The Very Beginning

 

         I can’t truly understand my purpose unless I go back to the very beginning to understand God’s. Therefore, I turn to Genesis 1:1 and read the very first word. It is b’reshith, a Hebrew word, often translated “In the beginning,” but more appropriately translates “In the beginning of.”

              B’reshith contains six Hebrew letters, b (Bet (ב)), r (Resh),  e (Aleph (א)), sh (Shin ( ש )), i (Yod (י )), th (Tav (ת)), representative of the six days of creation. 

          Oddly, the bible does not begin with the first letter, Aleph (א), but with the second letter, Bet (ב). The bible is not the story of the father, but the story of the son.

In Hebrew, letters are also used for numbers. Bet represents the number 2. Genesis begins with the creation of duality. Out of eternity came the beginning of beginnings. Out of the infinite came the finite. God created heaven and drew from it earth. 

From darkness, God called light. He separated the two and established an order that they may pass before him in cyclical fashion. He called them "Night" and "Day."

 In the great expanse, God flung the stars. He established the Sun to rule the Day and the Moon to rule the Night for the earth. The Sun shone its light by day, and the moon drew its light from the sun to reflect it upon the earth by night. The two passed in a cycle and established Evening and Morning, and, out of eternity, time began.

Out of chaos, God called order. On the third day of creation, up from the fluid grave of waters, God resurrected solid land. This foreshadowed the death and resurrection of the son of God, Jesus Christ.

God created vegetation, and then formed the animal kingdom.

On the sixth day, God created his greatest creation -- man.  From man’s flesh and bone, God made woman as his companion. It takes two for relationship.

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Hebrew letters also have picture symbols. The symbol for Bet is a box with an open-door facing heaven. It resembles a floorplan and represents a house. Being the second letter of the alphabet, it represents the son of God. 

The symbol for Resh is the head of a man. 

The symbol for Aleph is the head of an ox. It represents power, strength, and a sacrificial animal. Being the first letter of the alphabet, it represents God.

From the first 3 letters of the bible, we see that the bible is a book about God's plan for the relationship between God and man. That plan is Jesus.

 The symbol for Shin is two front teeth. It represents being pierced, bruised, and pressed. 

The symbol for Yod is an outstretched arm. 

The symbol for Tav is the cross, and it is the last letter of the alphabet.

B’reshith says that God began creation with a plan. It was to send his son to establish relationship with man and to obtain for God a house or temple in which to dwell, which is the heart of man. His son would come as the Son of Man and as the Son of God. He would be the sacrifice to take away the sin of man. His son would be pierced. He would be wounded for our transgressions and bruised for our iniquities. He would be pressed to give his life as the ultimate and final sacrifice. By this, his son would extend to man atonement with God, which he would achieve by dying on the cross. By his death, the penalty for sin would be paid in full and the work of redemption finished. His son would be risen from the dead, given the seat of the Father, and be made the First and the Last.

In this word, translated beginning, is the Word of God. The Word was with God, and the Word was God (John 1:1). 

From the very beginning, God thought of me, God desired me, and God has waited patiently for relationship with me, since the beginning of beginnings, even before time itself.

My purpose is to have an intimate and loving relationship with God. Does that not make your heart flutter?

(adapted from I Do, by Doris Trueheart)