Over three months ago I journaled about something and am finally getting around to sharing it on here...it seems it has been a jam-packed summer! This is another lesson in Hebrew I saw in my quiet time and it doesn't necessarily have any obvious connection to the farm, but I thought it was cool enough to share it anyway :).
So on the 21st day back in May for some reason I decided to study Hosea 2:16, which says,
"And it will come about in that day," declares the Lord, "That you will call Me Husband [Ishi] and will no longer call me Master [Baali]."
God desires a relationship with us so intimate that the best comparison we can understand is the closeness shared between a husband and wife. He already knows you inside and out and loves you deeply...He's inviting you to know Him even as you are known!
When I looked up the two Hebrew words Ishi and Baali used here in this verse in Hosea, and the individual letter meanings (each Hebrew letter carries meaning itself), He led me on a deeper journey...
Ish ( אּישׁ ) is translated "a man as an individual or male person or husband"
Aleph ( א ) : God, unity; oneness, mastery, humility
Yod ( י ) : Heavenly message (messenger), spirituality
Shin ( ש ) : Wholeness, completion, divine power
Baal ( בַּ֫עַל ) is translated "lord, husband, owner"
Bet ( ב ) : Shelter, house
Ayin ( ע ) : Discernment
Lamed ( ל ) : Reaching up to heaven for divine knowledge, learning, teaching
I thought it was interesting that both words can be translated as 'husband'. But the English translation doesn't say, "You will no longer call me Husband, but you will call me Husband"! Rightly so, since there is evidently a comparison being conveyed. So I turned to Genesis 2:23, the one place I already knew Ish was used elsewhere...
And the man said, "This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh; this one shall be called woman [Ishshah] because she was taken out of man [Ish]."
Ishshah ( אִשָּׁ֔ה ) is translated "woman, wife, or female"
Aleph ( א ) : God, unity; oneness, mastery, humility
Shin ( ש ) : Wholeness, completion, divine power
Hey ( ה ) : Feminine nature of God
I began to see a relationship between these two verses. Adam named the woman as he did because she was taken out of him. Her identity was intrinsic to his. She was fashioned from his rib, from his side. Baal, while carrying that idea of a covering leader, seems to be more arbitrary and less intimate. A little more separate in a way. Perhaps God might have been saying that the relationship He purposes to have with His people will be such that our very identity comes from His. That's a thought worth meditating on right there! But the journey didn't stop...
As I compared the composition of the words Ish and Ishshah, I noticed they had two letters in common and one different. Since the letters can reveal layers of meaning in the Hebrew language, and since letters in common can indicate relationship between words, it seemed like there might be a message to discover. In the aleph and the shin found in these two words, I saw that both a man and a woman are marked by God, carry God within them, and each carries the capacity for wholeness and completion simply by being in right relationship with our Creator. These qualities are independent of an existing relationship between a man and a woman, because I believe our ability to be whole and complete truly comes from who we are in God. Still, Ish and Ishshah have one differing letter between them. The yod and the hey. And suddenly revelation came...these are the first two letters of the Most Sacred Name of God, yod hey vav hey, or YHWH. It's where we get the English translation of Yahweh. In fact, sometimes God is referred to as Yah. When Ish and Ishshah come together as one as God intends, they reveal part of who God is!
In Ephesians 5:21-33 Paul explains this in another way. Marriage is one of those earthly things that was created to give us a glimpse into heavenly realities. Marriage is intended by God to help us understand Christ's relationship with His bride, the church. He has loved her and laid down His life so that she might live, and out of love for her Bridegroom she lays down her life for the sake of honoring him and helping the dreams of His heart come true. Can you see how Ish and Ishshah functioning as two whole individuals in their God-breathed identity could come together and reveal not only to each other but even to all of creation in some small way just who this Yah is? Whether you are an Ish or an Ishshah or married or not, God is inviting you to an intimate relationship with Him. He wants to reveal His heart to His beloved. Let His love for you overflow into your relationships with others, and especially with your spouse if you are married. Laying down your life for another is one of the ways you can reveal God to the world.
