Matzah Minute is an encouraging, inspiring and life-giving devotional series.

…Think of coming home at the end of the day. You enter your home and close the door behind you. You sink into your favorite chair, drop your guard and let out a deep exhale. You’re no longer on high alert. The chaos is outside. Inside, you’re safe.

That’s what makes this call so striking. Judah is anything but secure in a physical sense. Assyria is at the door and the threat of invasion is imminent. Judah’s response: send caravans on the road south, treaties in hand, in an attempt to procure security by her own means. Self-defensive. Security by hypervigilance.

In fact, shuvah appears only here in all of Scripture, and the lexicons render it "withdrawal." In other words, pulling back from the alliance. Full retreat. The Septuagint agrees: the translators chose apostrapheis, to turn away, to turn back.

The imagery here is stunning. Picture the caravan heading south, loaded with gifts for Pharaoh. And God says: turn around. Go back to the place I called you.

In the final verse of this chapter, the Psalmist offers one final request: that the Lord would “lead him in the everlasting way.” After asking God to search him and test him, he submits himself to the Lord’s guidance and direction.

This is a simple yet sincere supplication. The Hebrew word nachah simply means to “lead or guide.” It is also used to express governance, specifically how God governs His people. The translators of the Septuagint used hodegeo, which carries an added nuance of “teaching.”

In verse 24, the Psalmist continues his prayer for examination. He uses some powerful words to convey some serious truth.

The psalmist asks the Lord to see if there is any “hurtful” way in him. This word, hurtful, derives from the Hebrew root ’atzab and carries significant meaning. In some translations, it is “painful” or “sorrowful.” But this root, in its verbal form, also means “fashion, make, form, stretch into shape.” More specifically, it can be connected to the creation of earthen vessels, as in idol making.

Parallelism is typical in Hebrew poetry, and the second part of Psalm 139:23 is a beautiful example. The psalmist employs a bit of this poetic device to emphasize his heartfelt cry.

The Hebrew word translated “examine” comes from the root Nxb (bachan), which also means to test or scrutinize. It is a word used in metal working, where the quality of the metal is tested. Interestingly, this kind of “testing” usually comes through calamity (see Job 23:10).

Our God is a God who answers prayer. And I would venture to say that there is no prayer He delights in answering more than that of His son or daughter sincerely examining their own heart.

This is the cry of the psalmist in Psalm 139:23-24. In just a few brief words, he reveals his earnest desire for the Lord to probe his innermost being.