Tsade: The Righteous Person and David's Anointing

We always start with a scripture that encapsulates the essence of the letter. For Tsade, it is 1 Samuel 16:7: "For the Lord does not see as man sees, for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart." The passage continues with Samuel being sent to anoint David, the youngest, who was keeping the sheep. Upon David's arrival, he was described as ruddy, with bright eyes and good-looking. The Lord then instructed Samuel, "Arise, anoint him; for this is the one." Samuel anointed David, and the Holy Spirit came upon him from that day forward.

This beautiful scene reminds us that Samuel, though a prophet, had to be reminded by God to look at the heart, not the outward appearance of David's brothers. God chose David based on his heart. When David was brought in, Samuel poured the anointing oil, and the Holy Spirit came upon him. The Holy Spirit and the anointing oil are intrinsically linked.

This is what Tsade is about: a righteous person, a "tzadik." David was the tzadik that Yahweh wanted to raise up as king.

Tsade is the 18th letter of Elohim's Aleph-Bet, with a numerical value of 90. In this devotional, we will discover the significance of the number 18, and in the next, we will explore Tsade's numerical value of 90. The number 18, in the final form of the letter, represents the Hebrew word "chai," meaning "life." From the beginning, Elohim desired for all His creation to experience life. Upon birth, we begin life, and then we face the most important decision: to receive or reject eternal life. The only way to eternal life is through Yeshua HaMashiach. As Yeshua said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me."

Yeshua is the only way to eternal life. We have the choice to receive this free gift of salvation or reject it. Yeshua testified, "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God." This is what Tsade is all about: receiving the free gift of salvation and inheriting eternal life with Elohim and all the saints.

Tsade is also related to the root word "tsad," meaning "to hunt, to capture, to catch," and it resembles a fishing hook. The formation of the letter itself looks like a fishing hook. Yeshua is the ultimate fisherman who hooks us all. He told His disciples, "Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men." We too can receive this mission, the Great Commission, to be His fishermen for the kingdom, hooking as many as possible.

The letter Tsade is constructed from a bent Nun and a Yod. The bent Nun represents a humbled and faithful servant, bent in submission to Yah. The Yod symbolizes a hand lifted to heaven, or the Spirit of God. What is revealed in Tsade is a tzadik, a righteous person. The formation of the letter shows a bent-over tzadik, a righteous person in prayer with hands lifted to heaven in the proper heart posture. The bent Nun with a crown on top and the Yod lifted up to heaven represent this beautiful letter correlating to us.

The ancient pictograph of Tsade symbolizes a man on his side, in need, bent over in submission. Tsade is a humility letter formed from Nun, representing a humble and faithful servant, and Yod, representing hands lifted up to heaven in praise and worship. The bent form, with a crown on top, signifies the tzadikim who will receive crowns in heaven. We are bent over in submission with hands lifted in praise and worship. This is an incredible letter, one we all want to be associated with.

A tzadik, or righteous person, humbles himself before God with hands lifted in worship and praise. A tzadik reflects the divine image of Elohim when living in humility and dependence on Him through trust and obedience. In doing so, he will be exalted in due time. As it is written, "Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that He may exalt you in due time."

Tsade has two forms. The bent form represents humility or a suffering tzadik, like Yeshua or Joseph. The final form, or "sophit," symbolizes the elevated or lifted-up tzadik, standing in victory and praise, ultimately representing Yeshua as the greatest tzadik and prime example. The two forms present a divine transformation from humility to being lifted up towards victory, praise, and worship. The first form is a bent Tsade, representing a humble person. The final form symbolizes the transition of a humble person being lifted up and exalted to the calling Yahweh has destined for them, with hands lifted towards heaven in victory and praise. This transformation requires humility to be lifted up for the kingdom of God. May we always live in a constant state of humility, even as we are lifted up for Yah's will and purposes.

A great example is Moses. He showed a great understanding of a tzadik. From Mount Sinai to Yom Kippur, he went up three sets of 40 days. With the golden calf incident, he had to repent for the people, interceded for them, and cared about God's reputation and character first, reminding God of His covenants. He also loved the people, even though he was hard on them. Moses was that tzadik who loved God and interceded for the people. Moses, like Yeshua and all the great prophets, is a great example of a tzadik. They loved God and loved the people, even when the people rejected them. We can find great inspiration and motivation by admiring and copying them in our own lives, starting with our Savior Yeshua, the ultimate tzadik.

Now, let's go through the first form of the devotional with Tsade. In our next devotional, we will explore the final form of Tsade and how it correlates to being lifted up and exalted. Besides Yeshua, there is no better example of the letter Tsade than King David. We will see how his life transitions from the first form of Tsade to the final form.