overtaken

October 2, 2017

The prostitute spirit In Ephraim (Hos 5:3-5:4)

“I know Ephraim!

Israel is not hidden

From me.

For now,

O Ephraim!

You have played

The prostitute.

Israel is defiled.

Their deeds

Do not permit them

To return

To their God.

The spirit of prostitution

Is within them.

They do not know

Yahweh.”

Yahweh, via Hosea, is particularly hard on the tribe of Ephraim, which was just north of Benjamin, with the capital of the northern Israelite kingdom there. Israel could not hide from Yahweh. Ephraim had played the prostitute role. Thus, Israel had defiled itself. By their deeds, they could not return to God. The spirit of prostitution had overtaken them. They no longer knew Yahweh. They had abandoned him.

February 18, 2017

The exile of Judah (Lam 1:3-1:3)

Gimel

“Judah has gone

Into exile

With suffering,

With hard servitude.

She lives now

Among the nations.

But she finds

No resting place.

Her pursuers have all

Overtaken her

In the midst

Of her distress.”

Judah was the territory that included Jerusalem. The Judeans were sent into exile with suffering and servitude also. They now live among other countries. Thus they have no resting place, since her enemies have overtaken them even while they were still in distress. This verse starts with the Hebrew consonant letter Gimel. Each verse after this will use the next letter of the Hebrew alphabet in this acrostic poem.

September 23, 2015

Asking for mercy (Ps 40:11-40:13)

“Yahweh!

Do no withhold your mercy from me!

Let your steadfast love,

Let your faithfulness,

Keep me safe forever!

Evils have encompassed me

Without number.

My iniquities have overtaken me,

Until I cannot see.

They are more than the hairs of my head.

My heart fails me.

Be pleased!

Yahweh!

Rescue me!

Yahweh!

Make haste to help me!”

David is asking for Yahweh’s mercy. He wanted Yahweh’s steadfast love and faithfulness to keep him safe forever. The problem was that innumerable evils had surrounded him. His iniquities had overtaken him so that he could not see anymore. There were more problems than hairs on his head. His heart was failing him. He wanted to be rescued as soon as possible.

August 11, 2015

Yahweh should punish David (Ps 7:3-7:5)

“Yahweh my God!,

If I have done this,

If there is wrong in my hands,

If I have requited my ally with harm,

If I plundered my enemy without cause,

Let the enemy pursue me.

Let him overtake me.

Let him trample my life to the ground.

Lay my soul in the dust.

Selah”

David set up a series of hypothetical things that he might have done. If he has done any of these things he should be pursued, overtaken, and trampled to the ground.   His soul or liver should be crushed to dust. What were the potential evil things he might have done. Had his hands done any wrong thing? Had he turned on his allies and friends? Had he plundered his enemy unjustly? It was all right to plunder the enemy if there was a good cause. This seems unrelated to his defeated dead son. However, he felt he was being punished by Yahweh for something he did. Once again, there is a pause for a musical interlude, a Selah.