Why in Hebrew? Why Repetition? from CG Workbook Seven: Standing With Israel Another objection to Hebrew prayer is the fact that it is in a foreign language. Yes, it is a foreign language, but in Hebrew, the word (dvar) is the thing (dvar) and the language of Creation. It is the language of Adonai’s most important message to mankind. In other languages, the word is merely a label corresponding to the thing. In Hebrew, it IS the thing! This may sound mysterious, but Hebrew words are made of pictograms. At the least, they are super memory devices for remembering the essence of the word. While one does not have to learn Hebrew to be saved or study Scripture, the ability to study in Hebrew certainly enhances ones growth in his or her salvation. The Psalms, which are designed for corporate worship and extend to all life events, have a unique feature that emphasizes their structure and aids memorization for recitation in the synagogue, Temple, congregation, or personal prayer. Psalm 119 is broken into numbered thematic categories according to Hebrew letters. Psalm 145, the Ashrei, is a song easily memorized if one uses the acrostic of the Hebrew letters. In order to use those acrostic memory aids, however, the prayer has to be sung in Hebrew, not English. The Ashrei includes the statement, Every day I will bless you. Does He get tired of being blessed? Apparently not. Another line from the Psalm is A recollection of Your abundant goodness they will utter... Again? Yes, again. The Psalmists acknowledge repetition in prayer is important. Whether we find it boring or not is not the point. Whether it is His will and His pattern in prayer matters, and the Hebrew letters help to fix the concepts in one’s nefesh, for to pray is to pray from the spirit. The spirit is not dependent upon a feeling to pray the words of Scripture on a given day; the spirit understands “It is written,” and praying Psalms is written. It is the nefesh that is being dealt with in prayer, for the ruach, unless completely subjugated to the nefesh, naturally reaches to connect with its source, the Ruach Adonai. Yeshua never corrected repetition in prayer, but vain repetition, prayers repeated to bring attention to ones own righteousness or prayers that presume Adonai is hard of hearing; therefore, one must repeat until he hears, such as the prophets of Baal attempted in the Elijah challenge. Just as the disciples continued to observe the commandments of the Torah after Yeshuas resurrection, they continued in corporate prayer both in the structured Hebrew prayers of the Temple and synagogue and in spontaneous, joy or need-driven prayers. Let there be no condemnation among us.
Posted on: Wed, 05 Nov 2014 14:04:58 +0000
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