We’ve now arrived at one of the more famous stories in the Scripture.
To answer the call of nature, Saul randomly stepped into a cave to relieve himself.
And wouldn’t you know it?!
This cave “coincidentally” turned out to be where David and his men were hiding!
David recognized this was a chance to forever dispose of the enemy who was after his life.
He snuck up behind him with his dagger…
But instead of plunging the blade into Saul’s body…
He instead cut off a piece of the hem of his skirt.
In Hebrew, what David cut was a part of the KANAPH or כָּנָף.
You’re probably familiar with that word from other parts of Scripture.
For example, when God tells the Israelites…
“I bore you on eagles’ wings,
and brought you to Myself”
-Exodus 19:4
The “wings” there is KANAPH.
Or when Ruth says to Boaz…
“Spread your wings over your servant,
for you are a redeemer.”
-Ruth 3:9
Again, the same word KANAPH is used.
The word for the wings of a bird or angel is KANAPH.
This word can also refer to the corners of a garment, which might flap in the wind, giving the appearance of a wing.
However, in the context here, KANAPH carries a deeper meaning.
In those days, the hem of one’s garment represented one’s status in society.
The poorest folks had no hem whatsoever.
Their hems were just the frayed bottom parts of their clothing.
The next class had clothes made of the same kind of cloth.
They simply folded the edges over and sewed them to make a hem.
This made their clothes last longer and look nicer.
Richer folks had fancy hems with colored thread and even attached cute-looking little decorations to them.
Finally, royalty had the most fancy pants and pricey hems imaginable.
Since money meant power, the hem was far more than a decoration.
It was a sign of one’s position in society.
You know the colored belts that martial schools use to grade students?
That’s kind of the role hems played in ancient Middle Eastern society.
Except there was a religious flavor to them.
They were sometimes seen as holy and sacred.
So when David cut off a piece of Saul’s royal garment, he wasn’t just cutting off a piece of his clothing.
He was cutting off a piece of his identity.
So what’s the takeaway here?
It is this.
The earthly way hems were used back then is the same way we use status symbols in our day.
In other words, just replace the hems with any of the other status symbols we love to flaunt in our society to demonstrate how much better we are than anyone else.
Our hems can be our cars, how big our houses are, how many kids we have, some sexy title at some prestigious company, or whatever BS thing we’ve attached our ego to…which is just a symbol of our insecurities in the first place if you think about it.
But here’s the thing…
Just as David cut off Saul’s hem – the thing that represented his earthly authority – he’s going to do the same thing to you if you are truly one of his.
Whatever you are relying on right now to bolster your self-esteem…
Whether it’s that money in your bank account, that cute girlfriend you’re dating, or your stable corporate job (which trust me, ain’t as stable as you think it is)…
God is going to cut that hem so you can understand that it is HIM and only HIM who sustains you.
He will force you to crucify your old self…
And it will be the most painful but necessary transformation you will ever endure.
Ya feel me here homie?
He did it to Abraham.
He did it to Joseph.
He did it to Yeshua.
He did it to me.
And He’ll do it to you.
Done.
CONNECTING THIS TEACHING TO THE NEW TESTAMENT
“Yeshua, looking at him,
felt love for him and said to him,
‘You’re missing one thing.
Go, sell whatever you own,
give to the poor,
and you will have riches in heaven.
Then come, follow me!’
Shocked by this word,
he went away sad;
because he was a wealthy man.
Yeshua looked around
and said to his talmidim,
‘How hard it is going to be
for people with wealth to
enter the Kingdom of God!’
The talmidim were astounded
at these words; but Yeshua said
to them again, ‘My friends, how
hard it is to enter the Kingdom of God!
It’s easier for a camel to pass
through a needle’s eye than for a
rich man to enter the Kingdom of God.’
They were utterly amazed
and said to him, ‘Then who can be saved?’
Yeshua looked at them and said,
‘Humanly, it is impossible,
but not with God; with God,
everything is possible.'”
-Mark 10:21-27
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