Witness UNTO Me
And The Secret of Being a Sent One.
In previous posts we have looked at Eden and also The Calling. Here is an insightful look at the paleo-hebrew pictographs for some other words.
In English we know that the name for the Garden that God planted in Genesis, is spelled Eden.
What we may not know is that the first 2 letters of EDen, E and D, when put together, are also another Hebrew word. That word is Witness.
They are spelled phonetically as ayd and pronounced phonetically as eye-ed.
In modern Hebrew text the 2 letters are Ayin and Dalet
עֵד
Strong’s Hebrew (70 occurences): 5707.
עֵד (ed)
a witness
the Word Origin is from ud
To what are we a witness and how do we become a witness?
The scripture says, Ye are My witnesses
What is a witness?
The dictionary definition is: One who testifies, who gives evidence, unfolds, clears up, makes plain, and helps men to right decisions in cases of disputed claims, or where personal integrity is assailed.
Witness means evidence
Witness means the person who testifies of things or of people.
A witness is something that is repeated over and over again.
Yochanan (John) 1:1-8 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God.
As a noun; an individual who, being present, personally sees or perceives a thing; a beholder, spectator, or eyewitness. a person or thing that affords evidence. a person who gives testimony, as in a court of law. a person who signs a document attesting the genuineness of its execution. Testimony or evidence: to bear witness to suffering.
This role of a witness was not to be taken lightly. (As noted in Exodus 20:16 there follows a warning for a false witness.)
In Greek Strong’s Greek: 3144. μάρτυς (martus – phonetic mar’-toos) an eye or ear witness
Matthew 18:16
Definition: a witness … testimony; specifically, a recorder, i.e. Prince — witness.
Of uncertain affinity; a witness (literally (judicially) or figuratively (genitive case)); by analogy, a “martyr” — martyr, record, witness.
Be a Witness
עֵד (ed)
μάρτυς (martus)
UNTO Me.
Jesus/Yeshua said …
“And ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth” (Acts 1:8).
Fulfilling that which Isaiah 43:10 says
You are my witnesses, declares the LORD, and my servant whom I have chosen, so that you may know and believe me and understand that I am he. Before me no god was formed, nor will there be one after me.
This expression is equivalent to that which occurs in the Book of Revelation (1:11),
‘I am Alpha and Omega, the first and the last’ and it is remarkable that this language, which implies eternity, and is in the passage referred to is used in Isaiah to prove Gods’ divinity.
The paleo pictograph letters for the word
Ed – עֵד – witness,
are helpful in creating a better understanding of what a witness is in the Hebraic mindset.
Ayin Dalet
Ayin is the picture of the Eye: to see to know to experience
Dalet is the picture of the Door –meaning that it indicates a path, a way, a place of decision or an entrance to life or death.
The 2 pictures put together shows that a witness an עֵד – ed ,(eye-ed), UNTO the Lord, is the one who knows, or who has experienced Him and will now be a provision of the WAY and an entrance to Life/Chaim for others.
After this witness speaks and declares what God has told them, then the hearers will have to make a decision concerning what they have just heard. (Not making a decision is a decision in itself). This decision or lack of it will determine eternal destiny.
The Word cautions us that if we don’t enter in, by choosing to go through the Doorway/the Dalet; (Yeshua said He was the Dalet/Door in John 10:9); it is clearly revealed, (apocalypsed), in 14:6 there is no other WAY Derekh, to life/chaim with God.
Who is the witness in Isaiah and how and why is this witness chosen?
The answer is bāḥar.
The verb means, to choose, to elect, to decide for, but in almost every instance it includes the connotation that the choice is not random.
This is choosing for the purpose of serving.
The word is used to express that choosing; (which has ultimate and eternal significance), and being of service, rather than simply a random event, is at the heart of the choosing. Because God carefully chooses certain ones for a specific task, it is also in His power to reject them if they deviate from that purpose. I Sam 2:27.
This witness is a servant that was chosen by God.
Chosen in Hebrew is
Bachar
Strong’s Hebrew: 977.
בָּחַר (bachar) — to choose
A similar word in Strong’s Hebrew: 1069.
בָּכַר (bakar)
— to bear new fruit make firstborn, be firstling, bring forth first child new fruit . A primitive root; properly, to burst the womb, i.e. (causatively) bear or make early fruit (of woman or tree); also (as denominative from bikkuwr) to give the birthright — make firstborn, be firstling, bring forth first child (new fruit).
And the Greek word is:
ἐκλέκτος ‘eklektos’
meaning ‘Elect‘ or ‘Chosen‘
Strong’s 1588
Bachar is made up of 3 letters (remember no vowels)
it means: to select, examine, approve, to choose.
Isaiah says that God has approved of and selected certain servants who will faithfully declare that He is the one and only true God.
Bet/beyt, Chet and Reysh
bachyar (elect, chosen)
The Hebrew verb bahar means to choose, to pick, to take a keen look at. However, the pictograph is more revealing.
B H R
Bet-Chet-Resh
draws the picture of
house-fence-person.
(reading Right to Left.)
In other words,
separating the person from the household, dividing one person from the rest of the family.
If we recall Joshua’s words,
As for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.
Separation is the essence of choice.
To choose life, is to separate from all those pathways that lead to death.
To become obedient to Torah is to separate ourselves from the rest of the family of Man. Choice by definition, requires a distinction of division.
House in Bethlehem.
As Bahar paints the picture of:
the house that separates (fences) the person.
It connotes that which we make as a choice creates fences.
When we choose something, it then rejects or leaves other things. It is essential that lines must be drawn in our lives and with it doors must be closed.
The Hebraic idea of choice is ultimately the idea of separation. In God’s world and His Way we can’t have our cake and eat it too.
Choosing life automatically means rejecting death. Choosing God’s ways means forsaking all other ways because there is no middle ground, no gray area for in this decision, that would be a compromise.
This is the called apart /set apart / ecclesia, and the meaning of holiness.
It is interesting that an offshoot of the root bhr describe young man, youth and chosen.
As Hebrew is not narcissistic, this is not referring to a longing for youth, but rather the recognition that young men are chosen for military service.
In Hebrew thinking strength and vigor are to be put into the service of others, not to become an idol of constant vanity.
Writing Systems – Definitions:
Pictographic or ideographic – each sign corresponds to a word.
Logographic – each sign corresponds to a word.
Syllabic – each sign corresponds to a syllabic.
Alphabetic – each sign corresponds to a sound unit that makes a difference in meaning.
Phonetic – each sign corresponds to a sound whether the sounds make a difference in meaning or not.
Bet is the picture of the floor plan of house or tent
and is the 1st letter in Torah that identifies Jesus/Yeshua as the Son of God.
The letter Beyt identifies is a picture of the Son of God, because Beyt/Bet is in the Hebrew word for create which is bara (בָּרָא), and the Aramaic word for son is bar (בַּר).
If we separate the letters within the word for bara, we will have Bar and Aleph (בַּר א), which points to the Son of the Father (Aleph).
Chet is represented by the fence and describes a protected garden, private place, an inner room or a sanctuary…
(Here is a connection to Eden and we also saw this picture in the word Grace/Chen).
Reysh is the picture of a head; meaning the leader, master, or the PRINCE.
(Note the same word prince, used in the definition of witness earlier in post).
When these 3 are put together, it indicates that:
to be chosen/bakar, is:
to be invited by the master leader or prince to enter his tent/house.
This by definition, is also: inclusive of his family, which is in a protected place or sanctuary, like a protected garden, (Eden) or like a womb/the place of our hiding.
So whose house and family is it that the chosen/bakar is invited to enter?
The bakar is invited into the
family of the Son of God by the Prince,
who is
Jesus/Yeshua Himself;
The Sar Shalom the Prince of Peace.
Rev 3:2 also tells us more about who else can enter in Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.
We also have to choose Him as written by John in chapter 1:12 13
When Jesus/Yeshua said …
“And ye shall be witnesses UNTO me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth” (Acts 1:8).
Read that one more time for He actually said,
you shall be
witnesses UNTO me
Note the word is UNTO and not FOR. It’s not what we do for Him of our choosing but what and with whom we are in relationship; and it is UNTO Him which includes obedience to His Will, plan and purposes. Many do things FOR the Lord, yet it may not necessarily be UNTO Him.
(It may have a bearing on the scripture?)
This makes a big difference to what His statement was meaning and also how we interpret it.
1:8 But ye shall receive power – and shall be witnesses to me – That is, ye shall be empowered to witness my Gospel, both by your preaching and suffering. Acts. 1:8 Ye shall receive power. Not temporal power, such as they dreamed of, but spiritual and moral power. Ye shall be witnesses UNTO me.
Young’s Literal Translation
but ye shall receive power at the coming of the Holy Spirit upon you, and ye shall be witnesses to me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and Samaria, and unto the end of the earth.’King James Bible
But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.
This includes the Secret of Being a Sent One:
This is because He makes His disciples His very own possession, becoming responsible for them.
The desire that comes into a disciple is not one of doing anything FOR Jesus/Yeshua, but of simply being a perfect delight to Him.
The secret of being a sent one is truly being able to say, I am His, His alone; and He is accomplishing His work and His purposes through me. Not me, not mine, not myself, I am entirely His.
John 17:6 They were yours you gave them to Me..
1Corinthians 6:19 You are not your own….
To be able to say that I am not my own, requires reaching a high point in our spiritual maturity. A disciple, or those we call missionaries, really come under the function name of apostle, which simply means a sent one. It is not a title in itself but the description of a function within the body of Messiah.
An individual to whom this position of service refers, is someone in whom the Holy Spirit has brought about this realization. Those whom we call missionaries are those who are on His mission, sent ones with a purpose.
None of the disciples were sent out on the basis of what He had done for them. It was not until after His resurrection that they received the Holy Spirit, then they perceived who Jesus/Yeshua really was.
That’s when He said,
Now go.
Matthew 28:19; Luke 24:49; Acts 1:8.
God always gives His servants power equal to the work He asks of them.
A disciple is not born,
a disciple is made
…molded, formed and then subjected to intense heat.
The Holy Spirit/Ruach HaKodesh, interprets and explains the nature of Jesus/Yeshua, so that we can be made one with Him.
He does not win us to Himself in order to just display us in some showcase as a trophy or for us to live a problem free and carefree life of luxury doing what we choose to do.
When we choose to answer His call, it is a life long one and that of total commitment.
It’s not something that we try to see if we like it and then if we don’t and its too uncomfortable, we choose not to continue.
It is covenant and as above means to select/choose the best!
A sent one, is someone who the Holy Spirit has brought to a point of clear understanding of 1Corinthians 6:19.
What this means in reality is, that to confess and fully believe, embracing such a statement, the true nature of such a life is only evidenced by a sovereign decision and a deliberate giving up of self to another person and that person is The Lord Jesus Christ/Yeshua haMashiach.
His hard sayings are so often refuted and the emotions of our souls will argue the seeming severity of such a statement, however, we belong to Him not to each other. He paid the ultimate price for us. Therefore, Luke 14:26 means what it says, as in a comparison to and an example of, our allegiance and commitment. This does not mean that these individuals cannot be good, upright and saved but it does mean we cannot be entirely His and therefore we cannot be someone over whom Jesus/Yeshua can write the word Mine.
In truth, any one of the relationships Jesus/Yeshua lists here, can compete with our relationship with Him, including ourselves. We have a free will to choose who we belong to, spouse, children, parents or just living the life we want to as a single person and He clearly says if this is the case, you cannot be My disciple, for we are not entirely His.
Is this then the meaning of Acts 1:8 you shall all be witnesses to me/UNTO me, not for Me.
Ye Shall be Witnesses UNTO Me.
In Hebraic thought, human consciousness comprises both a yetzer ha-ra and a yetzer ha-tov, an inclination for evil and an inclination for good.
Together, these seem to define the meaning of being created in the image and likeness of God? The human condition seems to exist in the tension between good and evil or, it could be said, between the tension of action on behalf of the self or on behalf of another. Every human action is a result of this tension.
A well known example of choosing is found in Deuteronomy 30:19-20
Here, Moses seems to have reflected this essential tension in his request for a decision.
I have called the heavens and the earth as witnesses today against you: I have set before you life and death, the blessing and the curse. Therefore you shall choose life, so that you live, both you and your seed, to love YHWH your Elohim, to obey His voice, and to cling to Him . . .
Notice that he calls heaven and earth to be witnesses.
Moses’ appeal uses bahar in a verb tense that is active and complete, (qal is the perfect tense).
That means that we do it, we are not to wait for God to somehow either choose for us, or force us to choose. It is for us to decide and when we decide, the action is done, completed finished, terminated, comes to an end.
It is accomplished/finished, was Jesus/Yeshua’s declaration that the choice is complete and an ongoing present tense. This is how it must be for those who choose life.
The ever present enemy is in the wavering, the hesitation of double-mindedness, as James referred to it when he shows the double-mindedness of embracing one point of the Ten Commandments while breaking another point of this law of love. Notice that the breaking of one point of the law is the same as breaking the whole law
(James 2:10-11) For whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.
Every person seems to have two heads. Humanity seems to be a world comprised of two-headed people. James called this double-mindedness. At times we think and act one way, and at other times we think and act another way; uncertainty and insincerity in the emotions and the mind lead to doubt, skepticism and fickleness where loyalty is divided.
God’s Word says that a double-minded man is unstable in all he does. (James 1:8)
No wonder old habits seem to hang on indefinitely in the life of a double-minded believer. Those old habits are simply the fruit of an unstable heart and mind.
When we reconsider over and over, it is not choice, but rather it is the failure to choose, and that failure has eternal consequences. Every human being has essential tension within them, animals do not have this, so if we don’t feel the tension in our lives, we may should examine ourselves?
Do we need to rethink our ideas of election, salvation, deliverance, predestination and sovereignty? Maybe we need to re-read John 9 and pay closer attention to the Messiah’s claim that the blind man’s condition was for a purpose, not a consequence.
Perhaps we are chosen because God has a purpose in mind. It appears that His choices are always based on His purposes; and the roles that each of us play, are determined by us choosing to fulfill that purpose.
bāḥar is at the heart of the Kingdom of the heavens. It is the word of divine sovereignty made evident in the lives of its’ citizens. Today is the day of His choosing us it is up to us to live accordingly.
Moses makes it clear that we cannot opt out without a risk to our humanity. We cannot sidestep the focal point of choosing without becoming someone controlled by mere animal-like instinct.
The essential part of being human is to continually decide between good and evil. Until we are no longer in this earthly realm there is no time off, no break from being human, only then all choosing will end.
The choices we make not only define us, it is probably one of the most powerful forces God created and placed in the earth. Because He did so, it makes the ability to choose a most important characteristic of our humanity.
The verb bahar is an ideal verb to describe being human. We are the sum of our choices and are where we are at any given point as a result of those choices, we exist in the interconnecting of those decisions.
Each and every choice we, or those which others make that affects us, results in a repositioning of our direction, so in a WAY we are always at the CROSSroads. A life of choosing obedience and going consistently in the same direction, is a life well-lived.
We are called to
‘follow Him along the narrow WAY’.
Is Proverbs 3.5 a choice? Trust in the LORD with all your heart.. It would seem that absolutely it is; and in whom are we to trust? The ONE who made it all, the ONE who formed and fashioned us when we were inside the womb.
The ONE who knows the end from the beginning, and the ONE who was crucified and made His choice to die in agony and shed His blood upon the tslav, the cross that we might have life and have it abundantly! (John 10.10; referring to things of the Spirit. )
As the days draw closer to His return, we need to draw ever closer to the one who died for us; through whose sacrificial death we are reunited with our heavenly Father and are forgiven of all that would separate us from His presence.
We are redeemed from a hopeless future.
The soft and comfortable messages will only soothe our emotions and make us feel good for a while. We need the truth of His Word spoken in love to keep us straight on the narrow Way which promises to bring us into life everlasting.
Let’s press in and become the ED עֵד ayd (eye-ed) witness choosing His Truth.
So choose life in order that you may live, you and your descendents. Deuteronomy 30:19
Choose this day and choose Him- who is the Living Word of God.
Saved or not, please don’t leave this page without making a choice, for every choice is followed by what? A consequence. Good choices? – good consequences and the opposite is also true.
The consequence of obedience??? is always blessing..
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