I have had three words in my head for about a week and can’t seem to get past them. So, what do you think I did with this? I decided to dig a little deeper. You guys know me too well.
In the beginning…
With the new year just beginning – happy New Year – I found that it was perfectly timed. That’s God for you. We are in the beginning, aren’t we? But do we understand what in the beginning means for us? You might be in the beginning of a fitness goal, a dietary change, a reading list, or some other lifestyle change that you find important. It’s good to have goals.
I’m not sure where I stand on the ever-popular New Year’s resolutions. Don’t get me wrong – I am all for setting goals and determining to be better with each passing day, but I wonder why we think we need to wait for the New Year. I could go on a massive rabbit trail about marketing and commercializing everything (the world is all about making money), but today I want to talk about beginnings.
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Genesis 1:1 NASB
The Hebrew language is written right to left. It hurts my head to even think of trying to read the opposite of what I’ve always known. Kind of like driving on the left side of the road – it just does not compute that way for me. As I was studying these three words out, I stumbled upon something, had to do some verifying, and then the excitement came full force.
I’m not sure who the original author was of this chart, but as I went through, verifying the information was legitimate, I found several charts that were showing the same information in a very similar way. My first glance has me a bit lost, but that’s because I only speak three languages and none of them with complete fluency (English, Southern English, and Sarcastic English).
If you’re anything like me, you might have noticed the blank space in the middle. Those two Hebrew letters, symbols or pictures in our eyes, are the Hebrew words for beginning (Alef – א) and end (Tav – ת).
“I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.” Revelation 22:13 NASB
Those words from the book of Revelation were spoken by Jesus. He was identifying Himself as the beginning and the end, the Alpha and the Omega; the Alef and the Tav. He is proclaiming that He is the origin and the purpose of all things. He is the author and the finisher of our faith (Hebrews 12:2). He is the One who was, who is, and who is to come (Revelations 1:8). He is fully God.
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. John 1:1 NASB
There are those three words again – in the beginning. As the Alef and the Tav, He was there! I’ve read it hundreds of times, John 1:1, and even have it memorized, but there is something about seeing it (even in a different language) that brings greater clarity. How did God create all things? He spoke and it came to be. He used words, or rather the Word – the Alef and the Tav – and all things came into being (John 1:2-3).
In the beginning… or in Hebrew, bereshit (בראשׁית – the Hebrew letters, read them from right to left: Tav, Yud, Shin, Alef, Resh, Beit). Not only are the letters of the Hebrew alphabet more than one letter, but they also have pictures that hold meaning, providing so much more depth. Not knowing much about the Hebrew language, it can seem very overwhelming. I get turned around when it comes to the English language with all the rules that only work a small fraction of the time and the silent letters that make no sense. And can I just point out that learning phonetically is ridiculous when phonics should be spelled with an F. But I digress…
Looking at בראשׁית means nothing to me, but while I was doing my digging, scholars, rabbis, and people with higher education than yours truly made mention of the pictures that made up the word bereshit – or in the beginning. Here’s a chart that might be helpful
The first letter – beit – is pictured as a house with a foundation ב. The second letter, resh, represents wickedness. When combined, the first two letters – בר – make a word that in Hebrew and Aramaic means son or heir (while He was never wicked, Jesus came to us as a man). Taking a look at the next letter – alef (א) – we know it as the beginning, the first, the head, the master – God.
This next one, shin (שׁ), in both Hebrew and Aramaic, can mean teeth, press, destroy, and separate. It is the next one that gives me chills: yud. This letter, the smallest in the Hebrew alphabet (י), means works and deeds. Several commentaries state that yud signifies the oneness of God while also representing the humility and concentrated power of God. Pre-Babylonian script (as seen on the chart above) has this letter pictured as an arm (take a look at Isaiah 63:5).
Even though we’ve discussed the final letter, tav (ת), don’t assume that you have the full meaning. While Tav does mean end, that meaning was applied simply because it was the last letter of the Hebrew alphabet. This letter represents a covenant, a signature, or a mark. The earliest form of recorded Hebrew depicts it as a cross.
In the beginning was Jesus. Jesus was with God and Jesus was God. In the beginning… bereshit… בראשׁית. From the foundation of the world, God loved us and sent His Son, Jesus, to save the wicked (John 3:16). God stretched out His own arm to bring about our salvation – for it is by grace through faith and not of works or deeds that saves us (Ephesians 2:8-9). The salvation of the world could only come through pain – a sharp pressing that would destroy the sin that separated us from God (Mark 15:34). And that signature guarantee of our sins being forgiven came at the cross when Jesus ushered in the New Covenant of grace (Hebrews 10:16-18).
Just a little something we can take away from Genesis 1:1. In the beginning. Three simple words that offer so much hope, so much to be excited about. Three simple words that show us that God already had a plan to redeem us.
Maybe you made a resolution to be healthier this year: eat more whole foods, less sugar, drink more water. That’s awesome! Those are good things! Maybe you’re wanting to be more and more fit. Definitely get your steps and reps in. If you haven’t thought of it, maybe make it a goal to grow in your faith. Take one verse and chew on it for a few days. Allow the Holy Spirit to speak to you through His Word.
And you don’t have to wait for a specific date on the calendar to come around – Jesus is the origin and purpose of all things. He is the Alef and the Tav… and He’s all the time and space in the middle. He’s ready to spend time with you just as you are.
You don’t have to have a fancy degree to receive revelations from God or to understand that God loves you and stretched out His own arm for your salvation. And you don’t have to be successful in keeping your resolutions for God to approve of you. He approved of you in the beginning. Let this be your in the beginning year.