HEBREW WORD STUDY – FAINTING – ‘ATAPH עטף Ayin Teth Pei 

Jonah 2:7: “When my soul fainted within me I remembered the LORD: and my prayer came in unto thee, into thine holy temple.”

Ps 139:7-12: “Whither shall I go from thy spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy presence? (8) If I ascend up into heaven, thou [art] there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou [art there]. (9) [If] I take the wings of the morning, [and] dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea; (10) Even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me. (12) Yea, the darkness hideth not from thee; but the night shineth as the day: the darkness and the light [are] both alike [to thee].”

I have heard some preachers say that in the Old Testament God was only found in the temple or tabernacle but now, as New Testament Christians,  He is found in our bodies. There is no need for a temple or tabernacle for God to dwell in.  In the Old Testament God did not dwell in the hearts of man like today because Jesus had not yet come and died on the cross to cleanse us from sin and thus God could not dwell in bodies like He does today. 

I remember discussions in Bible College about how the Spirit of God only came upon the prophets that he did not indwell the prophets and that people were saved in the Old Testament by  keeping the law and now that Jesus fulfilled the law we no longer have to depend upon works for salvation, it is now a free gift. Lucky us to be born post first century. 

Many Christians today know that Jesus is their redeemer and that salvation is a free gift, but they still feel that their works are what will get them into heaven.  If they don’t follow God closely enough they will lose their salvation and go to hell, hence they must keep working hard to avoid sin so they do not lose their salvation,, but in the same breath they say salvation is not attain by good works or deeds. That their salvation does not depend upon good works. Then they say that if God forgives all your sins past and present then what is to keep you from going out and party up, get drunk and like a wild life if God will forgive those sins.  So, works must be involved. You must work to avoid sin. For years I listened to preachers talk out of two sides of their mouth.  “You are not saved by going to church or paying tithe, but I don’t see how you can be a Christian if you don’t show up for church or you don’t pay your tithe, nay I don’t see how you can be a Christian if you don’t want to go to church or you hate paying tithes.” Again you must force yourself to do something you don’t want to do which is work to maintain your salvation. I mean where is the idea of doing good works out of love and fear of breaking God’s heart?  That’s my motivation, not a fear of going to hell. 

Then we turn around and accuse the Jews of believing that works will save them. Yet, I have read and studied Talmudic literature for forty five years and I discovered that the Jews of the Old Testament were looking to a Messiah to come and redeem them from their sins.  In the very core of their beliefs they do not believe that they will be redeemed by their good works but that they must trust in a Messiah who will come and redeem them. All the sacrifices of the Old Testament are only a symbol or sign of the work that a Messiah would do.  But like Christians, Jews also speak out of both sides of their mouths putting an emphasis on works. 

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