Hidden Things

 Sunday, June 15, 2025

Prayer - "Call to me and I will answer you and will tell you great and hidden things that you have not known." Jeremiah 33:3

The word for "call" used here in Hebrew is Strong's 7121, qara' (קָרָא), and carries the idea of reflecting on His name. In Hebrew a name (shem) is a one-word summation of the totality of a person. Qara' is first used in Gen Chapter One where we see God "called" the light day, the darkness night, the expanse heaven and the dry land earth. He brings the animals before Adam to see what he might "qara'" them.

To qara' serves as a declaration of purpose or function, of identity. 

I find it interesting that the preceding verse here in Jeremiah also directs us back to God's role in creation. "Thus says the LORD who made the earth, the LORD who formed it to establish it--the LORD is His name (shem)."

There are two places in Exodus where God reveals His name to us. In Exodus 3:14 and in Exodus 34:5-7

In Exodus 3:14 He reveals that He is "I AM THAT I AM". In Hebrew "I AM" is hayah (הָיָה), which means to exist. Hebrews for Christians notes this is "shorthand" for "I am with you always" There is no moment in time, just as there is no place where God is not "there" for you. He has always been and will always be, therefor He is always there, where you are. 

In Exodus 34 though we see the use of both "qara'" and "shem" as in verse 5 it says, "The LORD descended in the cloud and stood with him [Moses] there and proclaimed (qara') the name (shem) of the LORD.

And then He declares His name AND His identity, "The LORD, the LORD, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, maintaining loving devotion to a thousand generations, forgiving iniquity, transgression, and sin. Yet He will by no means leave the guilty unpunished; He will visit the iniquity of the fathers on their children and grandchildren to the third and fourth generations."

So, to call (qara') to Him begins with an invitation to remember who He is.  He is the creator who has always existed and whose identity is found in His forgiving mercy, loving grace but also in His justice.

It's also interesting to learn that the Hebrew for "to answer" is a word that can have dual meaning. The word "`anah" (עָנָה) can mean both "to answer" and "to afflict". 'Anah implies a kind of direct intervention. In the case of answering, someone is directly addressing a need. In being afflicted, one might be directly experiencing the consequences of circumstances—a kind of formative, sometimes corrective, intervention. This can even have a theological nuance: affliction (or hardship) is sometimes seen as a method of humbling individuals, preparing them to receive divine answers or wisdom later on It’s a reminder that in ancient Israelite thought, life’s challenges were intertwined with divine communication and purpose. And the duality of this word points us back to God's identity being both merciful and just. We love that first part. But we tend to reject the second part. We want all the forgiveness but none of the consequences. But that isn't just. 

As humans we have limited understanding whenever it comes to things of the spirit. God's word tells us His ways are higher than our ways, His thoughts are not our thoughts. (Is 55:8-9). But there are times, especially whenever we come to God with a frame of mind that acknowledges Him as best as we can discern Him to be, when He peels back the curtain and gives us a glimpse into His heart. These are the things that are "unsearchable, incomprehensible, or "cut off" (in the Hebrew) from our understanding. This is also the understanding we have whenever we come to faith. He opens our eyes, our ears, He chisels that rock hard rock exterior from our hearts to reveal a heart of flesh that was made to beat in rhythm with His. And suddenly what was a frustrating at best, offensive at worst, reality, is now a beautiful thing. We see His hand at work in our life and the lives around us. 

Heavenly Father, thank you for all that you have ever made known. Thank you for shining illuminating light into darkness so that we can see You. Please, Father, remove the scales from the eyes of those who are blinded to Your goodness. Please cleanse them from the bitterness that courses through their veins and give them Your living water instead. Please keep knocking, pursuing, calling to them. Thank you for your enduring patience. Father, convict us, those who have come to know you, whenever we're not as patient and merciful as we have been called to be. Thank you for discipline and affliction that leads us back to you, closer to you, where we find peace and safety in your arms. Cut us off from all that harms us and lift us up out of the mire and muck that tries to render us fruitless. In Jesus' name, Amen. 

Wholeness through Brokenness - 2 Kings 5

As I read the story of Naaman being cured of his leprosy, because of the testimony and faith of a young, captured Israelite girl, verse 13 especially spoke to me. Our pride is not so much different than that of Naaman. Salvation is a simple gift from the Lord. Yet, we continually try to earn it. We make take this wonderful gift of grace and complicate it with religion. Elisha's refusal of Naaman's gifts also speak to the way we muddle up salvation. Thinking it can maybe be purchased through our tithes. God's favor isn't earned. It's a free gift given while we're yet sinners. So, to be sure Naaman understood this, Elisha refused his gifts. I also found it interesting that Naaman was to wash in the Jordan River --the same river Jesus was baptized in. Naaman felt he was too good to wash in the Jordan, but Christ, who needed no forgiveness of sin, obediently was baptized in the Jordan. Then at the end after reading about Gehazi's greed, we see he was given leprosy which made him "white as snow". Isn't it interesting that we typically view that phrase as a good thing, stemming from the verse in Isaiah that declares though our sins are like scarlet, they will be "white as snow."

Beauty - "Like a gold ring in a pig’s snout is a beautiful woman without discretion." Proverbs 11:22

The Hebrew word for "discretion" is taam (טַעַם) which means taste, discernment, judgment, understanding. It is the same word used in Psalm 34:8 that says, "Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good! Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him!" 

Whenever I read the word discretion, I typically think of it to mean being tactful. But it can also mean the freedom to make decisions. 

Lord, give us discretion. Help us to separate truth from lies. Right from wrong. Give us more of you. More of your sight. Your love. Your forgiveness. Your heart. May we seek these things more than physical desires that look pleasing to the world around us. May we taste/perceive/see that You are indeed good. Always.  In Jesus' name, Amen.