Hebrew Word Study – From the Rising Sun – Mizarch
Ps 103:12 As far as the east is from the west, [so] far hath he removed our transgressions from us.
I have always wondered about this verse. How far is the East from the West? I mean, when does East become West? If you start walking East, you will always be going East. If you start walking West, you will always be walking West. Your compass will always point West if you are walking West. For navigation purposes an arbitrary line has been chosen, known as the prime meridian. The international standard is Greenwich in London. This is the 180th Meridian, where East becomes West.
Now there are political usages for the term. We talk of Eastern nations and Western nations. This is determined by a socio-political standard. We talk of a Westernized country. Even though Australia is located in direct line with Eastern nations, it is considered a Western nation because of its economic, political, and religious considerations.
In Rudyard Kipling’s poem, The Ballad of East and West, he has a clever little saying: “East is East and West is West, and never the twain shall meet.” It is sort of a play on the political as well as geological aspects of our terms, East and West. Unlike the magnetic poles where North and South meet, East and West will never meet.
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Ancient man had no real concept of the shape of the world, or of the magnetic poles; it is odd that this verse does say as far as the East is from the West and the North is from the South, so far has he removed our transgression for without a concept of the world being round you would assume North and South would never meet either and it would have made an interesting poetic couplet. Still, it does present to the ancient mind, at least, that there is no meeting of East and West. If you go West, you will just keep going until you fall off the planet. Ancient man would look at the sky, and if he looked off to his left, say East, he would see that vast universe heading off in that direction with no end. Then he would look to his right, say the West, and he would see the vast Universe heading off into the West and in the words of Rudyard Kipling, the twain would never meet.
Thus, this is speaking in hyperbole to say that our transgressions will be removed such that there is no chance that you will ever meet up with them again. They are removed heading West as you are heading East, and you will never meet up with them again. The word far in Hebrew is rachaq which gives the idea of creating a distance between two objects. In the Persian, the word represents the perfect wine. Wine was much different in those days than today, and the ancients were always on a quest to find the perfect wine. I suppose a true connoisseur of wine today will admit that he is on a quest to find the perfect wine. Of course how do you know it is the perfect wine if you have never tasted the perfect wine? Hence the quest is endless because you have no way of determining if a wine is perfect; you can only say it is the best or choicest wine. Just as it is impossible for the East to meet the West or for there to be a perfect wine, it is impossible for our transgressions to be heaped upon us once God has removed them.
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A perhaps obvious point here; East is where the sun comes up, West is where it goes down, we all know that. So from the perspective of being on the road to pleasing God, I must ask if one going in their path of following God can be called “going East.” It can be described as them always going towards, not the sun in sun worship, but going towards the Son of God and going in God’s commandments.
Supposing that going East is towards God, then “going West” is the opposite direction and it’s walking away from God with the back towards him. There’s a song by the title “Going out West” and I once had a nightmare involving it. From memory, the lyrics fit since the dream involved me (or me seeing from the perspective of someone) trying to fight off a hellhole in my (or his) house by myself or himself – all this was before being grabbed by hell for about 3 to 5 seconds. Even that felt wrong in every level and I don’t wish to repeat it – there are many things that would be easier as long as I follow God’s word.
As the Father is standing, head north feet south. With open arms, one arm extends East, the other arm extends west. Open to receive, open to forgive.
Yeshua is the perfect wine. Once you have tasted Him nothing else will do.❤️
This post is so amazing. In fact when I saw the scripture, my eyes widened. At this very moment I was dealing with an issue concerning forgiveness. I strive to live a pure life but thoughts crept in. I allowed them and they yielded. Since my heart is to walk a life pleasing to the Lord, these thoughts were very troubling to me. As I was dealing with forgiveness, I decided to read your post
Oh my, how wonderful the Lord’s timing. Forgiveness received!
Thank you Chaim for your heart to share God’s heart.
Thanking and praising God for Chaim and friends…. Glory to God in the highest, and peace to his people on earth!
I was just pondering the thought the brazen altar sat on the east side of the Tabernacle and the Mercy seat sat in the holy of Holies on the west side. Could there be in correlation to this.
Lots of thought here
Blessings
Well done. I believe that people of this time were freely trading across the oceans and we have evidence of it. Sumerian script on pottery in Colombia and Venezuela and Belize. Most of the Mayan Empire still under trees. We will see more trade confirmation in the future. Regardless the lesson speaks for itself. Transgressions, like tumors, are lifted right out of people of Faith. The Zohar teaches that paradox the way of Spirit. The west and east always meet in circular thinking. I believe, these people, like Indigenous Americans, thought in circles, not lines. Geometry was communication with the Heavens. Perhaps this was meant as Paradox. I’m not sure, but it makes it that much more meaningful to this Scholar