Rabbi’s Reflections – Saturday, February 4, 2023
Shabbat Shalom,
Day 28: Morning
Revelation That Captures Our Heart and Motivates Our Love
by David Harwood
Our lives can only be lived to their fullest in harmony with the will of God. As the Messiah said, if we seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, everything we need will be supplied. The Kingdom’s foundation and goal is His and our mutual love. That love produces righteousness, peace, and joy. Our love for God is based upon our knowledge of Who He is. Our knowledge of Him is rooted in illumination from Him about Himself. It is true that He sought us first. We get to seek Him in return.
Do you recall the promise made to wisdom seekers? In Proverbs 2 we find exhortation and expectation:
(Make) your ear attentive to wisdom, inclining your heart to discernment, yes, if you call out for insight, lifting up your voice for discernment, if you seek her as silver and search for her as for hidden treasures, then you will know the fear of Adonai and discover the knowledge of God. (Proverbs 2:2-5 TLV)
We need wisdom that leads us to the knowledge of Who God is. As we adjust to Who He is, we experience Who He is. Revelation leads to repentance (discerning the fear of the Lord). Repentance leads to restoration. Let us place the Foremost Command in first place. Consider following the pattern put forth about pursuing wisdom.
Let us be quick to hear and listen to that which empowers our love for God. It is within our power to incline our hearts to humility. If we come face to face with our lack of devotion and cry out for insight into His glory, we will be answered. We will discern His heart and get to know His ways. In this exhortation to find wisdom, the seeker’s desperation is enhanced by his determination. The sage exhorted: “Lift your voice for understanding.” Those who have loved God over the millennia encourage the same thing. Let us lift our voice and call on the Lord for an understanding of His supreme value.
We can move from intellectual conviction to heartfelt realization. Seek revelation about the goodness of God as if you were a man who uprooted himself and traversed the width of North America, that he might stake his claim and search for gold. There are sources of illumination that you can mine. We are promised that if we stir up our desire and seek God’s face, we will be rewarded. You will discern the fear of the Lord and discover the knowledge of God.
Believe that He exists and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him. (Hebrews 11:6c TLV)
What’s promised in Proverbs 2 is an aspect of the Messiah’s anointing.
The Ruach of Adonai will rest upon Him, the Spirit of wisdom and insight, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of Adonai. (Isaiah 11:2 TLV)
The fear of the Lord leads into a discovery of the knowledge of God (Proverbs 2:5b). Consider adopting the attitude of the sage within the context of the Apostle’s prayer found in Ephesians 1.
I never stop giving thanks for you as I mention you in my prayers— that the God of our Lord Yeshua the Messiah, our glorious Father, may give you spiritual wisdom and revelation in knowing Him. (Ephesians 1:16-17 TLV)
Cry out for fellowship with the Spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of God. Lift up your voice and ask God for the Spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of God as if you were hunting for hidden treasure. We want to love God with all our heart, soul, mind and strength. Ask Him for revelation that will capture your heart and motivate your love.
It is written that the fool says in his heart that there is no God (Psalm 14:1; 53:1). The wise want to know what God is like. Be a spiritual prospector. Be like a treasure hunter.
Consider nature.
Creation reveals aspects of God. It provides analogies and metaphors to help us grasp what He’s like.
His invisible attributes—His eternal power and His divine nature—have been clearly seen ever since the creation of the world, being understood through the things that have been made (Romans 1:20a TLV)
Let’s consider what the Scriptures teach about God’s goodness being revealed through what He made. Creation provides windows. What might God want us to see? What has He revealed about Himself?
Ask.
Daily Bread, reading plan by Lars Enarsson (https://www.thewatchman.org/)
Sat 4-Feb-2023 13th of Sh’vat, 5783 Parashat Beshalach
Ex 17:1-16 Jdg 4:4-5:31 Rev 19:11-21