Tammuz 25
The Way
“And there shall be a highway, and a way,
and it shall be called “The Way of Set-apartness.”” (Isa 35:8 ISR)
It is interesting to
note that the word translated as ‘highway’ in our opening verse is the Hebrew
word maslûl
(Strong’s H4547), and this verse in Isaiah is the only place in the Tanakh
(Old Testament) that this word is found.
It means a great road, one that is elevated and of primary importance,
which certainly fits the description of the “The Way of Set-apartness.”
Qôdesh
(Strong’s H6944) is the word translated as ‘set-apart’; most translations read
this as ‘holiness’, which is also correct.
One of the definitions that Noah Webster uses for ‘holiness’ is “That which is separated to the service of God”[1],
which we are, if we claim to be disciples of the Living Elohim. We are instructed to be set-apart, or, to be
separate and holy (Lev 11:44). We are called
to be different from those of the ‘world’, from those who enjoy the practice of
self-rule, and the consequences of such. Our modus
operandi is found in the pages of Torah, the divine instructions in righteous
and moral living, and these are the standards that set us apart.
Twice in this section
of Isa 35:8 the word ‘way’ is used. It
is the Hebrew word derek
(Strong’s 1870), and though this word is a noun, it implies an action, such as in
going, or a journey. Jeff Benner defines derek as “The path or manner of life”[2], which
is the how we choose to live our
lives, or our lifestyle. If we combine all of this, “The Way of Set-apartness” is the manner in which we are set-apart, or qôdesh.
Bear in mind, brethren, that our Messiah Yeshua is
called “the Way, and the Truth, and the Life”, and that no
one can come to the Father except through Him (see John 14:6). I do not believe that it would be in error to
say that He is a critical part of this “The Way of Set-apartness” that
we are called to live.
“Blessed are the perfect in the way, Who walk in the Torah of יהוה!” (Ps 119:1 ISR)
©2018
[1] American Dictionary of the English
Language, Noah Webster, 1828
[2] Ancient Hebrew Dictionary, ©2009
Jeff Benner
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