When a couple says “I do”, they are saying yes to God and to each other. But do you know and understand what your “yes” truly means? When your answer is “yes,” what are you really saying to God and to our spouse? That’s a good question, so let’s find out.
In ancient Hebrew every letter is both a sound and a picture. The letters in each word combine to paint a “word picture” that describes the meaning of the word. There are times when the meaning of the word has a clear message for us today. I believe this is true with the word for “yes.”
The Hebrew word for “yes” is pronounced ken. The ancient shape and meaning of the letters describe for us what it means to say “yes.” To say yes is to freely give life. “Yes” is an action! It is opening the hand to life. Jesus said in John 10:10 that “I came that they may have life and might have it abundantly.”
What is abundant life? It cannot be what we have earned; none of us have earned life, let alone abundant life. The answer can only be that abundant life comes from God’s love – we do not earn or deserve what is given – it is His grace! What does it mean to say “yes” to your spouse? It means to freely give what we have received – God’s Life!
God wants us to have life! In Deuteronomy 30, God says that He has set before us life and death and He tells us to choose life. God’s purpose has always been to offer us His abundant life.
Even our troubles and our failures (think of King David) can be turned from the “no” of sin and despair into the “yes” of grace and life.
Romans 8:22
And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God.
Our God is the God of “Yes” and of life!
2 Corinthians 1:20
For no matter how many promises God has made, they are “Yes (to freely give life) in Christ.
The Hebrew word picture for priest describes the function of a priest. He is to freely reveal life!
Isaiah 61:6
But you will be called the priests of the LORD;
We are called to be priests! I love the word picture for a priest because it shows the core of what it means to be a priest. We are to freely reveal the life of God to others! Another way to read this word picture is to see that the first and last letters spell the word ken which means “yes.” The word picture tells us that the job of a priest is to reveal (the heart) of the “Yes”!
The power that you have is in the “Yes” that you are to reveal. In view of that, what should your “yes” look like? When you reveal the heart of your “yes,” what should your spouse see? This “Yes” is God, His love, His truth and His answers for your lives. Therefore, your spouse is to see the reality of God in your purpose, character, how you communicate and the way you live when you’re not in the public’s eye. They are to see what an obedient, submitted life to Christ looks like. What greater impact could you have in your marriage than to let your spouse see the “Yes” of God in your life!
1 Peter 2:9
But you are…a royal priesthood…that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light;
Seeing involves a personal knowledge. Nothing can take the place of being there, whether it is in Israel, or the presence of God. Now, you have to ask yourself this question: why am I doing what I’m doing? Is it because someone said it was a good thing to do, or because of the past hurts you’ve experienced? Or do you see and hear God leading you to do it?
The Hebrew word that means “to hear” is sh ’ma. The ancient shape and meaning of the letters show us that hearing happens when we “see the name.” Sh ’ma also means “to understand.” It tells us that we do not hear until we understand the nature of what is being said.
For instance, if you were to order a thirsty man not to drink from a glass of water, he would have trouble understanding. But what happens when you tell him that the glass is laced with sewage? Now that he sees the name of what is in the glass, understanding comes and his view is changed. Temptation loses its power over him, and he will not drink from the glass. In Hebrew and in life, hearing only occurs when we understand.
When you see the name of who you are and what God placed inside of you, understanding comes and your view of yourself, life, your spouse and God changes. When you understand who you are and how your marriage is to be built in Christ, then your understanding comes from God’s perspective. Sin’s nature loses its power over you and you will not drink from the cup of self or demons.
Your spouse needs to see the name of what God placed inside of you so that understanding will come and their view toward God, about you, themselves and life will change.
In Part Two of “The Power of Your Yes,” we’ll uncover what happens when you “see the name.”
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