Bible Studies
Our ancestors trusted in You, they trusted and You did deliver. Psalms 22:4
Noah Webster defined trust as, confidence; a reliance or resting of the mind on the integrity, veracity, justice, friendship or other sound principle of another person. In a previous word study, I reviewed a Hebrew word, shama, which is translated as hear with the intention of hearing and being obedient. Those that hear and are obedient will be safe and secure from the dread of evil (Proverbs 1:33). At the end of the study, I came to the conclusion that we must trust God, and He will remove the fear.
How does one gain the trust of a person, and how does one trust God? I believe an answer is in the rearranging of the Hebrew word, batach. I recently learned this study technique by Rabbis, where they rearrange the letters of a word to form a new word, having a relationship to the topic word. In primitive Hebrew, they used a form of hieroglyphics, so words using the same letters is some cases have a relationship. I believe this works mainly in Hebrew, for I feel strongly, Hebrew is a divine language. Here is a matrix of rearranging the word for trust. (I had to delete the Hebrew characters.)
|
| ||||
| trust |
| cook, massacre, slaughter, killing |
| sculptor, carver |
| chisel |
| mildew |
| hit |
There is a saying, “trust is earned, not given.” It is something one must work at, like building a reputation. I looked at the words in the matrix and didn’t see a relationship right off. A few days passed, and I asked the question, “How is a sculptor an image of trust?” What ways can you think of?
A sculptor takes a piece of material and begins working at it. His tool of choice is a chisel, in which he scrapes or uses a hammer to hit the chisel against his piece. As the chips come off little by little an image begins to form. The sculptor is not finish until the piece is perfected.
I think this shows us an image of trust. It is something we work at, piece by piece. Our historical practices and relationships with others build that trust. Once established, trust becomes easier to see for others to follow as it becomes our reputation.
Since trust starts with the letter “Beth”, the second letter of the Hebrew alphabet, this represents a duality. There is a negative side to trust just as with the sculptor. After much work has been put into the piece, a wrong hit with the chisel can massacre the piece, especially near the end of the finished work. Once a piece is finished, if it is not attended to, mildew will set-up in the piece over time.
Trust can be destroyed very quickly with just one miscue. Sometimes it can be repaired, sometimes it is irreparable. Like the sculptor, once a piece is ruined, a new work must begin. If we do not work at trust, it can tarnish over time.
I then asked the questions, “What is the spiritual application of this?” “Do I blindly trust God?” “How has God personally gained my trust?” As the Psalmist wrote in this verse, he looked historically at his ancestors and the promises from God. Since “my ancestors” trusted in God and He delivered”, I can have confidence that God will deliver me. We have many historical examples in the Bible showing how God can be trusted, but does God continue to work at gaining our trust? I remember a conversation with a lady who shared, “We trust God with our souls, but foolishly do not trust him with our money or anything else.”
A sweet statement I sometimes here, “My grandmother trusted in God, she had a confidence like no other.” Both my grandmother and mother had and have a confidence in God like no other I have met. I wish they could pass down that trust like a family heirloom. Where has God delivered in my life?
Personally, my career. I never made my career plans, they just fell into place. I never left high school or even started college with a plan, but one thing was certain, I was not going to be an engineer, until I signed up for my first semester. I was not going to be a chemical engineer, until I had the highest grade from hardest professor in Chemistry. I trusted that God had me on a path, and I just had to live it.
I then asked the question. What about those with nothing? Has God not provided for them? From my experience in Guatemala and looking at the bigger picture, God provides their basic needs. Some have a trust in God that is amazing.
In wrapping up this study on trust, I found an image of a sculptor and how we works on a piece. This gave me a visual idea of what trust is about. Trust is something I work at and continue working at, and I believe God continues to work on trust. How has he gained your trust? Should I trust him more?
They that trust in the LORD shall be as mount Zion, which cannot be removed, but abideth for ever. Psalms 125:1
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