Word study | HOPE & LIGHT

I was doing a study of the Greek word for “corruption” this morning, used in Galatians 6:8, “For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap CORRUPTION, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life.” The meaning in the verse was clear. We are to avoid sowing to our flesh. When we don’t do this, we shouldn’t be surprised when we reap unpleasant consequences.

After looking up the meaning in the Greek, I turned to one of my favorite apps, “Bible Dictionary and Glossary” which includes a free version of Noah Webster’s 1828 Dictionary, as well as other Bible Dictionaries.

Noah Webster was born in West Harford, Connecticut, in 1773. In addition to writing this dictionary, he was an educator and wrote many of the textbooks used in the early schools of America. He became a Christian in 1808, and his 1828 American Dictionary, the predecessor to today’s Merriam Webster Dictionary, contained the greatest number of Biblical references given in any reference volume. He has been called the, “Father of American Scholarship and Education.”

The definitions of corruption in Noah Webster’s dictionary didn’t tell me anything I didn’t already know, but as I was reading it the quote on the graphic stood out to me. This dictionary, first published April 14, 1828, suddenly sounded very applicable today.

“Corruption in elections is the great enemy of freedom.”

We have an important election coming up November 8, a Mid-term election (one between Presidential elections), in which many people don’t bother to vote. I want to encourage all of you who read my blog not only to vote but also to do two things during the upcoming month of October.

First, pray that this year’s mid-term election will be free of corruption.

Second, take time to look up the information on the candidates, seeing which one (regardless of party) stands for righteousness and truth, for what we believe as Christians.

And then on November 8th (or during early election dates in your state), you will be an informed voter when you go to the polls to cast your vote in this important election.

YOUR VOTE IN THE MID-TERM ELECTION IS IMPORTANT!

As I was eating my breakfast this morning, I used the time in prayer. It was a sweet time of prayer, but one part stood out to me: Thank You, Lord, for leading me in paths of righteousness. I recognized this as a part of the well-known twenty-third Psalm, so I turned to this Psalm in my Bible.

“The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.”
Psalm 23:1-3 ESV

I read this Psalm in a variety of versions, and then opened the Blue Letter Bible, one of my favorite Bible study tools, and did a word study on shepherd. I was surprised at what I learned.

The Hebrew word râʻâh, translated shepherd in this verse, is not a noun as I had expected. It is a verb, an action word that says the LORD, Jahweh, shepherds His children. He tends to my needs, is my companion and special friend.

In 2020, I wrote a Bible study on the Holy Spirit, and as I read these translations of râʻâh I was reminded that these characteristics of the LORD Jehovah are also true of the Holy Spirit. He is our constant companion, the One who lives within us as Christians, teaches us and leads us in how to walk.

I was also reminded that Jesus says He is the Good Shepherd in John 10.

“I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep.”
John 10:14-15

The LORD, Jahweh, shepherds us because we are His children through our relationship with Jesus Christ, the Good Shepherd. And when His days of walking on earth were coming to an end, Jesus told His disciples that the Father would send another Helper who would be with them forever.

“And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you.”
John‬ ‭14:16-17‬ ‭ESV‬‬

Yahweh râʻâh, the Lord who shepherds us, is a name of God that clearly refers to all three members of the Trinity. As the One who shepherds us, the Lord faithfully meets all our needs. He provides green pastures where we can rest in His amazing love and be refreshed for the path ahead. He leads us beside still waters, a place of peace. And He leads us in paths of righteousness, so that our lives with bring Him glory and honor.

I want to close with Psalm 23 in The Passion Translation (TPT). This isn’t a word-by-word translation but one that digs deeply into the meanings of the Hebrew and Greek words. While I usually begin my Bible study time with either NASB or ESV, I have found the TPT an encouraging version to close my time studying a specific Bible passage.

“Yahweh is my best friend and my shepherd. I always have more than enough. He offers a resting place for me in his luxurious love. His tracks take me to an oasis of peace near the quiet brook of bliss. That’s where he restores and revives my life. He opens before me the right path and leads me along in his footsteps of righteousness so that I can bring honor to his name. Even when your path takes me through the valley of deepest darkness, fear will never conquer me, for you already have! Your authority is my strength and my peace. The comfort of your love takes away my fear. I’ll never be lonely, for you are near. You become my delicious feast even when my enemies dare to fight. You anoint me with the fragrance of your Holy Spirit; you give me all I can drink of you until my cup overflows. So why would I fear the future? Only goodness and tender love pursue me all the days of my life. Then afterward, when my life is through, I’ll return to your glorious presence to be forever with you!”
Psalm 23 TPT