Guest post by Elizabeth Thambiraj
Reminiscing about a time I was running to get my next connecting flight and experienced this deep thirst, which was painful, hurting and sore. It was as if my tongue was cleaving to the roof of my mouth. It was not at all pleasant . . . but agonizing, searing, grievous and torturous!
Greek word for thirst: διψάω – dipsáo
To suffer from thirst means figuratively, those who are said to thirst who painfully feel their want of, and eagerly long for, those things by which the soul is refreshed, supported, strengthened.1
Medical Science says, “Polydipsia is the definition of excessive thirst. Excess thirst is an abnormal urge to drink fluids at all times. It’s a reaction to fluid loss in your body. Dry mouth (xerostomia) and the urge to pee often (frequent urination) may go along with it”.2
Reminiscing about a time I was running to get my next connecting flight and experienced this deep thirst, which was painful, hurting and sore. It was as if my tongue was cleaving to the roof of my mouth. It was not at all pleasant . . . but agonizing, searing, grievous and torturous!
Greek word for thirst: διψάω – dipsáo
To suffer from thirst means figuratively, those who are said to thirst who painfully feel their want of, and eagerly long for, those things by which the soul is refreshed, supported, strengthened.1
Medical Science says, “Polydipsia is the definition of excessive thirst. Excess thirst is an abnormal urge to drink fluids at all times. It’s a reaction to fluid loss in your body. Dry mouth (xerostomia) and the urge to pee often (frequent urination) may go along with it”.2
Hebrew word for thirst : thirst (tsama’, verb tsame’; dipsao, dipsos, dipsa):THərst.3 Thirsty “Yisemah.”
Thirst – Hebrew: Yisemah – thirsty, overwhelming desire for either the natural, or for the hidden knowledge of God. Every English translation says the “people were thirsty” in past tense. One version even says they were tormented by thirst. This verse follows the story of Israel crossing through the desert on their way to the promised land. (Chaim Bentorah).
Thirst is one of the most powerful natural appetites, the cravings for water or other drink. Besides its natural significance, thirst is figuratively used of strong spiritual desire. The soul thirsts for God (Psalms 42:2; 63:1).
And the people thirsted there for water and the people murmured there for water (Exodus 17:13). The Exodus story of Israel speaks volumes on crossing the desert on the way to the promised land. We can see perspicuously that people were murmuring and complaining at this place,
Rephidim, to Moses. This muttering is basically, because they were in fear of lack of water for sustenance, being filled with the desires of the flesh!
Questions to our heart! Are we camped at Rephidim in our personal journey? Maybe the situations around us are not in favour of us in all areas and are against our normal desires. Is it possible that we are like the people of Israel, fretting over the fear of funds drying up, health failing, relationships falling apart, fear of death, fear of persecution as believers in Christ, and often even before that happens? Sometimes, are we fretting over no water even before we get thirsty?
What do we thirst (Yisemah) for? Are we (thirsting, desiring) for natural security? It is understandable that we all need security and protection in this fallen world. Is our desire and thirst on the flip side of yiseman, is it to discover the hidden secrets in God’s Word, to improve our personal relationship with Christ and the God who loves us? If our thirst is on the flip side of physical thirst most of the times, it is a sign for spiritual growth and learning.
Think about this: Many of us shuffle through lives in an unconscious stupor- susceptible to emotional highs and lows, suffering in anxiety, fear, worry, hatred, bitterness, anger, guilt and other heart issues that are tied to our soul strength. Keeping our feelings, desires, and thought patterns tethered to the truth of God’s Word will be our lifeguard and a key to a joyful heart.
In the Light of: The Earth is the death trap for humanity, but for Christ, and the work done on the Cross. How can we as believers strengthen and motivate each other, especially when we are in a storm? As Christians, how is God calling us to facilitate and motivate and bring healing to broken people in this broken world? How can we encourage the suffering, persecuted, tortured, those who are in hunger and the Body of Christ? How can we be a witness to the world, which has no knowledge about God’s work on the Cross through Jesus Christ for the salvation of humanity? Are we in fear of stepping out in faith?
Hebrew word sagav: The word is sagav, which means to be high. The picture is a refuge in the heavens or outer space, a place that is inaccessible. More Hebrew words for refuge:
noun מִקְלָט. shelter, asylum, haven, sanctuary. noun מִפלָט. escape, retreat, haven, shelter, asylum.4
The One who made the waterfalls, rivers, lakes, and oceans, was in thirst two thousand years ago! Thirsting for what? Many saints and scholars have noted, and most of us can agree, that Jesus was groaning for something greater and even more significant than the physical thirst. This thirst is the similitude and metaphor: the thirst for all the perishing souls. His thirst was a doleful lament, full of pain, misery, agony, distress, suffering, anguish, torment, and torture for the lost souls of humanity, the world (John 3:16).
Spurgeon says, “Thirst is a common-place misery, such as may happen to peasants or beggars; it is a real pain, and not a thing of a fancy or a nightmare of dreamland. Thirst is no royal grief, but an evil of universal manhood; Jesus is brother to the poorest and most humble of our race.” He further narrates, “Appetite was the door of sin, and therefore in that point our Lord was put to pain. With ‘I thirst’ the evil is destroyed and receives its expiation.”
It is that River flowing from God’s throne, demonstrated through the Cross, Christ’s unending love, that quenches one’s spiritual thirst. This unfathomable River wells up within us, bringing mercy, life-giving love and grace in all seasons of our life. In His great thirst, He brought the fountain of Living Water to quench the thirst for humanity.
Our raging creative thoughts in our fallenness are often humbled by God’s protection, and He is able to make us inaccessible to the storms. When we are lifted to the height above the storms, we can look down in peace and know we are in God’s protection, in a place of ultimate safety. He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty (Psalm 91:1 KJV).
___________
1 Dipsao Meaning – Greek Lexicon | New Testament (NAS)
2 Polydipsia: Causes & Treatment – Cleveland Clinic
3 thirst | Hebrew Word Study Hebrew Word Study | Skip Moen https://skipmoen.com › tag › thirst O God, You are my God; I shall seek You earnestly; My soul thirsts for You, my flesh yearns for You, In a dry and weary land where there is no water.
4 How to say refuge in Hebrew – Thesaurus and Word Tools https://www.wordhippo.com/what-is/the/hebrew-word-for-cdc93d65384e9644…
Thirst – Hebrew: Yisemah – thirsty, overwhelming desire for either the natural, or for the hidden knowledge of God. Every English translation says the “people were thirsty” in past tense. One version even says they were tormented by thirst. This verse follows the story of Israel crossing through the desert on their way to the promised land. (Chaim Bentorah).
Thirst is one of the most powerful natural appetites, the cravings for water or other drink. Besides its natural significance, thirst is figuratively used of strong spiritual desire. The soul thirsts for God (Psalms 42:2; 63:1).
And the people thirsted there for water and the people murmured there for water (Exodus 17:13). The Exodus story of Israel speaks volumes on crossing the desert on the way to the promised land. We can see perspicuously that people were murmuring and complaining at this place,
Rephidim, to Moses. This muttering is basically, because they were in fear of lack of water for sustenance, being filled with the desires of the flesh!
Questions to our heart! Are we camped at Rephidim in our personal journey? Maybe the situations around us are not in favour of us in all areas and are against our normal desires. Is it possible that we are like the people of Israel, fretting over the fear of funds drying up, health failing, relationships falling apart, fear of death, fear of persecution as believers in Christ, and often even before that happens? Sometimes, are we fretting over no water even before we get thirsty?
What do we thirst (Yisemah) for? Are we (thirsting, desiring) for natural security? It is understandable that we all need security and protection in this fallen world. Is our desire and thirst on the flip side of yiseman, is it to discover the hidden secrets in God’s Word, to improve our personal relationship with Christ and the God who loves us? If our thirst is on the flip side of physical thirst most of the times, it is a sign for spiritual growth and learning.
Think about this: Many of us shuffle through lives in an unconscious stupor- susceptible to emotional highs and lows, suffering in anxiety, fear, worry, hatred, bitterness, anger, guilt and other heart issues that are tied to our soul strength. Keeping our feelings, desires, and thought patterns tethered to the truth of God’s Word will be our lifeguard and a key to a joyful heart.
In the Light of: The Earth is the death trap for humanity, but for Christ, and the work done on the Cross. How can we as believers strengthen and motivate each other, especially when we are in a storm? As Christians, how is God calling us to facilitate and motivate and bring healing to broken people in this broken world? How can we encourage the suffering, persecuted, tortured, those who are in hunger and the Body of Christ? How can we be a witness to the world, which has no knowledge about God’s work on the Cross through Jesus Christ for the salvation of humanity? Are we in fear of stepping out in faith?
Hebrew word sagav: The word is sagav, which means to be high. The picture is a refuge in the heavens or outer space, a place that is inaccessible. More Hebrew words for refuge:
noun מִקְלָט. shelter, asylum, haven, sanctuary. noun מִפלָט. escape, retreat, haven, shelter, asylum.4
The One who made the waterfalls, rivers, lakes, and oceans, was in thirst two thousand years ago! Thirsting for what? Many saints and scholars have noted, and most of us can agree, that Jesus was groaning for something greater and even more significant than the physical thirst. This thirst is the similitude and metaphor: the thirst for all the perishing souls. His thirst was a doleful lament, full of pain, misery, agony, distress, suffering, anguish, torment, and torture for the lost souls of humanity, the world (John 3:16).
Spurgeon says, “Thirst is a common-place misery, such as may happen to peasants or beggars; it is a real pain, and not a thing of a fancy or a nightmare of dreamland. Thirst is no royal grief, but an evil of universal manhood; Jesus is brother to the poorest and most humble of our race.” He further narrates, “Appetite was the door of sin, and therefore in that point our Lord was put to pain. With ‘I thirst’ the evil is destroyed and receives its expiation.”
It is that River flowing from God’s throne, demonstrated through the Cross, Christ’s unending love, that quenches one’s spiritual thirst. This unfathomable River wells up within us, bringing mercy, life-giving love and grace in all seasons of our life. In His great thirst, He brought the fountain of Living Water to quench the thirst for humanity.
Our raging creative thoughts in our fallenness are often humbled by God’s protection, and He is able to make us inaccessible to the storms. When we are lifted to the height above the storms, we can look down in peace and know we are in God’s protection, in a place of ultimate safety. He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty (Psalm 91:1 KJV).
___________
1 Dipsao Meaning – Greek Lexicon | New Testament (NAS)
2 Polydipsia: Causes & Treatment – Cleveland Clinic
3 thirst | Hebrew Word Study Hebrew Word Study | Skip Moen https://skipmoen.com › tag › thirst O God, You are my God; I shall seek You earnestly; My soul thirsts for You, my flesh yearns for You, In a dry and weary land where there is no water.
4 How to say refuge in Hebrew – Thesaurus and Word Tools https://www.wordhippo.com/what-is/the/hebrew-word-for-cdc93d65384e9644…
Guest blogger Elizabeth Thambiraj became a believer at age five and had the blessing of being brought up in a godly family. She started her career as a chemistry professor, then became a company administrator, and director. Love for God and people moved her heart to study in theological schools to become a Biblical Counselor. Learn more on her website: https://livinghopecounseling.net
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