strange - Psalm 137:4

Psalm 137:4 How shall we sing the LORD'S song in a strange land?

An Old Testament word study that illustrates separation and discernment.

     strange - rk'nE nekar {nay-kawr'}'

This word and words from it's root is found several times in our Bible .

1) The first mention of this word is in Gen 17:12

Genesis 17:12 And he that is eight days old shall be circumcised among you, every man child in your generations, he that is born in the house, or bought with money of any stranger, which is not of thy seed.

Here God gives us understanding through the sign of circumcision in the Abrahamic covenant that there was to be a distinction made between God's people and the people of the world.

God mentioned this himself in Ex 12:43 “And the LORD said unto Moses and Aaron, This is the ordinance of the passover: There shall no stranger eat thereof:”

See also (Dut 31:16)(Ruth 2:10)(Ruth 3:14)(Neh 13:30)(Ps18:44, 46)(Ps 144:7,11)(Is 56:3,6)(Is 60:10)

(Is 61:5)(Is 62:8)(Ezk 44:7,9)

2) The biblical account of Jacob stealing Esau's birthright by deceiving his father sheds some light on this word as well.

Genesis 27:23 And he discerned him not, because his hands were hairy, as his brother Esau's hands: so he blessed him.

This indicates the aspect of distinction.

This is also seen in (Gen 31:32)(1Kings 20:41)(Ezra 3:13)(Job 4:16)

3) Jacob declared that his house was to put away the strange gods that were among them (Gen 35:2-4), showing the need of distinction between the God of heaven and the gods of this world.

See (Dut 32:12)(Josh 24:20, 23)(Judges 10:16)(1Sam 7:3)(2Chor 14:3)(2Chor 35:15)(Ps 81:9)(Jer 5:19)(Dan 11:39)(Mal 2:11)

4) We find this word mentioned as the word know in (Gen 37:32-33).

Genesis 37:32 And they sent the coat of many colours, and they brought it to their father; and said, This have we found: know now whether it be thy son's coat or no.

This is demonstrated again in the account of Joseph in Gen 42:7-8 where the word is seen four times.

See know, knew, knoweth, known (Judges 18:3)(1Sam 26:17)(1Kings 18:7)(Job 2:12)(Job 7:10)(Job 21:29)(Job 24:13, 17)(Job 34:25)(Ps 103:16)(Ps 142:4)(Pro 20:11)(Lam. 4:8)

5) God reveals this word to us in (Gen 38:25-26) in a way that demonstrates personal accountability by giving the Hebrew word in two different English words: discern and acknowledged.

Genesis 38:25-26 When she was brought forth, she sent to her father in law, saying, By the man, whose these are, am I with child: and she said, Discern, I pray thee, whose are these, the signet, and bracelets, and staff. And Judah acknowledged them, and said, She hath been more righteous than I; because that I gave her not to Shelah my son. And he knew her again no more.

For acknowlege see (Dut 21:17)(Dut 33:9)(Is 61:9)(Is 63:16)(Jer 24:5)(Dan 11:39)

For take knowledge (Ruth 2:19)

6) This word is seen as the word respect in (Dut 1:17).

Ye shall not respect persons in judgment; but ye shall hear the small as well as the great; ye shall not be afraid of the face of man; for the judgment is God's: and the cause that is too hard for you, bring it unto me, and I will hear it. See also (Dut 16:19)(Pro 24:23)(Pro 28:21)

A similar word that carries the same idea is the word regard in (Job 34:19)

7) We find an interesting presentation of this word in 1Sam 23:7 in the English word delivered.

1 Samuel 23:7 And it was told Saul that David was come to Keilah. And Saul said, God hath delivered him into mine hand; for he is shut in, by entering into a town that hath gates and bars.

8) In (2Sam 3:36) it is described as all the people who took notice.

9) The LORD's words are recorded as him using this word as the word another.

1 Kings 14:5 And the LORD said unto Ahijah, Behold, the wife of Jeroboam cometh to ask a thing of thee for her son; for he is sick: thus and thus shalt thou say unto her: for it shall be, when she cometh in, that she shall feign herself to be another woman.

10) Nehemiah is recorded in the Bible as using this word in the sense of perception.

Nehemiah 6:12 And, lo, I perceived that God had not sent him; but that he pronounced this prophecy against me: for Tobiah and Sanballat had hired him.

11) It is used in (Proverbs 26:24) as he that hateth dissembleth with his lips

12) Jeremiah speaks the Lord's message to his people about them provoking Him with strange vanities in (Jer 8:19)

13) Here the Children of Israel have been accused of estranging the house of God by their wickedness. (Jer 19:4)

14) Obadiah rebuked Edom for rejoicing in the day that Judah became a stranger. (Ob 1:12)

This word then by it's very context sets forth the reality of the ability to discern between that which belongs to God and that which does not. The People of God in captivity for their sin of not discerning between the holy and the profane were placed by God into a place that daily reminded them of the result of not being separate!

Will the Christians of America find themselves in a strange land because they did not discern what was strange in the sight of God? They are even now. The song is gone.

A good example of the lack of discernment between the things holy and profane was illustrated to me the other day in a post I received on face book.  Some christian posted a video of  “christian music” . What was revealed in the video by the Gather crowd, was a long haired hippy (Guy Penrod) singing Jesus music. It is a tragedy that we have come to a place where God's people will praise the performance of music based upon personal pleasure rather than holy significance.

When personal satisfaction becomes more important than pure doctrine and practical holiness, the strange land is never far away.