HEBREW WORD STUDY – ANKLE BRACELET  – TSA’AD  צעד  

Psalms 37:23: “The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord, and he delighted in his way.”

“When you come to a fork in the road, take it.”  Yogi Berra

Everyone has a word about the future.  I like David’s observation about the future.   Our steps are ordered by God.   Of course, only the steps of a good man are ordered by God.  I am a little curious as to what it means when God orders the steps of a good man?

First, we need to understand what David means by steps. The word for steps is tsa’ad which is a going forward, a marching.  It is sometimes used for conduct.  As a noun, it could mean your walk or journey.  It is also the word for an ankle bracelet.   This word is spelled Sade – submission to the Divine will, Ayin – spiritual discernment and Daleth – walking a righteous path.   This journey is one which involves a submission to your spiritual discernment of the Divine will of God that comes from walking a righteous path. 

If your walk meets that criteria, then your journey is ordered by God.  The word ordered is konano which comes from the root word kun. Kun is used to express the idea of being, prepared, upright, ready, fixed established, and stable.  In Arabic, it means to exist.  Such a path is prepared, established or made to exist by God Jehovah.   

All that sounds good, but let’s back up.  The word steps is in a noun form and as a noun, it is used to denote an ankle bracelet.  An ankle bracelet was often a symbol of being in bondage to someone.  Initially, it was being in chains such that your steps were directed by the one who had you in bondage.  Later, women would wear an ornamental ankle bracelet to show their respect and love for their husbands by symbolizing bondage to them.  Where he goes she goes, she will follow his path no matter if it is an easy road or difficult road.  It eventually became a symbol of being in bondage because of love and not duty.

I find it interesting that this symbol of being in bondage because of love or this tsa’ad is established or prepared for the good man.  A good man in Hebrew is gever which literally means a mighty man.  That does not tell us much, but look at how it is spelled Gimmel, Beth, and Resh.  This mighty man is one who is mighty in sharing the lovingkindness of God (Gimmel), as a blessing to others (Beth), through the power of the Holy Spirit (Resh).  

Having Asperger Syndrome, I had a real problem socially. I was encouraged by my doctor to learn ventriloquism as a way to “bring me out of my shell.” I became so good at it that as a student at Moody Bible Institute, it helped to pay my way through school. Before long I was performing all over the Northern Illinois and the Indiana area.  I was making pretty good money and becoming quite well known among the student body.  I discovered people were noticing me and saying “hi” to me in the halls, even girls.  But you know what, I was not a good man or a tsa’ad. I was doing this for the money and recognition.  I remember I reached a real turning point one night before going to a very large event, the citywide Awana Olympics in Horizon Stadium.  Publicity had already been sent out and I was the halftime event.  I remember sitting in the little chapel there in Culbertson Hall trying to pray.  I always prayed before a gig, just so I could honestly tell people I prayed before a gig.  It made me look spiritual.  I remember telling the Lord how disgusted I was with myself, that I had no other reasons to attend this event than to get the applause and a check.  I then told the Lord if He did not give me a reason to go to this event other than my personal gain, I would call and cancel.

As I sat in that little chapel waiting for the Lord to send an angel down to give me a reason to go, my hand fell on a hymn book.  At the time there were no hymn books in this little chapel but someone must have left one. I absentmindedly picked up the book and thumb through it.  I came to a song I remembered singing while I grew up in a little Baptist Church.  It was called: “Make Me A Blessing.” Out of my life may Jesus shine

God had given me a reason to perform that evening, but I also believe at that moment in my life, I accepted a tsa’ad (steps, bondage because of love, ankle bracelet) from God and I have worn it ever since.  Oh, there have been times I have taken it off, and sometimes left it off for years.  But I always come to the point where I pick up that beautiful tsa’ad (ankle bracelet) and place it back on.  When I wear that tsa’ad I know my future is fixed and ordered by God.