HEBREW WORD STUDY – WORK – ‘ASHAH  עשה Ayin Shin Hei

Haggai 2:4b: “Be strong all you people of the land, saith the Lord, and work for I am with you saith the Lord of Host.”

“Work is love made visible, and if you cannot work with love only with distaste, it is better that you should leave your work and sit at the gate of the temple and take alms from those who work with joy.”  – Kahlil Gibran

I remember when my Uncle Otto retired. He purchased a small farm and worked that farm from dawn to dusk.  Someone commented to Aunt Ruth as to why Otto wasn’t just relaxing now that he was retired.  Aunt Ruth looked out the window and saw Uncle Otto working away in the field in the hot sun and said; “He is.” 

Haggai was a prophet to the people who had returned to Jerusalem from captivity under the Persian King Cyrus and were preparing to rebuild the temple.  God told them to get to work because he was with them. There is nothing odd about that statement in modern English. Obviously, when God said to get to work He was referring to the building of the temple. God did not tell the people to labor, to stay busy, or even build the temple because he said : “I am with you” to ashah. Every English translation renders ashah as work. When we think of work, we think of toil, sweat, labor, etc. Yet to say: ashah or work “I am with you” suggest something a bit different. “I am with you.” is ani itikem.

As I sat pondering ashah I was getting very tired. It had been a long day at work on my day job. As I started to dose off I suddenly saw ashah – work come out of my Hebrew Bible, the Hebrew Letters of  Ashah (Ayin, Shin, and Hei) wanted to chat with me about their word ashah – work but said they were very busy and only had a few moments. I noticed they were dressed in blue jeans and hard hat. I asked what they were so busy doing. They simply replied: “Working.” “Working at what?” I questioned. “Ayin, Shin and Hei looked at each other, scratched their heads and said: “Not sure.” Suddenly I head some singing: “Hi Ho, Hi Ho, it’s off to work we go, we dig up diamonds by the score, a thousand rubies sometimes more,  we don’t know what we dig them for, we dig, dig dig.”  I look up and sew seven Hebrew letters marching out of Haggai 2:4. They are the letters Aleph, Nun Yod,  Aleph, Taw, Kap and Mem (I am with you) and all were carrying picks and shovels.  

I looked at Ashah and ask: “Where are they going and why do they question the reason for digging up diamond and rubies? Ashah replied by saying: “Let’s follow them, they are headed through your looking glass into Hebrew Esoteric Land. “If you don’t mind,” I responded, “I think I will sit this one out.” “Ok” said Ashah,  “but if some cosmetically challenged woman comes around offering you an apple, don’t eat it.” “I’m right behind you,” I told Ashah.  

We marched behind my Looking Glass and entered a mining shaft. There in the mine all seven Hebrew letters (I am with you) joined with Ayin, Shin, Hei and started working mining huge diamonds and rubies. They encouraged me to join them but I said if I tried to sell even one of those diamonds or rubies for currency I would be questioned as to where I found such gems of such size and when I tell them, they will put me in a place where they put people who say they follow Hebrew letters through a mirror into a fantasy world. 

So, I just sat back and watch these Hebrew letters work all day in the mine until they had a substantial pile of diamonds and rubies dug up. After finishing for the day they all sat around admiring their work.  I asked them what they were going to do with all their diamonds and rubies and they looked at me blankly. Then Ayin spoke for the group and said they really have no need for diamonds and rubies in their world. In shock I said: “You mean to tell me you worked all day digging for diamonds and rubies but they have no value to you?” I turn to Ashah (work) and scolded: “What kind of Ashah – work are you anyways? You could have spent this time building houses, bridges, planting crops, or any number of things to better yourselves, instead you waste all your time digging up worthless diamonds and rubies.”  Ashah – work simply shrugged his shoulders and said: “We just spell the word work, we do not specify what king of work. We are under contract to Ani Ithikem (I am with you).” Then Ayin from Ashah – work said: “As an Ayin I insure that no work that is undertaken is not taken without my first giving the task deep discernment.” “That is true” I thought, “Ayin does mean discernment.” Shin explained that he provides the fiery passion to the “work.” Indeed Shin does represent a fiery passion.  Finally, Hei explains that as a Hei which represents the presence of God he makes sure the work of God does not move forward without His presence or breath. 

“Ok,” I say: “Ashah merely means work that commences only after deep spiritual insight (Ayin), and performed with a fiery passion (Shin) and under the power of breath of God (Hei). But what is the nature of the work? 

I turn toward Ani (Aleph and Nun which means ‘I‘) and they just shrugged and said:  “Don’t know.  Aleph said that he only represents God and Nun explains that he represents faith. “We simply approach the task with faith in God.” They said. Check out “with you” they might know why we spend all day digging for worthless jewels. I look at the he’s a Mem we’re just couple old prepositions.  Why don’t you ask With the Aleph and Taw over there. I looked at Aleph and Taw and said: “Ok, I am getting a little tired of the cat and mouse game here, why are you making everyone work for something that has no earthly value?” With that Alep Taw motioned for us all to step outside and when we did Alep and Taw joined hands and sudden they spread from left to right as far as the eye could see and just quickly returned. The Alep said: “I am the first letter of the Hebrew alphabet and Taw is the last letter.” Together we represent eternity. In Haggai 2:4 when you have the combination of the words “work for I am with you” in Hebrew that is is an old idiom saying that when God is with you, you are working for eternal values not earthly temporary values. The building of the temple in Haggai was work for an eternal value. Those diamonds and gems that we just dug up may have no present value but they do have eternal value.

As I made my way back to the Looking Glass I thought of the people of Israel. Their first task upon return from exile was not to build their earthly homes but to build the house of God because God was with them. They built the house that gave eternal value. I thought of all the works I have been doing writing books, conducting classes, and study, study, study. Yet, I am always asking God to be with me, and yet, I have seen very little earthly result. I sell enough books to keep our struggling ministry going while working a full time job to keep myself going. I spend hours and hours mining little diamonds and gem stones from the Word of God yet, I rarely see any monetary value. 

I realize now that when I truly ask God to be with me, I may very well see no earthly result. For if God is with me my focus would be on eternal values not earthly values.  I may see an earthly result or I may not, but that is not important. What is important is that whatever I do with God at my side, it will have eternal value.

I thought of a little song we used to sing in Sunday School written in 1941 when Alfred B. Smith was a student at Wheaton College. He befriended another student that inspired him to write Gospel songs and this was one of them. That other student was Billy Graham.

“With eternity values in view, Lord

With eternity values in view,

May I do each days work for Jesus

With eternity values in view.”

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