Shalom,

Psalm 62:12 Once God has spoken, twice I have heard this: might belongs to God. 13 Also Yours, O Lord, is lovingkindness. For You reward a man for his work.

Spectacular revelation!  That’s what we have here.  David is saying, using his poetic voice, God spoke once, but I heard Him say two things.  God is so powerful He spoke the world into existence.  The opposer might think there is a power struggle between good and evil, but God will always have the last word.  

As it was in the beginning… John 1:1 In the beginning was the Word. The Word was with God, and the Word was God.… so it shall be in the end…. Revelation 20:10 And the devil who deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are too, and they shall be tortured day and night forever and ever.  That’s the fate of the unholy trinity.  They will be subject to God’s might because they refused His grace.

First, we hear Elohim saying “Ki Oz Elohim” meaning “for Elohim is mighty.”  “Oz” (Ayin-Zayin) is Hebrew (according to Strong’s) for “bold(ness), loud, might, power, strength, and strong.  All power belongs to God.  1Chronicles 29:11 Yours, Adonai, is the greatness, the power and the splendor, and the victory and the majesty, indeed everything in heaven and earth. Yours is the kingdom, Adonai and You are exalted above all.  

Rabbi’s Note: This verse is the traditional liturgical song that is sung as we process the Torah through the congregation before we read from it.  End RN.

Then, in the last verse of Psalm 62, we hear the second thing that God is saying, that this same God, Who has all power, is gracious and filled with lovingkindness (Chesed).  This is God declaring His love for you.  He does this through David and the heir of David’s throne, Yeshua (and the blessing extends to His followers).  Psalm 89:34 But I will not withdraw My lovingkindness (Chesed) from him, nor will I betray My faithfulness.  God’s “faithfulness” (Emunah) is steadfast truth.  Numbers 23:19 God is not a man who lies, or a son of man who changes his mind!

Rabbi Trail: These last two verses of Psalm 62 confirm a dream I had about 40 years ago.  It is very rare to remember a dream from so long ago.   In that dream, I was in heaven hearing the angels sing a song (I still remember the tune) to God.  The lyrics were only two Hebrew words repeated continuously, “HaRachamon Gibor.”  Even though I was a believer at the time, I didn’t know their meaning, so I called a non-believing rabbi, and asked him for the interpretation.  He told me, “The Merciful One is Mighty.”  This is another way of saying the two things David heard when God spoke once, God is mighty, and at the same time, God is merciful. End RT.

Shalom shalom.

This Psalm, like about hal
Daily Bread, reading plan by Lars Enarson (https://www.thewatchman.org/)
Thu     3 Sep 2026                 21st of Elul, 5786      
De 31:7-13         Mic 7       2 Ch 17           Rev 2:1-17     (Ac 11)  

Shalom,

Psalm 62:11 Do not trust in extortion, and do not put vain hope in plunder. Though these things increase riches, do not set your heart on them.


This Psalm, like about half of all the Psalms, is labeled, “A Psalm of David.”   Does that mean David wrote it, as many suppose, or that David sang it, another possibility, or that it was both written and performed by others for the benefit of David, probably a minority opinion?  Whether David wrote this himself, or someone else wrote it for his benefit, David is central to the message of the Psalm attributed in some way to him.

Who needs this message more than the king?  “Don’t set your heart on wealth!”  I’ve been rich and I’ve been poor (and I’ve decided I like rich better.  Today, I’m rich by most worldly standards, and semi-rich by others.  My experience leads me to this conclusion, “Wealth lulls you into a love affair with nothing.”  My rabbi, Dan Juster, likes to say, “What do we need in this life, but a lounge chair and a lamp?”

Some of the most joy filled and satisfied people I’ve ever met have had little wealth, or even none.  The focus here is not on what you have, or don’t have, but on where your heart is.  Matthew 6:19 “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal. 20 But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in or steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.

The very next verse gives us our focus, and it is where we are going to end for today.  Matthew 6:22 “The eye is the lamp of the body. Therefore if your eye is good, your whole body will be full of light.”  Keep your eyes on God.  We become what we behold.  Continually behold the presence of God and let Him transform your life.  In other words, trust in Him, and He will put everything else in order.  Shalom shalom.

Daily Bread, reading plan by Lars Enarson (https://www.thewatchman.org/)
Wed    2 Sep 2026                 20th of Elul, 5786
De 30:15-31:6            Mic 6               2 Ch 16           Rev 1              (Ac 10)

Shalom,

Psalm 62:10 Sons of Adam are a vapor, sons of man are an illusion. In balanced scales they go up—altogether they are less than a breath.

Psalm 62 is a sister Psalm to Psalm 39.  For instance, Psalm 39:7 Everyone goes about as a mere phantom. Surely they are making an uproar in vain, heaping up stuff—yet not knowing who will gather it.  As the saying goes, “You can’t take it with you.”  So then, which one are you, a phantom, a vapor, or an illusion?  How about “None of the above.”  Only when our identity is founded in Messiah Yeshua, can we stand and say with confidence, “I am a child of God.”  

1John 3:1 See how glorious a love the Father has given us, that we should be called God’s children—and so we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know Him. 2 Loved ones, now we are God’s children; and it has not yet been revealed what we will be. But we do know that when it’s revealed, we shall be like Him, because we will see Him just as He is.

The evening news is filled with people who have lost everything due to fire, flood, mudslide, storm, earthquake, tornado or any combination of natural disasters.  The promise from Scripture is that eventually everything will burn.  

2Peter 3:10 But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. On that day the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the elements will melt and disintegrate, and the earth and everything done on it shall be exposed.

Before you get discouraged and throw in the towel, Peter explains why he just said that… 2Peter 3:11 Since all these things are to be destroyed in this way, what kind of people should you be? Live your lives in holiness and godliness.  God’s kingdom is made of love.  1John 4:8 The one who does not love does not know God, for God is love.

Anything that is not compatible with God’s love is from the enemy.  Love God and love each other, these are the two great commandments.  Let’s invest our lives in the substance of God’s kingdom.  This leads us to the warning in our next verse, that we should not be seduced by the attractions of this world.  We’ll get to that tomorrow.  Shalom shalom.

Daily Bread, reading plan by Lars Enarson (https://www.thewatchman.org/)
Tue     1 Sep 2026                 19th of Elul, 5786
De 30:7-14       Mic 5          2 Ch 15           Heb 13            (Ac 9)  

Shalom,

Psalm 62:9 Trust in Him at all times, you people. Pour out your heart in His presence. God is our refuge. Selah

This verse is made up of three thoughts.  Let’s look closely at all three.  First, “Trust in Him at all times, you people.”  Grammatically, “you people” could belong to this first thought, or the next.  Perhaps it is purposefully ambiguous.  The “Etnachta” (the cantorial mark that divides the parts of almost every Hebrew Scripture) doesn’t appear until the end of the second thought.  

“Trust,” what is trust?  It means we can rely on God to always speak the truth.  Yeshua is the reality of all things.  That means God is our reality.  Everyone or everything else, that is manufacturing an alternative reality is a liar.  

John 8:44 You are of your father the devil, and you want to do the desires of your father. He was a murderer from the beginning and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. Whenever he speaks lies he is just being himself—for he is a liar and the father of lies.

Now, let’s review… we are instructed here to trust, or count on, God always.  That’s wisdom, because God is reliable.  God has never been late, distracted, or in any way missing from our point of need.  Psalm 145:3 Great is Adonai, and greatly to be praised—His greatness is unsearchable.

Next, we are told to “Pour out your heart in His presence.”  The Hebrew word for “pour” is “Shafakh”(Shin-Pey-Kaf Sofit,” and carries the same meaning we have for “pour out” in English.  When we “pour out” our hearts to God, He responds as a loving Father.  Galatians 4:6 Now because you are sons, God sent the Ruach of His Son into our hearts, who cries out, “Abba! Father!  He is ready to heal, answer, bind up, restore, forgive, and just plain love us through every trial.  1John 4:16 So we have come to know and trust in the love that God has for us. God is love. Now whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him.

Finally, we are reminded, “God is our refuge.”  Psalm 46:2 God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.  The Israelis have a slang phrase they use, which is borrowed from English, “Veetamin P.”  The “P” stands for protection.  In Hebrew it is “Protec’sia,” again borrowed from English.  We count on God to be our refuge in the storm.  Does that mean we won’t get rained on?  Not at all, but there is a promise.  Romans 8:28 Now we know that all things work together for good for those who love God, who are called according to His purpose.

Go forth in the love of God and the promise of His victory.  Go read the end of the Bible.  Take heart, “Yiyeh Baseder” meaning (everything) will be in order.  Shalom shalom.

Daily Bread, reading plan by Lars Enarson (https://www.thewatchman.org/)
Mon    31-Aug 2026              18th of Elul, 5786
De 30:1-6             Mic 3-4           2 Ch 14           Heb 12            (Ac 8)

Shalom,

In Philemon 24 he is numbered with Paul's apostolic fellow workers.

We next read of him in Colossians 4:14. There, Paul mentions six co-laborers, one after the other. Five of them he describes warmly, and then he mentions — almost as an afterthought — Demas.  

Why?

I read this as the cooling of a relationship.

Then comes the dread description for which he is most remembered. For Demas, having loved this present world, has deserted me and gone to Thessalonica (2 Timothy 4:10). Paul is facing a death sentence, and a man upon whom he relied abandoned him.

Demas did not drift away in an easier day. He coldly left when Paul needed him most. I think it broke Paul's heart.

What caused Demas to desert? Paul wrote that he loved this present age. I've read that Demas had been living a double life, that he flattered Paul and nobody knew that he was a hypocrite. I've read that Demas was filled with sensual lusts and the love of money.

But what did Paul write?

This: Demas loved this present age, this life. We're warned about this illicit agape in John's litany of lusts, and the first lust John listed was the lust of the flesh (1 John 2:15-16).

I think the primal manifestation of the lust of the flesh is self-preservation. Before we want pleasure, or possessions, or popularity, we want to live. Even mosquitos share that instinct.


Wanting to live is not a sin. Loving this age more than longing for the age-to-come? Let's simply say that although it is a common temptation, we're called to be faithful to the point of death. Demas wasn't.

We know how Demas ended up, but how did he end up there? What was he like?

First of all, he was devoted to Yeshua and well thought of. Paul wouldn't have chosen him if he didn't have a good reputation. Paul praised him. He called him a synergos, a co-worker, the same word Paul gave Timothy and Titus.

In Colossians and Philemon, we find that he had steadfastly stood with Paul when the Apostle was imprisoned. Demas was no stranger to hardship, and he was in committed fellowship with men who had suffered.

And this man deserted Paul. Let's take to heart this exhortation. Therefore let the one who thinks he stands watch out that he does not fall (1 Corinthians 10:12).

So, what happened?

Personally, I think that Demas was offended and that the offense, having grown, bore poisonous fruit. Was he bitter? Did that bitterness wear him down so that in a time of intense stress he coldly decided to desert Paul?

The Scriptures teach:

See to it that no one comes short of the grace of God; that no root of bitterness springing up causes trouble, and by it many become defiled. (Hebrews 12:15)

In the Parable of the Sower Yeshua taught that there is a person who, when trouble or persecution comes, immediately falls away (Matthew 13:21). "Falls away" in Greek is skandalizetai. As a result, I think, of the cooling of their relationship, as a result of unresolved offenses, Demas calculated the cost and came to this conclusion: 

Die for this man? I don't think so.

Tradition has been harsh. Legend says he became a priest in an idol's temple. Yet Paul did not call him an apostate. Perhaps a more likely portrayal is that he was a wounded man who could not face execution for the sake of loyalty to Paul.

Friends, this is a disconcerting portrait. After all, an offended man may be one of us. He might be us.

We've read these words. Watch over your heart with all diligence, for from it flow the springs of life (Proverbs 4:23). Let's take them to heart.

If there is an offense, seek to clear it up. Keep short accounts. Resolve things while they're small. Let's not give the devil any ground, any topos, among us (Ephesians 4:26-27). Unlike Demas, we want to finish well.

Content and teaching by David Harwood; prose drafted with Claude (Anthropic) from his sermon outline and edited by him. Scripture quotations are from the New American Standard Bible.

Daily Bread, reading plan by Lars Enarson (https://www.thewatchman.org/)
Sun      30-Aug 2026              17th of Elul, 5786
De 29:10-29 [9-28]   Mic 1-2     2 Ch 13         Heb 11:20-40 (Ac 7:30-60)  

Shabbat Shalom,

This week’s Parshah is titled Ki Tavo. The name come from Deuteronomy 26:1 Now when you enter (ki tavo) the land that ADONAI your God is giving you…
 
There are commands concerning first fruits, tithes to support the Levites and the less privileged, reaffirming the covenant, committing to walk in ADONAI’s ways, setting up stones after crossing the Jordan River bearing Torah, the blessing and curses to be spoken at Mounts Gerizim and Ebal, and a reminder that it was ADONAI who sustained them for forty years in the wilderness.
 
Deuteronomy 28 contains blessings for obedience and curses for disobedience. There is quite a difference between the number of verses devoted to blessings and those for the curses. Just 14 verses for blessings, yet there are 54 verses for curses.
 
Why the disparity? When you are on the right path adjustments aren’t needed. Verses 28:9 and 14 give us the criteria for blessing… “if you keep the mitzvot of ADONAI your God,” and “do not turn aside from any of the commands I am giving you today.”
 
The rest of Chapter 28 is about these curses for disobedience. Too many people view the curses as punishment from an angry God.  Punishment is the imposition of a restriction, financial penalty, form of suffering, or other undesired consequence for an offence. Yet God’s actions are not merely punishment, they are discipline. You may be thinking “What’s the difference?” Discipline, punishment, so what? Both are unpleasant actions taken against someone for transgressing something. Here’s what discipline is, training people to obey rules or a code of behavior, with punishment or other undesired consequences for those failing to comply.
 
Psalm 94:12 Blessed is the one you discipline, ADONAI, and teach him from your Torah.
 
The curses start in Verse 15 with “If you do not listen to the voice of ADONAI your God,” followed by a lengthy list of curses.
 
Verse 45 gives a hint of turning back to the LORD. Although it is not explicitly stated, the inference is “if you still persist in sinning,” “All these curses will come upon you…because you did not listen to the voice of ADONAI your God.”
 
Verse 58 hints at another opportunity to repent “if you do not take care to do all the words of this Torah.”
 
God isn’t just punishing in the curses. He is disciplining, all the while offering a way out of being disciplined by repenting and returning to Torah.
 
Many Christians today will assert, “For sure I repented. I said the sinner’s prayer and got baptized, so I am good to go.” In Yeshua’s time, and even today, many Jews believe that they are good to go as well because of the promises made to the patriarchs.
 
Why then did Yeshua go throughout the land proclaiming (Matthew 4:17) “Turn away (repent) from your sins, for the kingdom of heaven is near” or (Mark 1:15) “The kingdom of God is near! Turn away from your sins and believe in the Good News!” Yeshua was mostly talking to Jews. If their assurances were through the promises made to the patriarchs, Yeshua had no need to talk to the Jews.
 
Yeshua wasn’t the first to call folks to repentance. The Prophets also called for repentance:
 
Isaiah 1:16 Wash and make yourselves clean. Put away your evil deeds…Cease to do evil. Learn to do good.
 
Jeremiah 3:12-13 Return backsliding Israel, says ADONAI…Acknowledge your iniquity. For you sinned against ADONAI.
 
Ezekiel 18:30 Return and turn away from your transgressions.
 
In many churches at the end of the message there is an altar call. This recognizes those who have asked Yeshua into their lives and have confessed that they are a sinner. Good start, confessing that you are a sinner…but what exactly are your sins? Sure, you can come up with a few, maybe even a few humdingers. But can you confidently identify all your sins?
 
Also, confessing sins is only part of the equation. Don’t forget that repentance (shuv in Hebrew) means to turn about, to stop doing bad and start doing good.
 
So where do we find what God considers good or bad? Torah. Yep, that part of the Bible that many Christians label as irrelevant, outdated, or cancelled.
 
Matthew 5:18 (Yeshua is speaking) Amen, I tell you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or serif will ever pass away from the Torah…The earth still appears to he here, so perhaps it hasn’t quite passed away yet.
 
Paul says in Romans 7:7 I would not have known sin except through the Torah. Paul is telling us that Torah informs us how to identify sin.
 
We are called to be set apart – to actively repent.
 
Titus 1:14 He gave himself for us so that He might redeem us from every lawless deed so that He might purify for Himself a chosen people zealous for good deeds.
 
Let’s give John the last word:
 
1John 1:8-9 If we say we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.
 
1John 2:3-6 We know that we have come to know Him by this – if we keep His commandments. The one who says, “I have come to know Him,” and does not keep His commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But whoever keeps His Word, in him the love of God is truly made perfect. We know that we are in Him by this – whoever claims to abide in Him must walk just as He walked.
 
Shabbat Shalom

Daily Bread, reading plan by Lars Enarson (https://www.thewatchman.org/)
Sat29-Aug 2026 16th of Elul, 5786 Parashat Ki Tavo
De 29:2-9[1-8]Isa 60Ro 8:31-39

(Early) Shabbat Shalom,

Psalm 62:8 On God, my salvation and my glory is the rock of my strength. My refuge is in God.

Let’s add the Hebrew… Psalm 62:8 On (Al) God (Elohim), my salvation (Yishi) and my glory (U’K’vodi) is the rock of my strength (Tzur-Uzi). My refuge (Mach’si) is in God (Bay’lohim).  Let’s start with the first word, “Al” (Ayin-Lamed).  This is the second part of Israel’s national airline “El-Al” meaning “God is onboard.”  Significantly, while “Al” routinely means “on,” as we have just seen from the previous example, that’s not the only interpretation.  

Special Note: When it comes to translations of Hebrew prepositions, many are interchangeable.  To tell the difference, one would have to be a student of Hebrew grammar and syntax, which is above my pay grade.  “Al” appears almost 6,000 times in the Hebrew Scriptures.    End SN.  

“Al” can also mean, (according to Strong’s), “above, about, over, according to, after, or even against,” among many other possibilities.  Here, in our subject verse, I might like the translation “concerning,” as in “concerning God.”  The poet is saying… “Let me tell you, concerning my God.  I really can’t say enough about Him, but if I have to use just a few words, here goes.  He is these five things to me: my salvation my glory, my rock, my strength, and my refuge. He is all that and more”

David is consistent.  He had the same “problem” as he turned the kingdom over to his son, Solomon.  1Chronicles 29:10 David blessed Adonai before the whole congregation saying, “Blessed are You, Adonai, God of Israel our father, from eternity to eternity! 11 Yours, Adonai, is the greatness, the power and the splendor, and the victory and the majesty, indeed everything in heaven and earth. Yours is the kingdom, Adonai and You are exalted above all. 12 Both riches and honor come from You. You rule over everything. In Your hand is power and might, in Your hand, to magnify and give strength to all. 13 Now, our God, we give you thanks and praise Your glorious Name.    

We too must fall all over ourselves in our vein attempt to express our thanksgiving toward God for all He has done.  Psalm 147:5  Great is our Lord and mighty in power—His understanding is infinite!  Or, as Buzz Lightyear says, “To infinity and beyond.”  That’s how much we love God.  Shalom shalom.

Daily Bread, reading plan by Lars Enarson (https://www.thewatchman.org/)
Fri28-Aug 202615th of Elul, 5786
De 28:7-29:1[28:69]Ob 12 Ch 12Heb 11:1-19  (Ac 7:1-29)

Shalom,

Psalm 62:4 How long will all of you assault a man, to crush him, like a leaning wall, a fence to be torn down? 5 They only plot to topple him from his rank. Delighting in falsehood, they bless with their mouth, but inwardly they curse. Selah 6 My soul, wait in stillness, only for God—for from Him comes my expectation. 7 He alone is my rock and my salvation, my strong tower—I will not be moved.

The poet is using his words to “paint a word picture.”  With the phrase, “like a leaning wall, a fence to be torn down,” he is forming an expression.  Once a wall is leaning, it must be torn down.  He is saying, “My enemies will never stop assaulting me, until I am removed.”  Let’s pray that our enemies don’t have the zeal of David’s enemies.  

In verse 5, David professes that his enemies are duplicitous, “they bless with their mouth, but inwardly they curse.”  It is more likely that our enemies are that kind.  The key to victory is to remain close to the Lord (more on verse 6 in a moment).  The Psalm for the Sabbath Day (Psalm 92) presumes that our enemies are also God’s enemies.  

Psalm 92:8 Though the wicked spring up like grass, and all evildoers flourish, it is only to be ruined forever. 9 But You, Adonai, are exalted forever. 10 For behold, Your enemies, Adonai—behold Your enemies perish—all evildoers are scattered.

Now we get to verse 6, which is almost a repeat of verse verse 2, but instead of ending with “salvation” (Yeshuati), verse 6 ends with “expectation” (Tikvati).  That “expectation” is our hope.  1Corinthians 13:13  But now these three remain—faith, hope, and love. And the greatest of these is love.  Why does love outlive faith and hope?  When Yeshua returns  everything will be known as fact.  We won’t need to have faith for anything.  The same is true regarding hope… everything we have hoped for will be our reality.  

Ah, love, “the greatest of these is love.”  1Corinthians 13:8 Love never fails—but where there are prophecies, they will pass away; where there are tongues, they will cease; where there is knowledge, it will pass away…. 10 but when that which is perfect has come, then that which is partial will pass away.  

Finally, lets be clear.  The love of which we are speaking is not an emotion, but the act of preferring another above self.  Have you’ve heard hell is hot?  Well, I’m convinced it is just a lonely.  The last thought in these few verses for today is, “God is my salvation.”  There it is, in the Hebrew Scriptures.  Why can’t God be a man, “my Yeshua, Yeshuati?”  After all, He made man from the dust of the earth.  One of the foundational teachings of Judaism is that God cannot have a human body.  I want to know, “Why not?”  Are you going to tell Him that’s impossible?  One, two, three, not me.  Shalom shalom.

Daily Bread, reading plan by Lars Enarson (https://www.thewatchman.org/)
Thu27-Aug 202614th of Elul, 5786
De 27:11-28:6Amos 8-92 Ch 11Heb 10:19-39(Ac 6)

Shalom,

Psalm 62:3 He alone is my rock and my salvation, my fortress—I will never be moved.

We end verse 2 with this thought, “My salvation (Yeshuati) comes exactly and surely (Ach) from God (Elohim).”  Now, in verse 3, we are able to build on that foundation.  Isaiah 33:5 Adonai is exalted, for He dwells on high! He has filled Zion with justice and righteousness. 6 It will be your time of faithfulness, a wealth of salvation, wisdom and knowledge—the fear of Adonai is His treasure.

Rabbi Trail:  Have you ever told God how much you love Him?  The correct answer is, “No.”  Our love for God is, by definition, beyond all ability to express it.  Whatever we tell God, there is always more.  And that “more” is expressed in our works.  John 14:15 “If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.”  That’s a commandment in itself.  It’s just not on the menu of life to pick and choose as we like from time to time.  Our expectation is that God will save us.  His expectation is that we will walk as He walked.  That’s what disciples do.  End RT.

Let’s add the Hebrew… Psalm 62:3 He alone (ach) is my rock (Tzuri) and my salvation (Yeshuati), my fortress (Misgavi)—I will never (Rabah) be moved (Lo-Emot).

God is my rock.  Is that new?  David quoted his own Psalm in his song of deliverance (2Samuel 22:2) Psalm 18:3 Adonai is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer. My God is my rock, in Him I take refuge, my shield, my horn of salvation, my stronghold.  When something is important, it is worth repeating.  Psalm 92:16 They (the righteous) declare, “Adonai is upright, my Rock—there is no injustice in Him.”  

No, it is not something new… God is my rock, a firm foundation.  Paul is inclusive when he says, as he speaks of the Children of Israel during the Exodus, “all our fathers,” it is a reference to the grafted in condition of us all.  1Corinthians 10:1 For I do not want you to be ignorant,… that our fathers were all under the cloud and all passed through the sea…. 4 and all drank the same spiritual drink—for they were drinking from a spiritual rock that followed them, and the Rock was Messiah.

This “same spiritual drink” is available to you and me today.  Yeshua said it to the Samaritan woman at the well, and He is still saying it to us.  John 4:14 But whoever drinks of the water that I will give him shall never be thirsty. The water that I give him will become a fountain of water within him, springing up to eternal life!”

Let’s give David the last word today.  Psalm 34:9 Taste and see how good Adonai is. Blessed is the one who takes refuge in Him.  Shalom shalom.

Daily Bread, reading plan by Lars Enarson (https://www.thewatchman.org/)
Wed26-Aug 202613th of Elul, 5786
De 27:1-10Amos 6-72 Ch 10Heb 10:1-18 (Ac 5)

Shalom,

Psalm 62:1 For the music director, on Jeduthun. A psalm of David. 2 My soul, wait in stillness, only for God—from Him comes my salvation.

Thank you, Marty Goetz, for putting this Psalm to beautiful music.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hIEVJxbUSOs  Psalm 62 is placed in the Canon of Scripture next to Psalm 61 because the message they share is strikingly similar.  For instance, we can see the similarity between Psalm 61:5 and Psalm 62:9.

Psalm 61:5 Let me dwell in Your tent forever. Let me take refuge in the shelter of Your wings. Selah

Psalm 62:9 Trust in Him at all times, you people. Pour out your heart in His presence. God is our refuge. Selah

In the opening, the Psalm is directed to or attributed to “Jeduthun.”  Three Psalms are ascribed to him and his lineage, Psalms 39, 62, and 77.  Here is what I found in the “Topical Lexicon”… “These superscriptions likely indicate that Jeduthun’s choir preserved, performed, or arranged these compositions. The themes—trust, repentance, and divine remembrance—mirror the prophetic dimension attached to his musical office.”

There is this little Hebrew word, “Ach,” (Aleph-Kaf Sofit) that appears 10 times in the two Psalms (61, 62).  It is a little word with a big meaning.  It means, “exactly or surely.  It can also be an adverb that contrasts what was said before.  In English we might say, “however.”  In Psalm 62:2 it is translated as “only.”  Think about it… My soul “waits" (in quietness, stillness and trust) “only” (surely, and exactly) upon God.

Is that you today?  As we pray these words back to God, are we focused on Him?  Psalm 46:11a(10a) “Be still, and know that I am God.”  And what are we receiving from God?  “Yeshuati,” my Salvation.  Is there a greater blessing?  Salvation is not an event, but a process.  Events have beginnings and endings.  The process of “Salvation” is ongoing for all eternity.  Philippians 2:12a,c Therefore, my loved ones,… work out your salvation with fear and trembling.

The process of salvation is a calling…. 1Peter 2:9 But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, so that you may proclaim the praises of the One who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.  That’s a calling worthy of our enthusiastic response.  So, let everyone say, “Yes, and amen!”  Shalom shalom.

Daily Bread, reading plan by Lars Enarson (https://www.thewatchman.org/)
Tue25-Aug 202612th of Elul, 5786
De 26:16-19Amos 52 Ch 9Heb 9 (Ac 4)

Shalom {{firstName}},

Psalms
Psalm 61:9(8) – Part 9

Psalm 61:9 So I will sing praise to Your Name forever, to fulfill my vows day after day.

My own amplified version… “Yes, I will perpetually sing songs of praise to Your Name, so that I might complete my vows perfectly every day.”

Speaking of vows… Yom Kippur begins (this year) on Sunday night, September 20th with the “Kol Nidre” prayer.  Kol Nidre means “all vows.”  Yes, immediately we lead off the “Day of Atonement” with a penitentiary prayer.  Seeking forgiveness, we renounce all vows made under duress.  This prayer was instituted during the inquisition, when such vows were demanded over the threat of death.  God treats all our vows seriously, so we ask Him to pardon us from those we didn’t keep.

Deuteronomy 23:22 “When you make a vow to Adonai your God, you are not to delay to make good on it—for Adonai your God will certainly require it of you, and you would have sin on you. 23 But if you refrain from making a vow, you would not have sin on you. 24a Whatever comes out of your lips you are to take care to do.

On the other side of vows, is praise and thanksgiving. No matter the stress or tension, (there are always mitigating circumstances) we must maintain an attitude of thanksgiving before God.  Songs of praise and thanksgiving are called “Zimrot” in Hebrew.  We must always have songs in our hearts, songs of “yes” to God.  

Psalm 34:2 I will bless Adonai at all times. His praise is continually in my mouth…. 9 Taste and see how good Adonai is. Blessed is the one who takes refuge in Him.

Miriam, the Mother of Yeshua, was over the top with excitement as she expressed her response to God before Yeshua was born as she spoke to her cousin, Elizabeth.  Luke 1:46 Then Miriam said, “My soul magnifies Adonai, 47 and my spirit greatly rejoices in God, my Savior. 

May those same words be on our own lips, as we give thanks for all God has done for us.  B’shem Yeshua, Amen.

Daily Bread, reading plan by Lars Enarson (https://www.thewatchman.org/)
Mon24-Aug 202611th of Elul, 5786
De 26:12-15Amos 3-42 Ch 8Heb 8 (Ac 3)

Shabbat Shalom {{firstName}},

Torah Portion Ki Tetze Deuteronomy 21:10 – 25:19
By Jeffrey Freeman
 
Torah Portion Ki Tetze’s name comes from Deuteronomy 21:10, “When you go out (Ki Tetze) to war against your enemies…” 
 
This portion contains many of the 613 commandments – the sages count 74 in this portion. While the actual number of laws contained may be disputed depending on how you understand what is being commanded, and certainly some of the laws cited don’t apply right now due to location, circumstance, or the lack of the Temple in Jerusalem, many of the listed laws remain relevant to our lives today.
 
One common phrase in use today is “don’t sweat the small stuff.” Yet it would appear that ADONAI may have a different position. Many of the commandments in Ki Tetze would probably fall into the “small stuff” category. However, I will remind you that these are all commandments and therefore not to be taken lightly.
 
Let’s look at two of these small stuff commandments. Both deal with fairness. How might they apply today?
 
Deuteronomy 24:14-15 – You are not to oppress a hired servant who is poor and needy, whether he is from your brothers or the outsider in your land within your town gates. On that day you are to give him his wages – the sun is not to set on it – for he is poor and sets his heart on it. Otherwise, he will cry out against you to ADONAI, and you will have sin on you.
 
1st Timothy 5:18 - For Scripture says, “You shall not muzzle the ox while he is threshing,” and “The worker is worthy of his wage.”
 
Other verses include Leviticus 19:13, Luke 10:7, Colossians 4:1 and James 5:4.
 
Our payment system today does differ from ancient times when people often depended on daily payments to meet their life needs. But the principle remains the same. Pay your bills when they are due. If you default on your bills or are habitually late making payments you are not only damaging your witness, you are breaking ADONAI’s commands. 
 
Deuteronomy 25:13-16 – You are not to have stones of different weights in your bag – large and small. You are not to have in your house ephahs of different measures – large and small. You must have a full and honest weight and a full and honest measure…All who do injustice are detestable to ADONAI your God.
 
Proverbs 11:1 – Dishonest scales are an abomination to ADONAI, but an accurate weight is his delight.
 
Proverbs 16:11 – Honest balances and scales are ADONAI’s. All the weights in the bag are his handiwork.
 
Proverbs 20:10, 23 – Unequal weights and measures – both are an abomination to ADONAI.
Unbalanced weights are detestable to ADONAI, and dishonest scales are wicked.
 
Other passages include Leviticus 19:36, Ezekiel 45:10, Hosea 12:7, and Amos 8:5.
 
You might be thinking that this one is no problem for me. I don’t even use scales or measures for buying or selling. Look closer at the commandment. What this command is really about is buying and selling at a fair price, not cheating others. 
 
Earlier this week I was shopping at a major retailer. My wife asked me to pick up two comforter sets, one king sized and one queen sized. After I checked out and was leaving the store I noticed that the cashier charged me for two queen sized comforters. This was almost $11 less than what I should have been charged.
 
Here’s the test. Do you continue out of the store, chalking up a $11 savings justifying it by saying to yourself “it’s the store’s fault for undercharging me.” Or do you turn around and rectify the situation, paying the correct price? Sadly, I will admit that I had a momentary hesitation. But I did turn around and, much to the cashier’s surprise, I paid the extra amount due. Do you think identifying as a follower of Yeshua may have had a greater impact on the folks at the store after this incident? 
 
Small things can have an outsized impact. As followers of Yeshua, we are always under the microscope of society. Small things are easy and can have a significant impact on others’ attitudes. And as you habitually do the “small” things, bigger things become easier. 
 
Live for Messiah, and as James 1:22 says, “Be doers of the Word, and not hearers only…”
 
Shabbat Shalom

Daily Bread, reading plan by Lars Enarson (https://www.thewatchman.org/)
Sat22-Aug 2026 9th of Elul, 5786 Parashat Ki Teitzei
De 24:14-25:19Isa 54:1-10Rom 8:18-30

(Early) Shabbat Shalom,

Psalm 61:7 May You add days to the king’s days. May his years span many generations. 8 May he be enthroned before God forever. Appoint mercy and truth to protect him.

Today let’s focus on the ending of verse 8… Psalm 61:8b …Appoint mercy and truth to protect him.  Remember, I believe the “King” spoken of here is King Yeshua, so the prophecy is that mercy and truth will protect Yeshua.  Mercy is “Chesed” and truth is “Emet.”  They are found together throughout Scripture, and together they represent a huge concept.  

John 1:14 And the Word became flesh and tabernacled among us. We looked upon His glory, the glory of the one and only from the Father, full of grace and truth.

Chesed is God’s (although undeserved) love (referred to as “grace” in the New Testament).  Truth (Emet in Hebrew) is assurance of God’s ability to keep His promise of love.  We have grace and that’s the truth.  God speaks truth, and truth is the basis of our faith.  It is the guarantee of His faithfulness.

Jacob was among the first to put these two together when he asked Joseph not to bury him in Egypt.  Genesis 47:29 As the time of Israel’s death drew near, he called for his son Joseph and said to him, “If I have found favor in your eyes, please put your hand under my thigh and show me faithful kindness. Please do not bury me in Egypt.”

Micah prophesied that these attributes of God will apply to us on account of our forefathers.  Micah 7:20 You will extend truth to Jacob, mercy to Abraham, that You swore to our ancestors from the days of old.  And remember this, “grace and truth” are not limited to God, but by extension, we are to have His character in us as we relate with each other.  

Grace is also coupled with forgiveness.  We offer grace when we forgive (called “pardon” in the TLV) one another.  

Colossians 3:12 Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves in tender compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience— 13 bearing with one another and forgiving each other, if anyone has a grievance against another. Just as the Lord pardoned you, so also you must pardon others. 14 But above all these things put on love, which is the bond of perfect harmony.

For review, grace is tenderhearted compassion and truth is the assurance that grace will not be revoked.  We can offer this to each other transactionally (where both parties forgive each other) or non-transactionally (where only one party forgives the other).  It is a reflection of God’s character either way.  

The last phrase of our subject verses is “… to protect Him.”  Why would Yeshua need protecting, isn’t He God?  Answer: Yes, but He was also man, with the possibility to sin (hence the temptation).  Yeshua fasted and prayed, and was righteous in all His ways, yet even He needed God’s protection.  So do we.  Shalom shalom.    

Daily Bread, reading plan by Lars Enarson (https://www.thewatchman.org/)
Fri21-Aug 20268th of Elul, 5786
De 24:5-13Joel 32 Ch 6:22-42Heb 6 (Ac 1)

Shalom,

Psalm 61:7 May You add days to the king’s days. May his years span many generations. 8 May he be enthroned before God forever. Appoint mercy and truth to protect him.

Who is this “king?”  I notice that the TLV chose not to capitalize it.  However; my own interpretation is that King David is writing here prophetically, not about himself or his son, Solomon, but about the King of the Jews Who will be “enthroned before God forever.”  Want some more good news?  We know His name, Yeshua HaMashiach!

My goodness, this is going to take some “unpacking.”  May “days (upon) days be added to this King’s reign.  Even His years (should last) for generations and generations.”  This King isn’t just going to live for a long time, He will reign for eternity.  The Torah sets a standard for a matter to become truth.  Deuteronomy 19:15b …By the word of two or three witnesses is a case to be established.

So Paul offers the first witness.  Ephesians 3:21 to Him be the glory in the community of believers and in Messiah Yeshua throughout all generations forever and ever! Amen.  Now listen to the message of this “Shofar sounding angel”… Revelation 11:15 Then the seventh angel trumpeted, and there were loud voices in heaven saying, “The kingdom of this world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Anointed One. And He shall reign forever and ever!”

As you can easily see below, today is the 7th of Elul, the month we prepare for the Fall Feasts of the Lord.  The first of these is Yom Teruah (literally, the Day of the Shout) on the first of Tishre.  We commonly refer to it as the Feast of Trumpets or Rosh Hashanah (New Year).  It is a day set aside to anticipate the crowning of Yeshua as King.  

So let’s prepare our hearts to receive the King.  Zechariah 14:4 In that day His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives which lies to the east of Jerusalem, and the Mount of Olives will be split in two from east to west, forming a huge valley. Half of the mountain will move toward the north and half of it toward the south.

Step one in preparation, “REPENT!”  Search your hearts so God doesn’t have to.  Psalm 139:23 Search me, O God, and know my heart. Examine me, and know my anxious thoughts, 24 and see if there be any offensive way within me, and lead me in the way everlasting.  We better get ready, the King is coming.  Shalom shalom.

Daily Bread, reading plan by Lars Enarson (https://www.thewatchman.org/)
Thu20-Aug 20267th of Elul, 5786
De 23:24[25]-24:4Joel 22 Ch 6:1-21Heb 5 (Jn 21)

Shalom,

Psalm 61:6 For You have heard my vows, O God. You have given the inheritance of those who fear Your Name.

Vows in Hebrew are “Nidre,” as in Kol Nidre, the name of the most holy day meaning “all vows.”  What are “vows” anyway?  Aren’t we told not to make them?  Matthew 5:33 “Again, you have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not swear falsely, but shall carry out your oaths to Adonai.’ 34 But I tell you, do not swear at all—not by heaven, for it is the throne of God.”  Yeshua’s point here is not to make professions lightly.  “Oaths to Adonai” are very serious to both God and man.  Matthew 5:37 But let your word ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes’ and your ‘No,’ ‘No’—anything more than this is from the evil one.”

Vows are exchanged as part of a covenant commitment.  God makes his covenant with us, and we reply with a “yes” in our hearts and a profession of faith.  

First God’s covenant to us….  Hosea 2:21 Then I will betroth you to Me forever—yes, I will betroth you to Me with righteousness, justice, covenant loyalty and compassion. 22 I will betroth you to Me with faithfulness, and you will know Adonai.

Then our own response….  Deuteronomy 6:5 Love Adonai your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. Romans 10:9 For if you confess with your mouth that Yeshua is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For with the heart it is believed for righteousness, and with the mouth it is confessed for salvation.

In the second part of our subject verse, An inheritance (Morashah) is given.  An inheritance is ownership granted to a rightful heir.  We are God’s family and our inheritance cannot be taken away.  1Peter 1:3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Yeshua the Messiah! In His great mercy He caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Messiah Yeshua from the dead. 4 An incorruptible, undefiled, and unfading inheritance has been reserved in heaven for you.  

That puts a smile on my face.  I hope it put one on yours too.  Shalom shalom.

Daily Bread, reading plan by Lars Enarson (https://www.thewatchman.org/)
Wed19-Aug 20266th of Elul, 5786
De 23:7-23[8-24]Joel 12 Ch 5Heb 4 (Jn 20)

Shalom,

Psalm 61:1 For the music director, on string instrument, of David. 2 Hear my cry, O God, listen to my prayer. 3 From the end of the earth I call to You when my heart is faint. Lead me to the rock that is higher than I. 4 For You have been a refuge for me, a tower of strength before the enemy. 5 Let me dwell in Your tent forever. Let me take refuge in the shelter of Your wings. Selah

Most “kings” desire to dwell in their own palaces forever.  However; here, King David wants more.  He wants to “sojourn” (as a stranger or a guest) in God’s “tent” for all eternity.  God’s “tent” is big, but it’s not that big.  What I mean is that God’s “wings” (which provide shelter) are large enough to accommodate everyone who comes to Him through His Son, but not large enough to accommodate any unrighteousness.

Ephesians 5:11 Take no part in the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them.

We think we know what evil is.  The Scriptures provide us a list.  Galatians 5:19 Now the deeds of the flesh are clear: sexual immorality, impurity, indecency, 20 idolatry, witchcraft, hostility, strife, jealousy, rage, selfish ambition, dissension, factions, 21 envy, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these. I am warning you, just as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit God’s kingdom.  There, that should cover it.

Hang on a minute.  Did you read the list carefully?  Many of the listed sins are obvious, sexual immorality, indecency and witchcraft for example.  But, I want to draw your attention to a short list of less obvious sins that are part of the same admonition.  “Hostility, strife, jealousy, selfish ambition, dissension, and factions” are also on the list.  These tend to be more subtile, but to God they are just as serious.  

This is not a wink wink, “I said the sinner's prayer once, so I must be good” proposition.  Which do you want to hear?  Matthew 25:23 His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You were faithful with a little, so I’ll put you in charge of much. Enter into your master’s joy!’  

Or perhaps something else such as…. Matthew 7:23 Then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you. Get away from Me, you workers of lawlessness!’”

What do we hear today from so many pulpits?  “Grace, grace, all you need is grace.  After all, what about ‘just as I am?’”  God has a message for His people.  John 14:15 “If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.”  When we receive Yeshua as Savior and Lord, a process of change begins that will result in our eternal rest in the presence of the King, under the shelter of His wings, also known as His big tent.  Shalom shalom.

Daily Bread, reading plan by Lars Enarson (https://www.thewatchman.org/)
Tue18-Aug 2026 5th of Elul, 5786
De 22:8-23:6[7]Hos 13-142 Ch 4Heb 3 (Jn 19)

Shabbat Shalom, 

This week’s Parshah is Shoftim (Judges) Deuteronomy 16:18 – 21:9.
 
The name Shoftim comes from Deuteronomy 16:18 Judges (Shoftim) and officers you are to appoint within all your gates…
 
This portion covers appointing judges and officers, forbids idolatry, sorcery and child sacrifice, difficult judicial cases are to be sent to the Levitical priests and judges, Kings of Israel will be subject to Torah, a prophet like Moses is prophesied, cities of refuge are discussed, property boundary laws are identified, requirement for two or three witnesses for legal testimony, warfare regulations, and unsolved murder requirements.
 
Let’s take a deeper look into God’s commandment forbidding dabbling in the occult. 
 
Deuteronomy 18:10-12 There must not be found among you anyone who makes his son or daughter pass through the fire, or a fortune-teller, soothsayer, omen reader, or sorcerer, or anyone who casts spells, or a medium, a spiritist, or one who calls up the dead. For whoever does these things is an abomination to ADONAI…
 
Focus on abomination. Who or what is an abomination to ADONAI? The person who is practicing occult activities! It is not the occult activity that ADONAI considers an abomination, it is the person doing it. 
 
An abomination is something greatly disliked, abhorred, having an intense aversion, or loathed. Not exactly the best trait for ADONAI to attach to someone.
 
Note too that ADONAI doesn’t say that these occult practices don’t have power or that they are not real. 
Deuteronomy 18:14 For these nations that you are about to dispossess, listen to soothsayers and fortune tellers, but as for you, ADONAI your God will not allow you to do so.
 
We are simply told that occult practices are not for us, even though there is power in them…dark power.
 
1 Samuel 28 gives us the account of King Saul consulting with the medium at Endor who raised the spirit of the Prophet Samuel. The medium did indeed raise the spirit of Samuel, and the spirit did communicate with Saul, although the message wasn’t good for Saul. But the point is that the medium was able to communicate with the dead.
 
So, occult practices can work. But they are not for us.
 
Isaiah 8:18-19 Here I am with the children that ADONAI has given me…then they say to you: “Consult the mediums and necromancers who chirp and mutter,” shouldn’t a people seek their God? Should a people consult the dead on behalf of the living?
 
Seeking to commune with spirits that your Fathers did not know, to quote a familiar and oft repeated Biblical phrase, is no different than what Yeshua told us in Luke 16:13 No servant can serve two masters; for either he will hate one and love the other, or he will stick by one and look down on the other.
 
But wait, you say, there is no way that I would ever do anything with the occult. Really? Here are some common superstitions or practices linked to the occult or pagan practices that many Christians do without even thinking about their origins.
 
Knocking on wood because something bad didn’t happen. This comes from the pagan beliefs in protective tree spirits.
 
Tossing spilled salt over your left shoulder. Used to blind the evil spirit lurking behind you.
 
Reading your horoscope. The name comes from the Greek hora (time) and skopos (keeper). Among other things, these ancient “timekeepers” used celestial observations to divine future events and to read omens. 
 
The last example will catch most of us.  Saying “bless you” after someone sneezes. This comes from the ancient belief that when a person sneezes, they are expelling evil spirits. Saying “bless you” serves to protect that person and others nearby from those evil entities.
 
“Three, yea even four” situations as the Prophet Amos might say.
 
The evil one works by trickery and stealth. He worms his way into our lives by making us believe that things based in evil are harmless and perhaps even desirable or fun. Just remember in Genesis 3 the evil one was able to fool two people who were in God’s purpose-built garden and were physically communing with ADONAI. The evil one is a master of deception. This parshah reminds us to be mindful of everything we allow into our lives. Even seemingly innocent things may have their roots in evil practices.
 
Joshua 24:15 …choose for yourself whom you will serve…But for me and my house, we will worship ADONAI.
 
Shabbat Shalom

Daily Bread, reading plan by Lars Enarson (https://www.thewatchman.org/)
Sat15-Aug 2026 2nd of Elul, 5786 Parashat Shoftim 
De 20:10-21:9Isa 51:12-52:121 Pet 1:3-13

Shalom,

Psalm 61:1 For the music director, on string instrument, of David. 2 Hear my cry, O God, listen to my prayer. 3 From the end of the earth I call to You when my heart is faint. Lead me to the rock that is higher than I. 4 For You have been a refuge for me, a tower of strength before the enemy. 5 Let me dwell in Your tent forever. Let me take refuge in the shelter of Your wings. Selah

The third part of the first half of verse 3 is “when my heart is faint.”  It is the final portion of Psalm 61:3a From the end of the earth I call to You when my heart is faint.  David is speaking for us when we feel distant and alone and our hearts feel faint.  The Hebrew word translated as “faint” is “Ataf” (Ayin-Tet-Fay Sofit) with a full meaning of “hidden, covered up, or overwhelmed.”  We can feel like that from time to time, BUT GOD!

Yes, God is the answer in times of trouble.  Jeremiah knew it… Jeremiah  33:3  “Call to Me, and I will answer you—I will tell you great and hidden things, which you do not know.”  David repeats himself… Psalm 62:9 Trust in Him at all times, you people. Pour out your heart in His presence. God is our refuge. Selah.  What, you’re waiting for a good time to open up your heart to God?  Now is that time.  

Psalm 91:14 “Because he has devoted his love to Me, I will deliver him. I will set him securely on high, because he knows My Name. 15 When he calls on Me, I will answer him. I will be with him in trouble, rescue him, and honor him.”

Let’s wrap this up.  Though we may feel distant, we are never really away from God, Who loves us with a perfect love.  Here are Yeshua’s last words before His ascension, as recorded in Matthew 28:20b “And remember! I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”  That’s His promise to us, what are we saying in return?  Psalm 61:3b Lead me to the rock that is higher than I.

What “Rock” is that?  Hint: the capital “R” is no mistake.  Paul answers our question in 1Corinthians 10.  He starts with a universal statement… “I don’t want you to be ignorant… all our fathers.”  I have to pause here.  Paul is being inclusive when he says, “all” five times in four verses.  He is addressing the mixed community of Jews and non-Jews in Corinth, while speaking of the children of Israel who left Egypt in the Exodus.

1Corinthians 10:1 For I do not want you to be ignorant, brothers and sisters, that our fathers were all under the cloud and all passed through the sea. 2 They all were immersed into Moses in the cloud and in the sea. 3 And all ate the same spiritual food, 4 and all drank the same spiritual drink—for they were drinking from a spiritual rock that followed them, and the Rock was Messiah.

“The rock was Messiah!”  Yeshua is the Rock that is “higher than I.”  Yes, Lord…. Take us, Lord….  Take us to Yeshua Who is the Rock, higher than I.   Shalom shalom.

Daily Bread, reading plan by Lars Enarson (https://www.thewatchman.org/)
Mon17-Aug 20264th of Elul, 5786
De 21:22-22:7Hos 11-122 Ch 3Heb 2 (Jn 18)

Shalom,

This is a condensed version of Chapter 13 from For the Sake of the Fathers
 
When the Son of Man returns in glory, He takes His throne, and "all the nations" are gathered before Him. He separates them as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats — the sheep to inherit the Kingdom, the goats into the fire. And the whole verdict turns on one thing: how they treated the ones He calls "these brothers of Mine."
So everything hangs on two questions. Who are His brethren? And who, exactly, is being judged?
Many assume the answer is obvious — that this is the last judgment of every soul who ever lived, sorted by private acts of kindness. Permit me, friends, to gently offer another reading. I do not think that is the scene.
Start with the phrase Yeshua actually used: "all the nations." In the Greek, panta ta ethne. I went looking for every place it appears in the Septuagint and the Apostolic Writings, and the pattern is striking. the phrase occurs about seventy times in the Septuagint’s Hebrew-canon books (roughly ninety counting the Apocrypha), and about a hundred across the whole Greek Bible and almost without exception it is set over against Israel. "All the nations" means the Gentiles — as distinct from the Jewish people. Israel is simply not counted among them:
Behold, a people who dwells apart, and will not be reckoned among the nations.  (Numbers 23:9)
Are we to think this language did not shape the Messiah’s heart and mind? That Matthew, quoting the Scriptures on every page, had forgotten what his own Bible meant? Yeshua and Matthew were not biblically illiterate. When the prophecy says the nations are gathered, it means the Gentile nations.
And that reframes the whole judgment. If "all the nations" are the Gentiles, then His "brethren" are not among them — the text sets the two apart. His brethren, I have come to believe, are His own people, the Jewish people. And the test is this: how did the nations treat them?
Remember where this prophecy sits. Just before it, Yeshua wept over Jerusalem and foretold her ruin and the scattering that followed (Luke 19:41-44). The exile is the backdrop. For two thousand years His people have been scattered to nearly every nation on earth — often weak, stateless, at the mercy of their hosts. And the Word ties a nation’s destiny to how it treats them: "I will bless those who bless you, and the one who curses you I will curse" (Genesis 12:3). Obadiah says it to Edom. Joel gathers the nations to the valley of judgment. Zechariah has them come against Jerusalem, and ADONAI Himself fight for her. The way the peoples relate to the seed of Abraham is the way they relate to the Seed of Abraham — Yeshua, the King of the Jews.
Now hear my caution. I am not a Dispensationalist, and this is not their view; they read the "brethren" as Jewish evangelists in a future Tribulation. Nor would I deny the other, worthy applications — the Son of Man to all humanity, Yeshua as Head of His Body and Brother to every believer. "Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?" He still says. All of that is true. I am only pleading for a priority: read this oracle through the prophecy it follows — the scattering of His brethren.
And here, friends, is what breaks my heart open. When "all the nations" at last stand before Him, they will discover how closely the King had been identifying with His suffering people the whole time. He was never far off, never dispassionate:
In all their affliction He was afflicted.  (Isaiah 63:9)
He was "made like His brothers and sisters in every respect" (Hebrews 2:17). He wept real tears over their coming agony. And He is not unmoved by their suffering now.
And, beloved, that is your comfort too. Watch how He loves His own people — afflicted in their affliction, near in their need — and you are watching the very pattern of how He loves you. You are precious to Yeshua. He is not unaware of your sufferings, or of any people’s. He is coming to judge the earth in righteousness, and to bring His deliverance to all.
Pray for our nation.
A condensed version of David Harwood’s teaching “The Sheep and the Goats: The Judgment of the Nations” (Matthew 25:31–46). The theology, exegesis, and conclusions are David’s, developed and taught by him; the prose was drafted with AI assistance from his material and edited by him. Scripture is quoted from the NASB unless otherwise noted.

Daily Bread, reading plan by Lars Enarson (https://www.thewatchman.org/)
Sun16-Aug 20263rd of Elul, 5786
De 21:10-21Hos 9-102 Ch 2Heb 1 (Jn 17)

(Early) Shabbat Shalom {{firstName}},

Rabbi’s Note: Let’s take a break from Psalm 61 for a moment.  What follows in the RR for today was originally written in the Hebrew month Elul, (in 2022).  Elul is the month that immediately precedes Tishre, the month of the High Holidays.  Elul 5786 (2026) begins Thursday at evening and continues through Friday at evening.  Elul is dedicated to preparing us for the spiritual journey that is the fall feasts which each find their reality in events not yet a reality, the second coming of Yeshua.  Here is the key to it all… Jacob 4:10 Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.  End RN.

John 14:23 Yeshua answered and said to him, “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word. My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our dwelling with him. 24 He who does not love Me does not keep My words. And the word you hear is not Mine, but the Father’s who sent Me.”

Do you have the sense that we have read this before?  The beginning of John 14:23 sounds remarkably similar to John 14:21a He who has My commandments and keeps them is the one who loves Me.  They sound similar because the are.  Yeshua doesn’t want us to miss this, so He is repeating it for our benefit.  When we love, it shows.  However; Yeshua is making a much deeper point here and we don’t want to miss that either.

Yeshua is saying, “It’s not about Me.”  When we read, “… And the word you hear is not Mine, but the Father’s who sent Me,” (John 14:24b) we are seeing Yeshua’s humility in submission to the Father.  Here’s my proposition,… if Yeshua can humble Himself, shouldn’t we be willing to follow Him and humble ourselves?

Here’s the headline.  Newsflash… “It’s not about you either.”  Before you pass this off, please take a moment to consider the implications.  We have a way of making everything about us.  It is the life of the follower of Yeshua to put God on the throne - in all things.  If we are honest with ourselves, there is always some part of our life (none of us is perfect) in which we have not yet completely surrendered.  

That’s the purpose of the month of Elul, which started this Thursday night.  Elul is a time to repent in preparation for the fall Feasts of the Lord.  Elul is spelled with four Hebrew letters, “Aleph-Lamed-Vav-Lamed”  An acrostic is made up of the first letter of each word of the first part of Song of Solomon 6:3a I am my beloved’s and my beloved is mine.  A more mature perspective on that verse is Song 7:11 I am my lover’s, and his desire is for me, which is less self focused.  

To walk in that truth means to trust our “Beloved.”  I put “Beloved” in quotes and capitalized it because this is King David’s Hebrew name (David means “beloved”) and Yeshua sits on David’s throne.  Isaiah made the connection in his prophesy.  Isaiah 9:6(7) Of the increase of His government and shalom there will be no end— on the throne of David and over His kingdom— to establish it and uphold it through justice and righteousness from now until forevermore. The zeal of Adonai-Tzva’ot will accomplish this.

John 1:1 In the beginning was the Word. The Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning.  Let us, therefore; show that we love Yeshua by obedience to the Word of God and as a result we will receive the love of the Father Who promises to make His dwelling with us.  Emanuel!   The Hebrew breakdown is “Em” (with), “Anu” (us), “El” (God).  Put it together, ‘God with us.”  He is with us and He is for us.  That’s more than “good news.”  That’s very good news.  Why, the more I meditate on it, the more I’m convinced, “That’s greatest news ever!” Shalom shalom.

Daily Bread, reading plan by Lars Enarson (https://www.thewatchman.org/)
Fri 14-Aug 2026 1st of Elul, 5786 Rosh Chodesh Elul Day 2
De 19:14-20:9, Nu 28:11-15 Hos 7-8 2 Ch 1 Phm (Jn 16)

Shalom,

Psalm 61:1 For the music director, on string instrument, of David. 2 Hear my cry, O God, listen to my prayer. 3 From the end of the earth I call to You when my heart is faint. Lead me to the rock that is higher than I. 4 For You have been a refuge for me, a tower of strength before the enemy. 5 Let me dwell in Your tent forever. Let me take refuge in the shelter of Your wings. Selah

The second part of verse 3 is simply translated, “I call to You.”  It is made of two Hebrew words, “Aylecha Ekrah.”  “Aylecha” is “to you” in a very formal structure.  “Ekrah” is a future form (I will call out) of “Likrah,” which is the infinitive “to call out.”  I mention the “future form” because that fits our understanding of time and tense.  But with God, things are different.  

To God, what is past is complete, and what is future is incomplete (or not yet completed).  Therefore; what we call future is not yet completed to God.  So “I will call out” becomes “I will never stop calling out” or “I will keep on calling out to You.”  A certain parable comes to mind.

Luke 18:1 Then Yeshua told them a parable to show that they should always pray and not be discouraged,… 5 yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will give her justice so she won’t wear me out by her incessant coming.’”… 7 Won’t God do justice for His chosen ones, who cry out to Him day and night? Will He be slow to help them?

Yes, cry out to God, day and night.  Isaiah 58:9a Then you will call, and Adonai will answer. You will cry and He will say, “Here I am.”  Wait, before you go skipping into “La La Land,” read the context… Isaiah 58:6 “Is not this the fast I choose:… 7a Is it not to share your bread with the hungry,(NOW insert Isaiah 58:9a from above, then follows.) 9b If you get rid of the yoke among you—finger-pointing and badmouthing— 10 If you give yourself to the hungry, and satisfy the desire of the afflicted, then your light will rise in darkness, and your gloom will be like midday.

With this we’re getting a greater sense of the reality in which God wants to prepare His people for the feasts that start September 11, 2026, and the greater reality of His soon and coming return to the earth.  Luke 18:8b “But when the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on the earth?”  Shalom shalom.

Daily Bread, reading plan by Lars Enarson (https://www.thewatchman.org/)
Thu13-Aug 202630th of Av, 5786 Rosh Chodesh Elul Day 1
De 18:14-19:13, Nu 28:11-15   Hos 5-6 1 Ch 29Tit 3 (Jn 15)

Shalom,

Psalm 61:1 For the music director, on string instrument, of David. 2 Hear my cry, O God, listen to my prayer. 3 From the end of the earth I call to You when my heart is faint. Lead me to the rock that is higher than I. 4 For You have been a refuge for me, a tower of strength before the enemy. 5 Let me dwell in Your tent forever. Let me take refuge in the shelter of Your wings. Selah

Our subject verses today are the same as yesterday, but with a totally different focus.  Let’s meditate on just the first half of verse 3.  It is made up of three phrases: 1) From the end of the earth.  2) I call to You.   3) In the faintness of heart.  Three distinctly different thoughts to express David’s condition.  Let’s examine them individually, and then put them back together.

Rabbi’s Note: As I wrote this, there was much to write on just the first two words of verse 3, so here it is.  The plan now is to continue the meditation tomorrow.  End RN.

“From the end of the earth” is made of two Hebrew words.  Earth (Aretz) is the second one.  The first is “Miq’tzeh.”  The “Mem” prefix indicates a noun form (a place) the Shoresh “Qa’tzeh” means “an extremity, border, outer edge, or frontier.”  David sees his position as being far away from the presence of God (outside the promised land, which he was).  Paul (the apostle) sees his own condition from entirely different perspective.  

Romans 8:38 For I am convinced that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Messiah Yeshua our Lord.

There, at the end of Romans 8:39 Paul nailed it.  Nothing that is/was created shall separate us from the Eternal One.  God’s love (read that as “presence,” nothing shall separate us from the presence) of God that is in Messiah Yeshua.  Paul lived after the crucifixion, resurrection and ascension of our Lord and Savior.  He had Yeshua and King David did not.  That’s a huge difference.  

From time to time, we may feel estranged from God, but His promise will not allow it.  Moses said it (Deuteronomy 31:6), Joshua heard it (Joshua 1:5), Isaiah confirmed it (Isaiah 41:10) and the Messianic rabbi who wrote the book of Hebrews repeated it (Hebrews 13:5).  We might feel separated from God, but God is faithfully close.  Psalm 145:18 Adonai is near to all who call on Him, to all who call on Him in truth.

Shalom shalom.

Daily Bread, reading plan by Lars Enarson (https://www.thewatchman.org/)
Wed12-Aug 202629th of Av, 5786
De 18:6-13Hos 3-4 1 Ch 28Tit 2 (Jn 14)

Shalom,

Psalm 61:1 For the music director, on string instrument, of David. 2 Hear my cry, O God, listen to my prayer. 3 From the end of the earth I call to You when my heart is faint. Lead me to the rock that is higher than I. 4 For You have been a refuge for me, a tower of strength before the enemy. 5 Let me dwell in Your tent forever. Let me take refuge in the shelter of Your wings. Selah

Our subject verses today make up the first half of Psalm 61.  Verse 2 begins… “Hear my cry.”  From the English translation, we are left to wonder, what’s David crying over?  The Hebrew word, “Rinati,” meaning “my shout of joy and delight” leaves no doubt.  David isn’t crying at all, he is shouting for joy!  So then, now we must ask a different question.  Why is David expressing a shriek of joy toward the Lord, Elohim?

Let David provide the answer, as he continues to address God, Who has protected him his entire life… “You have been a refuge (and) a tower of strength.”  When we choose to follow Yeshua, we have David’s inheritance.  

Jeremiah 33:17 For thus says Adonai: “For David, there will not be cut off a man sitting on the throne of the house of Israel.”

Great for David, but what about us?  Yeshua prophesied this… Revelation 3:21 To the one who overcomes I will grant the right to sit with Me on My throne, just as I myself overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne.  No wonder David is shouting for joy.  We have every reason to join him in his celebration.

Psalm 31:20 How great is Your goodness, which You have stored up for those who fear You, which You have given to those who take refuge in You, before the children of men…. 22 Blessed be Adonai, for He has shown me His wonderful love in a besieged city.

Shalom shalom.

Daily Bread, reading plan by Lars Enarson (https://www.thewatchman.org/)
Tue11-Aug 202628th of Av, 5786
De 18:1-5Hos 1-21 Ch 27Tit 1 (Jn 13)

Shalom,

Psalm 60:14 With God we will do mighty things, and He will trample our foes.

Last Friday (in the RR for August 7th) we meditated on the frequently used name for God, Elohim, which begins the last verse of Psalm 60.  Today, let’s continue with the two words (connected to each other by a hyphen, which shows they are one thought) “Na’aseh-Chayil.”  These two words coupled together will require more unpacking, so let’s continue.  

“O’seh” is Hebrew for “I make,” or “I am making.”  With the “Nun” prefix, it becomes “we will make.”  What follows, answers the question, “What will we make?” The answer in Hebrew is “Chayil,” but our understanding is not so simple.  Nobody ever went to the store for a pound of Chayil.  Chayil is not physical in nature (although it does have physical qualities).  It is spiritual and emotional.

“Chayil” is translated as “might, power, valor, and even virtue.  One of its most well known uses in Scripture is found in Proverbs 31, as we pray over our wives as we begin Shabbat.  “Ayshet Chayil,” (The TLV translates “Chayil” as “accomplished”)  Proverbs 31:10  An “accomplished woman” who can find? Her value is far beyond rubies.

Chayil is bravery in the face of danger.  Chayil is a force for what is good and strong.  Chayil is the substance of virtue, when a lack of Chayil causes  us to crumble.  Interesting to note, our subject verse, Psalm 60:14(12) is exactly the same as Psalm 108, verse 14(13).  

The second part of verse 14, in both Psalms 60 and 108, is direct and to the point, saying, “He (speaking of God) will trample our enemies.”  When the Bible speaks of “trample,” there is a figurative connotation of being made useless.  Yeshua used this when He spoke… Matthew 5:13 “You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt should lose its flavor, how shall it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled under foot by men.”

In God, we will act valiantly, and God, Himself, will perform miracles to subdue (trample) our enemies.  Psalm 89:14 Your arm is mighty, Your hand is strong, exalted is Your right hand.  It is a wise person who puts his/her faith in God’s power to deliver us from our foes.  May His name be blessed.  Shalom shalom.

Daily Bread, reading plan by Lars Enarson (https://www.thewatchman.org/)
Mon10-Aug 202627th of Av, 5786
De 17:14-20Ez 481 Ch 262 Ti 4 (Jn 12:20-50)

Shavuah Tov,

The Sheep and the Goats — Who Reads It as You Do
A research record on Matthew 25:31–46 — expanded with the deeper dig into the commentary and Messianic / post-supersessionist scholarship
You said it plainly, and it frames this whole record: you are convinced by the text, and you do not need external validation — but it would be good not to be alone in your conclusions. So this is not a search for proof; it is a map of who is standing near you. The encouraging result of the deeper dig is that you have company at three different distances — on your conclusion, on the architecture underneath it, and on the ecclesiology it grows from — even though the precise way you put those together still appears to be a seam few others occupy.
A note on you, corrected.  This record now reflects that you pastor a church — you gather on Sundays, and you teach Jewish and non-Jewish believers to remain one body while each keeps their distinct ethnic-family heritage. That is a specific, named theological position (below), not a Messianic-synagogue model, and it turns out to be exactly where your strongest company lives.
Your reading, in a sentence — the thing being tested
"All the nations" (panta ta ethne) means the Gentiles, set over against Israel; "these brothers of Mine" are His own people, the Jewish people; and the judgment turns on how the Gentile nations treated the scattered Jewish people through the long exile. You reach it by two moves: an exhaustive survey of panta ta ethne across the Septuagint and the Apostolic Writings, and a reading in the flow of the Olivet Discourse that begins with the grief over Jerusalem at the end of Matthew 23.
The mainstream commentary — where it actually stands
The deeper dig confirms the first pass, and sharpens it. Among the major critical commentators the debate runs on exactly two tracks, and Israel is on neither.
R. T. France (NICNT, 2007)  ·  the "brothers" = disciples
"Matthew never records Jesus referring to his brothers as anyone other than those who do the will of God by becoming his followers." France reads Matthew 24 as the AD 70 judgment of Jerusalem and ties it back to 23:36–38 — but he treats 25:31–46 as the final, universal judgment, decoupled from AD 70 and from Israel. (Reported via Ian Paul’s summary of the NICNT.)
N. T. Wright  ·  shifted toward "all the needy"
Wright reads the Olivet Discourse (ch. 24) as AD 70, but takes the sheep-and-goats as the final judgment of the nations; his popular-level reading of "the least" moved over time toward the poor generally. No identification with ethnic Israel. (Reported from secondary summaries, not verified line-by-line.)
Keener · Luz · Blomberg  ·  the "brothers" = Jesus’ disciples / gospel-messengers
Keener: "the least of these" most likely = Jesus’ emissaries, and the nations are judged "according to how they respond to Jesus’ emissaries." Luz and Blomberg place it in the same missionary-messenger stream. None reads Israel.
Davies & Allison (ICC)  ·  the "brothers" = all the needy
The inclusive reading — "all those in destitute circumstances, not exclusively Christians." Again, no Israel reading.
Sherman W. Gray  ·  the history of interpretation — the useful statistic
Gray’s exhaustive survey found the narrow reading ("the least" = Christians/disciples) was the predominant view across church history — roughly 68% of medieval and 74% of Reformation-era interpreters (Origen, Augustine, Aquinas, Luther, Calvin). The now-ubiquitous "any poor person" reading became dominant only after about 1850. And in his survey of the whole tradition, no Church Father or interpreter identifies "the least" as the Jewish people. That absence is worth having in hand.
The honest edge of this section.  Among the mainstream, your reading has no company at all — not as a minority position, but as an option not on the table. That cuts both ways: it means you will not find academic cover there, and it means the ubiquity you are pushing against is real and old on the "disciples" side, and only modern on the "all the needy" side.

Daily Bread, reading plan by Lars Enarson (https://www.thewatchman.org/)
Sun9-Aug 202626th of Av, 5786
De 16:18-17:13Ez 471 Ch 252 Ti 3 (Jn 12:1-19)