Tuesday, February 1, 2011

Meditate God's Word

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Notes from Joseph Prince Sermon: 
Meditate on GOD's Word & Receive Grace Upon Grace.

The word “meditate” here is hagah  הָגָה in Hebrew. It means to mutter under ones breath.
Cow chewing its cud
A cow makes this word clear for most. When a cow eats, it does not use-up the grass it eats just yet. The grass, now cud, goes down to its stomachs (it has 4 stomachs). Some time after the cow eats, especially when it rests, it regurgitates the cud back to the mouth. We see the cow chewing cud even when he just had empty mouth. Only then when it takes the cud out from its belly to chew it does the cow really get the best out of what it ate earlier.

Meditate means going back to the word time and time again. It’s almost as easy as worrying. The only difference is, worrying is a self-directed thought while meditation is two-way conversation involving GOD in the thought.     



This is to be the way Joshua decodes the written word.


Let’s look at the original Hebrew script of Moses’ instruction to Joshua.


To better understand the word of GOD, it helps to get back to the original text. The scripture was first written on a scroll in Ancient Semitic/Hebrew text. Using the New International Interlineal Hebrew-English Bible we read from right to left.

Snapshot from the video "Meditate on God's Word and Receive Grace Upon Grace" by Joseph Prince
New International Interlineal Hebrew-English Bible

“This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night,” Joshua 1:8 (NIV)
It's interesting to note that in the original text, Joshua was told to meditate not on the book of the law but instead on (him) a person.

Snapshot from the video "Meditate on God's Word and Receive Grace Upon Grace" by Joseph Prince
New International Interlineal Hebrew-English Bible
“that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it.”Joshua 1:8(NIV)

The Two Untranslated Letters
Here we see that in the original text, GOD indeed commanded prosperity and success. GOD wants HIS people to be successful and prosperous. 

The original text also wrote something that our English Bible left untranslated. It was untranslated for the simple reason that it cannot be translated at all! The Hebrew readers even skip reading these two letters pointed by the red arrow below.  
Snapshot from the video "Meditate on God's Word and Receive Grace Upon Grace" by Joseph Prince
 New International Interlineal Hebrew-English Bible
"Then you will be prosperous and successful." Joshua 1:8(NIV) 

So what could this two Hebrew letter word be? 

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