Into The Closet
Closet; a state or condition of secrecy or carefully guarded privacy;
Tamieion/Greek; chamber, storeroom
Matthew 6:6 "Here's what I want you to do: Find a quiet, secluded place (Tamieion) so you won't be tempted to role-play before God. Just be there as simply and honestly as you can manage.The focus will shift from you to God, and you will begin to sense his grace. ____The Message
Every once in a while I get caught up on literal word translation to search a deeper meaning many times lost in English translation. If available I will speak to someone fluent and native to the language, which helps greatly. I am astonished sometimes by the depth of meaning in the original words used lost in translation.
This word today that I am 'laboring' over is 'closet' Tamieion/Greek (no Greek character font for email) and after searching in Greek/English Lexicons and Perseus Greek/English translator here's what I found. The word 'tamieion/closet', as found in the Old King James literally is 'storeroom or chamber', digging deeper in other Greek/English translators the meaning comes up 'treasury'. This is the 'innermost secret room of a house, where the treasury or money-box is secured'.
In the same chapter in Matthew verses 19, 20 and 21, 'thesauros/treasury' (recognize the word?) the place in which goods and precious things are collected and laid up; a casket, coffer, or other receptacle, in which valuables are kept; a treasury; storehouse, repository, magazine; the things laid up in a treasury, collected treasures.
Matthew 6:19 "Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; 20 but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
'Lay' also here is 'thesauros and root thesaurizo, 'accumulate, store up'.
It is interesting to me that the English translation has a crossover in meaning to two different precise words. Tamieion, translated as closet is actually treasury or place where the treasure is stored, and thesauros is also treasury, actually the accumulation of treasure.
Regardless of the laboring over the literal, the general message is by the Spirit of the Word, that the center most part of our prayer life is the heart or kardia'. the center of our 'being', where 'thesauros' is found. He is calling us to go deep within ourselves where we abide with Him. Where His richness and treasure are and we find His gentle soft voice saying, 'I will never leave you, I will never forsake you'.
Throughout this chapter we learn how to pray, what to pray, where to pray, and afterwards expectation, building faith with patience. For today is today, and tomorrow will take care of tomorrow.
Your thesauros is within your kardia'.
Can't get more peace than that!
Video & Song
'What If My People Prayed' Casting Crowns
http://youtube.com/watch?v=UXoPuIN8jes&feature=related
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