Hebrew Word Study – Obey – Part II

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The Picture of Obedience

The Picture and Number meaning of the Hebrew word Obey reveal the ideal or in this case the unvarnished truth that is at the core of the three Hebrew letters Sheen, Mem, Ayin.

The first letter in the Hebrew word OBEY is Sheen. Sheen is pictured as teeth and it means to press against, to consume or to destroy.

OBEY

Ayin    Mem   Sheen

 

To Consume – To Destroy – Sharp – To press
The One Letter that God used to identify Himself
God’s Signature – Letter that stands for God Almighty

Teeth

 

The second letter in the Hebrew word OBEY is Mem. 

Mem is pictured as Waters. Mem has a dual meaning. It can be an illustration of waters that bring life. Waters that flow from a brook or stream. Mem is a picture of the water gently falling to earth as rain in order that the earth might sustain life.

Mem can also signify the Waters of chaos, confusion, and death. Mem often pictures the waters of a devastating flood or a tsunami as a type of calamity or life-threatening circumstance.

In the case of the Hebrew word, OBEY, the meaning of the important letter Mem is controlled by the context.

The first use of the letter Mem in the Hebrew word OBEY is unambiguously wicked. 

The instructions given to Jacob are based on lies and deceit. The fact that the lies were meant to achieve a goal that was both worthy and promised by none other than God himself only made the deception more reprehensible.  

Rebekah was well aware of the prophecy we read in Genesis 25:23:

And the Lord said unto her, Two nations are in thy womb, and two manner of people shall be separated from thy bowels; and the one people shall be stronger than the other people; and the elder shall serve the younger.

The scheming sin of deceit we find revealed in Genesis 27:6 is that Rebekah was of ensuring that the prophecy comes to pass. But instead of hastening the prophecy, she compounded the sin of deceit with the sin of unbelief.

The old saying that “the end justifies the means” is put to the test in this passage of Scripture. 

The test results are in. 

When God promises to accomplish His plan, the path to that desired goal is never helped when man interferes with his own treacherous schemes meant to “assist” the Almighty.

God will accomplish His purposes for Jacob one way or another.

God turns the sin and deceit into the very crucible that Jacob needed in his life in order to learn to depend upon the LORD God and Him alone. This does not justify the sin of Rebekah and her son Jacob, it only proves that whatever obstacle Satan devises in order to interrupt or thwart God’s plans always ends up being used to accomplish a good purpose. 

Jacob’s beloved son Joseph said it best:

Genesis 50:20
But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive.

Jacob’s good ends were achieved through a sea of tears and deception that followed him almost all of his life. What a different story it would have been if the characters in this drama had simply relied upon God to accomplish His own good purposes in Jacob without any assistance from sinful men and women.

The entire purpose of the veil or tears and heartache were meant to bring Jacob to the point in his life where he relied upon the Lord and not his own schemes. It was a struggle to the bitter end. Jacob became Israel. Israel means "one that contends or struggles with God."  The unspoken meaning is that God Prevailed!

Truer words were never spoken.

So in summary, the letter Mem in the Hebrew Word OBEY is the letter that signifies that a choice is going to be made. A choice that leads to life or one that leads to chaos and confusion.

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5 Comments Add yours

  1. Julie says:

    It is important to note TO WHOM ONE LISTENS and the results of that decision. Abraham chose to listen to his heavenly father, God, and therefore God blessed him beyond his wildest dreams! Jacob, on the other hand, although he was blessed by his father, Isaac, (the son that Abraham was willing to sacrifice to obey God) chose to listen to his mother voice, rather than his father’s. Not to say that listening to one’s mother is bad, because in fact we are commanded by God to do just that (“Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the Lord your God is giving you.” Exodus 20:12), but Isaac was making his deathbed wishes. Not only should Rebekah have complied with them, but Jacob as well – he knew better.

    Jacob’s choices caused his deceitfully earned blessings to not come close to the blessings his grandfather Abraham had (all those years of working for his father-in-law, another deceitful man, and having to marry other women, sisters no less, to get his true love).

    Obey – It all comes down to this scripture: “CHOOSE for yourselves this day whom you will serve.” Joshua 24:13

    1. Sandra says:

      Exactly, you have said all that needs to be said ?

  2. Maggie Grantham says:

    I am 72 years old and though I don’t retain as much as when I was younger I love the deep truths taught by your teaching. Thank you!! 

  3. Eva says:

    Thank you for your teaching on obey, I so very much need to hear that because when things are fighting against you and all that is good and right, it is hard to find faith over the LORD’s victory in this and the more I hear of how He can work in good or bad is encouraging. Eva

  4. Steph says:

    Thank you. I so enjoy these studies!

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