Rabbi’s Reflections – Thursday, April 25, 2024
Shalom,
The Psalms
Psalm 6:1-4(1-3) – Part 2
Psalm 6:1 For the music director, on the eight-string lyre, a psalm of David. 2 Adonai, do not rebuke me in Your anger! Do not discipline me in Your wrath. 3 Be gracious to me, Adonai, for I am weak. Heal me, Adonai—for my bones are shuddering with fear, 4 as is my soul—and You, Adonai—how long?
“Chen” is the Hebrew word for “grace,” and the first word of verse 3. Why do we need grace? The translation says, “For I am weak.” This is not ordinary weakness (as in “not strong”), but the weakness of fading away, falling apart, and (catch this) withering on the vine. Brings to mind Yeshua’s words…
John 15:5 “I am the vine; you are the branches. The one who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for apart from Me, you can do nothing. 6 If anyone does not abide in Me, he is thrown away like a branch and is dried up. Such branches are picked up and thrown into the fire and burned.
“Apart from Me, you can do nothing.” That seems consistent with… Philippians 4:13 I can do all things through Messiah who strengthens me.
Which leads us to several other verses of Psalms… Psalm 92:13 The righteous will flourish like a palm tree. He will grow like a cedar in Lebanon. 14 Planted in the House of Adonai, they will flourish in the courts of our God. 15 They will still yield fruit in old age. They will be full of sap and freshness.
All of which is only possible grace through faith… Psalm 92:16 They declare, “Adonai is upright, my Rock—there is no injustice in Him.” Go ahead, declare it! Philippians 2:9 For this reason God highly exalted Him and gave Him the name that is above every name, 10 that at the name of Yeshua every knee should bow, in heaven and on the earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue profess that Yeshua the Messiah is Lord—to the glory of God the Father.
Know and declare Whom your Rock is, and receive grace to thrive. Shalom shalom.
Daily Bread, reading plan by Lars Enarson (https://www.thewatchman.org/)
17 Nissan Thursday 25-Apr-24 Pesach III (CH”M)
Exodus 13:1-16; Numbers 28:19-25 Isaiah 42 Proverbs 22 Matthew 10 2 Peter 1