Hebrew Word Study – To Pretend – Nakar  Nun Kap Resh 

Job 24:13: “They are those who rebel against the light, they know not the ways thereof, nor abide in the paths thereof.”

Titus 1:15: “Unto the pure all things are pure but unto them that are defiled and unbelieving is nothing pure but even their mind and conscience are defiled.”

Titus was most likely a gentile who accompanied Paul to Jerusalem and some dogmatic Jews insisted that Titus be circumcised but Paul would not allow it because of principle.  To do otherwise would suggest that all non-circumcised Jews would be second-class Christians. 

It was very difficult for many Jews who became Christians to accept instruction from a Gentile.  After all, they were the people of God, circumcised, a separate holy people who grew up in the faith of Jehovah, and along comes this unholy, unclean Gentile who tries to organize the church and choose a leader for the church. I could see many well-robed, educated, pious, religious, law-keeping men lining up for the job of a bishop and Paul warns Titus to choose only those who are lovers of men, have a good reputation, have one wife, etc. The only spiritual requirement is that they be of sound doctrine (Titus 1:7-9).  Paul is not looking to one’s educational credentials, position of rank, popularity, or even popular teaching because in verse 10 we learn there are many unruly, vain talkers and deceivers out there who seek such a position of power over the church. 

Christians play many games, I think one game Paul is referring to is WYHBACALAM (When you have been a Christian as long as me).  Paul is telling Titus to seek out a mature believer to be a bishop.  I believe Paul realizes that maturity as a believer does not necessarily have anything to do with the length of time someone has been a believer.  In fact, some believers who have been a Christian for many years, followed the law, lived a righteous life can be very immature in their attitude toward other believers as Titus discovered when the circumcised Jews started to criticize him for not being circumcised. 

I cannot help but read the writings of Paul and wonder if he, at times, was not thinking: “Father don’t forgive them for they know darn well what they are doing.” I recall as a student in Bible College we had a student that was very popular and respected for his walk with God. He was good looking, talented with a testimony that would move the hardened Christian to tears.   He was easily elected the student body president.  He would be called upon by the President of the college to pray and address the student body. He was the school’s pride and joy, their golden kid. I recall in one address he exhorted us to live a pure and holy life. He was one who walked the walk and talked the talk.  Yet, there was an undercurrent of students who had been shamed by this mature popular example of Christianity.  I wanted to serve as a leader for a prayer group but this class president vetoed the idea or forbid it because I had been shown to be a rebel. You see, my hair got a little too long for the College standards. The dean had one of those secret meetings with me and our class president about it.  I am sure you know about these secret meetings. I assured the dean and our exalted class president and of course, all the other ease droppers that I would comply. I did go to the barber and asked him to give me a haircut that only he and I knew that I had a haircut. I was forced to return the next day and ask the barber to give me a haircut that only he and I and the dean and class president knew I had a haircut.  Still, because of this little mix up the class president, who had the final word on who led the prayer groups, refused to give his blessing as I was obviously in rebellion.

Well, I suppose you can figure out what happened to our class president. He missed curfew one night and the dean found him quite drunk. Later that week he appeared in chapel one more time to address the student body and this time it was with an apology and a goodbye as he had been expelled from the college, which, of course, meant he was no longer a student body president. All this time he stood in judgment over me for breaking a Talmudic interpretation of the school’s laws while he himself was clearly breaking one of the school’s ten commandments.

Just a footnote, when I went on to seminary my roommate in seminary went to the same Christian college as this fellow who supposedly left to go to a Bible school.  According to my roommate, there were a few other circumstances as to why he left.    

Sometimes we think some of these verses, like Job 24:13: “They are those who rebel against the light, they know not the ways thereof, nor abide in the paths thereof” apply to some completely pagan, low-life sinners. Actually, such a verse could apply to a Bible College class president or to you and yes, even to good old Cham Bentorah who plays around with a legalistic and arbitrary man-made rule like hair length. I mean where in the Bible does it say a man’s hair is not to touch his collar?   

Job 24:13 says that we could be rebelling against the light and know not the ways thereof.  You see the word used for know in the Hebrew is not your standard word yada’ which means to know.  This is the word nakar. This word does mean to know, but in Job 24:13 it is used in a Hiphal form which means they are causing themselves to not know.  In fact in the Hiphal form of this word, when put into a construct form with the word Lo (not),  would more appropriately be rendered as pretend. In other words, we could translate this as “they are pretending to know the ways thereof and the paths thereof.” Who are these people who pretend to know the way?  It is someone who really knows the light but rebels against the light and pretends to walk in the light for purposes of personal gain in honor, finance or to just enjoy some carnal pleasure while all-time people are honoring him for his alleged piety.  

After a lifetime in the church, I believe one of the key issues that arise and is one of a pastor’s biggest headaches is jealousy.  Why does he get to stand in front of everyone and lead?  Why does he get called on to pray when I can pray much more pious prayers?  Give me a chance to show off my skills so people will say, “Oy, and what a pious and spiritual person thou art. Come, Come let me take your picture on my cell phone and I will send it right to the Vatican, I am sure they will want to use it on a holy card.” 

Unfortunately, like in the time of Titus, there are those who are supposedly the most mature believers, the ones with all the credentials and the education who sometimes can be the most guilty of nakar pretending to walk in the light. 

Looking unto Jesus is not just looking at him but making yourself transparent to Him as he makes Himself transparent with you. It is like a bride and groom looking at each other as they commit themselves to each other for the rest of their lives. At that moment they become transparent, sharing something with each that they will not share with anyone else in the world.

The wedding motif actually carries on through this entire verse.  Jesus endured the cross and the shame associated with the cross for the joy that would result from it.  He did it not only for us but for the joy that the sacrifice would bring to Him.  Just as the bride and groom sacrifice their personal lives and their singleness for the joy of being together.   Yet, that word joy is an amazing word to use here in this passage. It is the word chadotha in the Aramaic.  This is the word used for the joyful dancing at a wedding.  This again carries that wedding motif. The vows have been said as we and Jesus gaze at each other sharing our vows.  We tell Jesus that we are giving Him our lives and our hearts and now we enter that wedding feast where there is a wedding dance. In the traditional wedding dance couples line up opposite each other. Depending on the culture and whether traditional orthodox or not either men and women face each other or members of the same sex face each other, the symbolism still remains the same. They then move toward each other and then back away, always chor, gazing at each other, never taking the eyes off each other. Each time they back away, they move back to each other only this time drawing closer to each other.  This is to declare that the bride and groom will have times when they will struggle in their marriage and they will momentarily separate from each other, but as they look chor or gaze at each other they will be drawn back to each other only this time a little closer. This is what the Apostle Paul is describing in this wedding motif that we will dance this wedding dance. It is a joyful time of expressing our commitment with Jesus and He with us.  Even though we may sin and draw away from Jesus, He will always keep His gaze on us and we will be drawn back to Him only each time we return we will be drawn closer to Him.  Jesus will use our human frailties that the enemy would seek to use to draw us away from Him only Jesus will use it to bring us closer to Him.

So we have the wedding ceremony where we gaze at Jesus in transparency leading us to the joy of the wedding dance and now the groom takes his place at the right hand of the Father at his daqurasih in Aramaic from the root word quras which is a chamber with an upholster chair or a divan, what we call a love seat, that is a chair made for two people to sit closely together. It could also be a bedroom and the way the syntax word suggest we could read this as the bedroom in His Father’s house.  This is where the groom Jesus would take us His bride to consummate our marriage to Him.

So next time you hear this verse, stop and consider that the Apostle Paul might be sharing something even more intimate than we the surface understanding of this verse indicates. It is also speaking of our marriage relationship to Jesus and the intimacy that He longs so much to have with us that he endured the suffering of the cross in order to obtain it.

Hi there! Thank you for reading this Daily Word Study. Can I ask a favor? Share this Daily Word Study with your friends on Facebook and Twitter by clicking one of the icons below.

Thanks & Blessings, it means a lot to me!