Rabbi’s Reflections – Monday, May 20, 2024
Shalom,
Day 23 of counting the Omer
בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יְיָ אֱלֹהֵֽינוּ מֶֽלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם, אֲשֶׁר קִדְּשָֽׁנוּ בְּמִצְוֹתָיו, וְצִוָּֽנוּ עַל סְפִירַת הָעֹֽמֶר
Baruch Atah Adonai Elohenu Melech Ha-Olam, Asher Kid’shanu B’mitzvotav, Vitzivanu Al Sefirat Ha-Omer.
Blessed are You O Lord our God, King of the universe, who has sanctified us by his commandments and commanded us about the counting of the Omer. Today is three weeks and two days of the counting of the Omer.
Follow up that prayer by remembering a blessing from the Lord and give Him thanks. Colossians 4:2 Devote yourselves to prayer, keeping alert in it with thanksgiving.
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The Psalms
Psalm 8:3(2) – Part 2
Psalm 8:3 Out of the mouths of babies and toddlers You established power, because of Your enemies, to silence the foe and the avenger.
Immediately on the heels of the grand opening statement, “…how excellent is Your Name…,” David begins to qualify (to put into perspective) what he means by “how excellent.” First, infants and nursing children are used by God to bring “order to strength,” the TLV says, “established power.” God makes order out of chaos. God’s order is on a cosmic scale (the universe is in order), and on a micro scale (the microscopic world is able to reproduce and be healed.
Psalm 19:2 The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky shows His handiwork.
Even so, there are those evil people and spirits who want to detract from God’s magnificent order. Their purpose is to make God a liar and to deny that all of creation is His beautiful handiwork. David immediately calls on those not able to speak with language (babies) to be used by God to defeat his enemies by silencing them.
So may it be, by Yeshua’s words… Matthew 11:25 At that time Yeshua said in response, “I praise You, Father, Lord of heaven and of earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and discerning and revealed them to infants.” Matthew 18 starts with the disciples arguing over who is the greatest among them. Yeshua puts a child among them… Matthew 18:3 and said, “Amen, I tell you, unless you turn and become like children, you shall never enter the kingdom of heaven.”
Children have a simple (uncomplicated) faith. Children are trusting. There is a balance. Matthew 10:16 “Behold, I am sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves, so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves. 17a But beware of men….” May each of us, young and old alike, be used, like little children, by God to defeat His enemies, and win the victory.
2Corinthians 12:9 But He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly in my weaknesses, so that the power of Messiah may dwell in me. 10 For Messiah’s sake, then, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in distresses, in persecutions, in calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
Shalom shalom.
Daily Bread, reading plan by Lars Enarson (https://www.thewatchman.org/
12 Iyar Monday 20-May-24 23rd day of the Omer
Leviticus 25:14-18 Isaiah 66 Job 10 Matthew 24:29-51 Romans 8:18-39