Part Two ~ 19 June 2014
Before we go into the Hebrew letters individually to see the pictorial understanding of Shemen Tova™ we go to the story of Jacob at Beit El (Genesis 28); this is the first occurrence of the word shemen in Scripture. Jacob anointed the stone pillar as a memorial of the mercy and goodness of God that was shown him in his dream. The ladder was set up in earth, and it reached into heaven. This oil was pure olive oil, as was the custom of the day for each person to have for food, light, and refreshment. The oil was a consecration of the holiness of God, and an offering from one who was grateful for the dream that showed that angels go from earth to heaven, and then back to earth.
In 2011 I created the logo for Shemen
Tova ~ Precious Oils™ using a Hebrew letter font that shows life. I discovered
the life of the Hebrew letters a number of years ago when I was selling “Your
Name in Hebrew” with the individual Hebrew letters. When I made the first
necklace I thought “If someone drops this necklace can they put it back
together to read their name?” This began an intense study to learn more of the
Hebrew alphabet, and it was in the pictorial I found a new perspective of the
wisdom of God in all things. I obtained five books that described the pictorial
language of the Hebrew alphabet and eventually made a chart instead of having
all of the books opened at one time as I created a personal, and frame-able
post card for each person. On the card I shared information about each letter
of their name, and wrote a prophetic and encouraging declaration from the
letters. In the beginning, little did I realize how healing the alphabet became
to those who received those cards? I
have found life in the Hebrew letters thus my choice to use them in the logo
for Shemen Tova™ because precious, essential oils brings life to many each day.
Before we go into the Hebrew letters individually to see the pictorial understanding of Shemen Tova™ we go to the story of Jacob at Beit El (Genesis 28); this is the first occurrence of the word shemen in Scripture. Jacob anointed the stone pillar as a memorial of the mercy and goodness of God that was shown him in his dream. The ladder was set up in earth, and it reached into heaven. This oil was pure olive oil, as was the custom of the day for each person to have for food, light, and refreshment. The oil was a consecration of the holiness of God, and an offering from one who was grateful for the dream that showed that angels go from earth to heaven, and then back to earth.
Shemen begins with the shin w a letter that represents peace and
protection. The shin also begins the word shalom; a study in itself. In
a nutshell, shalom is safety, wellness, good health, prosperity, rest and peace,
and wholeness. The root word says to be safe (in mind, body or estate), be
friendly, reciprocate, make good and restore, wholeness and reward. The shin is
also the same letter that begins the word Shabbat, the day of rest where
perfect peace (shalom shaleem) is weekly sought by those of Jewish faith. The
shin represents God’s divine power and provision to you in all things.
The second letter of Shemen is the mem, the letter that represents “living
waters”. While it is true that oil and water don’t mix, they do when you see it
in the Hebrew. The mem symbolizes the concealed and the revealed will of God;
it one of the Hebrew letters that has two forms. The m (called open mem) is used anywhere in a word, except at
the end; it represents Kingship and reminds us that when kings were anointed, it
was with oil. The word “king” is melek, and means royalty. The closed mem
represents dominion.
I found it very interesting that “water”
mayim מים is a word that contains both mem’s. A famous Jewish song
and dance is called Mayim, Mayim which was inspired from the words of Isaiah
found in 12:3 “Therefore with joy shall ye draw water out of the wells of
salvation." When you look into the Strong’s Concordance of mayim you see that is
a word of two meanings of water; refreshment as in a “juice” and then of
urination. Any massage therapist will tell you that it is important to drink
lots of water before and after a massage to detoxify. Another aspect of “water”
and its link to essential oils is essential oils are the “juice” of the plant,
through distillation.
The nun is another Hebrew letter
with two forms. In shemen it is in the final form and represents faithfulness.
In a Jewish home there is daily testimony of God’s faithfulness when one recites
the Shema. The Shema is a three-part prayer that sums up God’s faithfulness in
a chaotic, changing world to remind us that he is the same yesterday, today,
and forever. (Deuteronomy 6:4). The Shema is a reminder of God’s Word and all
that He has created has a purpose. He is the one who regulates night and day,
cycles and seasons and keeps the whole world in His hands.
Traditionally when the Shema isn’t
being recited within a minyan (group of ten) it is proceeded with three words;
God, The Trustworthy King which is an acronym of the word Amen am!. Aleph a
means “first”, mem m is king, and
nun ! says infinite beyond time; which basically
says when everything is done and gone, God will still be there just as He was
in the beginning.
The nun is also the letter of
humility. A humble man will submit his life to God. When we do by studying God’s
Holy Word, respecting and esteeming others, and live a thankful and selfless
life we take on the very nature of God.
If you think how olives become olive
oil, remember it is in the “pressings”. This is what Jacob realized when he humbly
anointed the pillar knowing where he stood was not only the house of God, it
was the gate of heaven. When we are being pressed down on every side of life
remember shemen, the oil, and its life-giving properties because God is
faithful.
www.TheFragrantBride.com
www.TheFragrantBride.com
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