Sē’lah

August 29, 2014

Sē’lah

I lay down and slept, yet I woke up in safety, for the Lord was watching over me.

Psalm 3:5

Near the end of King David’s reign, his son Absalom led a rebellion against David and seized the throne of Israel. This incident is included in Gene Edward’s book, A Tale of Three Kings which chronicles David’s relationship with both King Saul and his son Absalom. (I believe this book is a Christian classic and should be in the personal library of every Christian.) Psalm 3 was written by King David in the midst of Absalom’s rebellion. David responded to the revolt by expressing his deep trust in God: if God wants me to be on the throne, no one can take it away; if God doesn’t want me on the throne, there is nothing I can do to keep it.

It is in the midst of adversity, both big and small, that the depth of our Life in Christ is revealed. The adversity may involve something as simple as someone being rude or cutting us off in traffic, or perhaps we see everything we have worked for being lost through divorce, business failure or personal bankruptcy. How we respond to these circumstances reveals what we believe about God and how deeply Christ has transformed our life.

The word Sē’lah is used three times in Psalm 3. It is translated, Interlude, in the NLT, which comes pretty close to describing its meaning.  But Sē’lah is more than an interlude; in this context, it is taking the time to think and reflect on what has been written. David’s circumstances had not changed, but he was able to rest because he knew the Lord was watching over him. Taking the time to reflect on God’s nature allowed David to lie down and sleep in the midst of his greatest adversity.

In Philippians, the Apostle Paul writes, “Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:6-7).

When you are facing an adversity, make time to Sē’lah, to pause and reflect on God’s nature. Remember that the Lord is watching over you, and rest in the assurance of His love for you.

Sē’lah

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(Selah is a word that appears in the Book of Psalms that I often use as the Complimentary Closing in my correspondence. Its meaning, as I use the word, is to pause and think about these things.)

These meditations are written by Alex M. Knight as he seeks the life in Christ as his way of life.  The meditations are published on the BLOG, http://seekingthelifeinchrist.blogspot.com/ and they are also distributed on the Constant Contact email server. You may subscribe to this email service by sending an email to: amkrom812@gmail.com. The BLOG is also available on Amazon Kindle, by subscription.

Publications by Alex M. Knight:

·        Seeking the Life in Christ, Meditations on the New Testament and Psalms has been published and is now available at Amazon.com in paperback and Kindle.

·        The second edition of  First Think – Then Pray is available on Amazon Kindle.

·        Meditations on The Story of My Life as told by Jesus Christ has been released as an e-book on Amazon Kindle.

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188.