Psalm 62:6 - Quavah ~ Rope by Chaim Bentorah

Psalms 62:6: “Only for God does my soul wait in silence for from Him cometh my hope.”

So what am I waiting for while I am in silence?  Actually the word wait is not found in the Hebrew text, it is just the opinion of translator that if you are in silence you are waiting for something. I am learning that while in silence I am not waiting for anything, something is happening all the time.  As according to our English translation of  Psalms 62:6 I am hoping during this time.

The word hope is an unfortunate word to use here as in our 21st Century it can be very misleading because it automatically implies that something may or may not happen.  Here the word for hope comes from the root word  quavah which means a cord or rope.  This is in the sense of a rope that attaches to something. Think about it, what is the purpose of a rope but to attach to something.  The word cometh is also not in the Hebrew text, again which is the translator’s opinion.  Let’s just do a literal word for word translation and what we have is: “Surely does my soul attached itself to God in silence.”  That doesn’t make sense until you have spent some time in silence and you begin to realize that you soul is attaching itself to God.

Your spirit is already attached to God when you accept Jesus as your Savior, but that nasty old soul and body just keep getting in the way. The body wants to eat, it gets hungry so everytime you try to praise God it is crying out: “Feed me”. This is especially true if your pastor exceeds his allotted time.   Your body is a spoiled brat so you just have to treat it like a spoiled brat and  tell it: “Tough luck kiddo, guess what?  I am fasting and you ain’t getting nutin’”  You treat it like the spoiled brat which it is.  Whatever your body wants you give it.  And believe me when your body wants something it will interrupt any important time you have with God so you just tell it to shut up, it ain’t getting nothing until you finish getting your bread from the Word of God.

Oh, but then you soul has to jump into the fray.  It is worried about a bill, an impending move to new apartment, a job etc.  Well, you just pat you old soul on the head and say, “Now , now this is not the time to worry about it, we are in silence listen to the voice of God He will tell you it is ok.”  Sometimes you have to do what David did in Psalms 103 and that is to pick you soul up by the collar and slam it against the wall and demand that it get with the program and start blessing the Lord and if it can’t do that then at least dwell on the benefits of God throughout your life.  Your soul will eventually come around, tail tucked behind it. I found after two days of silence my soul is now quavah binding with God or attaching itself with God. You seequavah which is rendered as wait is really a word for rope which is made by tightly binding strands of fabric together, so it really has the idea of binding with God rather than waiting for God.

Quavah has a nautical origin.  A hole was bored through a large rock and a  rope was attached to the  rock to be used as an anchor.  I spoke with a man who grew up in Alaska on fishing boats and was himself a captain on a large fishing vessel, He said during a storm they would toss an anchor overboard and when it attaches to something it holds the boat firm and the boat will actually face into the wind. He said once he dragged an anchor to hold firm he has faced many a powerful storms head on with the boat.  It was rough but so long as that anchor held, they rode out the storm. When tossed overboard you are only sure that rock that anchor is attached when you pull on the rope and feel its weight. You can’t see the rock that it is attached to but you know from the weight and the fact that your ship is not moving that the rock you are anchored to is still holding. I think you can make the spiritual connection here.

I tell you this old ship of mine has been through many a storms, the sail is torn, the haul is taking in water, but the Rock that I am anchored to still holds, it still holds. In fact take a look at the next verse, we are still following a nautical theme.   In verse 7 it says: “He is my rock and my salvation, my high tower, I shall not be moved.  During a storm the anchor also keeps the ship on course and keeps it from smashing against the rocks.  You know where the rocks are because of the lighthouse.  High towers were built on the shoreline so sailors could keep the shore in view and in sight.  As long as you could see the tower and your rock or anchor holds, you are confident you are not blown off course.  That rock and high tower was a sailor’s salvation and with it he is confident he will not be moved off course.  He will continue on his way home.

A funny  thing happens to rope as it is put under a strain like being attached to a rock under water.  Rope was made pretty much the same way rope is made today.  Thin strands of fabric are woven together.  Each strand could easily be broken in itself, but when it is bound tightly together it becomes unbreakable.  To bind it tightly together it must be stretched.  When attached to a rock or anchor it creates a pull and it is stretched.  During a storm that ship is trying to move which has one end of the rope and the other end is attached to a rope pulling it back saying; “No you’re not going anywhere.”   This pull on both ends only tightens the cord or rope.  Thus, as we go through the storms of life, our quavah is only strengthened. The greater the storm the stronger our attachment is to our Anchor.   Our Anchor still holds and as long as we see that Watchtower that light house in the distance, we know we are on track to our heavenly home.

But it is not only the storms of life that our attachment our quavah grows tighter, but according to this Psalm in silence our soul grows in its attachment to God. So I am not waiting for anything to happen it is happening right now, I am binding myself to God.  Every moment in silence is making me tighter with God.