bow

September 26, 2017

Pity for Judah (Hos 1:7-1:7)

“But I will have pity

On the house of Judah.

I will save them

By Yahweh,

Their God.

I will not save them

By bow,

Or by sword,

Or by war,

Or by horses,

Or by horsemen.”

Apparently, this was a later insertion that Yahweh was still going to have pity on the southern kingdom of Judah. Yahweh, their God, would save them, but this was Yahweh speaking. He was not going to save them by bow, sword, war, horses, or horsemen. In other words, he would not interfere, but at the same time still save the house of Judah, because he loved and pitied them.

September 9, 2016

Turn to Yahweh (Isa 45:22-45:23)

“Turn to me!

Be saved!

All the ends of the earth!

I am God!

There is no other!

By myself I have sworn.

From my mouth has gone forth

In righteousness.

A word that shall not return.

‘To me

Every knee shall bow.

Every tongue shall swear.’”

Second Isaiah has Yahweh ask that everybody from the ends of the earth should turn to him to be saved. Yahweh proclaimed that he is God and that there is no other besides him. He speaks in righteousness and truth. Thus every knee should bow to him. Every tongue should swear to him. This is somewhat the same language that the Paul in his epistles to the Romans and the Philippians will use about Jesus Christ.

December 28, 2015

Asking for the power of Yahweh (Ps 144:5-144:8)

“Bow your heavens!

Yahweh!

Come down!

Touch the mountains

So that they smoke!

Make the lightning flash!

Scatter them!

Send out your arrows!

Rout them!

Stretch out your hand from on high!

Set me free!

Rescue me

From the mighty waters!

Rescue me

From the hand of aliens!

They speak lies.

Their right hands are false.”

David wanted Yahweh to bow down the heavens. He wanted Yahweh to come down to make the mountains smoke with a lightning flash. He wanted Yahweh to come down and rescue him from the mighty waters and the hands of aliens or strangers. These aliens, of course, speak lies with their false right hands.

October 17, 2015

God will take care of David’s enemies (Ps 64:7-64:9)

“God will shoot his arrow at them.

They will be wounded suddenly.

Because of their tongue

He will bring them to ruin.

All who see them

Will shake with horror.

Then everyone will fear.

They will tell what God has brought about.

They will ponder what he has done.”

God will shoot the bow and arrow for David. God will suddenly wound his enemies. They will be ruined because of their evil tongues. Everyone who sees it will shake with horror. They will fear what God has done. They will then have second thoughts about doing evil things and God.

September 29, 2015

Beautiful daughter (Ps 45:10-45:13)

“Hear!

O daughter!

Consider!

Incline your ear!

Forget your people!

Forget your father’s house!

The king will desire your beauty.

Since he is your lord,

Bow to him.

The people of Tyre will sue your favor with gifts.

The richest of the people,

With all kinds of wealth,

Will come to you.”

This psalmist scribe asks that the daughter listen carefully and consider her words. She was to forget her people and her father’s house. She was to go forward to the king, her new lord. She was to bow to him. She would become powerful and rich with this marriage. These are like the words of encouragement to a reluctant bride before a marriage. Clearly she is to be subject to her new husband, the king. The consequences of this marriage will be enormous power and wealth. There is an interesting note about the new queen coming from Tyre. She may have been a Phoenician or a Philistine, the mortal enemy of David.

August 10, 2015

Worship in the Temple (Ps 5:7-5:8)

“But I will enter your house,

Through the abundance of your steadfast love.

I will bow down toward your holy temple.

I will be in awe of you.

Lead me!

Yahweh!

In your righteousness.

Because of my enemies

Make your way straight before me.”

Now David made his case for why he was not wicked. Mainly, because he was loved by Yahweh, he was able to enter the house of God. He would bow down before the Temple because he was in awe of Yahweh. He wanted Yahweh to lead him in the path of righteousness. He wanted Yahweh to make the path straight for him. Out of God’s love he wanted to follow the straight way of Yahweh.

July 7, 2015

Job maintains that he is innocent (Job 9:13-9:24)

“God will not turn back his anger.

The helpers of Rahab bowed beneath him.

How then can I answer him?

How can I choose my words with him?

Though I am innocent,

I cannot answer him.

I must appeal for mercy to my accuser.

If I summoned him,

And he answered me,

I do not believe that he would listen to my voice.

He crushes me with a tempest.

He multiplies my wounds without cause.

He will not let me get my breath.

But He fills me with bitterness.

If it is a contest of strength,

He is the strong one.

If it is a matter of justice,

Who can summon him?

Though I am innocent,

My own mouth would condemn me.

Though I am blameless,

He would prove me perverse.

I am blameless.

I do not know myself.

I loathe my life.

It is all one.

Therefore I say,

He destroys both the blameless and the wicked.

When disaster brings sudden death,

He mocks at the calamity of the innocent.

The earth is given into the hand of the wicked.

He covers the eyes of its judges.

If it is not he,

Who then is it?”

Job wanted to defend himself. The sea monster or chaos of Rehab had to bow to God. This was also the name of the prostitute in Joshua, chapter 2, who helped the Israelite spies. He wanted to know how he could prove his innocence. He would have to appeal to mercy. God would not listen to him. He has crushed Job because God destroys both the wicked and the blameless. Job loathed his life since he did not know himself. The judge’s eyes were closed so that now the wicked have control of things.