Psalms 103:8: “The LORD [is] merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and plenteous in mercy.”
Merciful and gracious are two words we hear all the time in church. In fact we hear them so much we never really stop to consider what they mean. We just know it is something good. So I plan to spend a little time with these words.
Merciful is the word rachum which comes from the root word racham. I have spent considerable time with this word in other studies. It is really one of my favorite words because it expresses so much of the heart. I have said so much about this word that there is really not much more I can say. That word expresses God as loving, tender, gentle and kind like a bridegroom is to his bride on their wedding day. That is racham, what more can I say… Huh? What? I’m trying to do a study here, no I don’t have time to go behind my Looking Glass, go on, be off with you.
I have to apologize Resh, Cheth and Final Mem (Racham) just jumped out of my Hebrew Bible and challenged me to find out more about Racham. I have talked so much about Racham I am sure you are sick of hearing…Hey come back here, I need that. Excuse me Racham just ran off with my Hebrew Bible and ran into Look Glass. I will be back in a minute. You see time does not exist behind my Looking Glass so I could spend days in Hebrew Esoteric Land and not a moment will pass in my world. So I will be right back.
Oh, oop, ah, ok I’m good, I can sit down, eek, no I can’t. I think I can sit down if I do it carefully like woooo, ok I’m seated. Chonk that was some journey but I guess I learned my, ouch, lesson. Sorry, it was a rather rough trip and I am pretty well beaten up. It only hurts when I sit back against the chair like this aaaaaaah! It’s ok, it’s all alright. I’ll just lean forward and write this up.
I suppose you are wondering what happened on my journey into Hebrew Esoteric Land. Well, here’s my story, I chased Racham with my Hebrew Bible through my Looking Glass into Hebrew Esoteric Land and saw them run into a non-descript solid walled building with no windows. I ran up to the building and saw a sign, Denominational Headquarters. It was my denomination, or my former denomination. I wondered why they would have a branch in Hebrew Esoteric Land. They didn’t even believe in the Esoteric structure of the Hebrew Alphabet and believe me they persecuted me to no end because of it.
Anyways, there was no time to ponder that, I had to get my Hebrew Bible back. I walked into the building and was immediate confronted by a Resh in a leather jacket, with a whip and a Nazi style Gestapo hat. Putting the end of his whip under my chin he said in a thick German accent, “Zist ist a trespasser.” With rising panic I sputtered: “No, really, I am not, I used to be ordained in this denomination and…” “Where ist zee ordination papers?” The Resh demanded. “Uh, well, you see, I, uh, it’s like this…” “Enough!” barked the Resh. “Get zee out of here, auchtung!” “You don’t understand, I pleaded, I have to find my Hebrew Bi…” “Erbrew you say!” Growled the Resh. I think I just said the wrong thing. Looking at two brown shirted Reshes he ordered, “Take ‘em to zee interrogation.” I suddenly found myself forcibly driven into a dark hallway where I was thrown into a bare room with just an old wooden table, a couple chairs and a bare lightbulb hanging from the ceiling. “Hey,” I asked trying to friendly, “Where did you get that bulb, I can’t buy one anywhere, all they sell now are those swirling tube like…” “Zit down,” ordered another fierce look Resh, whip in hand, leather jacket and Gestapo hat. I sat down in the chair as an arrogant, self-righteous looking Cheth in a brown fedora and suit and tie walked in carrying a leather whip. “Gulp!” I gulped. “Well, well,” sneered the Cheth, “Zo what haz we here?” “Let me at ‘em, I just have a passion to beat the truth out of our defrock ministers.” This came from a sinister looking muscle bound Mem behind the Cheth in a tan tee shirt carrying a leather pouch that looked filled with – oh my gosh a black jack.” “Just zee moment Mem,” ordered the “Cheth.” I needz zee information and then hez yours.” Approaching me from behind he puts his mouth up to my ear “Does zee speak in tongues.” “Hey,” I reply, “We’ve been over that and…” Whack! I feel the whip across my back. “Ouch!” I cry. “Answer zee question.” “Look, it’s like this…” Whack! “Now cut that out,” I cried. “Does zee practice zee charismatic heresy?” “Look, I have done nothing that violates my vows when I was ordain…” Whack again! Now I was really angry, I jumped up and for the first time I look at the Gestapo Resh, the Fedora wearing Chet and the thug Mem and realized that they made up the word Racham (mercy).
That did it, I was having a regular melt down and I laid into them with all I was worth. “Look at you, a fine example of Racham. You never did accept my definition of Racham as tender caring love, no you stayed with mercy. Ok, ok, have it your way, Racham means mercy. Well, where is your mercy now, kicking me out your denomination because I just wanted to get closer to God. You’re bad Hebrew letters, shame on you, shame on your denomination and shame on your momma, all of you, I don’t want anything to do with any of you!” Suddenly the Nazi Racham disappeared and in its place stood another Resh, Cheth and Mem, only they were the Resh, Cheth and Mem Racham – mercy from my Hebrew Bible. “Where did you guys come from?” I asked. “Oh, our offices upstairs.” “You belong to my old denomination?” I ask. “We are found in every denomination and by the way we don’t disagree with your assessment that we mean only mercy, we also know that we Racham is the highest level of love, love that is returned, love that is gentle and filled with compassion.”
“Oh yeah,” I replied then why did you give me that left foot of fellowship? My Racham just looked sadly at me and said, “That was not us, they were our shadows.” Unfortunately, our shadow follows us in every denomination.” Resh then spoke, “I represent compassion and healing. Unfortunately, my shadow represents condemnation, self-righteousness, judgmental and condemning any emotionalism.” The Cheth stepped forward and apologetically said: “I represent a bonding with God, but my shadow is bonding with oneself resulting in pride arrogance, rudeness and abuse of leadership.” Then Mem quietly said: “As a Mem I speak of flexibility and passion. But my shadow speaks only of narrow mindness and destructive passion.”
“I see” I said, “It is the old saying that the church is made up of flawed humans. We spoke for sometime and I had to agree with my Hebrew letter friends that you will find the shadow of Racham in every church and every denomination. You will find the Resh who is filed with compassion, understanding and healing but you will also find his Shadow who feels self-righteous and will fill you with condemnation. You will also run into the Cheth, they are often in leadership roles whose love for God will draw you to God and help you bond with God, but there will also be the Shadow of Cheth. They too are found in a leadership role. They will be filled with themselves, arrogant, prideful, taking themselves too seriously and they will abuse their power and leadership role. You will also run into the Mem. The Mems are very understanding and flexible. They will not condemn you and they will be the first to pray for you for they are filled with the passion of God. But they too have a shadow, the Shadow of the Mem will be so narrow minded that they will not permit you to explore or investigate any teachings that do not match up to their own. They are passionate for their own beliefs and that passion can be destructive.
Well, ouch, that’s my story – ooh, my aching back. I know it sounds fantastic you don’t have to believe it, but could you at least believe what my Hebrew Letter friends taught me. We are all just flawed humans saved by the blood of the lamb. The shadows sneak into every denomination, lurking around your cellars waiting to interrogate you, don’t condemn your denomination for the shadows, look to the genuine article Jesus.
I have my Hebrew Bible back but I am just too sore from the beating I took from the Shadow of Racham, so if you will excuse me the Resh promised to send his other two companions, Pei and Aleph (Rapha’ – healing) to do some spiritual healing for it is not my physical back that is in pain, it is my spiritual back and Rapha will rub and massage some salach (forgiveness) on my spiritual back.
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