The word ‘groan’ is in all three OT readings today. Naturally, I went and looked it up. It means to utter a low, guttural sound as a result of pain or suffering. Its origins are from the Old Norse word grenja meaning ‘to howl’.
What is really unusual to me is that a different Hebrew word is used for each one that is translated ‘groan’. The King James version of the Proverb uses ‘sigh’ but my NIV translates all of them – Exodus 2:24, Psalm 22:1, and Proverbs 5:9 as groan. The synonyms in English are Cry, gripe, grouse, grumble, grunt, objection, sigh, sob, whine, complain. But none of them elicit the same feeling as the ‘groan’. It is almost an alliteration word. Why do you think Hebrew has so many different words for what we call groan?
I took each of the sentences:
Exodus: During that long period, the king of Egypt died. The Israelites groaned in their slavery and cried out, and their cry for help because of their slavery went up to God.
Psalm: Why are you so far from saving me, so far from the words of my groaning?
Proverbs: At the end of your life, you will groan, when your flesh and body are spent.
The imagery in all of them is powerful. It is not just whining. People are in real trouble and there is possible loss of life. It is OPPRESSION. Some sort of tyranny is involved and the odds do not look good. A savior is needed.
And of course, our NT reading responds. How awful to have to witness your son falling into fire and water and not being able to help him. I am sure he and his wife did some major groaning over their child. It is no problem for Jesus even though the disciples could not heal him. He is clearly and unequivocally the Savior.
But that brings up an intriguing question. Why did the man bring him to the disciples first for healing? Did that mean that the disciples were healing some people but not others? In an earlier reading (Matthew 10:1-16), Jesus gave them authority to drive out evil spirits and heal people. But I don’t recall them doing anything like that. Why wouldn’t the man just bring his son straight to Jesus? Was he afraid? Was that why he ‘knelt’? Or was it in homage to Jesus as ‘Lord’ and ‘Savior’?
I was also intrigued with the whole issue of the Temple Tax and I found a really neat article that does a good job explaining why.click here
Ahh, I love this selection from Matthew. Faith as small as a mustard seed can move mountains.
ReplyDeleteWhen I was younger, I actually had a mustard seed in a little glass ball that I wore around my neck.
Rolling that little glass ball between my fingers and thinking on the passage always gave me a great deal of comfort.
The NIV version of Proverbs on Bible Gateway actually uses the phrase, "cries of anguish" Similar but a bit more intense to my mind.
Peach and Grace on this foggy and damp Thursday.
After taking the Genesis quiz, I decided that I needed to pay a little more attention to the names. Therefore, I was a little taken aback when Moses gets a father in law in Exodus 2 whose name is Reuel. And at the start of Exodus 3 only 5 verses later his name is changed to Jethro. The Life Application Bible has a footnote that says the 2 different names are for the same person but no other explanation. These people liked to change names usually because of some new responsibility sort of like when Marky Mark started calling himself only Mark (Wahlberg) when he switched from being a rapper to a movie star. This would a great place for a Groan!
ReplyDeleteI love the faith as a mustard seed. Lisa above had a great necklace. This is the first time that I realized Jesus was putting them down a little bit implying that the disciples faith was smaller than a mustard seed. For us it is a great illustration for the disciples it must have been a tough day.