My Redeemer Lives

It's been quite a year. From storms to breakdowns to drought to health crises...

If you've followed the newsletters this fall, you were aware of dad's hospitalization in September from Guillain Barre syndrome. The loss of use of his arms and legs for several weeks, excruciating back pain, and newly discovered gastrointestinal issues left him with ample reason to empathize with Job of the Bible.

After continuing to see improvements for over a month at home, this week the gut issues resurfaced and sent him back to the hospital for a short stay and recommendations for surgery ahead.

Thoughts of Job entered my mind tonight. Initially I thought about how even when you're going through stuff, when the hits keep coming, you can choose to praise God in the midst of it. Even when you don't feel like it. Especially when you don't feel like it. For truly praise is a weapon that helps wins battles.

A verse came to my mind that recorded these words of Job:

"And as for me, I know that my Redeemer lives, and at the last He will take His stand on the earth." (Job 19:25)

I also remembered I had journaled on this verse at some point. So I got out my latest journal and hoped it was in this one. I started flipping the pages, and wouldn't you know it, there it was near the beginning. Written Nov. 5, 2021. I like to look up words in the Hebrew to see what additional insights can be found.

The word Redeemer is spelled gimmel aleph lamed. It's pronounced gaw-al' and means to redeem (according to Oriental law of kinship), avenger, deliver, purchase, ransom, redeemer, revenger.

And these are the thoughts I wrote about the letters:

"One thing I noticed in this Hebrew word is the last two letters, aleph lamed, reveal God (el). The gimmel represent lovingkindness, culmination, nourishment, and running after to perform a good deed.

"What a picture of our Redeemer! When we're broken, destitute, and stuck in the miry pit of despair and death, our God comes running after us to help! In desperate need of lovingkindness and nourishment, we look up to see a deliverer more than willing to ransom us. The last letter, lamed, represents 'reaching up to heaven for divine knowledge, or receiving'. We have a role to play in our rescue. It's in receiving. As a child holds out his arms to be picked up by his loving father, so can we be. Papa God is ready to redeem."

Tonight I read that verse again and looked up the other words. I don't know much of anything about Hebrew grammar or parts of speech, but if I understand the notations on biblehub.com, the English phrase "my Redeemer lives" might more accurately be said "my Redeemer is life". That little shift is pretty deep in my opinion. But there's more.

The word translated 'earth' is not the word for this globe we're all spinning on as far as I can tell. The word is pronounced aw-fawr', spelled ayin pe resh. It means dust, ashes, earth, ground, powder. It's from a root word that means 'to be gray' or 'to pulverize'. According to this website, "it primarily refers to dust or fine particles of earth and is used in the Bible to denote the material from which humans were created, symbolizing mortality and humility. It can also represent ashes, often used in contexts of mourning or repentance."

I think about Job, who literally lost almost everything of earthly value he had. All this loss, the subsequent wondering of why he was still alive or had even been born...I can sure see a picture of an ash heap. Whether it's a pile of ashes, or the picture of dust from which mankind was formed, it's not a stretch to think aw-fawr' was uttered by Job as an acknowledgement of the remains of his once-vibrant life.

Then we come to "He shall stand." The word for stand is pronounced koom, spelled qoph vav mem. It means arise, stand, establish, confirm, endure, fulfill.

Biblehub.com says "this word conveys the idea of rising from a lower position to a higher one. Various contexts include standing from a seated position, rising to take action, establishing something firmly, or fulfilling a promise or prophecy. The verb can also imply endurance or the act of being established over time." What is more, "in ancient Hebrew culture...the concept of 'koom' also ties into the covenantal promises of God, where he 'establishes' His word and fulfills His promises to His people."

After looking at these words a little more deeply, when I read this verse now it's going something like this in my mind:

"For I know my Redeemer, the one who runs after my pathetic little independent self so He's there to scoop me up in His arms when I finally admit I'm in need, is LIFE itself. And no matter what kind of havoc has been wreaked on this earthly frame and existence by storms and powers of darkness, He in the end will arise, confirm and fulfill His promises to me."

After all, His word declares He brings beauty from ashes.

Thanks be to God for His relentless, redemptive love!