Walking with God…

When you walk with God can you feel His presence (Shekhinah)? This form is the English spelling of a feminine word from biblical Hebrew. Shechinah is derived from the Hebrew verb שכן. In biblical Hebrew the word means to literally settle, inhabit or dwell.

Hebrew lesson aside lets look at the Bible for some illustration of the word or the lack of Shekhinah in the lives and deeds of some early biblical characters lets start with Saul.

1 Samuel 8:1 – 15:35, establishes Saul as King of Israel. The text says Saul was very handsome and that there was not a more handsome person amongst all the children of Israel and from his shoulders upward he was taller than any of the people. He was a married man with one son, Jonathan.

God told Samuel that he had chosen Saul to reign over His people and he was then anointed as King and later proclaimed King over Israel. The text says again that there was no one like him among all the people. So Saul chosen by God to reign over His people because they demanded a King from among themselves God granted their desire. The importance of this time is an ending of the apostasy that took place in the era of judges and the people now established, still didn’t trust God enough but demanded a King, which God provided in Saul. Saul who was physically superior to all the people and to look and see it you would notice it.

This point brings us half way through the story so far and reminds me of a verse yet further ahead at;

1 Samuel 16:7

But the LORD said to Samuel, “Do not look at his appearance or at his physical stature, because I have refused him. For the LORD does not see as man sees;^[a] for man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.”

Footnotes:

1. 1 Samuel 16:7 Septuagint reads For God does not see as man sees; Targum reads It is not by the appearance of a man; Vulgate reads Nor do I judge according to the looks of a man.

God knows our nature to judge because it is our original sin and part and parcel of what we are. We are judges of God and man alike for our original sin was not disobedience in the eating of the apple but judgement. The symptom of this sin is the way we live from the outside in depending on outside influences to tell us we are right, good, righteous, good looking, the list is unbelievably inexhaustible. If I can only achieve this then I will be accepted by all. Meanwhile God accepts us as we are you don’t need a membership to enjoy God’s covenant blessings but you do need to trust and believe God’s word.

For blessed are those who believe without seeing John 20:29

To Be Continued…

May...

The Lord bless and keep you;
The Lord make His face shine upon you,
And be gracious to you;
The Lord lift up his countenance upon you,
And give you peace.

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All posts by M.A.C. © Bruce W. Moar