Rabbi’s Reflections – Sunday, October 6, 2024
Shavuah Tov,
Special Reminder: Monday, October 7th, there will be a special service at Shomair starting at 7PM. We will have Israeli recording artist Baht Rivkah and her husband George Whitten with us for a special memorial service exactly one year after the October 7th atrocities. Please join us for worship and prayer. End SR.
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You will notice below that today is “Tzom Gedaliah” (the fast of Gedaliah). What is that? First, it is a minor fast, meaning that it only applies from sunrise to sunset. Major fasts are 24 hours from sunset to sunset. By observing Tzom Gedaliah we are mourning the untimely death of Gedaliah.
There are several Gedaliah’s in Scripture, but this one was appointed as Governor of Judea by King Nebuchadnezzar after the fall of Jerusalem. Gedaliah had been governor for only two months when an Ammonite named Ishmael and some other Ammonites who were with him successfully assassinated Gedaliah. Although he knew about the plot, Gedaliah refused to believe they would do it. That mistake cost him his life. You can read about it at the end of Jeremiah 40 and the beginning of Jeremiah 41.
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Psalms
Psalm 18:28(27) – Part 27
Psalm 18:28 For You save lowly people, but haughty eyes You humble.
Is this new? Is this New Testament? The answer to both questions is the same, “No” and “No.” This is nothing new… salvation is a consistent theme throughout the Hebrew Scriptures. It is first mentioned (curiously) in Jacob’s blessing of his son, Dan. Genesis 49:18 For your salvation I wait, Adonai! I say, “Curiously” because it appears out of nowhere and is not connected to anything that follows it either.
However; because it is mentioned no less than 77 times in the Hebrew Scriptures, we can’t just ignore it and suppose salvation is not part of God’s plan for His people. As we deal with the concept of Yeshua (salvation), we are compelled to consider that salvation is more than an historical event, but purposed by God through the sending of His only begotten Son.
The first mention of this promise made to serpent, all the way back in the Garden of Eden. Genesis 3:15 “I will put animosity between you and the woman—between your seed and her seed. He will crush your head, and you will crush his heel.” Eve must have been listening. See if you agree.
Some time later, when Eve birthed her first son, Cain, an accurate translation of the Hebrew Torah text proves she thought he was the promised one who would defeat the serpent. Genesis 4:1 Now the man had relations with Eve his wife and she became pregnant and gave birth to Cain. She said, “I produced a man with Adonai.” Except the Hebrew of that verse specifically says, “I have gotten a man Who IS Yehovah(YHVH). Eve thought her son WAS the promised son of God. But that wouldn’t be a reality for another 4,000 years.
This is not an isolated instance of Messianic prophesy (as a person) in the Hebrew Scriptures. For example… Isaiah 7:14 Therefore Adonai Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin will conceive. When she is giving birth to a son, she will call his name Immanuel. Of course, there are those who choose to argue if the Hebrew word, “Alma” really means “virgin,” or does it just mean “young girl.”
Why is the virgin birth so hard to accept? We readily accept that Sarah bore Isaac at the age of 90. It seems to me that it’s easier to accept the virgin birth. Add to that, Jeremiah prophesied it… Jeremiah 31:22b For Adonai has created a new thing on earth: a woman surrounds a man. The Hebrew says, “the woman will ‘go around’ the man. That’s the promised “new thing.” The woman will circumvent the man and a virgin will give birth.
And what would be the name of that baby born to a virgin? The answer came to Yoseph in a dream. Matthew 1:21 “She (Miriam) will give birth to a son; and you shall call His name Yeshua, for He will save His people from their sins.” God’s promise made in the Garden to the serpent was fulfilled 4,000 years later in Bethlehem to a newly engaged couple Miriam and Yoseph. This is a world changing story of God keeping His promises. Let’s continue it tomorrow. Shalom shalom.
Daily Bread, reading plan by Lars Enarson (https://www.thewatchman.org/)
4 Tishrei Sunday 6-Oct-24 Fast of Gedaliah
Leviticus 16:1-3; Exodus 32:11-14; Exodus 34:1-10 Zephaniah 1 2 Chronicles 22 Acts 15 Revelations 9