אֶחָד echad

אֶחָד (ʾě∙ḥāḏ) - This Hebrew word in its simplest forms means ONE. Its most famous usage is found in the Hebrew Shema confession of faith found in three different passages: Num. 15:37-41, Deut. 6:4-9, Deut. 11:13-21. This was the Hebrew's declaration of loyalty to his God.

Deut. 6:4, "Hear O Israel! The Lord your God is our God, the Lord is one!" The Hebrews lived in a very polytheistic culture, and this was their declaration that there is only one God and (v.5), "And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might."

This is the chief aim of my life. I live my life in complete loyalty to God (even though I fail at times) and seek to love Him with all that I am. There is one God and one chief aim of my life. There is something unique about this word "one" that resonates deeply within my soul.

The use of the word echad demonstrates compound unity of oneness. The parts coming together to make the whole.

"In the famous Shema of Deut 6:4, “Hear, O Israel … the Lord is one,” the question of diversity within unity has theological implications. Some scholars have felt that, though “one” is singular, the usage of the word allows for the doctrine of the Trinity. While it is true that this doctrine is foreshadowed in the ot, the verse concentrates on the fact that there is one God and that Israel owes its exclusive loyalty to him (Deut 5:9; 6:5)."
Harris, R. L., Harris, R. L., Archer, G. L., & Waltke, B. K. (1999, c1980). Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament (electronic ed.) (030). Chicago: Moody Press.

While I do not propose that the Hebrews had a developed theology of the trinity when these words were penned, it is easy to see God's providential usage of the Hebrew word over other options (i.e. יָחִיד yachid).

So for me this word has major implications for my life. It is about a compound unity of existence. God exists in trinitarian community first and foremost. Being that we are all created in the image of God, we too were meant to live in community.

First, community with God. Until we are reconciled to the one true God, we are not whole people. My "being" is about my oneness with my Creator! Seeking to know Him fully and apply His truth to my life.

Second, community with others. Gen. 2:24 says I am to be echad with my wife. I believe this oneness with her transcends simply physical oneness. It includes the spiritual, emotional and mental aspects of our being. Not that we are to be identical but to live as one. Echad represents the fusion of diverse elements into a harmonious whole.

Beyond my relationship with Kelly, I am called to live in community with others. In Jesus' High Priestly Prayer of John 17, Jesus prays for the oneness of believers everywhere that they may be "complete" in unity and that the world would know Christ was sent by the Father to show His love. In other words, God has called His church to be "one" in order to advance the gospel and proclaim His love.

Why echad? Because this is the way God intended it to be - one with Him and one with others!