Rabbi’s Reflections – Saturday, April 30, 2022
Shabbat Shalom,
No Shabbat morning service today at Shomair. See you next week.
Counting the Omer – Day 7
Here is the proper blessing to be said each day. This is how Jewish people fulfill the command to count.
בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יְיָ אֱלֹהֵֽינוּ מֶֽלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם, אֲשֶׁר קִדְּשָֽׁנוּ בְּמִצְוֹתָיו, וְצִוָּֽנוּ עַל סְפִירַת הָעֹֽמֶר
Baruch Atah Adonai Elohenu Melech Ha-Olam, Asher Kid’shanu B’mitzvotav, Vitzivanu Al Sefirat Ha-Omer.
Blessed are You O Lord our God, King of the universe, who has sanctified us by his commandments and commanded us about the counting of the Omer. Today is one week and no days of the counting of the Omer.
Growing in Love for God 14
by David Harwood
Earlier in these meditations I requested that you ask God for illumination about His love for Yeshua. I hope you did that. I hope you journaled what you received.
I’ve found that there have been a couple of themes some friends believe they received as they put this into practice. One of those themes is closely connected to humility. It is the yielded heart of the Messiah. This has caused me to reconsider how valuable that aspect of Yeshua is. I admit, a bit of awe has increased.
It should not be cheapened in our appreciation that the Father sent His Son into the world. Yeshua was sent. He was yielded while He was in Heaven. He was sent to Earth. The Gospel of John has Yeshua’s words to that effect about fourteen times. (John 5:23,36-37; 6:44,57; 8:16,18,42; 10:36; 12:49; 14:24; 17:21,25; 20:21) Here’s the fourteenth time John mentioned what the Lord said:
“Shalom aleichem! As the Father has sent Me, I also send you.” (John 20:21b TLV)
John summed it up in his first epistle.
We have seen and testify that the Father has sent His Son as Savior of the world. (1 John 4:14)
He was sent, and Yeshua went. His willing obedience blessed Father. This continued in the Incarnation. Yeshua said:
The One who sent Me is with Me. He has not left Me alone, because I always do what is pleasing to Him.” (John 8:29)
Gethsemane was the threshold to the Great Submission. The Messiah was willing. He chose Father’s will.
Going a little farther, He fell face down and prayed, saying, “My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me! Yet not as I will, but as You will.” (Matthew 26:39 TLV)
Not only did He initially choose Father’s will, He steadfastly chose what Father revealed. He could have opted out. Honoring His Father’s word, He chose to stay in.
Or do you suppose that I cannot call on My Father, and at once He will place at My side twelve legions of angels?
How then would the Scriptures be fulfilled, that it must be so?” (Matthew 26:53–54 TLV)
Here is the height of Yeshua being yielded.
And Yeshua, crying out with a loud voice, said, “Father, into Your hands I commit My spirit.” Having said this, He breathed His last. (Luke 23:46)
Father loved Yeshua’s surrendered heart. Isaiah prophesied:
I will give Him a portion with the great, and He will divide the spoil with the mighty – because He poured out His soul to death, and was counted with the transgressors. (Isaiah 53:12a TLV)
Paul put it another way:
and being found in appearance as a man. He humbled Himself— becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. For this reason God highly exalted Him and gave Him the name that is above every name (Philippians 2:87c–9 TLV)
Father sent. He saw and He remembers. Father rewarded this obedience.
We believe that Yeshua maintains a heart of being yielded to God. This has not changed.
Yeshua the Messiah is the same yesterday, today, and forever. (Hebrews 13:8 TLV)
The Father still loves this yielded heart. Yeshua still loves the Father’s will.
The Messiah chooses Father’s will while being concerned about our wellbeing. In fact, He chose God’s desire, yielded to God’s longing, not only because He loved Father with all His heart, soul, mind and strength, but He loved us.
And for their sakes I make Myself holy, so that they also may be made holy in truth.” (John 17:19 TLV)
As we consider this, we can see that the Messiah Yeshua fulfilled the two priority commands. He chose God’s will because He loved the Father. He chose to give up His life because He loved us.
He was asked, “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Torah?” (Matthew 22:36 TLV) He replied:
“ ‘You shall love Adonai your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment.
And the second is like it, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ (Matthew 22:37b–39 TLV)
God loved Yeshua’s yielded heart. It was expressed in the Messiah’s love for Him and for us. This is worth considering. Yeshua is worth loving.
Daily Bread, reading plan by Lars Enarson (https://www.thewatchman.org/)
Sat 30-Apr-2022 29th of Nisan, 5782 Parashat Achrei Mot Shabbat Machar Chodesh 7th day of the Omer
Le 18:22-30 1 Sa 20:18-42 Ro 3:19-31