Tag Archives: alphabet

Aleph

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I’m going full nerd-mode now.
We’re gonna learn Hebrew.
Don’t be scared.
It’ll be fun.

Most Bibles have a heading before every eight-verse section of Psalm 119 (although paraphrased versions might not). Each of the twenty-two stanzas of this psalm are introduced by a letter of the Hebrew alphabet, in order from A to Z, or more accurately, from Aleph to Tav.

Aleph looks like this:aleph

According to Jewish tradition,
each letter was divinely created by God
and contains revelation about the Messiah.
Do you see Jesus in the letter Aleph?
He’s in there.

See that diagonal line in the middle?
It’s a position of humility.
“Taking the very nature of a servant…he humbled himself.” Phil. 2:7-8

See that arm reaching up to the right?
It shows His deity, His connection to the divine realm.
“Who being in very nature God…” Phil. 2:6

See that arm reaching down to the left?
It shows His humanity, His connection to the earthly realm.
“…did not consider equality with God something to be grasped.” Phil. 2:6

 This is a dramatic picture of Jesus with two outstretched arms,
one to His heavenly Father, one to us.
He is the link between heaven and earth.

Wait. There’s more.

Despite the fact that Aleph, a consonant, is the first letter in the Hebrew alphabet, it is a silent letter. It takes on the sound of a vowel, depending on the marks attached to it. There is a story in Jewish folklore that says all the letters of the alphabet came before the Lord to give reasons why they should be the first letter of the first word in the Torah, or Bible. All except for Aleph. The Lord asked Aleph why it didn’t come and Aleph explained that it was silent and had nothing to say. So the Lord honored Aleph’s humility and placed it at the beginning of all the letters.

Wait. There’s more.

Jesus said, “I am the Alpha and the Omega,” which is the Greek way of saying, “I am the Aleph and the Taw.” Like the humble letter, Jesus came in humility as a human being and suffered in silence.

“He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth;
he was led like a lamb to the slaughter,
and as a sheep before her shearers is silent,
so he did not open his mouth.”
Isaiah 53:7

“Then Pilate asked him,
‘Don’t you hear how many things they are accusing you of?’
But Jesus make no reply, not even to a single charge —
to the amazement of the governor.”
Matt. 27:13-14

So God the Father honored His Son’s humility and gave Him His rightful place.

“Therefore God exalted him to the highest place
and gave him the name that is above every name.”
Phil. 2:9

And that’s just the first letter.

aleph (1)

Next: My favorite words.

Stanza A

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Since most of us don’t read Hebrew,
and since I admire David’s use of his alphabet,
and since I am quarantined and have oodles of time,
I thought it would be fun to re-write David’s magnum opus.

Not to improve upon it, mind you. I find re-wording scripture is a challenging exercise because it forces me to process each word and try to match the meaning while using different expressions. You might want to read the original first (scroll down) — I guarantee it’s better.

Here are the rules:
1) Start every line of the eight verse sections with the same letter.
2) Stay true to the meaning.
3) Since David wrote with a poetic meter, keep each line to eight syllables.
4) Break the rules when necessary.

Here goes.

Psalm 119:1-8       

A blessing comes to the spotless;
   to those who walk in His footsteps.

Another for guarding the truth
   and a hearty pursuit of God.

All wrongdoing should be cut off
   in order to stay on His path.

Author of precepts and commands,
   You expect my obedience.

Alas, I am not consistent
   in keeping Your law in my grip.

Away with the shame of my sin;
   instead, my eyes rest on Your word.

Arise and make way for some praise,
   while I learn to follow Your rules.

Above all, I will stick with You.
   Please, please, please, don’t give up on me!

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*Next: a verse-by-verse study of Psalm 119:1-8.

Praying the Alphabet

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Have you ever had a hard time falling asleep at night?
Let me re-phrase that.
In the past two weeks, have you had a hard time getting to sleep at night?

moon

Considering how important sleep is to staying healthy and giving our immunity a boost, this is one positive thing we can learn to do better. Even during a pandemic. Here’s a little idea for you: Pray the alphabet.

Thank God for something that starts with A. “Thank you, Lord, for animals.”
Thank God for something that starts with B. “Thank you, Lord, for beauty.”
You get the idea.

When I do this, two things happen:
1) I fall asleep with gratitude in my heart instead of worries and cares.
2) I never make it to Z.

Sometimes I thank God for people.
Thank you, Lord, for Anna-Abel, Blake, Charlie, Dan, Eli-Ella-Evie-Emma-Ember…
It’s ok to use a letter more than once.

Sometimes I thank God for things that give me joy.
Thank you, Lord, for Art, Books, Crossword puzzles…

Sometimes I thank God for flowers.
Thank you, Lord, for Asters and Bee Balm and Carnations…

Sometimes I thank God for food.
Thank you, Lord, for Apple pie and Banana cream pie and Coconut cream pie…
On second thought, that’s not such a good idea.

Sometimes I thank God for His gifts to me.
Thank you, Lord, for your Abundance, the Bible, Compassion…

Sometimes I thank God for Himself.
I praise you, God, because you are Almighty, Brilliant, Creative…

The possibilities are endless.
But on those nights when even this seems too hard
and words don’t come,
take heart from some old Jewish folklore:

If you recite the alphabet five times very slowly,
God, to whom all prayers are known,
will put the letters together to form
the prayers you can’t put to words.

“I will praise the Lord, who counsels me;
even at night my heart instructs me.
 I have set the Lord always before me.
Because he is at my right hand, I will not be shaken.
Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices;
my body will also rest secure.”
Psalm 16:7-9

 

Next: a whole bunch of posts on “A-Z”!