Pastor Stephanie
WHAT is GRACE?
The dictionary provides two basic definitions for grace.
Elegance or beauty of form, manner, motion or action.
Mercy; clemency; pardon
The Hebrew word translated as grace is חן (hhen, Strong's #2580) and is a two-letter parent root.
In order to uncover the original meaning of this word it is important that we first examine each of the roots and words that are derived from this parent root.
GENESIS 6:8 KJV
But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD.
H2580 Grace
Original: חן
Transliteration: CHÊN
Phonetic: khane
Strong's Definition: From H2603; graciousness, that is, (kindness, favor) or (beauty):- favour, grace (-ious), pleasant, precious, [well-] favoured.
GENESIS 19:15-16 NKJV
When the morning dawned, the angels urged Lot to hurry, saying, “Arise, take your wife and your two daughters who are here, lest you be consumed in the punishment of the city.”
And while he lingered, the men took hold of his hand, his wife’s hand, and the hands of his two daughters, the Lord being MERCIFUL to him, and they brought him out and set him outside the city.
Don't put out heart and soul and mind into the things of this earth.
GENESIS 19:17-18 NKJV
So it came to pass, when they had brought them outside,
that he said, “Escape for your life!
Do not look behind you nor stay anywhere in the plain.
Escape to the mountains, lest you be destroyed.”
Then Lot said to them, “Please, no, my Lords!
GENESIS 19:19 KJV
Behold now, thy servant hath found GRACE (Chen H2580) in thy sight, and thou hast magnified thy MERCY,
which thou hast shewed unto me in SAVING my LIFE; and I cannot escape to the mountain, lest some evil take me, and I die:
PSALM 84:10 AMP
For a day in Your courts is better than a thousand [anywhere else];
I would rather stand [as a doorkeeper] at the threshold of the house
of my God Than to live [at ease] in the tents of wickedness.
PSALM 84:10 KJV
For the LORD GOD is a SUN and SHIELD : the LORD will give GRACE (CHEN H2580) and GLORY:
NO GOOD THING will he WITHHOLD from THEM that walk uprightly. (walk in HIS righteousness.)
Chen (Grace) - In these occurrences is God's protection.
Grace has another aspect that is closely related and that is the thought of BEING FAVORED.
When Jacob was returning to the land of Canaan and met his brother Esau on the way, he separated his children by their mothers,
but kept RACHEL – his FAVORED wife – in the back.
He PROTECTED her the most.
God's Word will never perish, will never run away.
Make God's Word our first priority in life.
God FAVORS those He loves, those who please Him, and those who join into covenant with Him.
He watches out for them and helps to make their lives more comfortable.
He often does this simply by building a HEDGE, a WALL of PROTECTION, around them just as He did Job.
Abraham was a man who followed God.
He left his home in Babylon and moved his family to Canaan simply because God told him to do so.
God has a protection and hedge upon His children.
One day YHVH came passing by on His way to Sodom.
Abraham then made this request –
Genesis 18:3
And (Abraham) said, "O Lord, if I have found FAVOR (GRACE, CHEN) in your sight, do not pass by your servant.
God did stop at Abraham’s tent and shared a meal with him.
Later, God revealed His plans to Abraham.
Because God stopped, we know that HE FAVORED ABRAHAM.
Why, because he, like Noah and Lot, WALKED in GOD’S WAYS and were pleasing to him.
God wants us to have intimacy with Him and be His favorite children.
Are we listening to God's plan?
All His plans are in the Bible.
Spend time with God.
Most important appointment is appointment with God and not men.
Noah and Lot treasures God more than the physical things.
Ruth was another who found grace.
After Boaz discovered her gleaning in his fields, he instructed his
workers to not harass her and she answered –
RUTH 2:10 ESV
Then she fell on her face, bowing to the ground, and said to him,
"Why have I FOUND FAVOR in your eyes,
that you should take notice of me, since I am a foreigner?"
The answer, of course, was that she, a Moabites, had left her home and ATTACHED HERSELF to the GOD of ISRAEL and had come to serve her mother-in-law.
Because of her acts of kindness and obedience, Boaz was gracious to her.
God wants us to take advantage and benefits of Him.
Another case is that of Hannah.
Hannah’s name (חנה) is from the same root as chen and is the
feminine form of grace.
She was the FAVORED wife of Elkanah, a man who obviously walked with God.
Hannah found favor in God’s eyes after praying for a child.
After the child was weened, she made good on her vow by bring Samuel to Shiloh to serve under the priests.
At that time, she prayed a prayer about the greatness, power, and steadfastness of YHVH as our protection and shield.
Thus Hannah found FAVOR in GOD.
GRACE (CHEN) is -
GOD’S PROTECTION upon His people – those who WALK in HIS WAYS and those CALLED for His PURPOSE.
GOD'S FAVOR those who PLEASE HIM and thus protects them and ultimately gives them peace – shalom.
God's special favor are on those who choose to obey Him.
1 CORINTHIANS 5:1-2 EASY
We have heard bad news about what is happening among you.
Some of you are having sex in wrong ways.
We have heard that one man is even having sex with his own father's wife!
Even people who do not know God do not do things as bad as that!
But, you are still proud of yourselves!
Instead, you ought to be very sad and ashamed.
You should have sent this man away from your group.
1 CORINTHIANS 5:5-7 EASY
When you meet, put this man under Satan's authority.
Satan will then destroy the man's body.
Then God may save the MAN'S SPIRIT on the day when the Lord Jesus returns.
You should not be so proud of yourselves.
Think about what yeast does in bread.
A very small amount of yeast changes the whole loaf of bread.
The yeast in the flour is like one person who does wrong things.
You must remove this old yeast from among you.
Then you will be like a new loaf of bread.
You are really like a loaf which has no yeast in it.
You are pure, because Christ died as a sacrifice on our behalf.
He is like the lamb that the Israelites killed for their Passover meal.
From חן (hhen) comes the verbal root חנה (Hh.N.H, Strong's #2583), spelled exactly the same except with the addition of the letter ה (h) at the end.
GENESIS 26:17 KJV
And Isaac departed thence, and pitched his tent in the valley of Gerar, and dwelt there.
H2583 pitched his tent
Original: חנה
Transliteration: CHÂNÂH
Phonetic: khaw-naw'
Strong's Definition:
to incline;
to decline (of the slanting rays of evening);
to pitch a tent;
to encamp (for abode or siege):- abide
(in tents), camp, dwell, encamp, grow to an end, lie, pitch (tent), rest in tent.
This verb means "to pitch a tent" or "to camp."
The noun derived from this verb is מחנה (mahhaneh, Strong's # 4264).
EXODUS 14:20 KJV
And it came between the camp of the Egyptians and the CAMP of Israel; and it was a cloud and darkness to them, but it gave light by night to these: so that the one came not near the other all the night.
H4264 camp
Original: מחנה
Transliteration: MACHĂNEH
Phonetic: makh-an-eh'
Part(s) of speech: Noun
Strong's Definition:
From H2583; an ENCAMPMENT (of travellers or troops); an ARMY, whether (of soldiers) or (of dancers, angels, cattle, locusts, stars; or even the sacred courts):- army, band, battle, camp, company, drove, host, tents.
When we think of a camp, we think of tents scattered about in
a general area, but the camps of the Ancient Hebrews were a little different.
The tents were set up in a sort of circle and these tents serve as a "wall" separating the inside of the camp from the outside.
The pictographic Hebrew script that was used to originally write the word חן (hhen).
The first letter is the letter hhet, which was written asח" " and is a picture of a WALL and having the meaning of "SEPARATION" as the wall separates the inside from the outside.
The second letter is the letter nun, ן" " .
“Nun” means “life” and is associated with a picture of a FISH SWIMMING in the WATER.
Rabbis teach that “Nun” represents ALL MOVEMENT and GROWTH in LIFE, like a fish darting in the water, but also as a new seed sprouting or a branch bearing fruit.
It is a picture of a SPROUTING SEED having the meaning of "CONTINUE" as the SEED continues a LINEAGE to the NEXT GENERATION.
When these two letters are combined,
they mean "the WALL THAT CONTINUES."
The tents are a wall that continues around the camp.
A second verbal root derived from the parent root חן (hhen) is חנן (Hh.N.N, Strong's #2603), spelled exactly the same except with the addition of the letter ן (n) at the end.
This verb is often translated as "to be gracious" or "have mercy,".
PSALM 6:2 KJV
Have mercy (2603 CHÂNAN) upon me, O LORD;
for I am weak: O LORD, heal me; for my bones are vexed.
H2603 mercy
Original: חנן
Transliteration: CHÂNAN
Phonetic: khaw-nan'
Strong's Definition:
to bend or stoop in kindness to an inferior;
to favor, bestow; to implore (that is, move to favor by petition):- beseech, X fair, (be, find, shew) favour (-able), be (deal, give, grant (gracious (-ly), intreat, (be) merciful, have (shew) MERCY (on, upon), have pity upon, pray, make supplication.
Through this process we find that this Hebrew verb is paralleled with such ideas as healing, help, being lifted up, finding refuge, strength and salvation (literally rescue).
From a concrete Hebraic perspective, חנן (Hh.N.N) means all of this,
which we can sum up with "PROVIDING PROTECTION."
Where does one run to for protection?
The CAMP, and now we see how חנה (Hh.N.H), the camp, and חנן (Hh.N.N), protection, are related.
Now we need to see how these words are related to the
parent root חן (hhen).
PROVERBS 17:8 KJV
A gift is as a precious stone in the eyes of him that hath it: whithersoever it turneth, it prospereth.
The Hebrew word חן (hhen) is translated as "PRECIOUS," something of BEAUTY and VALUE.
PROVERBS 3:21 KJV
My son, let not THEM depart from thine EYES (AYIN) : keep SOUND WISDOM and DISCRETION:
PROVERBS 3:21 TPT
My child, never drift off course from these TWO GOALS for your LIFE: -
to WALK in WISDOM and
to DISCOVER your PURPOSE.
Don’t ever FORGET how they empower you.
Wisdom of God is the Word.
Only the Word of God gives us the true wisdom.
King Solomon treasures wisdom and understanding.
PROVERBS 3:22 KJV
So shall THEY be LIFE unto thy SOUL, and GRACE (CHEN H2580) to thy NECK. (the neck is a picture of our will and conscience)
PROVERBS 3:22 EASY
They will give you strength in life.
You will ENJOY LIFE, like a BEAUTIFUL NECKLACE (Chen) that you wear.
PROVERBS 3:23 TPT
THEY give you LIVING HOPE to GUIDE you, and not one of life’s
tests will cause you to stumble.
PROVERBS 3:23 EASY
You will be SAFE as you TRAVEL THROUGH LIFE.
There will be no danger to make you fall down.
PROVERBS 3:24 TPT
You will SLEEP like a baby, SAFE and SOUND — your REST will be SWEET and SECURE.
PROVERBS 3:24 EASY
When you lie down to sleep, you will not be afraid.
You will SLEEP WELL with PEACE in your MIND.
PROVERBS 3:25-26 TPT
You will not be subject to terror, for it will not terrify you.
Nor will the disrespectful be able to push you aside, because
GOD is YOUR CONFIDENCE in times of crisis,
keeping your HEART at REST in EVERY SITUATION.
Spiritual as well as physical heart.
PROVERBS 3:25-26 EASY
You will not be frightened of any trouble that might surprise you.
Trouble may destroy wicked people, but you will KNOW that YOU are SAFE.
The LORD is the ONE who will TAKE CARE of YOU.
He will PROTECT you, so that no danger can hurt you.
TORAH is shown to be a part of the GRACE = PROTECTION.
In Proverbs, Solomon shows that Torah is protection, that when you keep your EYES FOCUSED on God’s LAW (WORD), your walk will be SAFE and your sleep SOUND.
We see that GRACE is PROTECTION of LIFE and that YHVH is Israel’s protector.
PROVERBS 11:16 TPT
A gracious, generous (Chen) woman will be honored with a splendid reputation,
but the woman who hates the truth lives with disgrace and is surrounded by men who are cutthroats, only greedy for money.
PROVERBS 31:30 AMP
Charm and grace are deceptive, and [superficial] beauty is vain,
But a woman who fears the Lord [reverently worshiping, obeying, serving, and trusting Him with awe-filled respect], she shall be praised.
Again, this Hebrew word is being paralleled with "BEAUTY."
This "BEAUTY " is something that is PRECIOUS and GRACEFUL,
which is exactly how the Hebrews would have seen the "CAMP of PROTECTION," a GRACEFUL and PRECIOUS PLACE."
JOHN 10:10 NKJV
The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill,
and to destroy.
I have come that they may have LIFE (CHAYIM),
and that they may HAVE IT MORE ABUNDANTLY.
G4053 περισσός perissos
From G4012 (in the sense of beyond); superabundant (in quantity) or superior (in quality); excessive; exceeding abundantly above, very highly, beyond measure, more, superfluous..
LAMENTATIONS 3:22-24 EASY
The LORD'S faithful love NEVER COMES TO AN END.
He NEVER STOPS being kind to us.
EVERY DAY, we can trust him to be kind again.
We know that he will do what he has promised to do.
‘He is my Lord,’ I say to myself.
‘HE IS THE REASON WHY I can hope for good things.’
LAMENTATIONS 3:24 CEV
Deep in my heart I say, “The Lord is all I need; I can depend on him!”
Chen as a noun has a definition of a CAMP where within its walls is a PLACE of freedom, kindness, beauty, grace, and compassion (Strong's H2580 and H2603) PROTECTED by the LORD.
Therefore the individuals inside this CAMP are FREE, KIND, BEAUTIFUL, GRACIOUS, and COMPASSIONATE individuals.
Chen or Chanan as a verb means to be merciful,
to be gracious, to treat as valuable, to help another,
to rescue, and to protect.
And THIS CAMP (CHEN) WILL CONTINUE FOREVER IN CHRIST!
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