Bread from the Basket: Your Daily Slice

AV 6

The Word of Elohim

“… so is MY WORD that goes forth from My mouth – it DOES NOT RETURN TO ME EMPTY, but shall do what I please, and shall certainly accomplish what I sent it for.” (Isa 55:11, emphasis mine)

Oftentimes, in order to get the best definition and interpretation of a specific word used in the Scriptures, it becomes necessary to look elsewhere throughout the Bible to see how it is used. Such is the case with dâbâr (Strong’s H1697), which has been translated as ‘word’ in our opening verse. I found two examples in the Torah of where dâbâr was used that emphatically stood out to me: first, in Ex 20:1 (“And Elohim spoke all these WORDS, saying,” – the introduction to what we know as the Ten Words, or Ten Commandments), and second, in Deu 6:6 (“And these WORDS which I am commanding you today shall be in your heart,” – part of what we know as the Sh’ma). In both instances, the critical importance of the ‘Words’ of our Elohim is something that we are well familiar with.

The dâbâr of our Elohim will always produce results. We are told that His Word is “is living, and working, and sharper than any two-edged sword, cutting through even to the dividing of being and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart (Heb 4:12). For those of us who diligently study the Scriptures, making every effort to walk the Torah walk to the best of our ability, the result is a changed life and lifestyle. Our goal is to reflect and portray the image of Yeshua as best as we can. For others, the Words of our Elohim will bring them to the place of teshuvah, of repentance, of turning away from all that was displeasing to our Father, and turning back to Him, with the desire to please Him, always. And for many others, the result is a further decline into lawlessness (Torah-lessness), and a turning away from the One who created them.

As an added note, I found a translation of our opening verse that I had never seen before. This particular version of the Scriptures is called The Orthodox Jewish Bible (© Copyright 2002, 2003, AFI International Publishers^{^[1]}), and this verse from Isaiah reads as follows:

“So shall My Davar (the Word of Hashem) be that goeth forth out of My mouth; HE shall not return unto Me reikam (empty, void) but HE [the Davar Hashem, see Yn 1:1,14] shall do that which I please, and HE [the Davar Hashem] shall accomplish the purpose whereto I sent Him.”

This translation interprets ‘the Word’ with a masculine pronoun (He), and uses the references from John chapter one to link it with Messiah Yeshua. Yes, it could fit, as Messiah did not return to the Father empty and void, but accomplished everything and every purpose He was sent to do. Something to think about, eh?

We are to ‘guard’ His Words (Deu 12:28); we are to ‘treasure’ these Words (Pro 21:1; 7:1); and we are to ‘keep’ and ‘do’ them as well (Lev 18:4-5). Let us never forget that the way and manner we respond to His Word is indicative of our relationship with our Creator. If we treasure His Words, we do Him honor. If we ignore and forget His Words, we bring Him shame. Abba, let me not be counted among those who shame you …

Do YOU treasure the dâbâr – the Word, both literal and Living - of our Elohim?