Character

by Brad Scott

When I was younger, the idea of having character was something to strive for and to maintain. In our culture, the meaning has changed to become a pejorative term. "Boy, is he a character." In the English language, character defines who you are. It used to be a word that stood alone. To have character meant that you have high morals and ethics. This word has been the product of "lexical entropy". In the Greek language, it is charak (χρκ) which means to stamp or engrave. The royal stamp of a King would not be used unless he approved of that which he has "put his stamp on". This Greek word comes from the Hebrew word charath (חרת). This word is used only once.

Sh^emot (Exodus) 32:16And the tables were the work of God, and the writing was the writing of God, graven upon the tables.

This is the occasion of the two tablets containing the charat or engraved words of YHVH. These ten, which form the basis for all of YHVH's teachings, are the stamp of His character. It is YHVH's morals and ethics. It is His character. In the next few verses, we read that His people had no regard for them, even though they continued to call on Him. Replacing YHVH's character and substituting His ways with our own would be the pattern of false worship until the very end. So what kind of character do you have?

Shalom Alecheim! ◊