What the Bible says about Yadah
(From Forerunner Commentary)
Four words in this verse—"cover," "prosper," "confesses," and "forsakes"—highlight some valuable instruction for us. According to Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon, these Hebrew words mean:
» Cover (kacah, #3680): "to cover, to conceal, to hide."
» Prosper (tsalach, #6743): "to advance, to prosper, to make progress, to succeed, to be profitable."
» Confesses (yadah, #3034): "to throw, to shoot, to cast" and by extension, "to confess" or even "to praise."
» Forsakes ('azab, #5800): "to leave, to loose, to forsake, to let go."
In other words, if we try to hide or ignore our faults, our chances for success in life are dim, but if we admit them and put them behind us, we will have favor. In The Road Less Traveled, M. Scott Peck remarks that "it is easier for us to try and forget a problem that we know exists than to deal with it." He states a fundamental truth about our problems. If we do not deal with a problem—in our case, sin—it will never go away. It will fester, and it will always come up later or manifest itself in a different form.
Spiritually, then, if we are not honest with ourselves about our sins and shortcomings, we will not reach our full, God-given potential. God can show us our sins, but He cannot and will not force us to overcome—that decision is ours. We must see ourselves for what we are and have the desire to make the conscious choice to change. Thus, Paul instructs us in Philippians 2:12-13:
Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure.
Staff
Setting Spiritual GoalsRelated Topics: Change Direction | Change of Heart | Change of Mind | Confessing | Confessing Sin | Cover | Covering Faults | Covering Sins | Faults, Confessing of | Heart, Change of | Ignoring our Faults | Ignoring our Sins | Repentance | Repentance as Change | Sins, Ignoring | Spiritual Goals | Yadah
Now this word "to know"—yada in Hebrew, ginöskö in Greek—indicates a combination of close, warm, and even passionate intimacy, combined with head knowledge that produces an edge in a person's life that enables him to trust God and at the same time perceive what He is doing. It is this factor that makes God's Word have authority with us. We know Him. It is not just a casual acquaintance, and it forms the very foundation of a true working relationship.
We need to ask ourselves: Do we really believe that God is holy, and because of that, His anger burns against sin; that because He is righteous, His judgments fall on those who rebel; that because He is faithful, His promises of either blessings or curses are absolute; that because He is omnipotent, nobody can resist Him; and because He is omniscient, there is no problem of which He is unaware or cannot master? Because God is what He is, we are seeing the prophecies He inspired regarding the end of the age being fulfilled in the world and in the church, and that translates into tumultuous, difficult, and sometimes scary and even confusing times for us.
John W. Ritenbaugh
The Sovereignty of God (Part One)Related Topics: God's Omnipotence | God's Omniscience | Intimacy with Christ | Intimacy with God | Intimate Relationship with God | Knowing God | Relationship with God | Yadah