The Horn of Salvation

"Blessed is the Lord God of Israel, for He has visited and redeemed His people, and has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the hour of His servant David...Through the tender mercy of our God, with which the Dayspring (Dawn) from on high has visited us; To give Light to those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace."
(Luke 1:68,69,78,79)

"...and has raised up a horn of salvation for us..."

Many times throughout Scripture, Jesus is referred to as "the horn of salvation". Would you like to know why? It's pretty awesome!

The Hebrew word for 'horn' is qeren (keh-ren) which means 'strength'. In ancient Jewish traditions, the horn of an animal such as a ram, was used as a symbol of strength, power and victory in times of celebration, battles and sacrifice.

Now, this is significant:

In the Tabernacle of the Old Testament, the altar of sacrifice was a HUGE 7 foot square, bronze structure just inside the gate to the Tabernacle Proper. It was the place of blood sacrifice and burnt offering of sacrificial animals for the forgiveness of sins. On each corner of the altar was a horn-shaped stoned outcropping. This is where the sacrificial animal was secured to the altar. As part of the ritual, the priests would sprinkle its blood on each horn using a hyssop branch. (Hyssop was also used to smear the blood of the Passover Lamb over the doorposts of the Israelites to protect them from the Angel of Death on the brink of their deliverance from Egypt!)

Psalm 118:27 reads, "God is the Lord, and He has given us light; Bind the sacrifice with cords to the horns of the altar." Jesus, the perfect Lamb of God was secured - He was bound - to the cross for our redemption. He is our Strength (qeren), our victory over sin and death.

In Psalm 18:1&2 David says, "I love You, O Lord, my Strength (qeren)! The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge; My shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold."

This next note is interesting:

The root word for qeren is qaran, meaning 'to have horns' or 'to shine'. Think of radiating light - beams of light. Jesus is the Light of the world. He came to bring Light into our darkness - to light our path and lead us in the way of peace.

Jesus is the horn of our salvation - our Strength. He radiates His Light into our darkness, lighting our path in the way of peace.

Like David, I can say, "I love you, O Lord, my Strength (qeren)!"

Father, The intricacies of Your Word amaze me - the complexities of Your plan of salvation are incredible! And yet, Your Word is simple because it reaches deep into the heart, touching, renewing and restoring us to You. Thank You for enlightening the eyes of our heart so that we might understand just how amazing You are. Thank You for teaching us Your Truth. Thank You for revealing to us how everything fits together like a puzzle. We love You so much, Father. You, indeed, are our Strength!