selah.
Selah is a word used 74 times in the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament). Of
those 74 times, 71 can be found in the Psalms and 3 in Habakkuk. Based
on different scholars' opinions, the word can stand as a musical mark or
instruction to pause.
Psalm 32
7 You are a hiding place for me;
you preserve me from trouble;
you surround me with shouts of deliverance. Selah
Selah in and of itself is much more than a pause. It is an anthem that demands silence. It signifies something.
The Psalms as a whole were meant to be sung. Thirty-one of the thirty-nine psalms with the caption, "To the Choir-Master" include the word selah.
Selah has also be interpreted as coming from the primary Hebrew root word salah, meaning "to hang." This is a measuring reference meaning the value or worth or something was determined by hanging it from a scale.
Over and over again the Psalms have provided comfort in times of uncertainty. As Tye and I pack up our things to move "home," I can't help but think of everything we are leaving behind. I am not typically an optimistic person. I have to fight pessimism. When I look at our move, I don't immediately think of the exciting new opportunities ahead of us. Selah comes to mind. I want a selah attitude- I want to be in a state of stillness while proclaiming the importance of the Lord's plan. Each verse that selah follows is a cry of sorts, whether from the writer or from the Lord. Each is significant. Selah is not a gentle pause. Selah is a bold stillness. A proclamation that warrants no immediate response other than reverence.
I pray that over the next few weeks I take the time to really reflect on all the Lord has done for us. I also pray that I not dwell on what we are leaving behind but on what He is preparing us for. A large part of our reasoning behind this move is the ability to adopt quicker than we would have been able to in our current location. I have no doubt that he is orchestrating our steps to fulfill that calling.
Psalm 32
7 You are a hiding place for me;
you preserve me from trouble;
you surround me with shouts of deliverance. Selah
Selah in and of itself is much more than a pause. It is an anthem that demands silence. It signifies something.
The Psalms as a whole were meant to be sung. Thirty-one of the thirty-nine psalms with the caption, "To the Choir-Master" include the word selah.
Selah has also be interpreted as coming from the primary Hebrew root word salah, meaning "to hang." This is a measuring reference meaning the value or worth or something was determined by hanging it from a scale.
Over and over again the Psalms have provided comfort in times of uncertainty. As Tye and I pack up our things to move "home," I can't help but think of everything we are leaving behind. I am not typically an optimistic person. I have to fight pessimism. When I look at our move, I don't immediately think of the exciting new opportunities ahead of us. Selah comes to mind. I want a selah attitude- I want to be in a state of stillness while proclaiming the importance of the Lord's plan. Each verse that selah follows is a cry of sorts, whether from the writer or from the Lord. Each is significant. Selah is not a gentle pause. Selah is a bold stillness. A proclamation that warrants no immediate response other than reverence.
I pray that over the next few weeks I take the time to really reflect on all the Lord has done for us. I also pray that I not dwell on what we are leaving behind but on what He is preparing us for. A large part of our reasoning behind this move is the ability to adopt quicker than we would have been able to in our current location. I have no doubt that he is orchestrating our steps to fulfill that calling.
Psalm 3
4 I cried aloud to the Lord,
and he answered me from his holy hill. Selah
and he answered me from his holy hill. Selah
5 I lay down and slept;
I woke again, for the Lord sustained me.
6 I will not be afraid of many thousands of people
who have set themselves against me all around.
I woke again, for the Lord sustained me.
6 I will not be afraid of many thousands of people
who have set themselves against me all around.
7 Arise, O Lord!
Save me, O my God!
For you strike all my enemies on the cheek;
you break the teeth of the wicked.
Save me, O my God!
For you strike all my enemies on the cheek;
you break the teeth of the wicked.
8 Salvation belongs to the Lord;
your blessing be on your people! Selah
your blessing be on your people! Selah
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