounced since true piety integrates ethics & devotion, and is shown in economics, compassion, speech, and governance.

justice: mishpat 4941 (Hebrew) judgment, ordinance, law, decision, judicial verdict; the Lord's own just character and the standards by which human society is to be ordered. A nation's welfare depends on keeping these since obedience in acting justly, loving mercy, and walking humbly with God brings blessings, while violation such as oppressing the poor, perverting courts, or abusing orphans and widows invites a curse to political or religious leaders who turn justice upside down.

terror: mechittah 4288 (Hebrew) consternation, destruction, dismay, dissolution; a catastrophic collapse or paralyzing dread experienced by an individual, a city, a region, or an entire nation brought about ultimately by their own rebellion, folly, and injustice, having forsaken the sure refuge of righteousness. No external invader is needed, for their own conduct ushers in ruin.

doers: paal 6466 (Hebrew) to do, make, practice, perform, work; conveys purposeful action -- systematically and habitually doing, making, producing, accomplishing. Whether describing God's mighty deeds, the craftsman's labor, or the plots of evildoers, it shows that consistent acts reveal character, repetitive deeds disclose identity.

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hold on: chazaq 2388 (Hebrew) be strong, strengthen, prevail, seize; it portrays strength that may be exerted, capturing the dynamic of force brought to bear on a resolve.

instruction: musar 4148 (Hebrew) discipline, correction, chastisement; combines the ideas of discipline, correction, chastening, rebuke, and formative instruction, always retaining the goal of shaping character toward reverent wisdom and fidelity rather than mere punishment. Scripture is insistent that wisdom cannot be grasped without receptivity to correction, which if refused is self-destructive.

guard: natsar 5341 (Hebrew) watch, keep, preserve, maintain; intentional, conscious vigilance against attackers; active, steadfast, comprehensive protection of what is valued; continual stewardship to achieve the moral endurance yielding flourishing life and protection from folly.

Once we are back on the path, all wheels are on the pavement, we move forward, following the rules of safe traveling.

Jeremiah 17 v.9 The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it? v.10 I, the Lord, search the heart and examine the mind, to reward a man according to his conduct, according to what his deeds deserve.

So many rules, guidelines, restrictions, directions, precepts, mandates, decrees -- they are needed because our carnal minds are so busily active in looking for creative loopholes to do what it wants and to justify itself.

"Man is not a rational being, but a rationalizing being."

But the carnal mind is enmity to God, and cannot be subject to the Spirit of God.

Jeremiah 17 v.14 Heal me, O Lord, and I will be healed; save me and I will be saved, for You are the one I praise.

1 Thessalonians 4 v.7 For God did not call us to be impure, but to live a holy life. v.8 Therefore, he who rejects this instruction does not reject man but God, who gives you His Holy Spirit.

We live in the freedom of God because we accept the discipline of God.

This loving, careful, appropriate, guided training that our Father gives us is often much different from what we may have experienced from our earthly fathers.

Even the best and most loving of parents will, at times, react to their children out of personal distraction, anger, frustration, exhaustion, weariness rather than responding directly to the child and thus causing the child confusion, wondering what they did wrong.

But our Father God is not like that; He trains us as we need, focused with love, seasoned with grace.

Jeremiah 17 v.7 But blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in Him. v.8 He will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit.

Psalm 81 v.13 If my people would but listen to me, If Israel would follow my ways, v.14 how quickly would I subdue their enemies, and turn my hand against their foes!

Let us walk willingly the narrow, restricted path God directs our feet to.

By not straying from the path He sets us on, we have firm footing to stand when attacked, our feet are established where He can bless us.

The enemy will rage around us, but with clean feet, not slick with slime, there is no opportunity for our balance to be lost.

Endure, hold on, stay close, breathe in the Spirit, grasp the lifeline of the Word, and stand with trust and faith in God's keeping strength and abilities.

Jeremiah 18: 6 Like clay in the hand of the potter, so are you in My hand, O house of Israel.

1 Thessalonians 5:2 …the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night.

O Lord, my strength and my fortress, my refuge in time of distress, You are teaching us to walk in Your love, forgiveness, kindness, mercy and gentleness. The time is coming when You will teach the world Your power and might, that they will know that Your name is the Lord. Give us the vision we need to press in now and accept Your discipline and guidance so we may be trained, prepared, ready to take our stations and stand where You place us when You reveal Yourself in Your majesty to the world.

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man: enosh 582 (Hebrew) man, mortal, blood-thirsty; consistently accents man's frailty, with the moral and ethical limitations of humanity in contrast to God's power and permanence. It is often paired with grass, dust, and breath, illustrating the deep and lasting need for God while having no basis or ability to justify oneself before the holy God, but fostering a recognition of the need for humility and trust in the One Who is trustworthy.

hate: sane 8130 (Hebrew) detest, be hostile to, odious, turn against; depicts personal hostility, aversion, or rejection. Scripture never sanitizes hatred but reorients it. Believers are to loathe evil as God does, while loving their neighbors as God does. God's revealed statutes define evil, and punishment is reserved for those who attempt to call good, evil and evil, good.

blameless: tam 8535 (Hebrew) upright, perfect, complete, undefiled, gentle; portrays a life that is whole, integrated and without moral fracture. Blamelessness brings lasting security, provokes hostility from the violent, and call the righteous community to protective solidarity through harmony between inner faith and outward action..

upright: yashar 3477 (Hebrew) straight, level, righteous; by extension, that which is morally right and pleasing before God. It speaks to physical alignment, ethical integrity, and social justice. God's own divine character. supplies the fixed reference point that defines "upright," such as obeying God's revealed law. Relativism, human self-reference, has deadly consequences.

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better: towb 2896 (Hebrew) good, bountiful, cheerful, favor, kindness, pleasant; the divine harmony, beauty, and suitability of all that God created to meet practical needs rather than vain desires. Flourishing is connected to righteousness in contrast to the destructive consequences of disobedience to God's statutes since goodness is not relative, but revealed in His Word.

righteousness: tsedaqah 6666 (Hebrew) honesty, merits, moral virtue; contains the ideas of rightness, equity, faithful conformity to a norm, charitable deeds, legal vindication, and covenant loyalty, embracing both character and conduct, the inward standard and the outward act.

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transgression: pesha 6588 (Hebrew) breach of trust, rebellion, trespass, revolt, sin; a willful break from within the human heart against God's revealed will, different from inadvertent sin. Conscious revolt by individuals, families, nations, and even leadership, that fractures relations and corrupts courts, commerce, and communities, producing guilt only repentance and divine forgiveness can remove.

evil: ra 7451 (Hebrew) godless, evil conduct, hurtful speech, harmful intent and the painful results of such irrational and self-destructive actions through moral corruption leading to destructive calamity. Scripture stipulates removal and restraint of evil. False witness, dishonest scales, and exploitation of the vulnerable are all branded thus, demonstrating that biblical ethics roots social justice in God's character.

snare: moqesh 4170 (Hebrew) trap, gin, noose, hook, stumbling block; anything the entangles a living creature, or a human soul, so that freedom is lost. The warnings against tolerating moral compromise describe the divine judgment that is inevitable, with only radical fidelity to God's statutes and separation from corrupting influences being sufficient. Wicked speech and rash vows entangle the unwary and bind the soul.

righteous: tsaddiyq 6662 (Hebrew) lawful, blameless, innocent; a person with right standing before God & right conduct toward people, joining inner integrity with outward justice. Demonstrates faith, integrity, generosity, truthful speech, & courage. Ritual without righteousness is denounced since true piety integrates ethics & devotion, and is shown in economics, compassion, speech, and governance.

He promises again and again that those who mourn for the sins of the country, who bring their offering with an humble and contrite heart to the Lord, who seek justice for the poor and needy, will receive from God not only provision for their needs but for the needs of widows and fatherless that they help.

Jeremiah 3 v.14 I will choose you -- one from a town and two from a clan -- and bring you to Zion. v.15 Then I will give you shepherds after my own heart, who will lead you with knowledge and understanding.

Although His promises are inclusive and available to all people everywhere, only those whose heart are hungry for Him, those who are anxious to bring God joy, those who willingly give glad obedience to the Spirit's direction, will be able to receive the blessings of His promise.

Jeremiah 3 v.19 How gladly would I treat you like sons and give you a desirable land, the most beautiful inheritance of any nation. I thought you would call me 'Father' and not turn away from following me.

God's heart feels the keen disappointment of every person who turns away from the path which leads to His offered abundance, but He expresses His great joy with each one who turns from the broad highway that so many take, in order to follow the narrow restrictions of the rough path that He beckons for us to follow.

The self-discipline that we exercise in our daily life, the focus that God grows in us to be in His Word, to be in conversation with Him, to be in obedience to the prompting and direction of the Spirit throughout the day, will cause us to make choices which are not always easy.

There is only so much time in a day and to follow the spiritual training He lays out for us means there will not be time for some things we enjoy a lot.

Colossians 1 v.9 For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you and asking God to fill you with the knowledge of His will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding. v.10 And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please Him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, v.11 being strengthened with all power according to His glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and joyfully v.12 giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light.

When trouble comes, everyone knows where to turn.

Somehow, the God that seemed so far away and not relevant during calm and steady times becomes extremely significant to people who have no other source to turn to and feel the desperate need to be rescued.

For those who press in now, voluntarily, sensing the urgency that is to come, understanding the desperation that will need to be met, God has His "emergency readiness training" prepared.

Psalm 76 v.7 You alone are to be feared. Who can stand before You when You are angry? v.8 From heaven You pronounced judgment, and the land feared and was quiet -- v.9 when You, O God, rose up to judge, to save all the afflicted of the land. v.10 Surely Your wrath against men brings You praise, and the survivors of Your wrath are restrained.

First-responders in the natural give up their weekends and time off to train and learn to be prepared while the rest of us weed our garden and read books or watch tv.

If you hear the call of God, then respond early, work hard, give up the things you would like for the things many will need, then the hope and the joy and the satisfaction and the pleasure of a job well-done is promised by God.

Jeremiah 4 v.3 Break up your unplowed ground and do not sow among thorns. v.4 Circumcise yourselves to the Lord, circumcise your hearts,

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do: asah 6213 (Hebrew) work, act, deed, perform, behave; intentional action by an individual, community, nation, or God. All mankind, individually and collectively, are evaluated by God by their deeds as well as their motives, with those in authority being held accountable for the far-reaching consequences of the acts they chose and whether it was done in obedience or rebellion to God.

righteousness: tsedaqah 6666 (Hebrew) honesty, merits, moral virtue; contains the ideas of rightness, equity, faithful conformity to a norm, charitable deeds, legal vindication, and covenant loyalty, embracing both character and conduct, the inward standard and the outward act.

justice: mishpat 4941 (Hebrew) judgment, ordinance, law, decision, judicial verdict; the Lord's own just character and the standards by which human society is to be ordered. A nation's welfare depends on keeping these since obedience in acting justly, loving mercy, and walking humbly with God brings blessings, while violation such as oppressing the poor, perverting courts, or abusing orphans and widows invites a curse to political or religious leaders who turn justice upside down.

chosen: bachar 977 (Hebrew) select, require, appoint; it consistently carries the idea of deliberate, discerning choice, implying personal commitment, preference for one option over others, and the expectation that the choice will be honored in life and worship.

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peace: shalvah 7962 (Hebrew) tranquility, quietness, prosperity, abundance, security, ease; a state of undisturbed calm, a wholesome tranquility granted by God and a blessing to be sought to stabilize relations, temper material appetites, and encourage compassionate generosity. When sought for apart from faithfulness to God, it mutates into self-sufficient complacency and marks the point that divine judgment becomes imminent.

house: bayith 1004 (Hebrew) dwelling, household, family; the rich idea of a place prepared, protected, and ordered by God for His purposes and people. The concept can range from a simple dwelling to a palatial mansion, even a nation. This emphasizes collective responsibility and promise, depending on the moral choices made by leaders and allowed by the people.

feasting: zebach 2077 (Hebrew) sacrifice, offering, feast; the slaughter of an animal that is then obediently offered to the Lord as an act of worship and shared in a festive and unifying meal with family, friends, and neighbors. A contrite heart and justice toward neighbors is required for a sacrifice to be accepted and the feast to be blessed.

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way: derek 1870 (Hebrew) manner, conduct, conversation, course of life, mode of action, habitual pattern, moral choices. It encapsulates movement, decision, and destiny, calling every one to make life choices, both immediate and long-term that are pleasing to God, lest they follow the path of the wicked to the punishment reserved for them, whether on an individual or national level.

strength: mauz 4581 (Hebrew) stronghold, refuge, fortress, defence, protection; a place or means of safety -- an impregnable stronghold, refuge, or source of strength, that which can be relied upon when danger threatens. Because God is the only infallible maoz, trust must be transferred from self-made security to divine sovereignty for true and lasting reliance.

uprightness: tom 8537 (Hebrew) integrity, simplicity, innocence, moral wholeness; not sinless perfection but consistency between confession and conduct, an undivided heart before God without duplicity, sincerity that produces outward reliability, social justice that rests on transparent dealings. Self-defined integrity, divorced from truth, collapses under divine judgment.

destruction: mechittah 4288 (Hebrew) consternation, terror, dismay, dissolution; a catastrophic collapse or paralyzing dread experienced by an individual, a city, a region, or an entire nation brought about ultimately by their own rebellion, folly, and injustice, having forsaken the sure refuge of righteousness. No external invader is needed, for their own conduct ushers in ruin.

does: paal 6466 (Hebrew) to do, make, practice, perform, work; conveys purposeful action -- systematically and habitually doing, making, producing, accomplishing. Whether describing God's mighty deeds, the craftsman's labor, or the plots of evildoers, it shows that consistent acts reveal character, repetitive deeds disclose identity.

It is when we fall short of those behaviors and accomplishments necessary to gain fame, renown, wealth, or influence.

Do you ever wonder why it seems that God sets you up for failure by putting you in situations which require skills and talents and abilities and knowledge that are not your strong points?

If so, you simply need to turn the coin over and look at the other side.

We are to show the glory of God, the power of God, the riches of God, the abundance of God to the world which does not perceive Him because His Spirit is not of the world.

They will not see God if we show them an eloquent speaker whose oration can persuade multitudes -- they will see the person.

Instead, if they see people who are uneducated in the niceties of oration, unfamiliar with distinctions of doctrinal differences, but through whose words the lives and hearts of others are changed visibly and permanently, then they will see the hand of God working.

Acts 3 v.6 "I have no silver or gold," Peter said, "but what I have, I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ, the Nazarene— walk!" v.7 Then taking his hand Peter lifted him up, and immediately his feet and ankles were strengthened. v.8 Leaping up, he stood upright and began to walk, and went into the Temple with them, walking, leaping, and praising God. Acts 4 v.13 As they looked on Peter and John so fearlessly outspoken—and also discovered that they were illiterate persons, untrained in the schools—they were surprised; and now they recognized them as having been with Jesus. v.14 And seeing the man standing with them—the man who had been cured—they had no reply to make.

I am grateful for my education. I can read and write and that allows me to learn from others and share with them.

I have skills and knowledge that I can earn a living with and provide for my family in ways that God blessed me with.

I give my abilities to God for His use on a daily basis, asking Him to be glorified through them. That lets others how highly I esteem the Lord.

But when God moves through me in ways that I have consistently proven I have no skills for, people understand that what happened was outside of my ability, and they realize that something, Someone, greater that me was involved.

For that to happen, I have to have repeatedly, continually, publicly been found to be incapable in some way, to be a failure in the eyes of the watching world, my circle of acquaintances, my neighbors, my peers.

2 Corinthians 4:7 We now have this light shining in our hearts, but we ourselves are like fragile clay jars containing this great treasure. This makes it clear that our great power is from God, not from ourselves.

If we end up moving from job to job, with no permanent position working out, the world considers us flawed or faulty in some way, deficient of something important.

But if we have given ourselves to God for His glory, He has the right to move us from workplace to workplace to share His gospel and power, doing a great work for the kingdom of God in the mission field of the work place.

If we drive a truck, or clean homes and offices, or wait tables, work in a call center, or a score of other positions the world considers "menial," we will not be considered by society to be as worthy of respect as an Oscar winner or a Nobel laureate or a Heisman trophy recipient.

But we have such extensive opportunities to meet many people daily and to minister to people who are needy and hungry in ways that only God can meet.

If we battle with bills, face family issues, deal with disease, live with problems, even the church world can look down on us and consider that we are just not "good Christians" or else we would be not be striving in these areas.

But as long as our hearts are clear with God and we walk intimately in His spirit and love, God gives us His grace and favor as He reaches others and changes lives through our submission and obedience to His Spirit's guidance.

2 Corinthians 4 v.8 We are pressed on every side by troubles, but we are not crushed. We are perplexed, but not driven to despair. v.9 We are hunted down, but never abandoned by God. We get knocked down, but we are not destroyed. v.10 Through suffering, our bodies continue to share in the death of Jesus so that the life of Jesus may also be seen in our bodies.

Let God reveal your weaknesses, your lacks, your shortcomings, your failures; through them, He will reveal His abundance and richness to meet the needs of others and draw them to Him as they see the love of God given to you.

Let Him be strong in your life so that He can be strong for others.

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seek: baqash 1245 (Hebrew) beg, request, desire, beseech, procure, strive after; In this case, actively seeking a leader with diligent pursuit rather than God from Whom every good and perfect gift comes. National security is consistently tied to the intention of leaders to seek the Lord since repentance and faith are never divorced from earnest pursuit.

favor: panim 6440 (Hebrew) face, presence, countenance; to pursue fellowship, proximity, acceptance, or protection from a stronger by a weaker. Scripture reminds us not to rely on the strength of man which assuredly will fail, but to find favor with God Who never sleeps or slumbers, and Whose arm is not shortened.

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associate with: ra'ah 7462 (Hebrew) to shepherd, tend, pasture, feed; carries the life-oriented idea of tending, feeding, and leading -- a shepherding relationship of routine but diligent and disciplined responsibility.

owner: baal 1167 (Hebrew) husband, master, lord, captain, leader; a relational word denoting rulership or possession, thereby marking legal responsibility and liability.

anger: aph 639 (Hebrew) nose, forehead, face, ire, wrath, fury; literally referring to the angry flaring of the nostrils and wrinkling of the forehead, presenting anger as a volatile emotion that must be restrained. Repeated warnings are given against hasty and capricious anger, with the recommendation to be "long of nostrils," meaning "slow to anger."