sustenance

I only have one more week left of my super-cool grandmothers' bible study of Isaiah. they are the coolest women in my church.

here is a verse I've been chewing on this week, from Isaiah 58 -

Feed the hungry and help those in trouble.
Then your light will shine out from the darkness,
and the darkness around you will be as bright as day.

but this is really where my NLT doesn't do the original justice. check out the NKJV:

If you extend your soul to the hungry
And satisfy the afflicted soul,
Then your light shall dawn in the darkness,
And your darkness shall be as the noonday.

And if that little change between "feed the hungry" and "extend your soul to the hungry" wasn't interesting enough, try the good ol' KJV:

And if thou draw out thy soul to the hungry,
and satisfy the afflicted soul;
then shall thy light rise in obscurity,
and thy darkness be as the noonday:

I looked up that word, "extend" or "draw out". one commentator said it meant "'impart of thine own subsistence' or 'sustenance'. 'Soul' is figurative for 'that wherewith thou sustainest thy soul.' or 'life'."

which means, that God is commanding us to take whatever sustains us, whatever gives us life, and give it away to those who are hungry. starving. dying.

whether that means literally, giving food and shelter and safety to someone who lacks the physical things needed to live. until they are satisfied - sated, gutted, saturated.

or emotionally. or spiritually. isn't that a great way to put it? our purpose here is to "impart our sustenance".

sometimes its hard to remember that when I'm busy or "on my way" or its the most annoying person ever . . .