The more usual name for the God who saves is El Yeshua, and I already meditated on that name in February. (See the posts on 13th February - Click here to read.) It's the name that appears in the previous verse. Psalm 68 vs 19 says: "Praise be to the Lord, to God our Saviour, who daily loads us with blessings."
He LOADS us with blessings. Not just one or two blessings, but LOADS of them: provision of food, family, friends, home, all the material blessings that we might need, together with salvation, love, joy, peace, hope...
My heart was touched by the image of myself, or any believer, loaded down with blessings - all because Jesus Himself carried the heavy load of the cross.
But as I looked at different Bible translations, I discovered something strange. Some versions, like the RSV or NIV, say, "Praise be to God our Saviour, who daily bears our burdens."
What? That's completely different. One translation has the believer, loaded with blessings, while the other translation has the Lord, loaded with burdens.
I discovered that the Hebrew is ambiguous. Older Bible versions translate it as, "He loads us with benefits/blessings/good things," while some of the more recent translators believe that, "He bears our burdens," is the more accurate translation.
On this Good Friday, when we remember the suffering and death of Jesus, El Yeshua, El Mosha'ah, the God of our Salvation, I couldn't help realising that both are true. Because He carried the weight of my sin, selfishness and guilt, I can live in the blessings of forgiveness, freedom and friendship with God. He truly is the God who saves.
