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Lamentations, Language, Teaching

Lamentations 3:21-33 – It is good to wait for Yahweh

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This I call to mind,

and therefore I have hope:

The steadfast love of Yahweh never ceases,

his mercies never come to an end;

they are new every morning;

great is your faithfulness.

“Yahweh is my portion,” says my soul,

“therefore I will hope in him.”

Yahweh is good to those who wait for him,

to the soul that seeks him.

It is good that one should wait quietly

for the salvation of Yahweh.

It is good for one to bear

the yoke in youth,

to sit alone in silence

when [Yahweh] has imposed it,

to put one’s mouth to the dust

(there may yet be hope),

to give one’s cheek to the smiter,

and be filled with insults.

For adonay will not

reject forever.

Although he causes grief, he will have compassion

according to the abundance of his steadfast love;

for he does not willingly afflict

or grieve anyone.

——————–

This reading selection from Jeremiah’s Lamentations is the first optional “Response” that will accompany the Track 2 Old Testament option from the Wisdom of Solomon.  There it is written, “God did not make death, And he does not delight in the death of the living.”  If chosen, these readings will precede a reading from Paul’s second letter to the Christians of Corinth, where he wrote: “I do not mean that there should be relief for others and pressure on you, but it is a question of a fair balance between your present abundance and their need, so that their abundance may be for your need, in order that there may be a fair balance.”  All will accompany a reading from Mark’s Gospel, where the Spirit passed through Jesus, healing a woman, prompting him to say, “Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace, and be healed of your disease.”

In this song of sorrow, there are sets of three verses for each letter of the Hebrew alphabet.  Verses 19 and 20 [not included] fall under the heading of Zayin [ז], the seventh letter.  The verses 31-33 then fall under the heading of Kaf [כ], the eleventh letter.  In these thirteen verses, the NRSV [and thereby the Episcopal Church] has presented a capitalized “Lord” six times.  In reality [as there are no capital letters in Hebrew] this assumption is based on Jeremiah having written different certain words, where that difference is not recognized as such, generalizing everything as “Lord.”  One of those times is pure manufacturing, as a third person form of a verb is assumed to be “Lord,” when nothing so specific was written.  The first four words written by Jeremiah can be capitalized as the proper name for God, which is “Yahweh.”  The last reference [verse 31, but all verse numbers have been erased by the Episcopal Church] had Jeremiah write “adonay,” which could be translated as a lower-case “lord.” 

Because it has been presented as “Lord,” I have restored the original Hebrew.  It must be understood that the naming of Yahweh is a statement of a direct, personal relationship with Him.  To call Him “Lord” is a statement that one believes in God, but has never known Him.  When Yahweh becomes one’s “lord,” then one will cal that inner presence one’s “lord.”

Because this song of lament is sixty-six verses long, which is twenty-two sets of three verses, each set associated with a letter of the Hebrew alphabet, the missing two verses that lead to verse 21 need to be seen.  They are translated by the NRSV as such:

          19  The thought of my affliction and my homelessness is wormwood and gall!

20  My soul continually thinks of it and is bowed down within me.

In the Hebrew text, the word translated as “my soul” is written last in verse 20, rather than first, as the translation shows.  The literal translation of this verse says, “remember remember, to sink down low within my soul,” where “zā·ḵō·wr tiz·kō·wr” is repeating the word “zakar,” meaning “remember.”  This double statement reflects back on the use of “zə·ḵār-‘ā·nə·yî” in verse 19, which literally translates as “remember my poverty.”  Those memories are of “roaming, restlessness, straying” [from “ū·mə·rū·ḏî”], such that the “wormwood and gall” are the bad experiences of past sins remembered. 

By realizing that the three verses of the Zayin set all speak of memories of when a “soul strayed” away from Yahweh, one can see how verse 21 then sets up the following triplets, by saying, “This I call to mind, and therefore I have hope.”  The colon mark is not part of the text, as all triplets end with the Hebrew letter samech [ס], which is “used to mark the end of a setumah” – a closed section [“parashah”].  Thus, “I have hope” has to be seen as Jeremiah having his soul given a promise of a future beyond the material realm, where “hope” equates with “salvation,” where “salvation” is dependent on fulfilling a promise made by a soul in return.  That “hope” then comes from a soul marrying Yahweh and rising from “poverty” and “affliction” to the ability to withstand the present pains, because of the faith found in a promise.

The essence of a colon can be seen as why the Episcopal Church cut off the two verses that talk of the necessity of having sunk as low as a soul can sink, which is what leads a soul to beg for mercy and find the hand of Yahweh offering salvation, in exchange for becoming His wife and subject.  They only want to focus on the ‘rebound’ that comes from “hope,” without placing focus on the sin that must be forever sacrificed, in order to gain “hope.”  As the next triplet delves into that “mercy,” they are simply using one verse to set that up, rather than three.

Verse twenty-two then begins the triplet under the letter Chet [ח].  The NRSV translation shows, “The steadfast love of Yahweh never ceases, his mercies never come to an end,” where I have replaced their use of “the Lord” with the truth written.  The translation shown is not what is stated, as the literal translation says, “the mercies Yahweh that not finished  ,  that not accomplished his compassions  .”  There is nothing written about “love,” although “compassions” can lead one to think that is the intent.  The Hebrew words “ṯā·mə·nū” and “ḵā·lū” are similar, as both can mean “completion” or “finished.”  The word “kalah” expands that to “at an end, accomplished, or spent.”  This then says the “goodness” or “kindness” of Yahweh are not “finished,” after those “mercies” have been extended to a soul that has been redeemed through divine marriage.  Likewise, that “goodness” and “kindness” will continue, as they will not reach “an end,” because Yahweh’s “compassions” will forever remain with a soul in marriage.  Therefore, to intuit “love” from this means the shared “love” of a Husband and a wife.

The middle verse of this threesome then is translated by the NRSV to say, “they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.”  While this gives the impression that “his mercies never come to an end,” such that “they” infers a soul can sin and sin some more, with Yahweh always extending “new” forgivenesses” every morning,” this is an absurdity.  The omitted verse that tell of how low a soul went, before Yahweh was begged to save it, says the “endlessness” is the commitment a soul makes to receive the “goodness” of Yahweh.  The word “goodness” is the opposite of “sinful,” so that which is “new” is the life led by a soul.  The element of “morning” is when a new light of truth has come, removing a soul from darkness.  The aspect of “faithfulness” says the soul and Yahweh both keep their commitments in marriage, with the intimate presence of a soul merged with the Spirit of Yahweh brings true faith to a soul, which is “steadfast, firm, and true.”

The final verse of the Chet segment is then said by the NRSV to say, “Yahweh is my portion,” says my soul, “therefore I will hope in him.”  Here the word “hope” is found, which matches the usage in verse twenty-one [“’ō·w·ḥîl”].  The literal translation has this verse begin with “my portion,” which is a statement about a soul’s “share” of the commitment that reflects “faithfulness.”  That “portion” then says “Yahweh speaks my soul,” which says one’s commitment is then to do what Yahweh says to do, in order for that soul to remain saved.  This is not unwilling force, but desires actions, where the “hope” of one’s “soul” is to be told what to do, to please Yahweh.  With “hope” explained, this triplet is ended by a “ס.”

Verse twenty-five then begins the triplet under the letter Tet [ט].  The NRSV translation shows, “Yahweh is good to those who wait for him, to the soul that seeks him.”  Again, I have made the necessary change to state that Jeremiah addressed “Yahweh,” not some unknown “Lord.”  Here, the first word places focus on “good, pleasant, agreeable,” which is then attributed to “Yahweh to those who wait for him.”  After verse twenty-four spoke of one’s “hope” to do one’s “share,” the aspect of waiting now says one does not act independently of Yahweh.  Simply from having been graced with a desire to do “good,” one only does what Yahweh leads one to do.  In that regard there is the element of “patience” that one learns as a wife of Yahweh, whereas impatience was the impetus to sin before divine marriage.  Again, this is “soul” motivated, whereas before it was the flesh leading the soul into slavery to self.  One learns what would please Yahweh – one’s holy Husband – so one “seeks” to do “pleasing” acts in the name of Yahweh [as a wife].

The middle verse in this set is then translated by the NRSV to say, “It is good that one should wait quietly for the salvation of Yahweh.”  Once again, the name Yahweh is written, but bastardized by translation.  In two consecutive verses Jeremiah began with the word “towb,” where the focus in on “good, agreeable, pleasant.”  Here, the element of “waiting” is translated, but that missing from the translation is the “anxious longing” that comes, when “hoping” to receive a direct command from Yahweh.  The Hebrew word written, “chuwl,” implies a desire to ‘dance, writhe, or whirl,” because one’s soul wants so much to please the Holy Husband.  It is this inner sensation that is the delight held by a soul, not the flesh, so it is “silent” and “quiet.”  It comes from the promise of “salvation” to come, so the soul feels much like a child as Christmas or a birthday nears and there is a sensation of delight that cannot be made to come faster by speaking of it.

The third verse is this set is then said to say, “It is good for one to bear the yoke in youth,” where one more time Jeremiah began with the word “towb.” 

Here, it is “good, pleasant, agreeable” for an adult use self-restraint.  The Hebrew word “geber” means “man,” but it becomes asexual as “warrior.”  Because “men” and “women” struggle with self-restraints ordinarily, as wife of Yahweh becomes a “warrior” that is in a constant war against the lures of the world.  In the silence of patient time, it is easy to become distracted; and when the inner urges are feeling like one is anxious, it demands one who is trained to wear the “yoke” of responsibility and “carry” or “bear” the commitment that is the Law [one’s marriage vows to Yahweh].  Thus, the anticipation of a “youth” or one’s “early life” before divine marriage, must be set aside and managed, because of the promise of salvation.  This set is then ended by the Samech letter [ס].

The Yod [י] triplet is begun by verse twenty-eight said to say, “to sit alone in silence when he has imposed it.”  Here, the insertion of “the Lord” has been removed and replaced with the third person pronoun “he,” as Jeremiah did not specifically name Yahweh.  Rather than simply read this verse as saying, “to sit along in silence,” the literal translation can equate to an intent that says, “let him dwell isolated without external influence.”  This becomes typical of the Jewish isolation from Gentiles, not from seeing Gentiles as inferior human beings [they all are souls inhabiting flesh], but from seeing an incompatibility in beliefs keeps one adhering to Mosaic Law less likely to stray from that law, if one “dwells” amid others of like mind.  In that, the inference coming from “nā·ṭal,” as “has imposed” or “has lifted” or “has born” by God, that ‘higher bar set’ is the Law brought down by Moses, which must be followed [“born”] without fail.

Verse twenty-nine than adds a second verse that begins with the condition saying, “let him.”  From “let him dwell” we are led to “let him put” or “let him give.”  The NRSV translates this verse as, “to put one’s mouth to the dust (there may yet be hope),” where there is nothing written that would place words in parentheses.  To read “let him set in the earth” the inference is to be planted, where the addition of “his mouth” is less about ‘eating dust and more about a soul married to Yahweh becoming His voice place into the world.  It is from planting apostles and prophets into the land that others can be led to also marry Yahweh.  This extends the “hope” of one soul to “hope” for many souls.

The thirtieth and third verse in this set is then translated to say, “to give one’s cheek to the smiter, and be filled with insults.”  In this, there is a repeating of “yit·tên” as the initial focus, such that “let him put” or “let him give” is again the lead to the word translated simply as “smiter.”  The Hebrew word “lə·mak·kê·hū” stems from “nakah,” which translates as “to the one who strikes him.”  This becomes a reflection of an “attacker,” who must then be seen as either a Gentile [enemy of the Judeans, such as the Babylonians] or another Judean [friend or neighbor that disapproved with one’s refusal to be influenced to sin].  Thus, Jeremiah said the same as Jesus, as far as turning the other “cheek.”  In effect, Jeremiah adding “be satisfied with disgrace” means the same as Jesus said. 

When one is the “mouth” of Yahweh “on earth,” then persecution is an expectation.  This releases one to try and isolate oneself from direct confrontations with enemies and neighbors.  However, to correct a neighbor who has disgraced himself or herself by letting him or her know he or she has broken a Law, might cause him or her strike back in anger.  Jeremiah wrote before the system of Judaism that return to Jerusalem after the exile; so, the ordinary Jew was less likely to strike back without legal repercussions.  Still, the “full disgrace speaks as a double-edge sword.  If one has indeed erred and someone slaps a cheek, then one must offer the other cheek as thanks for having been corrected.  On the other hand, if one is slapped wrongly, then offer the “full disgrace” of a sinner, so he or she will strike in anger again, making the error of their ways more known to their souls later.

After verse 30 ended with a ס letter, verse thirty-one begins the last triplet of this reading.  The NRSV translates it to say, “ For adonay will not reject forever.”  Here, the mistranslation of “’ă·ḏō·nāy” as “the Lord” has been totally misunderstood [by Jews and Gentiles – Christians – alike].  When verse thirty is realized to work two ways, the use of “adonay” likewise works two ways.  As “lord” of one’s soul-flesh being, the one who strikes in anger is “lorded” by self-will or [worse] evil demons.  One whose soul has married Yahweh has Him as one’s “lord,” thorough the Spirit of Yahweh [which is not Yahweh directly].  Christians have the resurrection of Jesus’ soul with a host soul as this “lord,” which in Greek can be called “Lord,” but only as a title for that Jesus name within.  Therefore, verse thirty-one says that even sins will not forbid a soul from being “rejected forever” or “cast off forever.”  One casts oneself away from Yahweh, such that the freedom to strike twice will make that evil deed [sin] sink in and turn one back to Yahweh for salvation.

Verse thirty-two then says, “ Although he causes grief, he will have compassion     according to the abundance of his steadfast love” [NRSV].  Here, again, the use of “compassion” is mistaken as some human sense of “love,” like a mother forgiving her child’s sin, without punishment and calling that “love.”  This verse literally begins by saying, “for though he causes grief,” such that “suffering” is a clear statement about punishment, it is that punishment that Jeremiah knew was the depths a soul could sink from having sinned.  Without the ‘suffering” and “grief,” then no soul would ever turn away from sin.  This, again, is relative to letting a sinner strike the other cheek, in “full disgrace.”  That disgrace will bring about a complete lack of “love” from Yahweh – the Father.  Therefore, the “compassion shown” by Yahweh will be to always welcome back a lost soul into His fold.  That “compassion” comes with an agreement that cannot ever be broken.

The translation of “abundance” is misleading, as it again misleads one to think that the same soul can be forgiven countless times.  The better translation says “multitude,” which is relative to the Judeans in exile, the reason for Jeremiah’s lament to Yahweh.  Each and every repentant sinner, all of whom were severely punished for their sins, will be welcomed back by Yahweh, “according to” how the “multitude” agrees to divine marriage.  This led Jeremiah to bracket “his mercies,” which actually means “his goodness,” such that the “abundance of compassion” is based on who decides to receive “goodness” into their souls.

The final verse in this reading is then said to state, “for he does not willingly afflict  or grieve anyone.”  Each of these last three verses has begun with the Hebrew word “kî,” which means “for.”  In this, “for” is followed by “not he does afflict the soul.”  The Hebrew word “mil·lib·bōw” stems from “leb,” which means “inner man, mind, will, heart,” such that “willingly” is a statement about the Spirit of Yahweh not taking delight or pleasure from punishing the wicked.  No matter how bad a human body might feel pain and agony [the story of Job], a soul is never harmed or hurt in any way.  A lifetime of physical pain is nothing more than a fleeting memory to a soul.  Therefore, all punishment seen as Yahweh bringing pain to a sinner is an illusion, because all physical pain and suffering is one’s own soul’s damage done to its body of flesh [unless one is Job, the exception to this rule]; so, Yahweh repairs the damage a soul has done to itself, when one realizes the error of sinful ways.

As an optional reading that is the Track 2 response to the Wisdom of Solomon reading, it is clear to see that Yahweh did not Create in order to destroy.  Jeremiah agrees with that insight by saying the only source for destruction comes from a soul that reject Yahweh in marriage.  The omitted verses that tell of the depths of despair a soul can fall into, due to self-caused punishments, is why Yahweh is so compassionate and forgiving.   A soul have been given life in the material world for the purpose of hearing the whispers that call it to return and be one with God.  Religion has been Yahweh’s gift to the world; but Satan has distorted that gift by using trick of deceit to make those whispers harder to listen to,  The message of Jeremiah’s lament says “hope” for salvation is the key to finding Yahweh, after becoming lost.

Lamentations, Language, Teaching

Lamentations 3:21-33 – Being God’s mouth on earth

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This I call to mind,

and therefore I have hope:

The steadfast love of Yahweh never ceases,

his mercies never come to an end;

they are new every morning;

great is your faithfulness.

“Yahweh is my portion,” says my soul,

“therefore I will hope in him.”

Yahweh is good to those who wait for him,

to the soul that seeks him.

It is good that one should wait quietly

for the salvation of Yahweh.

It is good for one to bear

the yoke in youth,

to sit alone in silence

when [Yahweh] has imposed it,

to put one’s mouth to the dust

(there may yet be hope),

to give one’s cheek to the smiter,

and be filled with insults.

For adonay will not

reject forever.

Although he causes grief, he will have compassion

according to the abundance of his steadfast love;

for he does not willingly afflict

or grieve anyone.

——————–

This reading selection from Jeremiah’s Lamentations is the first optional “Response” that will accompany the Track 2 Old Testament option from the Wisdom of Solomon. There it is written, “God did not make death, And he does not delight in the death of the living.” If chosen, these readings will precede a reading from Paul’s second letter to the Christians of Corinth, where he wrote: “I do not mean that there should be relief for others and pressure on you, but it is a question of a fair balance between your present abundance and their need, so that their abundance may be for your need, in order that there may be a fair balance.” All will accompany a reading from Mark’s Gospel, where the Spirit passed through Jesus, healing a woman, prompting him to say, “Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace, and be healed of your disease.”

In this song of sorrow, there are sets of three verses for each letter of the Hebrew alphabet. Verses 19 and 20 [not included] fall under the heading of Zayin [ז], the seventh letter. The verses 31-33 then fall under the heading of Kaf [כ], the eleventh letter. In these thirteen verses, the NRSV [and thereby the Episcopal Church] has presented a capitalized “Lord” six times. In reality [as there are no capital letters in Hebrew] this assumption is based on Jeremiah having written different certain words, where that difference is not recognized as such, generalizing everything as “Lord.” One of those times is pure manufacturing, as a third person form of a verb is assumed to be “Lord,” when nothing so specific was written. The first four words written by Jeremiah can be capitalized as the proper name for God, which is “Yahweh.” The last reference [verse 31, but all verse numbers have been erased by the Episcopal Church] had Jeremiah write “adonay,” which could be translated as a lower-case “lord.”

Because it has been presented as “Lord,” I have restored the original Hebrew. It must be understood that the naming of Yahweh is a statement of a direct, personal relationship with Him. To call Him “Lord” is a statement that one believes in God, but has never known Him. When Yahweh becomes one’s “lord,” then one will cal that inner presence one’s “lord.”

Because this song of lament is sixty-six verses long, which is twenty-two sets of three verses, each set associated with a letter of the Hebrew alphabet, the missing two verses that lead to verse 21 need to be seen. They are translated by the NRSV as such:

19 The thought of my affliction and my homelessness is wormwood and gall!

20 My soul continually thinks of it and is bowed down within me.

In the Hebrew text, the word translated as “my soul” is written last in verse 20, rather than first, as the translation shows. The literal translation of this verse says, “remember remember, to sink down low within my soul,” where “zā·ḵō·wr tiz·kō·wr” is repeating the word “zakar,” meaning “remember.” This double statement reflects back on the use of “zə·ḵār-‘ā·nə·yî” in verse 19, which literally translates as “remember my poverty.” Those memories are of “roaming, restlessness, straying” [from “ū·mə·rū·ḏî”], such that the “wormwood and gall” are the bad experiences of past sins remembered.

By realizing that the three verses of the Zayin set all speak of memories of when a “soul strayed” away from Yahweh, one can see how verse 21 then sets up the following triplets, by saying, “This I call to mind, and therefore I have hope.” The colon mark is not part of the text, as all triplets end with the Hebrew letter Samech [ס], which is “used to mark the end of a setumah” – a closed section [“parashah”]. Thus, “I have hope” has to be seen as Jeremiah having his soul given a promise of a future beyond the material realm, where “hope” equates with “salvation,” where “salvation” is dependent on fulfilling a promise made by a soul in return. That “hope” then comes from a soul marrying Yahweh and rising from “poverty” and “affliction” to the ability to withstand the present pains, because of the faith found in a promise.

The essence of a colon can be seen as why the Episcopal Church cut off the two verses that talk of the necessity of having sunk as low as a soul can sink, which is what leads a soul to beg for mercy and find the hand of Yahweh offering salvation, in exchange for becoming His wife and subject. They only want to focus on the ‘rebound’ that comes from “hope,” without placing focus on the sin that must be forever sacrificed, in order to gain “hope.” As the next triplet delves into that “mercy,” they are simply using one verse to set that up, rather than three.

Verse twenty-two then begins the triplet under the letter Chet [ח]. The NRSV translation shows, “The steadfast love of Yahweh never ceases, his mercies never come to an end,” where I have replaced their use of “the Lord” with the truth written. The translation shown is not what is stated, as the literal translation says, “the mercies Yahweh that not finished , that not accomplished his compassions .” There is nothing written about “love,” although “compassions” can lead one to think that is the intent. The Hebrew words “ṯā·mə·nū” and “ḵā·lū” are similar, as both can mean “completion” or “finished.” The word “kalah” expands that to “at an end, accomplished, or spent.” This then says the “goodness” or “kindness” of Yahweh are not “finished,” after those “mercies” have been extended to a soul that has been redeemed through divine marriage. Likewise, that “goodness” and “kindness” will continue, as they will not reach “an end,” because Yahweh’s “compassions” will forever remain with a soul in marriage. Therefore, to intuit “love” from this means the shared “love” of a Husband and a wife.

The middle verse of this threesome then is translated by the NRSV to say, “they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.” While this gives the impression that “his mercies never come to an end,” such that “they” infers a soul can sin and sin some more, with Yahweh always extending “new” forgivenesses” every morning,” this is an absurdity. The omitted verse that tell of how low a soul went, before Yahweh was begged to save it, says the “endlessness” is the commitment a soul makes to receive the “goodness” of Yahweh. The word “goodness” is the opposite of “sinful,” so that which is “new” is the life led by a soul. The element of “morning” is when a new light of truth has come, removing a soul from darkness. The aspect of “faithfulness” says the soul and Yahweh both keep their commitments in marriage, with the intimate presence of a soul merged with the Spirit of Yahweh brings true faith to a soul, which is “steadfast, firm, and true.”

The final verse of the Chet segment is then said by the NRSV to say, “Yahweh is my portion,” says my soul, “therefore I will hope in him.” Here the word “hope” is found, which matches the usage in verse twenty-one [“’ō·w·ḥîl”]. The literal translation has this verse begin with “my portion,” which is a statement about a soul’s “share” of the commitment that reflects “faithfulness.” That “portion” then says “Yahweh speaks my soul,” which says one’s commitment is then to do what Yahweh says to do, in order for that soul to remain saved. This is not unwilling force, but desires actions, where the “hope” of one’s “soul” is to be told what to do, to please Yahweh. With “hope” explained, this triplet is ended by a “ס.”

Verse twenty-five then begins the triplet under the letter Tet [ט]. The NRSV translation shows, “Yahweh is good to those who wait for him, to the soul that seeks him.” Again, I have made the necessary change to state that Jeremiah addressed “Yahweh,” not some unknown “Lord.” Here, the first word places focus on “good, pleasant, agreeable,” which is then attributed to “Yahweh to those who wait for him.” After verse twenty-four spoke of one’s “hope” to do one’s “share,” the aspect of waiting now says one does not act independently of Yahweh. Simply from having been graced with a desire to do “good,” one only does what Yahweh leads one to do. In that regard there is the element of “patience” that one learns as a wife of Yahweh, whereas impatience was the impetus to sin before divine marriage. Again, this is “soul” motivated, whereas before it was the flesh leading the soul into slavery to self. One learns what would please Yahweh – one’s holy Husband – so one “seeks” to do “pleasing” acts in the name of Yahweh [as a wife].

The middle verse in this set is then translated by the NRSV to say, “It is good that one should wait quietly for the salvation of Yahweh.” Once again, the name Yahweh is written, but bastardized by translation. In two consecutive verses Jeremiah began with the word “towb,” where the focus in on “good, agreeable, pleasant.” Here, the element of “waiting” is translated, but that missing from the translation is the “anxious longing” that comes, when “hoping” to receive a direct command from Yahweh. The Hebrew word written, “chuwl,” implies a desire to ‘dance, writhe, or whirl,” because one’s soul wants so much to please the Holy Husband. It is this inner sensation that is the delight held by a soul, not the flesh, so it is “silent” and “quiet.” It comes from the promise of “salvation” to come, so the soul feels much like a child as Christmas or a birthday nears and there is a sensation of delight that cannot be made to come faster by speaking of it.

The third verse is this set is then said to say, “It is good for one to bear the yoke in youth,” where one more time Jeremiah began with the word “towb.” Here, it is “good, pleasant, agreeable” for an adult use self-restraint. The Hebrew word “geber” means “man,” but it becomes asexual as “warrior.” Because “men” and “women” struggle with self-restraints ordinarily, as wife of Yahweh becomes a “warrior” that is in a constant war against the lures of the world. In the silence of patient time, it is easy to become distracted; and when the inner urges are feeling like one is anxious, it demands one who is trained to wear the “yoke” of responsibility and “carry” or “bear” the commitment that is the Law [one’s marriage vows to Yahweh]. Thus, the anticipation of a “youth” or one’s “early life” before divine marriage, must be set aside and managed, because of the promise of salvation. This set is then ended by the Samech letter [ס].

The Yod [י] triplet is begun by verse twenty-eight said to say, “to sit alone in silence when he has imposed it.” Here, the insertion of “the Lord” has been removed and replaced with the third person pronoun “he,” as Jeremiah did not specifically name Yahweh. Rather than simply read this verse as saying, “to sit along in silence,” the literal translation can equate to an intent that says, “let him dwell isolated without external influence.” This becomes typical of the Jewish isolation from Gentiles, not from seeing Gentiles as inferior human beings [they all are souls inhabiting flesh], but from seeing an incompatibility in beliefs keeps one adhering to Mosaic Law less likely to stray from that law, if one “dwells” amid others of like mind. In that, the inference coming from “nā·ṭal,” as “has imposed” or “has lifted” or “has born” by God, that ‘higher bar set’ is the Law brought down by Moses, which must be followed [“born”] without fail.

Verse twenty-nine than adds a second verse that begins with the condition saying, “let him.” From “let him dwell” we are led to “let him put” or “let him give.” The NRSV translates this verse as, “to put one’s mouth to the dust (there may yet be hope),” where there is nothing written that would place words in parentheses. To read “let him set in the earth” the inference is to be planted, where the addition of “his mouth” is less about ‘eating dust and more about a soul married to Yahweh becoming His voice place into the world. It is from planting apostles and prophets into the land that others can be led to also marry Yahweh. This extends the “hope” of one soul to “hope” for many souls.

The thirtieth and third verse in this set is then translated to say, “to give one’s cheek to the smiter, and be filled with insults.” In this, there is a repeating of “yit·tên” as the initial focus, such that “let him put” or “let him give” is again the lead to the word translated simply as “smiter.” The Hebrew word “lə·mak·kê·hū” stems from “nakah,” which translates as “to the one who strikes him.” This becomes a reflection of an “attacker,” who must then be seen as either a Gentile [enemy of the Judeans, such as the Babylonians] or another Judean [friend or neighbor that disapproved with one’s refusal to be influenced to sin]. Thus, Jeremiah said the same as Jesus, as far as turning the other “cheek.” In effect, Jeremiah adding “be satisfied with disgrace” means the same as Jesus said.

See end note.

When one is the “mouth” of Yahweh “on earth,” then persecution is an expectation. This leases one to try and isolate oneself from direct confrontations with enemies and neighbors. However, to correct a neighbor who has disgraced himself or herself by letting him or her know he or she has broken a Law, might cause him or her strike back in anger. Jeremiah wrote before the system of Judaism that return to Jerusalem after the exile; so, the ordinary Jew was less likely to strike back without legal repercussions. Still, the “full disgrace speaks as a double-edge sword. If one has indeed erred and someone slaps a cheek, then one must offer the other cheek as thanks for having been corrected. On the other hand, if one is slapped wrongly, then offer the “full disgrace” of a sinner, so he or she will strike in anger again, making the error of their ways more known to their souls later.

After verse 30 ended with a ס letter, verse thirty-one begins the last triplet of this reading. The NRSV translates it to say, “ For adonay will not reject forever.” Here, the mistranslation of “’ă·ḏō·nāy” as “the Lord” has been totally misunderstood [by Jews and Gentiles – Christians – alike]. When verse thirty is realized to work two ways, the use of “adonay” likewise works two ways. As “lord” of one’s soul-flesh being, the one who strikes in anger is “lorded” by self-will or [worse] evil demons. One whose soul has married Yahweh has Him as one’s “lord,” thorough the Spirit of Yahweh [which is not Yahweh directly]. Christians have the resurrection of Jesus’ soul with a host soul as this “lord,” which in Greek can be called “Lord,” but only as a title for that Jesus name within. Therefore, verse thirty-one says that even sins will not forbid a soul from being “rejected forever” or “cast off forever.” One casts oneself away from Yahweh, such that the freedom to strike twice will make that evil deed [sin] sink in and turn one back to Yahweh for salvation.

Verse thirty-two then says, “ Although he causes grief, he will have compassion according to the abundance of his steadfast love” [NRSV]. Here, again, the use of “compassion” is mistaken as some human sense of “love,” like a mother forgiving her child’s sin, without punishment and calling that “love.” This verse literally begins by saying, “for though he causes grief,” such that “suffering” is a clear statement about punishment, it is that punishment that Jeremiah knew was the depths a soul could sink from having sinned. Without the ‘suffering” and “grief,” then no soul would ever turn away from sin. This, again, is relative to letting a sinner strike the other cheek, in “full disgrace.” That disgrace will bring about a complete lack of “love” from Yahweh – the Father. Therefore, the “compassion shown” by Yahweh will be to always welcome back a lost soul into His fold. That “compassion” comes with an agreement that cannot ever be broken.

The translation of “abundance” is misleading, as it again misleads one to think that the same soul can be forgiven countless times. The better translation says “multitude,” which is relative to the Judeans in exile, the reason for Jeremiah’s lament to Yahweh. Each and every repentant sinner, all of whom were severely punished for their sins, will be welcomed back by Yahweh, “according to” how the “multitude” agrees to divine marriage. This led Jeremiah to bracket “his mercies,” which actually means “his goodness,” such that the “abundance of compassion” is based on who decides to receive “goodness” into their souls.

The final verse in this reading is then said to state, “for he does not willingly afflict or grieve anyone.” Each of these last three verses has begun with the Hebrew word “kî,” which means “for.” In this, “for” is followed by “not he does afflict the soul.” The Hebrew word “mil·lib·bōw” stems from “leb,” which means “inner man, mind, will, heart,” such that “willingly” is a statement about the Spirit of Yahweh not taking delight or pleasure from punishing the wicked. No matter how bad a human body might feel pain and agony [the story of Job], a soul is never harmed or hurt in any way. A lifetime of physical pain is nothing more than a fleeting memory to a soul. Therefore, all punishment seen as Yahweh bringing pain to a sinner is an illusion, because all physical pain and suffering is one’s own soul’s damage done to its body of flesh [unless one is Job, the exception to this rule]; so, Yahweh repairs the damage a soul has done to itself, when one realizes the error of sinful ways.

As an optional reading that is the Track 2 response to the Wisdom of Solomon reading, it is clear to see that Yahweh did not Create in order to destroy. Jeremiah agrees with that insight by saying the only source for destruction comes from a soul that reject Yahweh in marriage. The omitted verses that tell of the depths of despair a soul can fall into, due to self-caused punishments, is why Yahweh is so compassionate and forgiving. A soul have been given life in the material world for the purpose of hearing the whispers that call it to return and be one with God. Religion has been Yahweh’s gift to the world; but Satan has distorted that gift by using trick of deceit to make those whispers harder to listen to, The message of Jeremiah’s lament says “hope” for salvation is the key to finding Yahweh, after becoming lost.

———-

End Note: When Jesus spoke of turning the other cheek and when Jeremiah wrote about this being an expectation of Yahweh for His wives, the expectation must be seen as only applying to those souls married to Yahweh. Jesus was. Therefore, he did not slap back at Pilate nor the Sanhedrin. They brought their own souls greater harm than crucifixion brought Jesus’ soul [none]. Still, for the practical purposes of neighbors, striking a cheek means open hand slaps, as an insult. It does not mean closed fists, so the expectation would be to allow an enemy to pummel one to sever injury. David did not turn the other sheek to Goliath; so, there are certainly exceptions.

Lamentations, Language, Teaching

Lamentations 1:1-6 – Being a princess, rather than a prince

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[1] How lonely sits the city that once was full of people!

How like a widow she has become, she that was great among the nations!

She that was a princess among the provinces has become a vassal. ס

[2] She weeps bitterly in the night, with tears on her cheeks;

among all her lovers she has no one to comfort her;

all her friends have dealt treacherously with her, they have become her enemies. ס

[3] Judah has gone into exile with suffering and hard servitude;

she lives now among the nations, and finds no resting place;

her pursuers have all overtaken her in the midst of her distress. ס

[4] The roads to Zion mourn, for no one comes to the festivals;

all her gates are desolate, her priests groan;

her young girls grieve, and her lot is bitter. ס

[5] Her foes have become the masters, her enemies prosper,

because Yahweh has made her suffer for the multitude of her transgressions;

her children have gone away, captives before the foe. ס

[6] From daughter Zion has departed all her majesty.

Her princes have become like stags that find no pasture;

they fled without strength before the pursuer. ס

——————–

Unseen in this English translation above is the use of a vertical bar ( ׀ ) and enclosure marks ( [ ] and ( ) ). The vertical bar indicates a sign of pause, telling the reader to take time and grasp the meaning of the word or words that are set off by that mark. The enclosure marks are also signals to the reader to understand the repetition of words enclosed are statements of their focus being internal – within one’s soul – and not a statement of physicality.

The vertical bar is placed after the first word in verse one, which asks “how?” The English translation above, by not making this mark of pause be known, makes “how” acts as some innocuous word of unknown value (left for the reader to figure out the precise amount) that says, “how lonely sits the city.” That makes it appear as if Jeremiah (the divinely inspired author of Lamentations) is saying “a city sits lonely in an amount of great magnitude that cannot be precisely measured.” In reality, the words following the mark of pause say simply, “it remains separation,” followed by a comma mark, indicating another pause of separation. Therefore, the question “how?” is projected on “he, she, or it” (the third-person) can “dwell” or “sit” or “remain” in a state of “separation” or “isolation.” This makes the question become: “how can it choose a state of separation as a way to dwell in this world?”

Following the comma mark, Jeremiah wrote “the excitement great with people.” Here, the word “excitement” (Hebrew construct “hā·‘îr”) is commonly translated as “the city,” such that a place where a “great many people” live in close proximity to one another means the ‘hustle and bustle’ of such a place keeps human life ‘busy, busy, busy’ with things to do and people to see. This is unlike the boredom of a rural setting, where only one’s family and close relatives are who one goes to see and do things with. This then contrasts the “separation” of “dwelling” as an alternative lifestyle to one that is filled with “the excitement great with people,” who are not of close blood relationship. Therefore, “how?” becomes a reflection on choosing non-family as the ‘spice to life,’ as asking “how can family not excite one to a love of commitment?”

To answer this question, the Hebrew word written after the comma mark is in the third-person feminine singular, where “she has come to pass” is compared to being “like a widow” (another feminine singular word). Here, the feminine has to be read as metaphor for a soul trapped in a body of flesh, where the earthly realm (dust, clay, ashes and bodies of dirt) is feminine, whereas the spiritual realm of Yahweh and His elohim-angels-spirits- souls is masculine. The feminine is thus always without life, while the spiritual is always with life. When an eternal soul is trapped in a body of inertness, this makes the soul be trapped within the restrictions of mortality, where death is surely “coming to pass.” Therefore, a “widow” becomes a soul that has died and lost its flesh that it was married to; but a soul should be married to Yahweh, in order to be rescued from the death of the flesh. This state of being “like a widow” is then relative to the question asking “how?” which then focuses on dwelling in separation” from Yahweh, choosing the “excitement of other people” as a marriage to the worldly realm and the pleasures of the flesh.

Following a semi-colon mark, Jeremiah then wrote a feminine singular adjective, which is then a reflection on this “she” who has “come to pass” and die, becoming “like a widow” to its body of flesh returned to inertness. Here, we find “she is great among the people.” In that, “the word translating as “among the people” is masculine, therefore a reference to the soul within the body that has died. The feminine says the body of flesh became a “greater” influence – a stronger love and desire for – that that of Yahweh, whose Spirit dwells “among the people” calling themselves His children. They (the ‘shes’) mourn the loss of a bag of dead dirt, more than they praise Yahweh for rescuing their souls and releasing them from their imprisonment in the flesh.

That sense of mourning is then explained in the words following a comma mark of separation, where the “greatness she knew before coming to pass” was that as a “princess.” Here, the feminine singular is again placing focus on a soul trapped in the femininity of the earthly realm; but that sense of royalty, as a “princess,” says “she” found “greatness among the nations” as a child of the One God, who was not the God of those other “people.”

As a “princess” the soul felt enabled to do as “she” pleased and gather as “many” riches as possible, due to being a feminine child of Yahweh. This mindset was owed “her” from all the “provinces” of the lands surrounding Judah. Thus, the whole world was to be subjected to “her” wishes; and, “she” was blinded to the threats coming upon “her” dream state, because “she” was not reborn as a prince, as the Son of Yahweh, who would protect the “people” by leading them to spread favorable knowledge about the One God to all the “provinces.” Instead, the “people” of Judah spread weakness in commitment to their “great” God, making them “come to pass” as a former “nation.”

This then led Jeremiah to follow a comma mark with a repeating of what “she has become” – previously as “like a widow” – such that “she has become a slave.” Collectively, when all of a fallen Judah is seen as a “feminine singular” that “has come to pass [become],” all “the people” of Judah have died as “princesses” and become a “body of forced laborers.” Because this is the first verse of the first chapter in Lamentations – a book of the captives in Babylon – the question originally asked – “how?” – asks, “why would you choose a separation from the great Yahweh, where one’s service could only be for Him, with His taskwork being to minister as saintly princes in His name [Israel], only to instead be driven away from your provinces into another nation and become forced laborers to a foreign people, who serve lesser gods?”

When this element of femininity is realized to be a statement of the marriage of a soul to the lusts of the material plane – where a soul is not only imprisoned in a body of matter, but is also married to the feminine spirits of the worldly realm [Satan-led] – The remainder of these selected verses refer to words that place names to this feminine state of being: Judah and Zion. The meaning behind those two words appearing as names are as such: “Judah” is a masculine singular noun, meaning “Praised, Let Him Be Praised;” while “Zion” is a feminine singular noun, meaning “Dry Place, Sign Post, Tradition,” or “Fortress.” These meaning should be read as the intent to be stated by Jeremiah.

In verse two, it is clear that the constructs stating “she weeps” and “her tears” are the nature of the lamentations that come after one has gone too far and is punished for one’s bad choices and actions. To find that “her lovers” and “her friends” have turned against her, becoming “her enemies,” this is a statement that says the weeping and crying of tears is based on the choices that made “her lovers” and “her friends” be wrong. The waywardness that is punished is due to marriage to false gods [self, money, power, knowledge, etc.] and hired hands [religious affiliations, philosophical groups, business companions, etc.] that led to a life of sins and wicked actions. Those actions will be held against one’s soul, bringing forth much sorrow, because the stench of who one laid down with will become the “enemies” that divine Judgment will focus upon.

In verse three, the history of a fallen Judah leading to the “captivity” in Babylon is a physical ramification of past sins. However, the spiritual Judgment that comes upon a soul says “captivity” is the Judgment that a soul return to the imprisonment of a body of flesh. This is a sentence of reincarnation. To find that reincarnation brings about “harsh affliction of servitude,” “dwelling among the people who find no rest,” “her persecutions overtaking her” says the likelihood of returning in another body of flesh born to wealthy Jewish parents is nil. Reincarnation becomes like picking up the Monopoly card that says, “Go to jail, Do not pass Go, Do not collect $200.” It means one is reborn into flesh that had a harder path towards finding eternal salvation, with the probability of many reincarnated lives ahead before that work successfully completed can bring about another shot at the ‘big prize’ of freedom.

In the word “Zion,” one needs to see oneself as being “A Dry Place,” where the flood of all material lusts is kept away from one’s reach. This is the meaning of the words written after the question “how?” is raised, which says “she remains in separation.” The “excitement from the people” is avoided, so there is nothing but arid conditions surrounding one’s soul. When a soul finds this “lonely” state hard to accept, “mourning” a lack of “feasts” being set before one, the “gates” opened for the people to come and bow before one are closed. When one’s inner “priests” are ”groaning” and the souls “virginal” state has become an “affliction,” then “bitterness” will keep a soul in “A Fortress” that is one’s place of imprisonment. The failure to seek a return to Yahweh and loving self-sacrifice to His Will means He will not pour out His Spirit upon one’s soul forevermore, keeping that soul set for future reincarnations into the same “Dry Place,” without a flood of living waters raining down upon one’s soul.

In verse five, this rejection of Yahweh is said to be maintained by those who persecute a wayward soul will be given divine powers to act as harsh ‘jailers’ in one’s reincarnated lives. It will be “her adversaries” that will become her “masters,” while “her enemies will prosper” in worldly gains. When Jeremiah wrote of “of the multitude of her transgression,” this “multitude” should be seen as a number of lives in the flesh to serve, under the yoke of “Yahweh’s” punishment. The projection of “her children have gone into captivity with the face of distress” says the “multitude of her transgressions” will be found to be “her children” reincarnated as “her,” time and again. Each return will wear the “face of distress” from past “transgressions.”

In verse six, the first word says, “and has departed” or “and has gone out of,” which must be seen as a statement of death, as the dead are called the ‘dearly departed.’ This is when the presence of enclosure marks repeat “[ from the daughter ] ( from the daughter )”. This must be seen as signals that it is the “soul departed from the daughter,” where (again) the word “daughter” (“bat”) is a statement of the feminine singular, making it a reference to “she” and “her,” who perceived a soul in a body of death to be a child of God, without ever doing anything to please Yahweh. The enclosure marks are indications that the soul has left its body of flesh, at death.

Following the repeating of “from the daughter” within enclosure marks, Jeremiah was divinely led to write “of A Dry Place all her honor.” This is a statement that a reincarnated life that “remains in separation from the excitement of the people” is an “honor” seen in that souls departed, by Yahweh. She has “come to pass [death] her princes,” which is a statement of the spiritual angels – her inner elohim – that were sent by Yahweh, after divine marriage of a soul to Him, having received His Spirit as the flood of living waters flowing within that soul, unseen in worldly lifestyle. The saved soul is “like deer having not found pasture,” which is a statement of the souls having sought spiritual nourishment, rather than material food. This experience of the spiritual realm being nourishing to the soul, then makes death be like “those fleeing without strength in the face of the pursuer.” This is a statement that the soul in its flesh refused to wear the “face” of lesser gods, in order to please those who would persecute that rejection, even to the point of death. This makes a soul rewarded with eternal life be a willing sacrifice in the physical realm, having faith that self-sacrifice to Yahweh will have greater reward in the realm beyond mortal death.

As a final note, each of these verse ends with the Hebrew letter samekh, which means each of these verses is “closed” or “blocked,” ending each as in separation from the others. This means each verse makes a statement that is profound alone; and, each should be read with that singularity of divine purpose.

Lamentations, Language, Teaching

Lamentations 3:19-26 – Remembering one’s sins after being saved

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[19] The thought of my affliction and my homelessness is wormwood and gall!

[20] My soul continually thinks of it and is bowed down within me.

[21] But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope: ס

[22] The steadfast love of Yahweh never ceases, his mercies never come to an end;

[23] they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.

[24] “Yahweh is my portion,” says my soul, “therefore I will hope in him.” ס

[25] Yahweh is good to those who wait for him, to the soul that seeks him.

[26] It is good that one should wait quietly for the salvation of Yahweh.

——————–

Verse twenty-seven (not read) completes the three verse section ending with a samekh, such that a nine-verse reading selection would not leave anything important out. However, the Episcopal Church has chosen to not include verse twenty-seven in this reciting of Jeremiah’s song of lament.

This is ‘option A’ as a companion psalm to the Track 1 Old Testament reading selection from Lamentations 1. It may be chosen for reading aloud in unison, over the ‘option B’ singing of Psalm 137.

In verse nineteen, every Hebrew word written is a construct of the masculine singular, with the two exceptions of “my afflictions” (“oniy”) and “wormwood” (“laanah”), which are a feminine singular possessive pronoun [“my” added to a masculine singular noun] noun and a feminine singular noun. The masculine focus says these words are spoken from an inner presence of an elohim, which is in control of Jeremiah’s soul in his flesh (the feminine state). Jeremiah writes as one like all the other saints who will be married to Yahweh, with his soul then possessed by the soul of the Son. All “will remember” individual past histories that include failures that lead to sins. Thus, the better way to translate this into English is as: “he will remember my affliction and straying bitter and poisonous .” This can be seen matching the verbiage used in Lamentations 1:4, where Jeremiah wrote: “the journey to a dry place [Zion] mourning , because no one come to the set feasts , all her gates are desolate , her priests groan , her virgins and she bitterness to .” The sins “remembered” here are of times when the soul served the flesh, bring on “my afflictions” that are the bitterness of “wormwood.”

In verse twenty, Jeremiah used enclosure marks to denote a spiritual “sinking” that is repeated. The use of brackets, followed by parentheses, both surrounding “and she will sink down” ( “[ wə·ṯā·šî·aḥ ] ( wə·ṯā·šō·w·aḥ )” ) follows “to remember she will remember,” which has the spiritual direction marks saying this memory of a sinful past will cause the feminine soul (that imprisoned within a body of flesh) will recall the bitterness and the poison of sins, so it will forevermore become ‘bowed down’ (the NRSV translation) in submission to the inner elohim sent by Yahweh to ensure these past memories are as close as a soul will come again to wickedness. Thus, Jeremiah finished the verse (following this spiritual sinking) by saying “within me my soul.” This is, again, the submission of the host soul to the elohim “within me,” which become the new Lord over “my soul.” This means “my soul” has been “sunken” into the role of follower to this Lord elohim, having learned it is incapable of leading its flesh away from temptations.

In verse twenty-one Jeremiah wrote, “this I recall to the heart [inner man] therefore I will await .” This takes the prior verses referring to “remembering” and place that memory within one’s “inner man, mind, will, heart” (from “leb”). This means the soul is reminded of the sins that have been a threat to its salvation, while the Baptism of Spirit from marriage to Yahweh has washed away those sins from Yahweh’s recall. The Hebrew word “yachal” (construct “’ō·w·ḥîl”) means “to wait, await,” implying “hope,” but the hidden intent is the “expectation” of service to Yahweh, as payment for being saved. This means ministry in the name of Yahweh – “Israel.”

In verse twenty-two, Jeremiah sings of “the mercies Yahweh” brings to a soul receiving His Spirit and His Son’s soul. In the Hebrew word translated as “mercy,” it is better read as “goodness” and/or “kindness.” This becomes a statement of the presence of Yahweh transforms a soul that has sinned in the past, to a new state that wears the face of Yahweh, which is the shine of “goodness.” Jeremiah then continued that this presence that leads one righteously is so “that not we are finished.” In that, the “we” (first-person common plural) are all souls that marry Yahweh and are cleansed of all past sins, via His Baptism of Spirit. The souls are “not finished” or “not completed” as those lost. Thus, “we are returned” and “we are completed in circuit” to the source of our origin. This is the desire of Yahweh that our souls “not fail” to return to His “compassions,” which leads our souls to His “goodness” as our “compassions,” via the inner elohim we follow.

In verse twenty-three the verse says, “these new to the dawning , much is your stability .” This is now singing of the wealth of insights that come to a servant-wife soul of Yahweh. There is no darkness, due to the outpouring of “new revelations of truth.” This comes from Yahweh to make sure the faithfulness of a wife-soul is forever “stabilized.” No questions go unanswered.

In verse twenty-four then sings, “my share Yahweh she says my soul , over thus I will wait on him .” Here, we find a repeat of the construct that says “to wait, await,” which ended verse twenty-one. Now, we are told that Jeremiah’s soul “shares Yahweh,” which comes from the presence of the “soul” of His Son [Adam-Jesus], at which point the feminine soul of Jeremiah (“my soul”) says it is possessed by that new soul’s presence, where “my” states that possession. This is a higher power soul – from “above” or “over” – that this states submission to that lower status. Again, “to wait” means to be led into ministry, now in the name of the Son (as Jesus, a name meaning “Yah Saves”).

In verse twenty-five we read, “good Yahweh to the soul waiting for him , to the soul who will seek him .” In this verse, a different root word is used, which translated as “to wait for” (“qavah”). This word implies a “gathering together,” which is not a word of inactivity, as waiting might seem. The word “good” does not apply only to “Yahweh,” as it means (as Jesus told the rich man who addressed Jesus as “good teacher”) no credit can be given to human beings for being “good.” The truth of that word means a soul in a body of flesh must be cleansed by Yahweh’s Spirit (the binding of divine marriage), so the Spirit projects the “good” of “Yahweh” because one then wears His face over one’s own. This “good Yahweh” is the halo that is the aura of a saint, which only comes to those possessed by the soul of the Son, Jesus. When one is then in the name of the Son, one enters ministry and is a “soul waiting for him.” This does not come to all souls, but only “to those souls who will seek him” in divine union. The proposal of divine marriage is spread by ministers in the name of Yahweh (Israel) and His Son (Jesus); but it is up to the soul to deny its flesh and accept the proposal as serious and a commitment necessary for salvation, so the soul seeks union with Yahweh out of love and spiritual desire.

In verse twenty-six we read, “good that to dance and silently , for the salvation Yahweh .” Here, the aspect of “dancing” should be seen as it is best done in pairs. The element of “silence” is metaphor for that within and unseen, rather than physical and visible. This “silent dance” is then done between two souls that are joined as one within one body of flesh. The lead position is that soul of the Son (Jesus), with the follower the soul married to Yahweh and the virgin mother [regardless of human gender] of the Son reborn. That means the host soul projects the “good” of Yahweh that comes through the Son, but the host soul is allowed to live and choose, just as it was when born of its mother. Because the host soul is subservient to Yahweh and allows the soul of the Son to be its Lord, it willingly and lovingly serves as a priest that projects the “goodness” of Yahweh so others will hear His proposal is for them too.

Again, the ending verse of this three-verse set is verse twenty-seven; but it is not read aloud today. I will present it in a literal English translation, leaving it up to the reader to complete the thought begun by Jeremiah. It says, “good for the man , to carry the yoke in their youth .”