“Know before Whom You Stand”
Or
…KaVaNah and the Long Dark Night of
the Soul…
Amos 3:2-3
2Only you I
have known of all families of the land, Therefore I charge on you all your
iniquities. 3Do two walk together if they have not met? [1]
John 10:14-15
14 ‘I am the good
shepherd, and I know my sheep, and am known by mine, 15according as
the Father doth know me, and I know the Father, and my life I lay down for the
sheep, [2]
In
many Jewish synagogues, a sign can be found above the ark [cabinet] that holds
the Torah scroll. It reads:
Or transliterated:
“Da Lifnei mi atah Omed”. It means “Know Before Whom You Stand”.
The idea for this comes from
Moshe’s experience in the wilderness at the burning bush (see Exodus 3:2-15). The
concept behind this statement takes its place as a reminder that when we
approach God in either prayer or study, it should be with a respectable awe and
a focused, reverent attitude.
The truth to this is that we
are always in the presence of God as Paul alludes to in Acts 17:22-28 and as
Isaiah relates to us in Isa 6:1-8. If we hold this to be true, then shouldn’t
we always be aware that everything we say, think and do is in the divine
audience of the Living God?
This
ought to all believers be a sobering thought. I know it was for me. How many words have I spoken that I hadn’t
taken into account my true audience? How many idle, vain words, hurtful words,
angry words, and blasphemous words have I thought or uttered? How often have I lashed out in anger or rage,
how many great swelling words have I shouted at another in defense of one
attitude or another and not regarded who else was in the room – the Presence of
the Most High God? O to this, brethren, to this now must I confess, must I
repent…
O
God, Yahvey Elohim, Yahvey Sabaoth
Before
You and You alone have I sinned…
I
have not bridled my tongue, nor regarded Your Holiness, as I have spoken words
against Thee
and
against others
Today
I repent, today I acknowledge my iniquity
And
I throw myself before You, asking for mercy and forgiveness
Amein
There
is a word that describes all this; it is the word “KaVaNah”. In Hebrew it looks
like this:
Loosely
translated in a variety of ways, it can mean “intent, focus, direction or
understanding”. But KaVaNah is not merely a word that can be defined – it is,
as I have stated before, exactly what Hebrew truly is – a concept. We stand
before One who sees us – all the time.
Nothing is secret from Him, nothing is hidden. Yet, consider this: how many of us, in the
hopes of landing a job, will spend hours crafting our resume, practice our “spiel”
if you will to sell ourselves at the job interview with this potential employer?
We’ll be willing to spend countless moments thinking of just the right words to
say to someone we want to impress; there will even be rehearsed speeches,
teachings, the list goes on and on… but, we’ll just drop in any time we feel
like it before the King of Glory, with no preparation, no plan, no conscious
thought of Who it is we stand before, and we’ll graciously give Him 2 minutes,
5, maybe 15 minutes of our time. Some maybe able to stretch it out to 30
minutes or an hour, but truthfully? The most important Presence you or I could
ever hope to stand before is neglected or worse, assigned to our minds as an
after-thought. We go about our lives, doing our own thing then off the cuff or
on the spur of the moment we’ll go “Oh, by the way, did You want me to do this
God? I sure hope so, because it’s really what I wanted to do…”
KaVaNah
needs a closer look. As seen before, in modern Hebrew it looks like this:
Reading
right to left it is comprised of the Hebrew letters “kaf, vav, noon and hey”.
Moshe would have written the word as this:
כֿ :
the
“kaf” symbolizes an open hand, with meaning of open, or allow
: the
“vav” is the image of a tent peg or a nail; it means to add, secure or hook
: the
“noon” is an image of a sprout, or something darting through water; it would
later be akin to a fish. It means to continue, heir, or life
: the “hey” is the image of a man with up-raised arms, later it would be drawn depicting a window because of its meaning: it means to look, to reveal, or what comes from
Using
the ancient picture language, KaVaNah can be translated into meaning:
“Allow
the nail to secure what comes from life”
Think
about that if you will. It puts the whole focus of what we want or need out of
life on something outside of ourselves. Take an alternate understanding of the
picture language and you’ll see what I mean:
“The
hand with the nail secures or reveals life”
There
is only One with nail scarred hands that can provide, secure or give us life.
KaVaNah reveals the Father’s intentions; what reveals ours?
Let’s
look again at Amos 3:3:
Other versions will handle this verse differently:
(ABP+) ShallG1487
[2goG4198
1two]G1417
togetherG2009.1 altogetherG2527 ifG1437
they do notG3361 make themselves
known to each other , no .G1107
G1438
(ASV) Shall two walk together, except
they have agreed?
(BBE) Is it possible for two to go
walking together, if not by agreement?
(Bishops) Can two
walke together, except they be agreed?
(Brenton) Shall two
walk together at all, if they do not know one another?
(CEV) Can two people walk together
without agreeing to meet?
(CJB) Do two people travel together
without having so agreed?
(ISV) "Will a couple walk in unity
without having met? [4]
Can
you see the point? If intentions are different – there can be no journey
together. This then brings me to my sub-topic:
“…The
Long Dark Night of the Soul…”
James 1:2-4
3 knowing that athe testing [Greek dokimion, meaning
“approving”] of your bfaith produces 1cendurance.
4 And let 1aendurance have its [see Proverbs 1:20-33] perfect 2result, so that you may be 3bperfect and complete, lacking in nothing. [5]
1 Peter 4:12-14
12 Beloved, do not think it strange concerning
the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened to
you; 13 but rejoice nto the extent that you partake of Christ’s sufferings,
that owhen His glory
is revealed, you may also be glad with exceeding joy. 14 If you are 5reproached for the
name of Christ, pblessed are
you, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you. 6On their part He is
blasphemed, qbut on your
part He is glorified. [6]
1 Peter 1:6-9
6 Wherein ye
greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness [distress] through manifold [many, diverse] temptations: 7 That the trial [better, “the genuinesss”] of your faith, being
much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried [tested] with fire, might be found unto
praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ: 8 Whom
having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet
believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory: 9
Receiving the end [the
goal] of your faith, even the salvation
of your souls. [7]
There
are periods and times that the joy of God escapes me. I thought of using the
pronoun “us”, but please, allow me to personalize this. For what good can I do for
another, if I don’t first experience what I call the “long dark night of the
soul”. All around me, we see preachers and teachers that smile and joke, that
all appear to have it so together; when I see them I wonder if they suffer
anything at all. Yes – our walk is to be joy unspeakable, complete with rest,
and peace yet…. Is there not a valley between every mountain? Is there not a long
steep climb ahead of me at the base of every hill? For every bright sunny day
or for every cloudless sky, does there not also exist the long dark night or
the storm filled heaven?
Don’t
let anyone tell you differently, for it can lead to a crisis of faith. One
example:
After
the defeat of the Japanese in China in World War II, missionaries flourished
under the rule of the nationalist leader Chiang Kai-shek; trouble was on the
rise though with the resurgence of the communists under the leadership of Mao
Zedong. The missionaries continued to bring thousands to Christ, telling them
of all the good of being a believer, but neglecting the part of suffering for the Messiah. They
preached safety and peace and well being, yet when the communists took over in
1949, the Christians were among those that Mao sought to “purge” from China; by
imprisonment, torture and death Mao waged his war against what he considered
“western influences”. The missionaries and their flocks were rounded up and
sent to the death camps and many turned on their teachers for lying to them,
with promises of peace and security as they watched whole families and villages
slaughtered by the godless forces of Mao. The cry went up “Where is Christ? Why
didn’t He protect us as you promised..”
The long dark night of the soul for the Chinese believers continues to
this day, 64 plus years of persecution. How many turned away because they
weren’t told of the trials to come?
Messiah
promised us tribulation [John 16:33 “… 33 These things I
have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall
have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world....”[8]]; Paul speaks of it in 2 Thess 1:4; Rom
5:3-4. Peter speaks of it in 1 Pet 3:14 and 5:10. Job spoke of it in Job 2:10. Tribulation is not a new thing, not something
that has not been warned against.
We
are refined in fire and tribulation, as shown in Zech 13:9; Psalm 12; Ps
66:10-12 and Mal 3:1-3. Today, there is trouble. Where does most of this
trouble we have now come from? I can speak for myself, but I think the words of
Yeshua can do it better:
Matt
10:34-36
34 ‘Ye may not suppose
that I came to put peace on the earth; I did not come to put peace, but a
sword; 35for I came to set a man at variance against his father, and a daughter
against her mother [compare Mic 7:6, Matt 10:21,
Luke 12:53], and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law, 36and the enemies
of a man are those of his household. [9]
And from the Tanakah:
2
Sam 12:10
10 ‘And now, the sword doth not turn
aside from thy house unto the age, because thou hast despised Me…11thus
said Jehovah, Lo, I am raising up against thee evil, out of thy house… [10]
Notice
the words in 2 Sam 12:10: “…, because thou hast despised Me…” This English word, “despised”, in
Hebrew is the word bâzâh [baw-zaw'], meaning “…to disesteem: - despise, disdain, contemn (-ptible)…”
Disesteem means to regard with disfavor. Does God bring
trials and trouble upon His children because they regard Him with disfavor?
The
short answer for this is “Yes”. How – and this is talking about my case – did I
regard God with disfavor? By being a reactor and not a responder, that’s how.
This
simple act began my long dark night of the soul. Brethren, hear me now – unless
those you love have gone through the healing process, unless they have allowed
God to completely have His way in their lives and do His work – then there will
be trouble in your house. Here in this place – a place of safety – you are
healing. Here in this house of God you are surrounded by the representatives of
Messiah. You hear His words, experience in varying degrees His love and
presence and slowly are healing. The same is not necessarily true for your
family. In our sin, there was a lot of hurt, a lot of damage wrought. They –
whoever “they” might be – be they mother, father, sister, brother, aunt, uncle,
son or daughter, best friend – whoever it is that is significant in your life –
is important to your healing process, as you are to theirs. But O hear me
- that which is changing you has to be changing
them also.
If it isn’t, here is what truly happens…
They are watching. Every word, every move, every gesture
– looking for any clue that what you are going through is one of two
things:
(1)
Is it Real
(2)
Or Just another scam
I burned my family out on my “jail-house” conversions or
my “discipleship” conversions if you will. I’d go in – swear to Jesus I’d
changed – then 6-7 months (if I was lucky) later – off to the races! Run and
gun! Then, I’d come sniveling back – back into rehab, discipleship, whatever –
come out “Praise the Lord!” – then – Run and Gun! Get the picture?
It’s
been 4 years since my last “run and gun”. I KNOW this time it’s real. They, my
family, hope, but truly don’t know. All it takes is one miss-step – one wrong
word, one wrong attitude, one wrong thing that reminds them of who I was – and
folks, it’s all over. Back to square one – one thousand good deeds flushed down
the tube…
The long
dark night of the soul begins. The loneliness, the frustration, the pain of
always being reminded of who you were – not who you now are. And it is here, in
this environment, that you have to be a responder, not a reactor. What’s the
difference?
- A Responder listens – checks their tongue – holds
their peace – and humbles themselves.
- A reactor only hears the accusation, not the pain
behind it. A reactor barks back, gives up their peace and grows defensive,
and combative. A reactor then justifies the other’s fears. And the cycle
goes on and on.
It is hard to walk right with God. You are always
checking yourself – your words, your ways – you park your emotional baggage
outside the door and learn to stuff and swallow your feelings – usually your
pride.
For myself, there are times I just want to walk away; it
is an impossible task to do right all the time and to face the consequences
that are waiting if you do not. You get tired, you get weary. And it hurts. It
hurts because you know that you really don’t have their trust. It’s a fact of
life my brethren. As formerly addicted personalities, we have to face one truth:
unless our loved ones have been through the process of forgiveness, of
rebuilding trust, of commitment, of letting go – then the fear that we are just
one phone call, one car ride, one walk in the wrong neighborhood away from the
fall…
That fear is always present. What we have to do is deal
with it, not react to it. Now that is how we deal with family; but what about
God?
One aspect of this long dark night is feeling we are
alone.
Psalm
42:1-3
Why Are You Cast Down, O My Soul?
so pants my soul for you,
O God.
day and night,
It is hard; God does sometimes
withdraw the knowledge of His presence and this leads us to as the Psalmist
said:
My tears have
been my food day and night, while they say to me all the day long,
“Where is your God?”
Again:
Ps 42:10 As with a deadly wound in
my bones, my adversaries taunt me, pwhile they say to me all
the day long,
This present darkness settles in
for a time, and it unsettles you. You see, the word of God prepares us for
these times:
“Why
art thou cast down, O my soul?”
Why
does God do this? Why when we have His promise to never leave us of forsake us?
I believe He does it to remind us, that we cannot do it alone. Look at Paul.
Paul saw the third heaven. To keep him from exalting himself he was given “a
thorn in the flesh”. What was that “thorn”?
Well
I don’t know. Many scholars have pondered this, but I just don’t know what his
was, I only know mine. What I was – that’s my thorn. The man I was isn't a place
to dwell in, or linger on, but it is one image that never leaves my mind and heart – therefore, it keeps me
humble. When I get "too big for my britches", then God steps aside and lets me be
reminded of where grace brought me from. Maybe Paul’s thorn was who he was: the damage he caused as a
persecutor of God’s people. Maybe it was the death of Stephen – only God and
Paul know.
It
is a long dark night of the soul, this remembrance. I can still see the
consequences of my sin, still played out in the lives of those I love. I ask,
“Where are you God?” and yet, He still lets it play out. I’m not trying to depress you my friends,
just warn you. Maybe you’ll be blessed and not have to experience this – but in
case this is a trial you have to go through, I want you to be prepared. I want
you to be a responder..
- Respond in love
- Respond in Humility
- Respond in Grace
For myself, I find that it is pride
that is the catalyst for God to bring these nights upon me. When I allow pride
to get a foothold – God brings me back to reality. For of a truth, what do I
have to boast about?
2
Cor12:9
For every weakness – there is a
strength.
For
every valley – there is a mountain.
For
every long dark night – there is a brighter day.
Ps
43:3-5
Let them bring me to Your holy mountain,
4 Then I will come to the altar of God,
I will praise You with the lyre,
5 Why am I so depressed?
Why this turmoil within me?
Put your hope in God, for I will still praise Him,
Trials,
troubles and tribulation; these go hand in hand with love, peace and joy. You
will be judged by what you were, but the answer is to respond by what you are,
God’s child. The long dark night always has to give way to the dawning of the
day.
Be not afraid of the slings and
arrows of those you love, but do as Peter says:
2
Peter 3:18
1
Peter 5:10
10 After you have
suffered afor a little
while, the bGod of all
grace, who ccalled you to
His deternal glory
in Christ, will Himself eperfect, fconfirm, strengthen and
establish you. [16]
Fear
not the night, just be prepared.
Now,
how does this seemingly different topic fit in with KaVaNah?
Was I in agreement with God? On my
long dark night, was I walking the same direction as He, or was I on my own
course?
Where and when does KaVaNah meet
the long dark night? Do they walk in agreement? Sometimes; maybe always.
Sometimes intent is emptiness. Sometimes
emptiness is the intent. The latter is what I believe I experienced. For some,
this disconnect with God lasts for years. Friends, can you live with nothing?
If God choose to pull back the knowledge of His presence from you today could
you go on, hang on, waiting on the Lord? Can you go on hoping for more but
enduring the emptiness, the nothingness till He choose to return? Before you
say this would be impossible, let me tell you of one lady who did just that.
For over 64 years she endured the silence of God, working tirelessly for His
kingdom, giving her all for His least. It wasn’t until near her death that the
presence of God returned. Her name? Mother Theresa. So yes, it is a hard
question, but one that might need be asked if we do not know before Whom we
stand. Many believers face this emptiness every day – and either don’t know the
presence is gone or don’t want anyone to know what they are experiencing. I’d
rather it be that I didn’t want anyone to know than to go about not knowing He
was gone- for if I didn’t know it – was He ever really there?
Think
about this. Do we value the blessing more than He who blesses? Also, ponder about
what we do, think or say – does it bless God or are we as James says in James
3:9-10:
9 Therewith
bless we qGod, even the
Father; and therewith curse we men, rwhich are made after the similitude of God. 10 Out
of the same mouth proceedeth blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things
ought not so to be. [17]
“These tings ought
not so to be…” Then
why are they?
We
know not before Whom we stand.
Truly
then, the long dark night of the soul is used by the Father to reveal our
KaVaNah – our intent. The tongue that curses men cannot bless God. The two do
not travel the same road, they do not meet, they are not in agreement. What
lies within is verily what comes out of us.
What
is the lesson then of “Da Linei mi atah Omed”?
It is
the lesson of KaVaNah.
“Allow
what was nailed to secure what comes from life.”
Trials,
tribulations, troubles; they are the anguish of the long dark night AND the joy
of the morning. They are the ascent up the mountain, and the descent of the
same.
Moshe
went up the mountain seven times – and down it seven. Seven times he ascended
into the presence of the Living God, and seven times he descended back into the
world of men. Where do you think he preferred to be? Each time, God had to tell
him “Go back down”. Moshe knew Whom he stood before, and he obeyed. Back in the
world of men when he was confronted, he responded by going to God. The one time
he reacted and struck the rock the second time – it cost him the Promised Land.
Friends, it is all about KaVaNah.
The intent of our heart has to be in agreement with the intent of God if we are
to truly walk with Him. If we know before Whom we stand, then all we do will
finally change, our words, thoughts and deeds. It has been said before, if your
faith cannot alter your behavior, it cannot change your destiny. KaVaNah will
alter your faith; it will change your destiny.
I hope you have been given food for
thought today brethren; Father Yahvey gave us a mind to ponder these things,
and then, once we are fully persuaded, we can T’shuvah – repent and return.
This
takes the right KaVaNah – and then surly will we know Whom it is before we
stand.
May He
richly bless you this day my beloved
Amein
[1] Young, R. (1997). Young's Literal
Translation. Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software.
[2] Young, R. (1997). Young's Literal
Translation. Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software.
[3] The Holy Bible : King James Version.
1995 (electronic ed. of the 1769 edition of the 1611 Authorized Version.).
Bellingham WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.
[4] Parallel
Bible Comparisons; e-Sword® Version 10.0.5, copyright ©2000-2012 Rick Meyers;
All rights reserved worldwide.
a Matt
5:12; James 1:12; 5:11
b 1
Pet 1:6
1 Or
temptations
a 1
Pet 1:7
b Heb
6:12
1 Or steadfastness
c Luke 21:19
1 V 3, note 1
a Luke 21:19
2 Lit work
3 Or mature
b Matt 5:48; Col 4:12
[5] New American Standard Bible : 1995 update.
1995. LaHabra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.
n James 1:2
o 2 Tim. 2:12
5 insulted or reviled
p Matt. 5:11; Luke 6:22; Acts 5:41
6 NU omits the rest of v. 14.
q Matt. 5:16
[6] The New King James Version. 1982.
Nashville: Thomas Nelson.
[7] The Holy Bible : King James Version.
1995 (electronic ed. of the 1769 edition of the 1611 Authorized Version.).
Bellingham WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.
[8] The Holy Bible : King James Version.
1995 (electronic ed. of the 1769 edition of the 1611 Authorized Version.). Bellingham
WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.
[9] Young, R. (1997). Young's Literal
Translation. Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software.
[10] Young, R. (1997). Young's Literal
Translation. Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software.
1 Probably a musical or liturgical term
s 1 Chr. 6:33, 37
t [Joel 1:20]
u Ps. 63:1; John 7:37; [Isa. 41:17; 55:1]; See Ps.
84:2
v Ps. 84:2; Josh. 3:10; Dan. 6:26
w Ps. 84:7; [Ex. 23:17]
2 Revocalization yields and see the face of God
x Ps. 80:5; 102:9
y ver. 10; Ps. 79:10; 115:2; Joel 2:17; Mic. 7:10
[11] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version.
2001. Wheaton: Standard Bible Society.
p See ver. 3
[12] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version.
2001. Wheaton: Standard Bible Society.
j Isa. 43:2
k Isa. 40:29–31; [Phil. 4:13]
l See 1 Cor. 2:5
[13] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version.
2001. Wheaton: Standard Bible Society.
[14] The Holy Bible : Holman Christian standard
version. 2009. Nashville: Holman Bible Publishers.
• The transliteration of a Hebrew word signifying
that something is certain, valid, truthful, or faithful; it is often used at
the end of biblical songs, hymns, and prayers.
[15] The Holy Bible : Holman Christian standard
version. 2009. Nashville: Holman Bible Publishers.
a 1 Pet 1:6
b 1 Pet 4:10
c 1 Cor 1:9; 1 Thess 2:12
d 2 Cor 4:17; 2 Tim 2:10
e 1 Cor 1:10; Heb 13:21
f Rom 16:25; 2 Thess 2:17; 3:3
[16] New American Standard Bible : 1995 update.
1995. LaHabra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.
q See ch. 1. 27.
r See Gen. 1. 26.
[17] The Cambridge Paragraph Bible: Of the
Authorized English Version. 1873. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
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