SELAH

(Excerpt from Think On This Volume II by Amy Freeman-Nichols. Available on Amazon)

Psalm 9:17-20

“The wicked shall be turned into hell, and all the nations that forget God. For the needy shall not alway be forgotten: the expectation of the poor shall not perish for ever. Arise, O LORD; let not man prevail: let the heathen be judged in thy sight. Put them in fear*, O LORD: that the nations may know themselves to be but men. Selah.”

 

Selah is used 74 times in the Old Testament, 71 times in Psalms, and 3 times in Habbakkuk.  There are 3 different thoughts on the meaning of Selah.

  1. To hang, or to measure, or weigh in the balances
  2. To praise or lift up. (Take a praise break)
  3. Or it is like a musical rest. A time to pause and reflect; to stop momentarily.

 

THINK ON THIS:

Have you ever picked up your bible, read a chapter or two, and had no idea what you just read?  Have you gone to church, heard the message, and when asked what the preacher preached about, you drew a complete blank?  We didn’t take the time while reading or listening to measure or weigh what God was giving us.

 

We didn’t pause our brain to let the word sink in.  My mind is always going.  I have to concentrate to hear or read.  I can be reading, and my brain is somewhere else on an entirely different topic.  I have to back up and try again.

Our friend, Pastor JR in Kings Mountain, NC, will often say he’s been chewing on a message or a scripture for days or weeks after hearing it.  He knows how to apply the selah.  He takes time to weigh and measure what he has read or heard against what he knows.  He takes time to revisit the scripture.  He reads and rereads it.  He stops to pray, to ask the Lord questions.  He discusses his thoughts and the points that have stirred him with his family, friends, and church.

When’s the last time you read a scripture or heard a message and took time to praise God for it?  When was the last time you stopped to weigh or measure what you heard against what you know?  Did you take time to study it out or to discuss it with someone else?  Did you pray about it?  When was the last time you paused to reflect on the word?

 

It’s time the church took a selah.  To consider the message we are sending.  To weigh and judge ourselves, above all to praise God.

 

There is no better time than today to stop and reflect.  Even in our personal lives, it is good to apply the selah.  We all make mistakes, but did you take that selah moment to reflect on it? What did you learn? What did you change so you don't repeat it? Selah moments are not just for correction or instruction; they can also be moments of celebration. Stop and smell those roses.  Looking back at where we came from reminds us to press on.  Remind yourself this year to use the selah to meditate and chew on the important moments in life.

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QUESTIONS

 

1. Do you read or hear and forget as soon as you get up? What was the message from church on Sunday?  Write what you                      remember.

 

2. Do you remember a time when you heard a message or read a scripture that caused you to apply the selah? What was it you            read or heard?  Why did it cause you to pause and reflect?

 

3. Sometimes we say things in anger. Applying a selah can give us a different perspective.  Have you ever gotten so mad you                  said things you didn’t mean?  What was the final outcome?

 

4. Taking a selah and looking back over the last year what was the greatest moment of the year? The worse moment?  Looking back      did you learn anything from these moments to carry into the new year?

 

5. As an adult, is there any advise your parents gave you, that back then you thought was mean or just your parents trying to keep        you from being with friends they didn’t like, that today after having plenty of years to weigh and measure it you have found the          wisdom of it? You might even apply it to your children.