Rabbi’s Reflections – Friday, April 12, 2024
(Early) Shabbat Shalom,
The Psalms
Psalm 5:4,5(3,4) – Part 3
Psalm 5:4 Adonai, in the morning You hear my voice. In the morning I order my prayer before You and watch expectantly. 5 For You are not a God who rejoices in evil. No wickedness dwells with you.
King David is crying out to God, “Hear my voice in the morning.” And what will God hear? David’s prayers. David says that he will put his prayers in order (organize them) as he watches. For what is David watching (with expectation)? This is our focus today.
King David (along with all the other Psalmists) is (are) writing for us all. A thousand years after David wrote these words, we will be praying them to God. We are modern watchmen. Here, David is a watchman, Tzafah in Hebrew. This is one looking out for trouble, ready to warn others of impending danger. In other places of Scripture, David is a watchman, Shomer in Hebrew. This is one who is a protector or guardian, ready to fight in the face of impending danger. These are two similar but distinctly different types of watchmen.
At Shomair Yisrael (the name of our Messianic synagogue) we are Shomrim (guardians). Isaiah 62:6 On your walls, Jerusalem, I have set watchmen. All day and all night, they will never hold their peace. “You who remind Adonai, take no rest for yourselves, 7 And give Him no rest until He establishes and makes Jerusalem a praise in the earth. “Set watchmen” in Hebrew is “Hif’kad’ti Shomrim,” meaning “officially appointed guardians.”
Rabbi Trail: And while we’re studying these verses, “give Him no rest until….” Today, Jerusalem is not a praise. To the contrary, every nation in the earth is cursing Jerusalem as the reason for every problem in the world. God is going to perform a mighty miracle to make Jerusalem a praise in the earth. We have an official appointment. Psalm 122:6 Pray for the peace of Jerusalem—“May those who love you be at peace!… 9 For the sake of the House of Adonai our God, I will seek your good. End RT.
Then there is the “Tzafah” watchman of our subject verse. These are the watchmen who lean forward and peer into the distance on the lookout for danger. This requires vigilance and the discernment to know trouble at a distance. The next verse speaks to this ability. The One True and Living God, our God, does not rejoice in evil. This goes to the heart of the matter, what is evil?
Transgression of God’s righteous standard is evil. It doesn’t matter what makes you feel bad, the objective standard of God’s commandments doesn’t change. You can be one of the “Tzofim” or one of the “Shomrim.” Watch and sound an alarm or watch and protect. Both types of watchmen must be faithful and vigilant. And both must pray for understanding, wisdom and discernment. Shalom shalom.
Daily Bread, reading plan by Lars Enarson (https://www.thewatchman.org/)
4 Nissan Friday 12-Apr-24
Leviticus 13:40-54 Isaiah 31-32 Proverbs 14 Matthew 3 James 3