HEBREW WORD STUDY – I AM WITH YOU – ‘IMEKA ‘ANI עמך אני Ayin Mem Kap Aleph Mem Yod

Isaiah 41:10: “Fear thou not; for I [am] with thee: be not dismayed; for I [am] thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.”

Israel was about to enter time captivity. Their whole lives were about to change. Chapter 39 had just announced that the people would be conquered by the Babylonians. Many would die in the conquest, most would be forced from their homes, their way of life, and forced into slavery. It would be a time of great fear and loss. Their economy would be ruined, they would watch loved ones perish before their eyes and their comfortable lifestyle will come to an end.

Yet, the following chapters are filled with hope and the assurance that God would still be with those who trusted in Him. The nation had left God, had turned to other gods to other nations for protection. They trusted in their leadership, in the promises of allied nations yet all that would mean nothing when Babylon, the great plague, sent by God to bring the people back to faith in Him come.

The people who still trusted God, who stood their ground for their belief in God trembled when they heard the prophecy of the coming plague called Babylon. They heard of the cruel fate of those taken into captivity. The tortures, the executions, the loss of freedom, the sufferings, and the hopelessness that came with foreign conquest. Yet, the prophet offered hope to those who would trust in the Lord.

The prophet assured them that they would return to their land, their homes, and God’s blessing would again be poured out on their nation. Many would even prosper during this time of captivity if they remained faithful to God. Those who did remain faithful to God needed to not fear for the prophet assured them that God would be with them. That word, that preposition with in Hebrew is im which has a wide variety of English words that apply. You could say God will be aside of you, beside you, in your midst, among you, together with you and, of course, within you.

Many Christians are living in fear today. Some economists are predicting depression greater than the one in the 1930s. They are predicting many more tens of thousands of deaths from this virus, they are predicting and warning of great hardships ahead.

But it is no different today than it was 3,000 years ago when Israel faced their time of reconnecting with God. I picked up my prescription from Sam’s Club this morning. There was a line a block long of people trying to get into the store. Ah, but I was one of the elite, I walked up to the front of the line and said I was a senior, who just had heart surgery (come on, a pacemaker is heart surgery, albeit minor, under a local, a very minor invasive procedure) and they sent a young teenager to escort me to the pharmacy without my having to wait in that long line. Take that you millennials. As we walked to the pharmacy this young teenage girl told me this was a very fearful time but God was watching over us. Now you don’t hear that every day, especially from a teenager. I can feel it, sense it in my spirit, there is a wave of God moving across this nation, this world. People are warning up to God, they are seeking comfort from God and God is being very accommodating to those who seek Him. Even a young teenage girl with her whole life ahead of her, was showing no fear, only confidence in her God. God is with us, beside us, in our midst, and within us, what do we have to fear? This word for fear is in a Qal imperfect form which should read, “You will not fear.” You know most of us are presently at home, safe with enough food to eat but it is the future that we really fear, it is the unknown, and God is telling us that when we enter the future, we will not be afraid. If that time comes if we get the virus or our economy does collapse, God is promising us that if we trust in Him, we will not be afraid.

He also promises that we will not be dismayed because He is our God who will strengthen us and help us if that time does come. The word dismay in Hebrew is also in a Qal imperfect form and should be read, “you will not be dismayed.” The word dismayed is sha’ah which means to gaze or a more modern English word is focus. We will not lose our focus on God. I don’t know about you but that is my biggest concern that circumstances may cause me to lose my focus on God.

The Jews wear a skull cap to remind them that they are always in the presence of God and that whatever they do they do as unto God. I remember watching a documentary about Israel and its fight for survival. It showed a group or soldiers preparing for battle and being blessed by a rabbi before they moved into battle. They all were wearing their skull caps and when the blessing ended, they did not remove their caps but put their helmets on over their caps. Even going into battle they needed to remind themselves that they were in the presence of God. They see their skull caps as a physical reminder. Some Christians carry a Bible with them everywhere they go, some wear a cross on a chain around their necks or carry small aluminum crosses in their pocket. For many, it is a reminder that God is with them. To keep our focus on God takes discipline, but it also takes God’s help which He will give us willingly if we desire to keep our minds stayed on Him.

With God’s help and a little discipline, we can always keep our minds stayed on Him and it will then enable Him to strengthen us, help us and uphold us during this time of world, national and personal crisis.