Hebrew Word Study – Scarcity – Ra’av – רָעָ֖ב – Resh Ayin Beth    

Genesis 12:10 “There was famine in the land.”

Habakkuk 2:4: “The just shall live by his faith.”

“Water, water everywhere, nor any drop to drink.”  Samuel Taylor Coleridge – Rime of the Ancient Mariner.

Jewish literature gives an interesting insight into Genesis 12:10.  The word for there was is yehi  which can also be rendered and he was becoming.   Of  course we do not translate it that way because it does not fit the word famine, but then again maybe it does.  I often encourage my Hebrew students to be on alert for the many word plays found in the Hebrew. This is one of them.  Sure there was a literally famine, a lack of physical food in the land, but suppose we also rendered this and He was becoming a famine in the land. This little play on words gives you a double meaning.  The Jewish rabbis did not overlook this play on words and came right out and said that not only were people suffering a famine for physical food but for God as well.  Jewish Literature gives the flip side or  the spiritual rendering as There was a lack of faith in the land.

I, like most Americans, have never really experienced a famine.  So the words in the Bible that speak of famine, have little significance for me, unless I give a verse like Genesis 12:10 its secondary rendering,  And He (God) was becoming a famine in the land.   Sounds strange, that God would become a famine in this land or nation of ours that is filled with churches, Bibles, TV, Radio ministries, books, CD, DVD’s etc.   Yet, as I share just the simple Word of God with some Christians I find that even though they have bookshelves filled with Christian Books, CD’s and DVDs  they are lapping of every word from Scripture as if they were starved.  There is much teaching in our land on how to live successfully, prosperously, etc., but so little deep study in the Word of God.  It sort of makes the words of Samuel Taylor Coleridge ring true.

The word for famine is ra’av which is spelled Resh – prideful man, Ayin – greed, Beth – feelings of spiritual superiority. As you can see the very word for famine has its own built in commentary. It tells us what brings about a spiritual famine,  spiritual pride and greed.  This brings not only famine to a nation, but an individual.  Maybe not a famine of food but of God.

But let me not point a finger at the nation or the church, but at ourselves.  As I read the renderings found in Jewish literature of Genesis 12:10 I find that for many of us there is a famine in our lives. You may find yourself wandering through a desert land in your hopes and dreams.  Everything seems to be coming unglued. Everywhere there is advice, words of wisdom, knowledge, but little Scriptural advice or there seems to be not a drop to drink.  Perhaps that famine in  your life is as the rabbis would say a lack of faith.

We find that in Habakkuk 2:4 that the just shall live by faith.  Actually, in the Hebrew there is a little different rendering: “The just shall live in his faith.”  It is so easy to just step out of our faith.  We allowed our pride to soar and we begin to trust in our own abilities and reasoning  but not God.  Twenty four hours could change your whole life.  You could lose your job, your relationships could fall apart, and your health could fail.  I had a person on my disability bus who went on disability due to a leg injury, otherwise he was in perfect health.  He would talk of all his plans when he finished school in computer programming which he proved to be really good at and stood to find a job that would pay more than he ever made in his previous line of work.  He said his injury was a blessing as he was now able to purse something he really enjoyed. He was filled with such hope in his new career. Then one day he had a stroke and lost the use of his hands,  suddenly his whole life and world changed in an instant.    He was left with a feeling of hopelessness.  

I remembered an old hymn I used to sing as a child in church:  “My hope is built on nothing less, than Jesus blood and righteousness.”

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