I recently had a discussion with Paul Miller, the author of those books in our library - “A Praying Life”, “Love Walked Among Us”, and “A Loving Life”. He shared with me a common Hebrew word used throughout scripture. The word creates a thread that weaves throughout scripture and gives us great incite into the realities of who we are (and aren’t), what we are seeking, what we are missing, and who Jesus is. This Hebrew word is “gibbowr”. The Hebrew word conveys the meaning of “mighty”, “strong”, “valiant”, “upright”, “hero”, “champion” and “chief”.
Israel desired a hero, somebody to be king, to justly and judiciously rule over them and take them to the peace, prosperity, and salvation they longed for. God wanted to be their King. He was their King, but Israel didn’t live like it neither did they always pursue Him. He was the only one who could give them the things they wanted. What He has is better than what they want. If you read your Bible, almost from the beginning, it is filled with countless true accounts of men and women either called to lead God’s people or to be seated on Israel’s throne, and expected to save them. Some were called by God, some weren’t, some took the throne themselves in their pursuit of power and authority. Some were seated by the people of Israel themselves. From Moses to Joshua to the 12 Judges to Saul to David to Solomon and to the dozens of Kings throughout 1 & 2 Kings and 1 & 2 Chronicles, some good things happened but they never ultimately accomplished the desired outcome the people wanted. It’s said that insanity is doing the same thing over and over again, and expecting a different result. The Israelites kept seeking the same thing - a “gibbowr” - God always gave one to them, but it never did them the good they hoped for. Even when things seemed great, it wasn’t sustained for very long.
If there is one undeniable truth in the history of humanity, it is this - we want a savior. We want salvation. There is something inside of us that loves a hero and wants a hero. There is a vaguely recognizable yearning in our hearts for a “gibbowr”. That yearning is the residue of God’s design that has been smeared and tattered by sin. We want somebody to come and make things better. In all of our effort over thousands of years, we still go to the same place for salvation and restoration - ourselves. If you scroll through your Facebook feed, you see the same questions being asked hundreds and thousands of years ago - “Where is the love?”, “Why can’t we all just get along?”, “What is happening in the world?”, “Who can save us and make things better?”
We have always and continue to look for a person to come along and make things better. There is an innate desire in our hearts for a hero. We love superhero movies. There’s a reason why we love hero’s. Our hearts desire a hero because our hearts do in fact need a hero, we just blindly go anywhere and everywhere looking for that hero. Every presidential race that comes around, we say to ourselves and to others, “He’s the answer! Everything will be better if he’s President!” or “She’s what we’ve been looking for! Everything will be made right again if she’s the President!” While Presidents can have an impact on our lives, and we should be wisely selecting the best leaders available to us, they can never ultimately meet the innermost desires of our heart.
These figures of the world never live up to expectations, and if you look closely, they never unite us. Every President that goes by, we’re left more and more divided. Our appetites for salvation are never really fulfilled. Some presidents have done better than others. Some presidents have certainly accomplished great things. Depending on how you measure it, you could say the USA has experienced an upward trajectory in freedom, liberty and prosperity. The world has made progress in some areas. But you could also say we have experienced a downward trajectory in morality, policy and other areas. We should be optimist’s and try to see the best in situations and in people. But scripture also calls us to put away “fantasy” and fully embrace reality.
We yearn for the right policy or amendment that will make such broad and sweeping transformation in our communities and our lives. We need law and policies, but they aren’t going to give us what we truly desire. Although systems and structures are important, and it is important to be putting good leaders into position, our deepest problem isn’t a people problem or systems and structures problem. It’s an individual heart problem. Our hearts have more than one need and we go to individuals to meet them. For instance, to fill our need for love and acceptance, we have a significant other or spouse. To fill our need for law and order, we have the President. To fill our spiritual need, we have the Pastor of our church. To fill our need for imagination and adventure, we have Justin Bieber or whatever celebrity you live vicariously through. Nothing or nobody can fill the holes in our heart. Nobody is designed or equipped to bear the weight of our expectations and needs. The thread of the “gibbowr” throughout scripture gives us a hint of who can.
As God gave Israel “gibbowr’s” throughout their history, He was trying to make a point. God was essentially saying, “I am going to give you these men and women that will move along my plans and purposes for you. They will not be who you expect them to be. They will all in some measure fail in satisfying you, and they will leave you wanting. Only I can give you what your heart desires. But I am still going to give you these men and women and they they are going to point you in the direction of the one soon to come - the Messiah, Jesus Christ. Jesus is our “gibbowr”. He’s a our “gibbowr” in every way nobody in history has ever been able to live up to. He’s our “gibbowr” in ways greater than we can imagine.
What and who we are really seeking is God in Jesus Christ. That longing we feel inside for someone to make things better? That’s okay, God put that in our hearts. It’s a signpost to Him. But because of sin, the direction we aim in our search for a “gibbowr” we woefully miss the target and sink deeper and deeper into despair. Jesus is the well of living water. Jesus is the bread from heaven. Jesus is the Savior. Jesus is the "Gibbowr".