Good Morning Yamon Ki Yesepar and Nevim Arith Hayomim:
Psalms 91:1: “He that dwells in the secret place of the Most High, shall abide in the shadow of the Almighty.”
This sounds really great and is very comforting. The only problem I have is: what is this secret place, where is it, and how do I get into this secret place? What does it mean to abide in the shadow of the Almighty? Does it have anything to do with C.S. Lewis’s concept of the shadow lands? Does it simply mean that we are covered by the shadow of the Almighty?
I don’t know, maybe I am just weird and I am the only one who asks these questions. Yet, I know I am not the only Christian who longs to be in a “secret place” with God. I personally need to know more about this “secret place.” When it comes to getting more knowledge on something like this what does one do? Go to their pastor, check out commentaries, listen to a radio or TV preacher? Nothing wrong with this but keep in mind this knowledge is coming from people no different than you are. Ultimately our understanding of a secret place comes from the Holy Spirit and I do not see anywhere where someone has more of the Holy Spirit because they have some title before their name and letters after their name. I mean I have a title before my name and letters after my name and if someone were to ask me what this “secret place” is, I am just going to give them an opinion. Probably the same opinion that someone without the title or letters after their names can just as easily give.
Something I have heard all my life and through Bible College and Seminary is: “Look in the Word of God, the answer is there, you just need to look.” I have found that this is true, the answers are in the Word of God. I may take a more round about way to reach them, but I ultimately come up with answers similar to other believers who are guided by the Spirit of God.
Let me just take you on my round about search and see if my conclusion is similar to yours. First, I work under the assumption that every word in the Hebrew explains itself. Rather than translate word for word as we did when I was a graduate assistant involved in the translation of the NIV, I discovered that there are orthodox rabbis who translate letter by letter.
For instance, let’s take the word for “secret.” It is the word “satar” in the Hebrew. Check it out in your lexicon or the back of Strong’s (5643) and you will find it means a covering, protection, shelter or secret place. Yet, that definition does nothing to help me understand how I can find this shelter and how do I know I am in this secret place. So I need to start translating letter by letter.
The first letter in “satar” is a samech. In the Assyrian script, which is the Hebrew script we use today, as opposed to the Canaanite script or the ancient Hebrew script, we find the Samech is shaped like an “o.” It is my belief, which I have sought to prove in my doctoral dissertation, that the Assyrian or square script was developed by the sages to picture the sacred or spiritual meaning behind each letter of the Hebrew Alphabet. These meanings were known long before the square script was ever developed. The meanings existed in Oral Tradition long before the script came along.
The samech is the only regular letter where the center is suspended in mid air. Exodus 32:15 tells us that the Tablets with the commandments of God, written by God Himself had the letters on both sides. God bore the letter right through the tablets which meant the center of the samech was left suspended in mid air. When God formed the samech it was done with a ring of fire according to the oral tradition of the Jews. Thus the first letter of the word secret place tells us it is a place totally supported by God. Like that Off commercial you see on TV where a person puts the Off sensor around his belt and it forms a shield around his whole body so the mosquitoes bounce right off. Only in this case, it is a ring of fire so that any evil thing that attempts to reach you through that burning ring of the samech will not only be devoured by the flames, but will actually feed the flames so they become stronger. This is just like adversity in your Christian life that will only strengthen your faith. Note that we are in the center of the samech. Our total trust is in God alone. Anything we trust in outside that flaming circle (IRA, job, health, etc) can be devoured by the enemy. If our support is from God alone, the enemy can not touch that support.
The next letter is the Tav which initiates one of the most crucial experiences in our Christian walk, that is redemption. Redemption is a new beginning, it can happen any time or in any circumstance. It is the redemptive work of Jesus Christ that brings us into this dwelling place. Note in Psalms 91:1, we are not commanded or instructed to dwell in the secret place, it only speaks of those who dwell in the secret place. Only Jesus Christ alone in His redemption can bring us into this secret place.
The last letter is “resh” tells us our part in entering this secret place. It is repentance. This is the only act required of us to bring us into this “secret place.” The rest is left to the finished work of the cross.
But soft, check out the word for “shadow.” In Hebrew it is “besel” This is a play on words. Although the “beth” is a preposition, the writer chose this word because it also spells out the word for “onion” or has the idea of peeling back. It is also the word for nakedness. The root word itself is “salal” which means to cover or protect. In other words when we dwell in that secret place, that place that is surrounded by the fire of God, we live in the shadow of God. In that shadow God is stripping us naked so to speak, peeling back the layer of the onion. As He removes one layer, we discover another layer which he removes and then another and another. You begin to wonder if there will be anything left when He finishes removing these layer of darkness. What is left is a pure heart.
God creates in us a pure heart, a heart that loves Him without motive or agendas. A heart that is truly one with God for that secret place is the very heart of God.
Well, I think I’ve shared nothing that you don’t already know or which has not already been revealed to you by the Spirit of God. It is just that I came about it in a round about way.
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