In some of the English translations of Scriptures we often find the words "And it came to pass that …" or "And it came to be that …". This is another one of those typical Hebrew expressions that we need to come to grips with, in order to understand many other parts of Scriptures. Let us take a look at some of the verses where we find this expression.

Bereshit (Gen) 4:3 "And it came to be, in the course of time, that Qayin brought an offering of the fruit of the ground to Yahweh"

Bereshit (Gen) 8:6 "And it came to be, at the end of forty days, that Noach opened the window of the ark"

Bereshit (Gen) 39:15 "And it came to be, when he heard that I lifted my voice and cried out, that he left his garment with me"

Shemot (Ex) 2:11 "And it came to be, when Mosheh was grown, that he went out to his brothers"

Bemidbar (Num) 7:1 "And it came to be, when Mosheh finished setting up the Dwelling Place, that he anointed it and set it apart"

Devarim (Deut) 9:11 "And it came to be, at the end of forty days and forty nights, that Yahweh gave me the two tablets of stone"

The general pattern becomes more than clear. After the words "and it came to be" a certain timeframe is given, followed by a specific action or a description of something that was done. To put it differently, there is a particular arrangement that we can see in all these sentences, that takes the following form: (1) Something came into existence (2) It happened at a specific time (3) It consisted of a deed that was done. What we need to notice especially is that nothing that happens or exists or has a being, can do so without doing something, without being active and alive and operative. In Hebrew thought the verb "to be" cannot be separated from actions and deeds. Being alive means being active – working, acting, doing and performing.

There is no better illustration of this truth than looking at the Name of the Almighty. The Name "Yahweh" is derived from the Hebrew word "hayah" which means "to be". The Name of Yahweh reminds us that He is the absolute being: The One who has been there from the beginning, the One who is existing right now and the One who will exist for all eternity. Sometimes people try to become like someone else. People often say: I wish I were like so and so. I wish I had his patience or his money or I wish I had her beautiful hair or her wonderful temperament. Yahweh says to Mosheh: "I am who I am". There is no one greater than Myself, there is none other whom I would rather like to be. I am the same now as I was in the past. And I shall be the same for evermore. Because I am who I am.

The question is: Did Yahweh reveal his name to Mosheh and to us, simply to tell us something about his being? No, He revealed his Name, among other things, to help us understand the way He works and acts on our behalf. At what point in time did He reveal his Name to Mosheh? Was it not at the very same time when He revealed to Mosheh his plan for one of the greatest acts of redemption of all time – the exodus out of Mitsrayim? When did Avraham start calling on the Name of Yahweh? Was it not when Yahweh acted on his behalf and promised him for the first time that He was going to bless Avraham and his descendants abundantly? When did Yitschaq (Isaac) call on the Name of Yahweh? Was it not when Yahweh confirmed to him the very same promises that He had given to his father Avraham? Why did Mosheh say to the people of Yisrael in Devarim 28:10 that all the people of the earth would see that the Name of Yahweh is called upon them? Was it not because Yahweh would act on their behalf and bless them abundantly and perform works in their midst that would bring honour to his Name? So we can clearly see, even just by looking at the revelation of Yahweh’s Name, that who He is, has everything to do with what He does.

The same is true for us as ordinary people. Who we are, has everything to do with what we do. And what we do has everything to do with who we are. It is impossible to separate our lifestyle from our being or to separate our deeds from our identity. Who we are in Messiah and who we are as believers in Yahweh and in his Word, must transpire in what we do. That is why Yaácov in his letter repeatedly says to his readers: Be doers of the Word. That is why Y'shua said to his disciples "Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Master, Master,’ shall enter into the reign of the heavens, but he who is doing the desire of My Father in the heavens." And also: "For whoever does the desire of My Father who is in the heavens is My brother and sister and mother."

As believers in the Messiah we should not be so pre-occupied with who we are (Messianics or disciples or Yisraelites or whatever) that we forget our calling to bear fruit and to live set apart lives in this world. It’s no use to boast in what has been revealed to us, or how we found our true identity in Messiah or how well our understanding is of certain aspects of the Word, if our deeds and our actions do not reflect a change of heart and a change of lifestyle. Being and doing go hand in hand. Without being, doing has no foundation. And without doing, being has no purpose in life. Our existence is not without a reason or a purpose. Yahweh wants us to fulfil his desires and to imitate his works and to illustrate his character. If we don’t do that, our existence here on earth becomes meaningless and dull.

Things that happen to us for the good, including those things that give us a better understanding of Yahweh’s Word, do not happen to us just so that we can have something to talk about or to think about. May Yahweh keep us from falling in the trap of becoming hearers and discussers and "contemplators" of the Word only. Once our eyes are opened for the hidden treasures of the Word, our lives should change for the better. If the truth and the revelations of the Word do not have this effect on our lives, then we need to repent and make sure that we align our lives with the pattern laid down in Scriptures. The words of the Messiah comes to mind: "But the one hearing and not doing, is like a man who built a house on the earth without a foundation, against which the stream burst, and immediately it fell. And the ruin of that house was great" (Luke 6:49).

Inmeasurable damage is done to Yahweh’s course by those who claim to be on his side, or part of his people, but at the same time doing things that are very much unlike Yahweh or anything that he has revealed about Himself, and especially unlike the example set by Y'shua, his Son. Being associated with Yahweh, and with his Son, Y'shua, our lives should reflect Y'shua’s righteousness, his patience, his favour towards those in need, his unselfishness, his empathy and compassion, his trustworthiness, his integrity, his inner strength and resistance to sin, his ability to forgive, his ability to handle difficult circumstances by consistently focusing on Yahweh, his lack of fear for men, his wisdom, his humility, his prayerfulness, his unwavering belief, his steadfastness, his goodness, his obedience, his ability to speak when necessary and keep silent when words are not in order.

For the Messiah, doing was not a means to impress others (Matt 6:3); doing for the sake of tradition meant nothing (Mark 7:8); doing was always focused on the needs of others (Mark 10:51); doing good meant to go beyond what was expected (Luke 6:27); doing was a way of putting oneself in other people’s shoes (Luk 6:31); doing was the fulfilment of the Torah (Luke 10:27-28); doing good was a means of presenting to others that which Yahweh had given to us (Yahuchanan / John 5:19); doing is an attitude that enables one to know whether a teaching is from Elohim or not (Yahuchanan 7:17); doing is not something we can do on our own, but only with assistance from above (Yahuchanan 8:29).

May Yahweh enable us, through his Spirit within us, to do according to what we believe and confess, so that He can do, and keep on doing, according to what He has designed and promised.