Excerpt
Halal
Halal - to be clear, to shine, to make a show, to boast, to be clamorously foolish, to rave, to celebrate.
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This word is used approximately 115 times in the Old Testament. The first time it appears in in 1 Chronicles 15:4 (KJV, emphasis added):
And He appointed certain of the Levites to minister before the ark of the Lord, and to record, and to thank and praise the Lord God of Israel.
To get a better understanding of the context of this verse, let's begin with the first verse:
So they brought the ark of God, and set it in the midst of the tent that David had pitched for it: and they offered burnt sacrifices and peace offerings before God. And when David had made an end of offering the burnt offerings and the peace offerings, he blessed the people in the name of the Lord. And he dealt to everyone of Israel, both man and woman, to every one a loaf of bread, and a good piece of flesh, and a flagon of wine. And he appointed certain of the Levites to minister before the ark of the Lord, and to record, and to thank and praise the Lord God of Israel: Asaph the chief, and next to him Zechariah, Jeiel, and Shemiramoth, and Jehiel, and Mattihiah, and Eliab, and Benaiah, and Obed-edom: and Jeiel with psalteries and with harps; but Asaph made a sound with cymbals; Benaiah also and Jahaziel the priests with trumpets continually before the ark of the covenant of God. (emphasis added)
When David brought the ark of God in the camp,he offered sacrifices to the Lord and set up his own praise team and a band. This praise team and band were to minister, thank, and halal the Lord. They were "to be clear, shine, make a show, boast, act clamorously foolish,rave and celebrate" the Lord.
Chapter 1
Let's read the first four verses. These verses are just the introduction to the book of Proverbs, and they tell us the purpose of this book. Proverbs 1: 2 - 4 (CEV) says, "Proverbs will teach you wisdom and self-control and how to understand sayings with deep meanings. You will learn what is right and honest and fair. From these, an ordinary person can learn to be smart, and young people can gain knowledge and good sense."
So are you a person? Of course you are. Do you want to know godly wisdom and learn how to discern situations in life? I hope so, or else you wouldn't be doing this study. Are you simple or ordinary? Hey, we all are simple in certain areas of our lives. We're not all that deep! So we fit the description of someone striving for wisdom.
Verses 5 and 6 also talk about what a wise person would do. "If you are already wise, you will become even wiser. And if you are smart, you will learn to understand Proverbs and sayings, as well as words of wisdom and all kinds of riddles" (Proverbs 1:5 - 6 CEV).
I also like verse 5 in the Amplified Bible, Classic Edition, which says, "The wise also will hear and increase in learning, and the person of understanding will acquire skill and attain to sound counsel (so that he may be able to steer his course rightly)."
Self Reflections
January 1
A New Thing
Behold, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs forth; do you not perceive and know it and will you not give heed to it? I will even make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.
- Isaiah 43:19 AMPC
Like many of you, I celebrated the New Year in church. I shared fellowship with fellow believers and didn’t get home too late. I went to bed, slept in, and woke to a new year. Now what?
Many of us figure it’s a time to make New Year’s resolutions. “This year I’m going to exercise and lose weight” or “I’m going to save money to get…” or “I’m going to spend more time with the Lord.” We make these resolutions, and then by January 14th they’re all by the wayside. We go back to being stuck in a rut doing things the way we’ve always done them. It’s time for change!
Do we truly want change? God wants to do a new thing in us. A new year, a new thing God wants. We can’t sit back and continue the way we had been. As we look around, things are changing in the world. We see the signs of Christ’s return. So, it’s time to wake up! Don’t oversleep; get up and start doing what God has called us to do! It’s time to step out of the boat and onto the water! Let’s let God do a new thing in us this year.
Father, I thank You for bringing me out of last year into this new year. I pray that I’ll be willing to allow You to do a new thing in my life. As You show me, help me be obedient and walk in it.
