Rabbi’s Reflections – Wednesday, March 27, 2024
Shalom,
The Psalms
Psalm 4:3(2) – Part 2
Psalm 4:3(2) O sons of men, how long will you turn my glory into my shame? How long will you love worthlessness and pursue falsehood? Selah
Nailed it! Here are two questions that go directly to the heart of the matter. Ecclesiastes calls the same issue, “Vanity of vanities” (in the KJV) as the book begins. By the end of Ecclesiastes we read this… Ecclesiastes 12:8 Vanity of vanities, saith the preacher; all is vanity.
Rabbi Trail: Who is this “preacher” of Ecclesiastes? Most scholars believe it is Solomon, who wrote the Proverbs, (Proverbs 1:1 The proverbs of Solomon the son of David, king of Israel.) and is recognized as the wisest man who ever lived. 1Kings 4:29 And God gave Solomon wisdom and understanding exceeding much, and largeness of heart, even as the sand that is on the sea shore. 30 And Solomon’s wisdom excelled the wisdom of all the children of the east country, and all the wisdom of Egypt. 31a For he was wiser than all men.
The Hebrew word that is translated as “preacher” is “Kohelet,” meaning “one who gathers,” such as a community (gathering of people) leader. The reference here is to one who gathers people to share his knowledge, and is never directly connected to a particular person. It seems to me that this could be a prophetic reference to Yeshua. End RT.
The point is that this one who gathers the people to impart wisdom has come to see how this world lulls us into a love affair with nothing.
Another Rabbi Trail: I bet you didn’t expect to find the word “lulls” in the RR today. “Lull” is defined as slowly rocked to sleep. The world, and its attractions, has a way of calming us into dedicating our lives to achievements that are ultimately just a vapor. Many of us are sleep-walking through life. End ART.
The Scriptures specifically warn us against dedicating our energies to things that will not endure in the kingdom of God.
1Corinthians 3:11 For no one can lay any other foundation than what is already laid—which is Yeshua the Messiah. 12 Now if anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, 13 each one’s work will become clear. For the Day will show it, because it is to be revealed by fire; and the fire itself will test each one’s work—what sort it is. 14 If anyone’s work built on the foundation survives, he will receive a reward. 15 If anyone’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss—he himself will be saved, but as through fire.
Our subject verse ends with “Selah.” Let’s do that now. Meditate on these things and we’ll come back to the same verse tomorrow. Shalom shalom.
Daily Bread, reading plan by Lars Enarson (https://www.thewatchman.org/)
17 Adar II Wednesday 27-Mar-24
Leviticus 7:11-38 Isaiah 13 Psalm 150 Acts 17 Reveations 11