In the beginning, there was covenant. Pt.1

What is a covenant? The Merrian-Webster dictionary gives the following definition: “a usually formal, solemn, and binding agreement” or “a written agreement or promise usually under seal between two or more parties especially for the performance of some action”

The Hebrew word for covenant is be-reet which is derived from a root meaning “to cut.” Therefore, to enter into a covenant requires the “cutting” or shedding of blood. In essence, covenant can be described as a promise sealed in blood.

For many Christians this action is reflective of Yeshua’s (Jesus’) sacrifice wherein His blood was shed to purchase or seal our salvation. Yet, how many of us consider the fact that God established covenant with man before man was even created? The scriptures show us that from the very beginning, Yeshua was already slain. Revelation 13:8 talks of the book life belonging to the Lamb who was “slain from the foundation of the world.” (KJV) 1 Peter 1:20 also describes the Lamb of God as being “foreordained before the foundation of the world”.

These concepts are more than just figurative. Signs of God’s promise to redeem man are literally encoded within the text of the scriptures. Friends, because the Word of God is the very essence of God, there is no limit to what you can discover within the Word. So I wrote this blog to share some insights regarding this topic which can only be seen by using Hebrew.

If we consider the first words of the Bible as the building block of all creation, or in essence, the chief cornerstone of creation, then we should be able to find signs of Yeshua in these words because Ephesians 2:20 describes that Yeshua is “the chief corner stone.” In addition, we know that Yeshua is the living Word of God and the gospel account of Yochanan (John) 1:1 says “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. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.” So, from these verses we understand that all things exist by Him, which confirms his authority as the chief cornerstone of all creation.

By using Hebrew we find that within the very first verse of the Bible lies a description of the plan of salvation.  Many believe God’s salvation plan is first spoken inGenesis 3:15 after Adam and Eve sin, however, using Hebrew we see it’s actually visible in Genesis 1:1. In English we see the first threes words in Genesis 1:1 as,“in the beginning”, but in Hebrew, the first word is “B’resheet.”

Now, the word B’resheet consists of six Hebrew letters: Beit, Reish, Aleph, Shin, Yod, and Tav =

בראשית

(read from right to left).

With credit to the teaching ministry of Pastor Mark Biltz the following analysis of the word B’resheet is provided:

Within B’resheet we find several other words:

בר=son

א = God

ראש= head or king

שית = thorns

ברש = tree

If we put this together we can see: the Son of God, thorns, head, and tree.  Note the letter Aleph (underlined) which represents God is in the middle of the word B’resheet and on either side of it are the letters for the word tree.  Also, God being a King would wear a crown, but here we see the crown is thorns.  So if we put this together we have: the Son of God with a crown of thorns upon His head while hung on the tree.

בראשית

Other words we find in B’resheet are:

ברית =covenant

שי=gift

The letter tav (underlined above) is the last letter in the Hebrew aleph-bet.  Understanding that the meaning of each Hebrew letter (when read together) proclaims the gospel message, the Tav essentially completes or seals the plan of God. Tav means mark or a sign and in ancient Hebrew script it was written as a cross – it is a covenant letter and identifies ownership.  And it was the mark of the Tav (a cross) that God instructed to be placed on the foreheads of His remnant in Ezekiel 9:4 to protect (or save) them from death. We also know that Yeshua died upon a tree (in the form of a cross) to seal our salvation.

 So when reading B’resheet

בראשית

from right to left we see: the Son of God is the gift of salvation.

Isaiah 46:10 says that God announced the end at the beginning and Yeshua declared in Revelation chapter 1 that He is the beginning and the end (the Aleph and the Tav). We just learned how Genesis 1:1 is literal proof of this truth.

When it was revealed to me that the very first word which God wrote was a depiction of His promise to redeem me, I realized that reading Torah is a window to see the very heart of God. In fact, the first word in Torah, which we just learned, begins with the Hebrew letter Beit ב and the last letter of Torah (Deut. 34:12) is Lamed ל.  Reading right to left,
Lamed+ Beit =  לב which means heart. So, Torah truly is the heart of God.

I will end with this: How do you treat the heart of the one you love? Would you treat it irreverently or forsake it, or would you cherish it, adore it, and respect it?

In my next blog we’ll take a deeper look at this covenant God made with us and whether we really understand what it means to enter into covenant with Him.

Shalom.