Sermon Tone Analysis

ABCs of Praise Part 3: Prophetic Potential of a Humble Heart

In Psalms 119:81, the Psalmist begins with the motivation (kavanah כַּוָּנָה) of his heart (nefesh נַפַשׁ).

He longs for God’s salvation (teshu’ah תְּשׁוּעָה).

The tav at the beginning means it is future tense.

There is a Savior coming.

We know that the word here for “salvation” means deliverance and help.

But how do we apply that to the daily challenges in this life and the things God calls us to do for His glory?

In Genesis 28:12 we see Jacob and his fearful nature.

Jacob has a tendency, not for self-nullification and humility, but self-deprivation.

He puts himself to shame with help from no one else.

In your English translation it reads:

However, in the original Hebrew text it reads:

וַֽיַּחֲלֹ֗ם וְהִנֵּ֤ה סֻלָּם֙ מֻצָּ֣ב אַ֔רְצָה וְרֹאשׁ֖וֹ מַגִּ֣יעַ הַשָּׁמָ֑יְמָה וְהִנֵּה֙ מַלְאֲכֵ֣י אֱלֹהִ֔ים עֹלִ֥ים וְיֹרְדִ֖ים בּֽוֹ׃

v’halam v’hinne sullam mut-tzav ar-tzah v’rosho ma-guah ha-shmayim v’hinne malaka (ends in a yod/”hand” meaning an extension of God Himself; malaka- ‘Elohim.)

‘Elohim a-olem v’or-dem bo.

He had a dream; a stairway*stairway Or “ramp”; others “ladder.”

Heb.

sullam.

was set on the ground and its top reached to the sky (heavens/shamayim), and messengers (malakeh מַלְאָכִי) of God were going up and down on it.

So, how does this apply to the Psalmist cry for salvation and the Hebrew letters at the top of each passage?

I am glade you asked.

The kaf (כ) symbolizes the palm of a hand.

It’s literal meaning is “palm”.

The custom of placing one palm over the other, such as in prayer, is a sign of submission such as bowing before a king.

In Jewish culture this is done upon awakening and reciting the Modeh Ani prayer: “ I thank You, living and eternal King, for You have mercifully restored my soul within me; Your faithfulness is great.”

The kaf (כ) suggest the power of God to manifest Himself within our realm by revealing to us His unlimited potential and goodness.

The letter lamed (ל) literally means to “to learn” or “to teach”.

The act of imparting and receiving or ascending and descending.

It reflects the heart (nefesh) “ascending in aspiration to conceive and comprehend” or to understand knowledge that has been given (Ginsburgh 1991).

Rabbi Yitzchak Ginsburgh states, “The humble and sincere heart of the wise man continually aspires to ascend higher and higher in his comprehension of the wisdom of God and His Torah” (Ginsburgh 1991).

The model is that one seeks God; to learn God that he might teach another.

This is what we call true talmidim תלמידם (discipleship).

Jesus said it this way:

The Prophet Isaiah put it this way:

The letter men, is considered the letter of “water” (מים), which represents the Divine Wisdom of the Law of God, the fountain of Living Water.

Here is what the Scriptures have to say:

Jesus is that Fountain of Living Water, the Well of Salvation.

The letter nun (נ) is the fourteenth letter equally the name David, the whom God promised an eternal throne.

Descended from King David is King Messiah, Jesus the Christ.

Finally, the letter samech (ס) symbolizes the eternality of the revelation of inherent unity between the beginning and the end of all of the Torah and the manifestation of God’s Transcendent Light.

So, in the humility within the kaf, the ascending and descending of the lamed, the living water in the mem, the promised Messiah in the nun, and the light of the world represented by the samech, the Psalmist longs for He who is being revealed to His soul, the long awaited promised King Messiah, the Christ.

We started with Jacob’s vision of not just any messengers ascending and descending on a ladder.

Chezal teaches us that when Adonai breathed into Adams nostrils He imparted from His Nishmat (Divine Soul) of life and imparted into man Neshama (Living Soul).

Even this relates to the ascending and descending in Jacob’s dream as to say, “the Neshmat (Divine Soul) lowered Himself to earth as a living soul-Neshama clothing himself in Adam אָדָם.

Prior to this vision, Chezal teaches that God was calling Jacob to ascend and learn of God and encounter Messiah.

He was calling him to the promise of the covenant God made to Abraham.

But Jacob feared falling from the ladder.

In essence, he feared failing God.

Psalms 119:81-120 speaks to this.

But instead of failing to pursue God and His righteousness, the Psalmist pleads God to lead him in it.

When you live by unwarranted feelings of unworthiness you avoid even trying because you fear failing.

But the one who trusts in the Lord can take failure as an opportunity grow and see the glory of God through it all.

No one has only continual success.

I am not talking about justifying continual and willful moral failure.

But everyone has at some time or another failed at something.

Who among us has never faced disappointment?

But those who trust in the Lord are not crushed or perplexed by disappointments.

Instead, they regroup, re-access, regain their focus and strength and move forward in life.

Where as one who lets failure become their focus, takes their failure as confirmation of their feelings of inadequacy.

As a result, they avoid any risk.

You will never succeed if you never try.

Success only comes when one embraces the strength to withstand failure.

Success is never a guarantee, but failure is if you never try (Twerski, Abraham; Twerski on Chumash; Shaar Press; 2003, New Jersy).

If you have ever feared failing God, disappointing someone you love or look up to; or those who look up to you, stop letting fear of failure stop you from succeeding in what God has promised for your life.

If you have looked at others in the church or in your life that have failed, or failed you, stop letting their failure decide your eternal future.

If you deal with fear of failure in any form and have resolved to not even try to serve the Lord, it is time to let it go and embrace the unlimited potential of He who has descended and ascended to the Throne of Almighty God.

His potential is awaiting to awaken His purpose within you.