Cisterns, Pits, Wells, and Escape Rooms?

Thursday, April 10, 2025
10:30 a.m.

The more and more I read and study God's word the more fascinating I find it, and Him. 

Today my Jesus Calling devotion referenced Psalm 40:2 "He lifted me up from the pit of despair, out of the miry clay; He set my feet upon a rock, and made my footsteps firm." 

Because of the conversation I've been having with the Lord in my prayer journal, this verse called to me. Not because of personal despair, but because of intercessory prayer He's called me to offer for others. 

The Hebrew language is so intriguing to me. I was thinking today about how often, my time with the Lord and in His Word, feels a little like an Escape Room. I enter into the Word but in order to find the deeper meaning I have to search for clues. There's plenty of surface information, but there's often a deeper hidden meaning, if you take the time to search it out. It's also very multifaceted, having many applications. 

I'm learning that the Hebrew word for "pit" is closely related to the word meaning "to explain", "to declare" or "to make clear". This not only gives me further understanding in regard to my prayer but also fits in nicely to my "escape room" analogy. 

A pit was often used as a holding pen, or dungeon, like we see when we read about Joseph in Genesis 37. Are you seeing the picture? Like whenever you're locked in an "escape room". And in order to get out of the "escape room" you have to have things "made clear" through clues in order to escape. 

Moving on...

In Psalm 40:2 the word for "pit" is Strong's H953 בּוֹר (bowr): pit, cistern, well, dungeon. This word comes from the root בָּאַר (ba'ar), which is Strong's H874 defined: to burn, consume, remove, be senseless, brutish. Meaning: to dig, to engrave, to explain.

It's here that I have to stop and acknowledge, again, that most days my devotions have a cohesiveness. They seem to "miraculously" have a theme. Today, I couldn't find much of a connection, until just now. 

Engrave. The Lord is flooding my mind with information, and I can barely keep up! So, bear with me, because where He leads, I follow. You never know what you'll uncover until you start digging.

Unveiling Mercy today was from Exodus 32 where Moses came down with the tablets and broke them. Verse 16 says, "The tablets were the work of God, and the writing was the writing of God, engraved on the tablets."

He goes on to say that when Moses broke the tablet it wasn't in a fit of rage, but a ritualistic acting out of what had happened. The Israelites broke the law, so Moses broke literally broke the law, aka the tablets.

So much about the Hebrew culture, especially the language, paints for us a picture. Meaning can be hidden, yet painstakingly obvious.

The lesson Chad Bird conveyed isn't necessarily where I'm going, but you can see how I get there. The clue, per se. Whenever I read this devotion, my mind actually zoomed in on verse 15 where it said, "tablets that were written on both sides." Because immediately my mind went to Revelation 5 where the scroll was "written within and on the back." 

But again, a rabbit trail. Like often happens in an escape room. You just know you've found a clue, only to find out it was just part of the room, a prop. The fun is in the hunt.

Back to the word engrave.

From here I'm having to utilize Microsoft Copilot for understanding because the word used in Exodus 32:16 is Charath (חָרַת) not Ba'ar (בָּאַר) The reasoning is context. Charath (חָרַת) conveys permanence— inscribing something that is meant to last. Ba'ar (בָּאַר) leans more towards communication or clarification. In today's language we would say, "let me spell it out for you". In the Bible we read, "And you shall write distinctly upon these stones all the words of this law.” (Deut 27:8).

Whas that a ribbit trail or what? I have a feeling we'll come back to this, though. So let's "stick a pin in it", as my old preacher used to say.

For know let's refocus Psalm 40:2 "He lifted me up from the pit of despair"

Again, I want to look at the root word used for "pit" Ba'ar (בָּאַר) this time with its meaning as senseless, brutish. Ba'ar can describe someone as "brutish" or "senseless," reflecting a lack of understanding. This meaning likely stems from the metaphorical idea of being consumed by ignorance or lacking clarity, contrasting with the act of making something plain or distinct. 

We see an example of it used that way in Psalm 73: 21-22 where the Asaph writes, "When my heart was grieved and my spirit embittered, I was senseless and ignorant; I was a brute beast before you."

Now let's take a look at the word translated here as "despair". Strong's H7588 Shaon (שָׁאוֹן) Uproar, tumult, noise, commotion. Derived from the root שָׁאָה (sha'ah), which means to crash, make a loud noise, or be desolate. Sha'ah also can mean "to gaze" "to look" or "to regard" or "pay attention to"

Using these definitions, the picture being painted for me is something like this: in the context of David's soul, he was crying out to God because there was just so much noise or "voices in his head" that he couldn't think straight. He was in a "pit, well, cistern" all of which hold water, so he was drowning, overwhelmed and couldn't see his way out.

He couldn't get clarification. He was confused and needed God to give him understanding, to help him see clearly the path forward. Help him make sense of his situation and get his head above water. This interpretation really stands out whenever you read further to verse four, "Blessed is the man who makes the LORD his trust, who does not turn [to look] to the proud, to those who go astray after a lie!"

There is only one source for Truth and David knows it full well. The voices in our head can either be the voice of our ego "the proud" or the enemy, who is "the father of lies".  Or we can cry out to God and ask for His voice to drown out all others. 

Sometimes our ego comes from a place of pain and embitterment. We dig our own pit as we rage on inside our own minds, we become driven by base instincts and our emotions, lacking the rational and spiritual insight we've been given by God, himself whenever we were made in his image (Genesis 1:26-27)

Jeremiah 2:13 says, "... they have dug their own cisterns" 

Verse six tells us how he was "lifted up". He says, "you have given me an open ear". There's a footnote in my Bible that says, "Hebrew ears you have dug for me"

Pits were often dug as a trap. David says, "let my ears fall for your words, not the words of my own arrogance or the words of my enemy (anyone that isn't God)."

And this is my intercessory prayer. 

That those who are struggling with belief, would be rescued from the pit of the enemy, whether it's their own proud ego that tries to make sense of things using their own "wisdom", their broken heart that refuses to listen to reason, or the lies of the enemy being championed by our culture. I pray that their ears would incline toward our Father's voice. The one that tenderly says, "I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore, I have drawn you with loving devotion." (Jeremiah 31:3) As one draws water from a well. Or  Hosea 2:14, where He says, "Therefore, behold, I will allure her, and bring her into the wilderness, and speak tenderly to her". The wilderness was a place of solitude. A quiet place where it's just you and Him. Luke 5:16 tells us, "He [Jesus] frequently withdrew to the wilderness to pray". I pray that God will bring them out of the noise and all that clamors for their attention and into the solitude where they can sit quietly in His presence and listen intently for His voice. The Hebrew could actually render this verse as "sing to her heart". I pray that those who are suffering, would hear the Lord sing a comforting lullaby to soothe their brokenness. 

The voice I pray they hear says, "I led them with cords of kindness, with the bands of love, and I became to them as one who eases the yoke on their jaws, and I bent down to them and fed them." (Hos 11:4)

The Hebrew word that means to be gracious and to show favor is Chanan (חָנַן) and means to bend, stoop in kindness to an inferior, to favor, bestow, to implore. 

Jesus says in John 6:35 "I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry"

We should hear the voice that says, "Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light." (Matthew 11:28-30). 

David begins this prayer in Psalm 40 declaring, "I waited patiently for the LORD; He inclined to me and heard my cry." Inclined is natah ( נָטָה) and also means "to bend". 

In verse eleven David pleads, "LORD, do not withhold Your mercy from me; Your loving devotion and faithfulness will always guard me."

He reassures himself that God's faithfulness will guard him because evils surround him too many to count. He repents, admitting, "my sins have overtaken me, so that I cannot see. They are more than the hairs of my head, and my heart has failed within me. Be pleased, O LORD, to deliver me; hurry, O LORD, to help me. 

The word overtaken conveys the idea of pursuing something until it's caught. It's not a coincidence Psalm 23:6 tells us that God's goodness and mercy pursue us. 

When it feels like our past is hounding us down like a devil dog, we know that God's goodness and mercy are pursuing us as well, and He will triumph.

This brings me to the point the Lord made to me last night about my own past sins. There's a chapter of the Bible that I've come across a couple of times and it explicitly lays out my own sin in great detail along with the consequences that were sure to follow, and I can see I'm currently living the consequences of my past decisions. Each time I read these chapters I begin to feel a bit of what I see David feeling here. 

The voices begin to wage war inside my head. 

Last night as I wrote in my prayer journal all I was feeling, I was reminded of a sermon I once heard by Dr. Adrian Rogers where he said, "you can't unscramble eggs". In other words, I don't have the ability to fix it. Anything I could possibly do to remedy the situation is just going to make the problem worse. All I can do going forward is to be careful not to break anymore eggs into the bowl.  And as I was laying all this out before the Lord, His Spirit gently whispered 2 Corinthians 12:9 in my ear, saying "what about my grace?" Don't you believe me, when I say, "it's sufficient"?  

Ears You have dug for me, Lord!

In the Greek it says, "My grace suffices you."  S714 Arkeó (ἀρκέω) It's a primary verb meaning be content, be enough, suffice. But it's akin to the word airó (αἴρω) through the idea of raising a barrier, to ward off. Immediately I see the connection to Psalm 40:11 "your loving devotion and faithfulness will guard me"

God's word assures me, not only is His grace sufficient, it abounds. Romans 5:20 says, "where sin increased, grace abounded all the more," Strong's G4121 Pleonazó (πλεονάζω) from the Greek word πλείων (pleion), meaning "more" or "greater."

This is the voice we need to hear, the one that says, "My grace is more than enough." 

In John 8 we read a conversation between Jesus and the Jewish leaders and what is said in verses 43 and 44 are profoundly applicable here. 

Jesus asks, "Why is my language not clear to you? Because you are unable to hear what I say. You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies." 

Satan's voice brings death, lies, shame and humiliation. What we hear depends on who we belong to!

God's voice says, "Instead of shame, My people will have a double portion, and instead of humiliation, they will rejoice in their share; and so, they will inherit a double portion in their land, and everlasting joy will be theirs." (Isaiah 61:7)

Father, let us hear you loud and clear. Your goodness and mercy pursue us. Your loving devotion and faithfulness are enough to guard us from the shame of our past sins and failures. Your grace is enough to cover every sin, past, present, and future. 

Whenever the liar tells us we're abusing your grace, we come to you and pray, that you search our heart and know our thoughts and reveal to us our offensiveness so we can repent and place our trust in your hands. Remind us to cultivate a sensitive relationship with Your Spirit, so we can hear and perceive your voice. We welcome conviction because we know it's from you. Guilt and shame are from the deceiver. Your word encourages us to examine ourselves because we have the confidence of knowing we're already forgiven.

If we continue, we can read elsewhere another exchange, this time in the book of Luke.  Jesus asks, “Who do the crowds say that I am?”

Who does culture say He is? Who do those voices in your head say He is? Find your place of solitude and then hear Him ask,
"But what about you? Who do you say I am?”
And if you don't find yourself readily proclaiming, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God!" Then you need to pray like David so that He can lift you up from the pit of despair, out of the miry clay; May He set your feet upon a rock, and make your footsteps firm!" (Psalm 40:2)

Because like Jesus said to Peter, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah! For this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by My Father in heaven. And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven. Whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.”

You too will be blessed whenever God the Father reveals this truth to you! May He dig ears for you! Because when He does, all the ploys of Satan don't stand a chance. Because whenever you know this Truth. The keys to the kingdom are Yours! You're free!

And with those keys firmly in your hand, you can proclaim like David, "I have not covered up Your righteousness in my heart; I have declared Your faithfulness and salvation; I have not concealed Your loving devotion and faithfulness from the great assembly."

I think this is what Paul was doing whenever he said he would boast of his weakness. He didn't hide his great need for God's grace. Paul's sins were many. Before conversion, I'm sure he was responsible for countless new believers being imprisoned, impoverished and some even stoned. We know for a fact he watched in approval and stood guard over the cloaks of those who stoned Stephen. 

Do you know what else I learned yesterday. The word for "boast" in Greek is Kauchaomai (καυχάομαι) and it means living with your "head up high," 

Whenever I come to the Father with my head hung down in shame, He's the lifter of my head. I boast at what He has done for me! I don't hide my sin in shame. I proclaim it because where my sin was great, His grace was more! Do we continue to willfully sin? Absolutely not, but we will inevitably fail. And Satan won't miss an opportunity to shame us when we do, which is all the more reason to boast. Because, when he tells us we will never get this right, we proclaim, "I know! Thank God for Jesus!" Romans 8:1 tells us "There is now, no condemnation for those who belong to Christ!" And when we belong to Christ, we receive His Spirit, the same Spirit that brought him to life, now lives in us. (Romans 8:11) It's His voice guiding us. He engraves upon our hearts the desires of the Father. 

Above in Psalm 40:6 where it said "ears you have dug for me" do you know what follows in verse 8?

"I take joy in doing your will, my God, for your instructions are written on my heart.”

Paul also writes in 2 Corinthians 3:3, "And you show that you are a letter from Christ written (graphō) not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts.

In the Septuagint, the ancient Greek translation of the Old Testament, the earlier mentioned Deuteronomy 27:8, "And you shall write distinctly upon these stones all the words of this law,” uses that same Greek word (graphō)

How am I a letter written from Christ? It's not with my head hung down in shame. I do my best to live by the Spirit. I confess my failures, confident that the blood of Christ has allowed me to approach the throne of grace, to ask for forgiveness. (Hebrews 4:16) Elsewhere, 1 John 1:9 promises that "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness." So, who do I belong to? What voice do allow to take up real estate in my head? Who do I believe, my God or the voices that contradict His promises?

"See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!" 1 John 3:1

So, with my head held high, his Word in my Heart, His Spirit within Me and His keys in my hand I am lifted out of the pit and look to what He has laid before me. 

"Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize of God’s heavenly calling in Christ Jesus." Philippians 3:13-14

He has left us so many clues. Between His Word, and all our brothers and sisters in Christ, who are walking testimonies declaring TRUTH. How can we miss it? 

If you need help finding your way out of the pit, cry out to God, reach out to me. Together we are sure to overcome any demons we may face.

"Two people are better off than one, for they can help each other succeed. If one person falls, the other can reach out and help. But someone who falls alone is in real trouble. Likewise, two people lying close together can keep each other warm. But how can one be warm alone? A person standing alone can be attacked and defeated, but two can stand back-to-back and conquer. Three are even better, for a triple-braided cord is not easily broken." Ecc 4:9-12

Let's walk this road together. And if I get called home first, I can't wait to see you on the other side. I'm praying for you.