AV 27
Guide Me
“They shall not hunger nor
thirst, neither heat or sun strike them, for He who has compassion on them
shall LEAD THEM, even by fountains of water GUIDE THEM.” (Isa 49:10, emphasis mine)
I
carried around a picture in my head for several days – this was some years ago
- of guide dogs, the ‘seeing-eye’ dogs used for those who are vision
impaired. When I began looking into all
the training that these dogs go through, I was very, very amazed! Not only do these canine friends need to
steer their ‘partner’ away from any obstacles that are potentially harmful, but
they are also trained in what is called ‘intelligent disobedience’ – “if they
are given an unsafe cue from their handler, they are taught to disobey it (for
example: refusing to step out into the street when there is oncoming traffic).”[1]
The several different articles that I
read concerning the training of these dogs have left me with admiration and
respect, not only for the dogs themselves, but for those who train them for
what they do.
The
word that is translated as ‘guide’ in our opening verse is the Hebrew word nâhal (Strong’s H5095), and is only found ten times within the
pages of the Tanakh, the Old
Testament. Nâhal, a verb, carries
with it the implication of leading and guiding with great care, with the
ultimate destination being one of peaceful, harmonious rest. One of the other places where nâhal is used is found in Ps 23:2 – “He leads me [nâhal] beside still waters” – giving further
testimony to the idea of great care and provision. Truthfully, I can visualize the ‘seeing-eye’
dogs moving with this verb nâhal.
Having
said all of that, is this not true of our Creator as well? When we make the choice to allow Him to be our guide, our ‘seeing-eye’ dog for
us visually handicapped humans, does He not lead and guide us to those places
of safety, security, rest and restoration?
It is unfortunate that so many of us reject His guidance, His leading,
and continue to stumble around in the dark shadows, when it is the Torah that
will light our path (see Ps 119:105).
“For the command is a lamp, And the Torah a
light, And reproofs of discipline a way of life.” (Pro 6:23)
“For You are
my rock and my stronghold; For Your Name’s sake lead me and guide me.”
(Ps 31:3)
©2021
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