Blog 107. More on Dwelling in Tents

Blog 108. Sacrifice - Pain that Uplifts
Blog 106. Parables, Parables Everywhere 

Blog 37 addresses this topic, for some background. Now we are digging somewhat deeper, using some of our more recently discovered tools.

dwell ישב


firm up; dry יבש

This is the dry land appearing amidst the waters in Gn1:9.

ashamed בוש

This is the man and his wife not being “ashamed” in Genesis 2:25

repent שוב

Please draw the connection with these four roots. 

יבש is the dry (land) that appears from the gathering together of the waters in Genesis 1:9. ((Gather together קוה – EDBH p. 225, gather to act; strive to a particular goal – Strongs h6960. קָוָה qâwâ; a primitive root; to bind together (perhaps by twisting), i.e. collect; (figuratively) to expect: — gather (together), look, patiently, tarry, wait (for, on, upon).

AV (49) – wait 29, look 13, wait for 1, look for 1, gathered 1, misc 4) ))

The waters are the teaching of God. The יבש appears from waiting for/striving for the goal of God’s teaching.

ישב is when you are at the point of getting there and actually dwelling theresettlingdown

To arrive theremust be the recognition of being ashamed בושdisillusionment inourselves

This is the nature of repentance שובIt is the actual realization that we are not all wethink we areand not what we might beIt is the awareness that God works in thiswaygathering together his teachingin order that our repentance may come about

So, now we return to God’s passing along to the prophet Nathan, his message to King David, in 2S7:6-7 and 1Ch17:4-5. Recall that אהל is influencing. But we must also look a bit deeper into אהל. We can look at it as ל “toward” + אה. Not occurring independently in Scripture, אה is from this family:

GV p.4 אהה express pain; p.5 אוה crave [seek to control]; p.99 יאה befit [be appropriate]; ¿ p.9 איה isolate; p.150 נהה pain ? ¿ p.146 נאה pertain [be appropriate] ?

CM אהה express deep emotion (A20); אוה hide/reveal (A3); יאה extend (C1); איהisolate (A32); נהה impact physically/emotionally (D76); נאה move to desired end 

It is where God lives, in recognition of the pain of disillusionment in ourselves, that God will dwell, and where God desires us to dwell. It must be a deep emotional recognition that we “repent,” we turn. It cannot be because someone tells us to go another way, but rather we must come to a painful recognition ourselves. This is the tent, the Tabernacle of God’s dwelling, the Mishkan משכן. This is why we have explored so many elements in the Tabernacle that point to our humbling. This is whatthe LORD expects of us, if we are able to have hopes of dwelling with him. 

The message is definitely carried forth in the Greek Scriptures as well••• just a few examples:

Matthew 16:24 – NKJV – Mark 8:34–38; Luke 9:23–26

24 Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.

Matthew 8:19-20 – NKJV – Luke 9:57-58

19 Then a certain scribe came and said to Him, “Teacher, I will follow You wherever You go.”

20 And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.”

Matthew 19:21-22 (see Mt19:16-22; Mark 10:17–22; Luke 18:18–23)

21 Jesus said to him, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.”

22 But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.

To follow God’s way, God’s teaching, the יבש dry (land) that comes from the waters is to allow oneself to be guided by his teaching, which brings exaltation by way of humbling••• 

Matthew 23:11-12 (Luke 14:11, 18:9-14)

11 But he who is greatest among you shall be your servant. 12 And whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.

These are not the words of Scripture that we want to hear. We are the Davids, wanting to build great monuments (see the two passages below), but God’s desire is living in tents. The LORD lives in tents as an example that we might live also in tents, not in grandiose fashion, Cathedrals and Temples. These move our physical senses. God is a God of deep emotion. God desires that our hearts dwell there also. Compassion and mercy, connection with the weak and straggling, not “lapping them up.” (Amalek) The “prosperity Gospel” is a “building” of mankind, not of Yeshua, nor of the LORD (יהוה) (surely I have managed to offend many by now).

2 Samuel 7:1-7

1 Now it came to pass when the king was dwelling in his house, and the LORD had given him rest from all his enemies all around, 2 that the king said to Nathan the prophet, “See now, I dwell in a house of cedar, but the ark of God dwells inside tent curtains.”

3 Then Nathan said to the king, “Go, do all that is in your heart, for the LORD is with you.”

4 But it happened that night that the word of the LORD came to Nathan, saying, 5 “Go and tell My servant David, ‘Thus says the LORD: “Would you build a house for Me to dwell in? 6 For I have not dwelt (h3427. יָשַׁב yâšaḇ) in a house since the time that I brought the children of Israel up from Egypt, even to this day, but have moved about in a tent (h0168. אֹהֶל ’ôhel) and in a tabernacle (h4908. מִשְׁכָּן mišḵân). 7 Wherever I have moved about with all the children of Israel, have I ever spoken a word to anyone from the tribes of Israel, whom I commanded to shepherd My people Israel, saying, ‘Why have you not built Me a house of cedar?'”‘

● 1 Chronicles 17:3-10 NKJV

3 But it happened that night that the word of God came to Nathan, saying, 4 “Go and tell My servant David, ‘Thus says the LORD: “You shall not build Me a house to dwell(h3427. יָשַׁב yâšaḇ) in. 5 For I have not dwelt (h3427. יָשַׁב yâšaḇ) in a house since the time that I brought up Israel, even to this day, but have gone from tent (h0168. אֹהֶל’ôhel) to tent (h0168. אֹהֶל ’ôhel), and from (one) tabernacle (to another). 6 Wherever I have moved about with all Israel, have I ever spoken a word to any of the judges of Israel, whom I commanded to shepherd My people, saying, ‘Why have you not built Me a house of cedar (h0730. אֶרֶז ’erez)?'”‘ 7 Now therefore, thus shall you say to My servant David, ‘Thus says the LORD of hosts: “I took you from the sheepfold, from following the sheep, to be ruler over My people Israel. 8 And I have been with you wherever you have gone, and have cut off all your enemies from before you, and have made you a name like the name of the great men who are on the earth. 9 Moreover I will appoint (h7760. שׂוּם śûm) a place (h4725. מָקוֹם mâqôm) for My people Israel, and will plant them, that they may dwell in a place of their own and move no more; nor shall the sons of wickedness oppress them anymore, as previously, 10 since the time that I commanded judges to be over My people Israel. Also I will subdue all your enemies. Furthermore I tell you that the LORD will build (h1129. בָּנָה ḇânâ) you a house (h1004. בַּיִת ḇayiṯ – NKJV note [17:10] 3. Royal dynasty).

1 Chronicles 17:9

9 וְשַׂמְתִּ֣י מָ֠קוֹם לְעַמִּ֨י יִשְׂרָאֵ֤ל וּנְטַעְתִּ֨יהוּ֙ וְשָׁכַ֣ן תַּחְתָּ֔יו וְלֹ֥א יִרְגַּ֖ז עֹ֑וד וְלֹא־יוֹסִ֤יפוּ בְנֵי־עַוְלָה֙ לְבַלֹּתֹ֔ו כַּאֲשֶׁ֖רבָּרִאשׁוֹנָֽה׃

Below is a re-translation of verse nine, by going through with the BDB definitions. There are a few things to point out here. The first time “place” occurs in the NKJV translation, the word is מקום, which we will look at. The second occurrence in NKJV of “place” is NOT THERE. Notice “that they may dwell in a place of their own and move no more,” which is really “And they dwell underneath it and not tremble,” according to BDB. I point out especially the word underneath תחת. Not all of the background work done has been shared on LogAndSpeck, but this word is used in parallel with “ב” in, as in living in a house of or living “under the influence of.” It is talking about bringing the people to a spiritual place in which they will dwell, under which they will dwell and not tremble, not live in fear.

9 And I put מקום to my people Israel and plant him. And they dwell underneath it and not tremble; again and not increase the sons of injustice to consume them like which in the beginning.

Admittedly the purely literal translation is not easy in English. I’ve pointed out the very important phrase for this discussion.

And finally, a little deeper digging into the word מקום, translated as “place.” I believe this is critical to see. It is listed as coming from “מ from” + “קום to rise.” The word also occurs in Genesis 1:9, which we were discussing before: 

Genesis 1:9

9 Then God said, “Let the waters under the heavens be gathered together into one place (h4725. מָקוֹם mâqôm), and let the dry land appear”; and it was so.

Let’s look first at קום and its family, and then at some related words:

It may be enlightening not to look just at this combination of מ + קום, but some other מק cognate permutations:

p.104 ימך lower;; no CMs; family is מכך impoverish: מוך impoverish

p.133 מגג melt into liquid form;; CM dissolve (B62)

p.143 מקק decay;; CM dissolve (B62)

Are you seeing the spectrum here? After the discussion about how looking at Cognate Meanings works, and the exercise of looking at Appendices 9 and 10, are you seeing (remembering there are physical and spiritual meanings) that these מקcognate permutation words are looking along a spiritual spectrum of, as we saw in Mt23:12 above, “And whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”

Raising/lowering. What we do that elevates ourselves lowers us on God’s playing field, and what we do that lowers ourselves raises us in God’s eyes. Counterintuitive, just as the Teacher taught. And why: 

  • Exodus 20:24-26
  • 24 An altar of earth you shall make for me, and you shall sacrifice on it your burnt offerings and your peace offerings, your sheep and your oxen. In every place (h4725. מָקוֹם mâqôm) where I record my name I will come to you, and I will bless you. 25 And if you make me an altar of stone, you shall not build it of hewn stone; for if you use your tool on it, you have profaned it. 26 Nor shall you go up by steps to my altar, that your nakedness (h6172. עֶרְוָה ‘erwâ) may not be exposed on it.’

Oh, there is that pesky מקום word again; please keep in mind the exalting and humbling, raising and lowering. 

And this is why the Tower of Babel had to come down. The people were exalting themselves, making “a name” for themselves. 

My prayer is that you begin to see Scripture with new eyes, not to form yet another new “religion,” but that you see that we have a God that speaks by way of our world and by way of his word in Scripture, and that if we only set our hearts to learn from his teaching, we will ourselves be humbled by seeing how unworthy we are, and have hope of living in a truly God-covered world, living “תחת underneath” the cover of God’s wings; living “in God.” And there is only One, the Creator and Master of all things, though mankind may have many different names for the One.

Ⓒ copyright LogAndSpeck November 2022. Please cite if copying

Blog 108. Sacrifice - Pain that Uplifts
Blog 106. Parables, Parables Everywhere 

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