my name

I thought I was just doing a little word study on fruit and fruitfulness, but then I saw my name…meleah.

mĕle’ah (H4395)
A feminine noun, it is translated “ripe fruit”, “fruit” and “fulness.”

Strong’s defines it as something fulfilled, abundance of produce, the first of ripe fruit, or fulness.

The Gesenius’ Lexicon says it is fulness, abundance, specially used of that portion…which was to be offered to Jehovah as tithes or first-fruits. The idea is that they were only asked for what they already had an abundance of.

I knew that may name was related to fullness and being fulfilled, but had never seen this use of it before. And this word meleah is only used three times in the Old Testament. Here’s what the first mention in Exodus 22:29 says,

You shall not delay the offering from your harvest and your vintage.

Another translation starts off the verse with “You must not hold anything back.” And “your harvest and your vintage” literally means “your fullness and your tears.” And yes, “fullness” is transliterated meleah. And “vintage” in another translation says “the outflow of your presses.”

The clear, gentle guidance of the Lord saying don’t hold anything back, Meleah… Of the fullness, fruitfulness and abundance of my life in Christ. Or of the tears and the overflow of being pressed.

Whew!

All summer long, the tears came easy in the midst of changing seasons and a celebration of fruitfulness and at the very same time of the realization of how I’d been pressed. But I can’t hold back now. I can’t delay.

And a realization in the midst of the changing seasons and the tears and the fullness of fruitfulness struck me this summer. It’s obvious. And may not be profound to you, but it literally stopped me in my tracks.

The changing of seasons brings fruitfulness.

Changing surroundings bring each element, in its proper time, to birth a harvest. And in a very real sense, if the change did not come, the fruit would not come.

The very rhythms of creation beg my heart to release, let go and trust that where the Lord leads is good. And because I can look to Him and remember all He has done and that He is good, I can step forward into the future fully abandoned to Him.

Not holding anything back. Not holding myself back. Not holding my tears back. Not holding back from the fullness of fruitfulness He is bringing in these changing seasons.