Study #2: HEI

Of all the pictograms of HEI, the one that is the most meaningful to me is the picture of a man on bended knees with both hands raised to signify ” to behold”.

This posture of reverence and submission is found in Genesis 22:1 when God called Abraham and he answered in the posture of HEI and said: ” Here I am” ( HINEINI in Hebrew ) repeatedly in verses 7 and 11.

For HINEINI actually means: “Here I am willing to obey and do Your will”.

Such response must have touched God’s heart when He started teaching Abraham – and us – about true worship:”Take your son, now, your only son Isaac, whom you LOVE, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him as a BURNT OFFERING on one of the mountains which I command you” ( Genesis 22:1 ).

What has love and worship got to do with each other?

Until we sacrifice what we love most on earth ( our idols ) for the love of God as first priority, we will not gain an insight into the nature of true worship. For in his old age Abraham’s idol was his Isaac, his future, his legacy.

Though we know God spared Isaac’s life and replaced the sacrifice with a ram ( a male goat ), He showed us in prophetic type His love in not sparing His own Son as the ultimate sin offering on our behalf.

Father God, HEI features prominently as the first letter of HINEINI ( Behold ). It is a modifier of the whole word and when we behold and surrender to Your glory, HEI reminds us the best attitude and posture we must adopt is to be on bended knees raising holy hands to you, the very pictogram of HEI. And worship must cost us the things that we love most dearly, whatever we treasure most. Indeed the Cross will always remain the symbol of Your enduring love found in Your Son’s Perfect Sacrifice.