“…..which when they had taken up, they used helps, undergirding the ship…..” Acts 27:17 (KJV)
One of my most favorite things about my trip to Israel was seeing the scriptures through the eyes of the Jewish language. Words that are so common to us and that we use daily to express ourselves can have an entirely different context in another language and at another time in history. A friend of mine often ended our prayers with a plea for God to “undergird” us with His strength. I love the word pictures “undergird” brings to mind and often use it myself in my prayers. I’ve learned that even a silly illustration of the modern-day girdle is not far from the original meaning. The story of Paul as he sets sail for Rome is filled with words that have a far deeper meaning than a mere scan of the text will reveal.
In Acts 27, we find Paul in the middle of a “northeaster” (vs. 14). The Greek word used to describe this storm was typhonikos. The words typhoon or hurricane describe the exact same weather event. It was a life-threatening storm. The ship’s captain attempted to sail along the coast, but the fierce storm drove them out to sea with no land in sight. “Since the ship was caught and was unable to head into the wind, we gave way to it and were driven along” (vs.15). In this verse, the Greek verb means to “be seized with great violence,” and the same term is used in Luke 8:29 of a demon violently seizing a man. How often have we expected to go along hugging the safe coastline of life when we encounter a raging storm that drives us off course and takes us captive by force? We experience the suffocating swells, the disappointments sting like the biting rain, and we feel like we will break apart like the timbers of a sinking ship. But then we read verse 17, “After hoisting it up, they used ropes and tackle and girded up the ship.” It seems so simple that it’s easy to read right past it, but it gives us great insight as to how to handle the fiercest of storms.
The word “ropes” in the NIV translation is not the usual Greek word for ropes. It is the word boetheia. The word literally means “helps” and occurs only twice in the New Testament. Acts and Hebrews 4:16 says, “Therefore let us approach the throne of grace with boldness, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us at the proper time” (italics added). Take a moment to picture the scene in your mind. Just like sailors encircle the boat’s hull with ropes to keep it from falling apart, God wraps us in His cords of mercy and grace to save us from falling apart in the storm. He permits storms, but He does not want us to fall apart. He desires to help us navigate with His Word and prayer. Those are essential GPS tools to strengthen and undergird us and guide us through the towering waves.
That’s the meaning of the unfamiliar term “undergird.” When we access the throne of grace, we are wrapped securely in the cords of God’s love and grace to fortify us to weather the storms and not fall apart. Do you need undergirding perseverance? Approach the throne and ask. Lord, undergird us this day with Your strength, Amen. And that’s your Tuesday Tidbit.
The picture is of the boats we rode in on the Sea of Galilee. They were crafted to look much like the boats of Jesus’s day and time.