One Hebrew Scripture a Day

Today is t-5 because day one will start Jan 1, 2015

Genesis 1:1

​א בראשית ברא אלהים את השמים ואת הארץ:

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

It seems to be such a simple statement until you truly think about what it is saying.

At the start of things, not after something else was done but at the first of our known existence, there was a creation. Have you ever thought about the word creation. When you create you make something known out of things you can't see. Our scientific knowledge is finally advanced enough for us to realize that God created things out of atoms, molecules, protons, neurons and we understand that these are things that are unseen. But what about things that are smaller that we don't know about? God created these things first and we don't even know what they are. Maybe in another two thousand years, if the Lord lingers, we might understand a bit more about the unseen things.

It is so easy to lose the more subtle turn of words when we change languages. This shows us that the word for God that is used is Elohim, which helps us to visualize the majesty of our Lord. Elohim is the plurality of majesty. Those of us who don't have royalty in our governing bodies have a hard time understanding this concept. But I just stop and think of my God as my King, that helps.

Then we get the direct object marker et which tells us precisely what it was that God created. The heavens and the earth. When we read the words, the heavens, it does not do justice to the concept that is being brought forth here. Go outside on a star filled night and look up. You can't see all that God has created. You will get a small glimpse of it when you look up, but your eye can not perceive what is beyond.

The earth is a wonder-filled object of its own. From our gravity to the smallest micro organism that lives here, this world is filled with things we are just starting to understand.

A thought for consideration: Are we the only place that God created Man? In the expanse of all the stars did God create others? Scripture doesn't directly address that. Some things we are not meant to know until the time is right. Some things we are never meant to know. God tells us over and over again, in scripture, to trust Him. Would we like to know? Sure. Do we need to know? Not if God doesn't reveal it to us.

A Christmas Story

To Touch the Hand of God

 

 

I don’t know why I have to endure such hardship and suffering, Samuel thought. I never wanted to be a sheep herder. I never wanted to spend my time outside. I wanted to be a money collector… No, better than that I wanted to be a soldier, a man of authority.

 

He stood straight and puffed his chest out... and slumped in deflation just a quickly.  His one piece garment brushed against the rock he stood on. He looked down in disgust noting there was no difference in color between the rock and his garment. Even the color of his sandals blended into the rock.

 

I’m eighty five years old. No one would take me as a soldier now, he thought.

 

He sighed and picked up his staff. He saw the little ewe as it stumbled across a rock and fell on its side. He hurried over to help the lamb. It was bleating with vigor, kicking furiously trying to right itself. He reached down to stroke its head murmuring soothing words as he worked to set the lamb upright.

 

“It’s alright. I’ve got you now.”

 

He grunted as he struggled with the small lamb. His age had taken its tole on his strength. He finally got the animal upright and lifted the lamb by its neck and shoulders. At last the ewe got its footing and scrambled away. Losing his balance, Samuel sat back down with a bump. He laughed and rubbed his thigh.

 

I don’t know why I am so grumpy today, he thought. No amount of authority could give me the satisfaction I feel when I help one such as these. They are so helpless without their shepherd.

 

This time he had reason to puff out his chest. He saved the life of one of the little ones. And he could do that at least once a day.

 

They need me and in some ways I need them more, he thought.

 

Samuel smiled as he looked over his flock. God had a plan and he knew it was not his job to second guess the all-mighty one.

Samuel moved from from his sitting position to kneeling before the LORD. He put his hands together and started his prayer.

 

Blessed are you O’Lord my God King of the Universe. Have mercy on me. Forgive me for forgetting that you have a plan for everything. Amen

 

When Samuel opened his eyes he realized it was almost evening. He used his cane to stand and headed to the night camp. He sat with his friends when one of them spoke to the group.

“We need some to go out tonight and guard the sheep. We have reports of wolves seen today.”

 

Samuel stood up.

“I will go. My old bones will not let me sleep much any how. I will take the dog and nap when he is quiet.”

 

Several of his friends agreed to go with him for the first watch. They walked out to the pasture and found a place to sit to talk in the star lit evening.

 

Samuel thought he had fallen asleep and was dreaming when he saw a man surrounded by a bright light. He was dressed in white and his hair was white. The shepherds fell to their knees in fear. And the angel began to speak.

 

“Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign to you; Ye shall find a babe wrapped in swaddling clothes lying in a manger.”

 

Samuel saw many bright lights that appeared to be praising God and he heard them say:

 

“Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.

 

They were gone as quickly as they appeared. Samuel went with the rest of the shepherds to look for the baby. When they saw the stable they knew it was the place the babe slept.

 

Samuel trembled and fell to his knees when he saw the babe. In his heart he knew that this was the Saviour.   The babe waved his arms about and Samuel reached out and touched his hand.

 

He felt as if lightening struck his heart.

 

My Saviour, he thought. I have touched the hand of God.

A new Year and it is time to go back to go back to work.

My new Hebrew class starts in January so it is time for me to go back to work on my vocabulary before classes start.

When one gets busy one forgets to post on their blog

Isn't that sad. I have gotten so busy with my son that I have completely forgotten about my blog.
So I thought I would post his story. It is not Biblical Hebrew but perhaps it will explain why I have been away for so long.

On July 2, 2014 God stepped in and changed our lives.

Our son is a mechanic working in the oil fields, south of San Antonio, Texas. On July 2^nd he was driving from one job site to another job site. The unthinkable happened and he ended up at the back of a five vehicle accident. The mechanic truck our son was driving was pushed up under the pickup in front of him. Smashed so badly that the frame broke between the cab and the tool boxes.

Our son was blessed with no actual memory of the accident and only woke up when he heard the words, “Is anyone alive in there?”  Our son stuck his fingers out of the narrow opening where the window should have been in the crushed cab. Wiggling his fingers he said, “Me, me!”

“What’s your name?” The EMS worker said.

“Gary. You have to get me out of here. I can’t breathe. I can’t breathe.” My son was penned between the steering wheel and the back of the cab, in less than six inches of space.

It took more than an hour to cut the top of the cab off of the work truck. Then another few minutes to cut the steering wheel free. When the steering wheel was cut deep enough to release the pressure on our son’s chest he said, “Wait, I can breathe now. Give me just a second.”

The front of his work truck was pushed up under the pickup in front of him and he had punctured its gas tank. As the other truck spewed gas, oil had shot out of his own engine as the two trucks collided. While they were cutting him out of his work truck they realized that he was covered in gas and oil. The rescue team was trying to get him out fast because of the gas and oil and they could not wait too long.  Because of God’s protective hand, nothing caught on fire.

Our son, did not remember much after that. He doesn’t remember the AirLife that gave him his first and only helicopter ride. They flew him to the number one trauma center in San Antonio, University Hospital.

After they air lifted him to San Antonio I received a phone call from my husband.  My husband had received a call five minutes before he called me and was already headed home.  We have a very businesslike Emergency Mode in our family. If you don’t know us Emergency Mode can sound very cold and unloving.  In reality it is controlled hysteria.

When my husband called he said, “Rosa, I need to tell you something. Are you ready?”

“Yes”, I replied. “I’m ready.”

“Zeb was air lifted to San Antonio. He was in a car accident. He can move his fingers.” Our son used his first name at work but he was always called Zeb at home.

“Ok, when will you be here?” It never occurred to me that he would not be on the way.

“I am east of Kennedy and it will take me an hour and a half to get there. We need cash and gas in your pick-up,” he said.

“I will be ready when you get here.”

“Ok,” he said as he hung up the phone.

I have a dozen things to do in the next hour and a half. Pick up the cleaning, pack, don’t forget the insulin, put plenty of food outside for the cat, go by the bank… then come home and make a half dozen phone calls. I ran my errands, then packed and I was ready to make the phone calls. First to our daughter, then my parents, then my Mother-in-law, finally to our Pastor. It was a very quick hour and a half when my husband stepped into the house.

“Are you ready?” he asked.

“Yes”, I say as I am handing him bags for the pick-up.

When we get in the pick-up my husband asked,” Have you called the hospital?”

“No,” I replied, “I was afraid to.”

“Call now,” he said.

As I dialed the phone I only have one question on my mind. When the reception desk answers I need to tell her who I am asking about. Finally she says, “We cannot give out any information because of the HIPA law.”

In frustration I ask her, “I am his Mother, can you at least tell me if he is alive?”

“Yes”, she answers quietly before she hangs up. “

“He is alive, drive faster!” I command.

The 63 mile drive seemed so much longer than the time spent getting ready to go. I was just sitting and all I could do was pray for our son. I had nothing else to busy me and I could not concentrate to read. My husband tried to make conversation but I could not focus. Finally, we arrive at the hospital. It takes so long to go through all the red tape so we can finally see our son. Why can’t we simply rush past the front desk? Where is trauma? Can’t someone help us faster? Is he still alive?

Finally we are escorted back to trauma. As we enter the trauma room I can see my son’s chest moving. He’s breathing and I whispered, “Thank you Lord”. The shortest heart felt prayer I have ever prayed.

My husband and I lean over the bed and touch him. I start to pick the glass off of his face and he opens his eyes.

“Hi Momma. Hi Dad. I love you,” he whispers. We don’t yet know that his chest was pinned and his ribs are fractured.  

How sweet to hear those words. How breathtaking to look at this injured body. His face is bloody and covered in glass, oil and gas.  His brown curly hair blackened with oil and glistening with glass. His eyes black and purple swelled almost shut. His mouth bloody and swollen open. One shoulder covered but we don’t know why. His chest exposed covered in glass, oil and blood. With all this he is smiling at us.

My husband replied, “We love you too, son.” I kiss his face, glass and all. Then I sit next to him and start picking the glass off of his eyelids.  I am content now, he is alive. God is so good to us.

For us the hard part is over. In the next few hours and days we learn that he has six broken ribs, a cracked sternum and cracked clavicle. He has a C7 fracture.

The doctor said, “If you are going to have a broken neck this is the best kind to have. He will not be paralyzed and he will only have to wear the C-Collar for six weeks.”  Such a small thing, six weeks.

When did I miss the discussion that he might be paralyzed? But thank the good Lord that was not a problem to be dealt with.

Our daughter-in-law waited for her Mother pick her up and drive her to San Antonio to the hospital. She got out of the hospital six days previous and was not very strong yet. She stayed as long and as often as she could but she was not strong enough to stay more than a couple of hours at a time.  Our daughter and son-in-law came and stayed the first two days to help out when we needed to rest. 

That evening we learned that Zeb also had a lacerated liver and we learned more about the gaping wound in his shoulder. We overheard a doctor say that the EMS attendant was very careful with the shoulder because he was afraid it would tear off. We are so glad we did not know that before it was sewn back together. The next day we learned that he had a broken pelvis. It was fractured in the front and the back and would need surgery. The doctors waited five days before they put a metal plate in the front of the pelvis and screws in the back. I could not understand why they would wait that long. I found out that they were waiting for Zeb’s body to start making a sufficient amount of platelets again so he would not bleed to death during the surgery. Waiting is good.

Quite often I would wake from a nap, while sitting in Zeb’s room, to find our daughter combing her brother’s hair. Sometimes she would be cleaning grease or blood out from under his finger nails. We spend many quiet hours picking glass out of his hands or face. Some pieces never came out. The doctor said they would work to the surface eventually. Funny, how a piece of glass under the skin will make a man vain. Becky cared for him like a new baby. Sometimes quiet, sometimes picking at him. Always loving him.

Zeb was on heavy drugs the first couple of days because of the pain. He could answer a question and snore in the same breath. It was always an odd conversation when we heard the doctor say, “Mr. Smith, did you understand what I just said?”

“Yes Sir,” Zeb would reply. The last of the word being snored.

We did not find out about the injury to his eye until we had glasses made for him. He could not see past the end of his nose without his glasses and was more than grateful when my optometrist made a pair of glasses from an expired prescription. This was one of the many profound acts of kindness that people performed for us.  Our Pastor and his wife came and visited every few days to pray with us and offer support. Zeb was in the trauma hospital for fourteen days, so was I.

The first week my husband took off work. My husband and I prayed for our son almost constantly. Every day I told him how good God had been to him.  One morning he was very alert and I started to tell him of the miracles God had performed on his behalf.

“Son,” I started, “I want to talk about how good God has been to you. You were covered in oil and gas and God prevented a fire or an explosion. When your neck broke it did not fracture all the way and you will walk again. God is good to you. Your broken ribs did not puncture a lung and your broken clavicle did not break all the way through and poke you in the wind pipe. God is good to you. God made you strong and your chest did not rupture your heart from the impact of the steering wheel.”

Our son replied, “God was so good to me”.

 I started to cry with joy from those word from our son. I continued. “The pipes that shredded your arm pit and the lower part of your shoulder did not venture into your chest or throat. You did not lose your arm. God is so good to you. You could have bleed to death because of the pelvis fracture but God made you strong.”

Our son took my hand and said these words, “Momma, I know that God has been good to me. I think He allowed this accident to happen because of how I was feeling in my heart. I was turning away from Him and He wanted me back. I know that God loves me and has allowed me a second chance to love him too. If for no other reason than for me to return to God, this accident was for a reason. God is so good to me.”

We have since found out that he is going to heal from most of his injuries. He will never have full sight in the left eye. But God gave him two eyes and one good eye is enough. We were told that there will probably be permanent heart damage. The doctors think that it is something that can be medicated and worked around. He should be walking before Christmas as the pelvic injury is healing quickly.

The EMS worker asked, “Is anyone alive in there?” Our son began to realize that those same words were coming from God. “Is anyone alive in there? Is your heart alive to me? Did you forget I was waiting for you?” The greatest of all the miracles God performed was on our son’s stone cold heart.

God is so good!