Of Lockdowns and Thumping Hearts

First and last time: That was March 17, 2020, the second week of lockdown at IGSL. For the first and last time, I met my students (residents on campus) in OT 602: Biblical Hebrew Exegesis, face to face. The class was held at ALC 402 with these guidelines: A maximum of 10 people, seated a meter apart, in a spacious classroom with all windows open, and aircons turned off. All of us wore a mask. Later in the day, I was asked to discontinue with this mode of class delivery.

A brief devotion: I started the class with a brief devotion on Psalm 37, and a special attention to verses 3-5. It revolved on three Hebrew words: batach, ‘anag, galal. The English terms used are trust, delight, and commit respectively. There are however, other nuances for these words when we look at the Hebrew terms represented by each. Refer to HALOT.

Batach: to trust, rely on, feel secure, feel confident in
’Anag: to delight, take pleasure in, refresh oneself in
Galal: to commit, roll away, release, let flow

Let me bring your attention to the word galal and its meaning, roll away. It sounds like Gilgal, the place where Joshua circumcised the second generation of Israelites who came out of Egypt. On that day and at Gilgal, Yahweh rolled away their disgrace and shame from being slaves in Egypt for more than 300 years. See Joshua 4:19-5:9.

Going back to the Psalmist, what were the realities in his life that time he penned this Psalm?
What truths can we learn from Psalm 37 that applies to our current situation?

To summarize, the Psalmist counsels that whatever we are going through right now, we must:

1. Entrust these to the Lord and find our confidence in Him as we face each situation (v. 3).

2. Delight and refresh ourselves in the Lord. (v. 4).

3. Choose to roll away or release each need, worry, and pain to Him, no-holds-barred (v. 5).

Two questions: I posed two questions for the students. (1) What are your initial thoughts on the corona virus pandemic? (2) How do you feel about the whole situation now? The students shared their thoughts, feelings, and questions. These are still written on the white board at ALC 402.

Prayer: May the living God continue to reveal who He is to us in this critical time; help us discern His purposes; grant us wisdom on what to do each time; and calm our thumping hearts. May He encourage, minister to you, and refresh you today . . .

Keeping faith in Jesus Christ even in uncertain times,

Mona P. Bias

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