With your very own hands you formed me;
now breathe your wisdom over me so I can understand you.
When they see me waiting, expecting your Word,
those who fear you will take heart and be glad.
I can see now, God, that your decisions are right;
your testing has taught me what’s true and right.
Oh, love me—and right now!—hold me tight!
just the way you promised.
Now comfort me so I can live, really live;
your revelation is the tune I dance to.
Let the fast-talking tricksters be exposed as frauds;
they tried to sell me a bill of goods,
but I kept my mind fixed on your counsel.
Let those who fear you turn to me
for evidence of your wise guidance.
And let me live whole and holy, soul and body,
so I can always walk with my head held high. Psalm 119:73-80 (The Message)
Psalm 119 – Yodh may only be a dot of a letter, but it is almost as complex as God, Himself. The design of the yodh is a point or a flame. The flame helps remind us that our soul yearns for God. The meaning of the letter yodh is a Jew, the hand of God and continuity. When a yodh is placed at the beginning of a Hebrew word, it means continuity.
Yodh is very close in pronunciation to yid, or Jew. Also, every letter of the Hebrew alphabet begins with the yodh. This shows the spirituality of the letters and that the Torah was written for the Jews (Raskin, 2003).
The Torah was given to the Jewish People, and was fulfilled by Jesus. What we do learn from the Torah is about God’s character and how He relates to us and the world He created. In fact, the Psalmist tells us, with your very own hands you formed me. God created all of nature and can be seen in the tiniest seed to the vast oceans. This is why we can see continuity in all of nature. It is because it is God, the one Creator, who created all the earth and everything in it and on it within nature. He is still consistently creating within this world and across 
the Universe.
“The yodh represents a seminal drop, the concentrated power of God (Raskin, 2003).” We can’t truly understand God’s full power, because we are so small, and our understanding so miniscule to that of God’s. What is so beyond our comprehension is that God uses His power, not to destroy us, but to fight for us in our battles of this world. Take a look at what God did for Judah and King Jehoshaphat as it is written in 2 Chronicles 20:1-30:
Now it came about after this, that the sons of Moab and the sons of Ammon, together with some of the Meunites, came to make war against Jehoshaphat. Then some came and reported to Jehoshaphat, saying, “A great multitude is coming against you from beyond the sea, from Aram; and behold, they are in Hazazon-tamar (that is Engedi).” Jehoshaphat was afraid and turned his attention to seek the Lord; and he proclaimed a period of fasting throughout Judah. So Judah gathered together to seek help from the Lord; they even came from all the cities of Judah to seek the Lord.
Then Jehoshaphat stood in the assembly of Judah and Jerusalem, in the house of the Lord in front of the new courtyard; and he said, “Lord, God of our fathers, are You not God in the heavens? And are You not ruler over all the kingdoms of the nations? Power and might are in Your hand so that no one can stand against You. Did You not, our God, drive out the inhabitants of this land from Your people Israel, and give it to the descendants of Your friend Abraham forever? They have lived in it, and have built You a sanctuary in it for Your name, saying, ‘If disaster comes upon us, the sword, or judgment, or plague, or famine, we will stand before this house and before You (for Your name is in this house), and cry out to You in our distress, and You will hear and save us.’ Now behold, the sons of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir, whom You did not allow Israel to invade when they came out of the land of Egypt (for they turned aside from them and did not destroy them), see how they are rewarding us by coming to drive us out from Your possession which You have given us as an inheritance. Our God, will You not judge them? For we are powerless before this great multitude that is coming against us; nor do we know what to do, but our eyes are on You.”
All Judah was standing before the Lord, with their infants, their wives, and their children.
Then in the midst of the assembly the Spirit of the Lord came upon Jahaziel… and he said, “Listen, all you of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and King Jehoshaphat: This is what the Lord says to you: ‘Do not fear or be dismayed because of this great multitude, for the battle is not yours but God’s. Tomorrow, go down against them. Behold, they will come up by the ascent of Ziz, and you will find them at the end of the valley in front of the wilderness of Jeruel. You need not fight in this battle; take your position, stand and watch the salvation of the Lord in your behalf, Judah and Jerusalem.’ Do not fear or be dismayed; tomorrow, go out to face them, for the Lord is with you.”
Jehoshaphat bowed his head with his face to the ground, and all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem fell down before the Lord, worshiping the Lord. The Levites, from the sons of the Kohathites and from the sons of the Korahites, stood up to praise the Lord God of Israel, with a very loud voice.
They rose early in the morning and went out to the wilderness of Tekoa; and when they went out, Jehoshaphat stood and said, “Listen to me, Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem: Put your trust in His prophets, and succeed.” When he had consulted with the people, he appointed those who sang to the Lord and those who praised Him in holy attire, as they went out before the army and said, “Give thanks to the Lord, for His faithfulness is everlasting.” When they began singing and praising, the Lord set ambushes against the sons of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir, who had come against Judah; so they were struck down. For the sons of Ammon and Moab rose up against the inhabitants of Mount Seir, completely destroying them; and when they had finished with the inhabitants of Seir, they helped to destroy one another.
When Judah came to the watchtower of the wilderness, they turned toward the multitude, and behold, they were corpses lying on the ground, and there was no survivor. When Jehoshaphat and his people came to take their spoils, they found much among them, including goods, garments, and valuable things which they took for themselves, more than they could carry. And they were taking the spoils for three days because there was so much.
Then on the fourth day they assembled in the Valley of Beracah, for they blessed the Lord there. Therefore they have named that place “The Valley of Beracah” until today. Every man of Judah and Jerusalem returned, with Jehoshaphat at their head, returning to Jerusalem with joy, for the Lord had helped them to rejoice over their enemies. They came to Jerusalem with harps, lyres, and trumpets, to the house of the Lord. And the dread of God was on all the kingdoms of the lands when they heard that the Lord had fought against the enemies of Israel. So the kingdom of Jehoshaphat was at peace, for his God gave him rest on all sides.
This history of Jehoshaphat teaches us so much about God’s power and our relationship with Him. Let’s first look at how King Jehoshaphat approaches God. Jehoshaphat is in trouble as Judah is about to be invaded by its enemies. He doesn’t sit around and anxiously stew about the situation. Instead, he takes his problem to God. He, as the leader, also asks all the people to join him in asking God for deliverance. King Jehoshaphat acknowledges his own powerlessness and looks to God, For we are powerless before this great multitude that is coming against us; nor do we know what to do, but our eyes are on You.” It’s clear that Jehoshaphat is trusting God for His decision and protection.
After God answered King Jehoshaphat through Jahaziel, he bows down to honor God and trust that He will indeed, protect Judah. He doesn’t fret anymore about it. Instead, what seems impossible, that Judah’s enemies will be destroyed without lifting a finger, is taken at face-value. But what is really telling of Jehoshaphat’s trust is that even before the enemies attack, he tells all Judah, Put your trust in the Lord your God and you will endure. Then he tells the singers to sing praises to God before the battle even began. He knew God was with them and trusted that He would fight for them as He told them.
Jehoshaphat’s and Judah’s trust was rewarded with the enemies destroying each other and spoils of the war aplenty. More than the material rewards though, the country was at peace for the remainder of King Jehoshaphat’s reign.
King Jehoshaphat was a good role model. The Psalmist in Psalm 119 – Yodh also asks that he be a role model for others to look up to because he is known to trust God and His ways. We too as mature Christians need to show other believers how to handle life’s battles. We must follow what King Jehoshaphat did: 1) bring the problem before God, 2) remember God’s promise to us that He fights for us and protects us, 3) listen and do exactly what God tells us to do, 4) sing praises to God, thanking Him before the battle, because we know He is trustworthy and keeps His promises, and finally, 5) enjoy God’s blessings. This is all what the yodh stands for: acknowledging God’s power in the universe, our world and our lives.
Resources:
Raskin, A. 2003: Letters of Light. (audio book). Sichos Publishers.
Photo Credit: Louis Taylor. June 5, 2018. ‘Hand of God’ reaches down from the skies in an omen for the World Cup. https://metro.co.uk/2018/06/05/hand-god-reaches-skies-omen-world-cup-7606331/. Retrieved on June 5, 2021.
*I apologize for this post being so late this week. Sometimes life happens and you just have to go with the flow.
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