RR Psalm 29:11 Paert 11

Shalom,

Psalm 29:11 Adonai gives strength to His people. Adonai blesses His people with shalom.

The rabbis love this verse!  It has a prominent place in the Torah service liturgy.  The purpose of that liturgy is to help us prepare our hearts to receive the message of the Torah.  Through His Word, God strengthens His people and then blesses them with shalom.  

Rabbi Trail:  The Israelis have a slang phrase borrowed from English.  The phrase is “Vitamin (pronounced Veet-a-min) P (pronounced Pea).”  The letter P stands for “protection.”  I’ve explained it before in these RRs, how it is used in Israel (think mafia style protection).  In a good sense, I bring it up here because God’s people enjoy protection from above.  That’s a good kind of Veetamin P.  God strengthens His people with His protection.  End RT.

Think for a moment of David’s strength as he faced down Goliath.  His resolve was unshakeable.  The whole army of Israel was shaken, but not David.  His confidence was in the Lord and in Him alone.

1Samuel 17:45 Then David said to the Philistine, “You are coming to me with a sword, a spear and a javelin, but I am coming to you in the Name of Adonai-Tzva’ot, God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. 46a This very day Adonai will deliver you into my hand.

Speaking of Shalom, everyone usually thinks of Shalom as peace, and it is, but it is so much more than that.  The relevant Yiddish word (borrowed back into Hebrew) is “Shelema” meaning complete, whole, perfect, lacking nothing.  That is the “Shalom” I’m talking about.  In Yiddish, a “Refuah Shelema” is a “complete healing.”  One of God’s names is Yehovah Rofeh, meaning “God is my healer.”

Philippians 4:6 Do not be anxious about anything—but in everything, by prayer and petition with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. 7 And the shalom of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Messiah Yeshua.

How does peace surpass understanding?  When everything is going wrong and seems out of control, that’s when the man (or woman) of God draws on that reservoir of peace just as Yeshua did.  Yeshua was in the back of the boat asleep when the Apostles were in a tither.  Mark 4:38b “Teacher, don’t you care that we are perishing?”  Here is His response.

Mark 4:39 So He woke up and rebuked the wind. And He said to the sea, “Quiet! Be still!” Then the wind stopped, and it became totally calm.

Yeshua’s shalom surpassed their understanding.  Mark 4:41 They were struck with awe and said to one another, “Who is this? Even the wind and the sea obey Him!”  And we too are given the desire and ability to follow Him.  Here, Paul is contrasting the natural man with the spiritual man.  1Corinthians 2:15 But the one who is spiritual discerns all things, and he himself is discerned by no one. For 16 “who has known the mind of Adonai, that he will instruct Him?” But we have the mind of Messiah.

His mind is a mind of strength (because He knows Who He is) and Shalom.  These are both His gift to us, His people.  May we all walk in His victory.  Shalom shalom.

Daily Bread, reading plan by Lars Enarson (https://www.thewatchman.org/)
Tue27-May-202529th of Iyar, 5785 Day 38 of the Omer
Nu 2:1-34Jer 14Job 34Ro 14(Mk 2)
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Rabbi H Michael Weiner

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