WFT- pink

29 January 2011

The Merriam-Webster Word of the Day for September 16th, 2009 was pink.

First: I know... I know.  I'm WAYYY behind if I am pulling up a WotD from 2009. :)

Second: no... this word does not refer to the color.  It's a verb:

1 a : to perforate in an ornamental pattern b : to cut a saw-toothed edge on 2 a : pierce, stab b : to wound by irony, criticism, or ridicule

M-W provided this background on the word:

Our unabridged dictionary, Webster's Third New International, includes 13 distinct entries for "pink," whereas our abridged volume, Merriam-Webster's Collegiate, satisfies itself with the five most common. (Words get distinct entries in our dictionaries when they have different etymologies or different parts of speech.) Today's "pink," the only verb of the five, is from a Middle English word meaning "to thrust." Of the remaining four, the only "pink" older than the verb (which dates to 1503) is a 15th century noun referring to a kind of ship. The next-oldest noun has since 1573 referred to a genus of herbs. The noun referring to the color pink and its related adjective date to 1678 and 1720, respectively. Evidence suggests that a new verb "pink" — a synonym of the verb "pink-slip" — is also emerging.

So how does ornamental pattern perforation relate to Scripture?  Well, let me tell you.

It doesn't.

Today we are examining the second definition: pierced... stabbed.

But He was pierced through for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; The chastening for our well-being fell upon Him, And by His scourging we are healed.  (Isaiah 53:5)

But one of the soldiers pierced His side with a spear, and immediately blood and water came out. (John 19:34)

Messiah was "pinked" and crushed for our transgressions.

The question many often do not ask is "WHY?"

Why was He pierced and crushed because of us?

All Have Sinned

Adam and Eve were the only humans who ever started out their lives without sin.  They had a choice and they sinned (disobeyed) G-d by eating of the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.  [No, it was not an apple.]

All of their descendants (including you and me) have been born with their sinful nature within us.  It is impossible for us to live a completely sinless life.  The sinful nature of Adam and Eve has been passed down to us.  G-d speaks this through the prophet Jeremiah:

In those days they will not say again, 'The fathers have eaten sour grapes, And the children's teeth are set on edge.' But everyone will die for his own iniquity; each man who eats the sour grapes, his teeth will be set on edge.  (Jeremiah 31:29-30)

At some future point when G-d fulfills His new covenant with Israel and Judah (verse 31) then they will NOT say the children are suffering the consequences for the "fathers" actions.  As things are today, everybody is born into the consequences of the sin of Adam and Eve.

The apostle Paul tells us

all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23)

Indeed we have.

The Wages of Sin is Death

G-d speaks through the prophet Ezekiel and says "the soul who wins will die" (Ezekiel 18:4).

Paul also tells us "the wages of sin is death" (Romans 6:23)

Note that Paul calls it the "wages" of sin.  Wages are something that you earn.  It is not a gift.  It is not an endowment.  Through our sin against (disobedience to) G-d we have earned death.

G-d Redeems

The story of the prophet Hosea is the story of redemption.  G-d commands Hosea to marry an unfaithful wife.

Hosea marries an unfaithful woman named Gomer (seriously... that was her name).  Gomer is unfaithful and has numerous lovers.  They use her and abuse her to the point where they no longer want to have anything to do with her.  She becomes despised by her lovers and they sell her in the slave market.

G-d tells Hosea to go and love her once more.  Hosea buys her back with fifteen shekels of silver and a sack of barley.

Through the picture of Hosea, G-d reveals that He is a redeemer of His harlotrous bride: Isra'el.  The rest of the book of Hosea speaks about G-d's redemption of Isra'el.

In order for G-d to redeem Israel, however, it will cost much more than a few shekels and a bit of barley.  G-d has to keep His Word and the wages of our collective sins must be paid: there must be death.  Rather than die a bazillion times for each of the bazillion people who have ever lived and sinned, Messiah died once for the sin of Adam thus paying for Adam's sin and all of the consequences of his sin (namely my sin and your sin... and all the sins of humanity).

Paul puts it this way:

For if by the transgression of the one [Adam], death reigned through the one, much more those who receive the abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Yeshua the Messiah.  So then as through one transgression there resulted condemnation to all men, even so through one act of righteousness there resulted justification of life to all men. (Romans 5:17-18)

Adam's singular act of sin brought sin and death into the world.

The consequence of Messiah's singular redeeming act of righteousness was justification of life to all men.

While "pink" may seem like a mild term to describe Messiah's sufferings, truly He was pierced for our transgressions.

As a consequence, we should live our lives in such a righteous manner that our good deeds will bring glory and honor to the G-d who redeemed us (1 Peter 2:12).

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Yom Shishi, 19 Adar II, 5784

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