Rabbi’s Reflections – Friday, February 14, 2025
Shalom,
Special Announcement: As you can see from the flyer art above, Paul Wilbur is coming to Knoxville on Wednesday night, February 26th in Farragut. (Need I say more?) The details and address are on the flyer. Anyone receiving this message is invited by the organizers to attend without registration or charge. Just tell the folks at the registration desk you are connected to Messianic Judaism or Shomair Yisrael and they will give you a free name tag. We are truly blessed to have this invitation.
Psalms
Psalm 25:5 – Part 5
Psalm 25:5 Guide me in Your truth, and teach me, for You are God, my salvation, for You I wait all day.
The verse begins (in transliterated Hebrew) “Had’ri’chay’ni Ba’ami’te’cha,” meaning, “lead me into Your truth. A “Madrich” is a “tour guide.” It is from the same Shoresh as yesterday’s word for “way, road, or highway,” “Derech.” So, an amplified translation might be, “Lead me into the highway of Your truth.”
“Truth” is “Emet.” It is first used by Eliezer (whose name means “My God is a helper”) to explain how prophesy was fulfilled when he found Rebecca and she agreed to marry Isaac. In biblical terms, “truth” is prophesy fulfilled (what really happens), and everything else is a lie. God’s kingdom is reality based.
The false prophet Balam put is like this when accurately prophesying to Balak concerning the Children of Israel. Numbers 23:19 God is not a man who lies, or a son of man who changes his mind! Does He speak and then not do it, or promise and not fulfill it? It cost Balam to be honest and tell the truth, but God compelled his honesty. Numbers 23:20 Look, I received a command to bless. He has blessed—I cannot change it!
Even Yeshua, Himself, defined truth as fulfilled prophesy. John 16:13 But when the Spirit of truth comes, He will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on His own; but whatever He hears, He will tell you. And He will declare to you the things that are to come. Notice too, “He will guide you,” which also reinforces our previous point.
Occasionally, I have to use the Psalms to explain the Psalms. To bring this to a close today, we all have a shared destiny, eternity in the presence of God, singing His praises 24/7. We’re all on the road to New Jerusalem. All truth is purposed to help us along the way. Whoever wrote this (possibly the sons of Korach) had this in mind. Psalm 43:3 Send forth Your light and Your truth—let them guide me. Let them bring me to Your holy mountain and to Your dwelling places. May we all be brought to God’s holy mountain as we are guided and taught by God’s truth. Shalom shalom.
Daily Bread, reading plan by Lars Enarson (https://www.thewatchman.org/)
Fri 14-Feb-2025 16th of Sh’vat, 5785
Ex 19:20-20:17(14) 2 Ki 3 Ps 122-123 Jn 6:37-71 (1 Ti 1)