Rabbi’s Reflections – Monday, May 13, 2024
Shalom,
Day 16 of counting the Omer
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 two weeks and two days of the counting of the Omer.
Follow up that prayer by remembering a blessing from the Lord and give Him thanks. Psa 100:4 Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise! Praise Him, bless His Name.
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The Psalms
Psalm 7:12-14(11-13) – Part 8
Psalm 7:12 God is a righteous judge, a God who is indignant every day. 13 If He does not relent, He will sharpen His sword. He has bent His bow and made it ready. 14 He prepares His own deadly weapons. He makes His fiery arrows.
These three verses have three messages for the penitent reader (worshipper) who is ready to be renewed (made new) into the image of God. Colossians 3:9b After all, you have taken off the old self with its practices 10 and have put on the new self that is being renewed in knowledge, according to the image of the One who created him. As we get started, we see that each verse has two parts that are the two sides of a seesaw. They balance each other and tip back and forth. We’ll deal with these three verses, one each day for the next three days.
In the first part of verse 11, Elohim is called a “Shofet Tadik,” a “righteous judge.” This part of God’s character is described in Isaiah 11:3b He will not judge by what His eyes see, nor decide by what His ears hear. 4a But with righteousness He will judge the poor, and decide with fairness for the poor of the land. The word translated in Isaiah 4 as “fairness” is “Mishor” (Hebrew), meaning a flat place, like a plain.
Rabbi Trail: Many of us live in fear, that we will be judged as if on a teeter-totter. We tend to think, if our good outweighs our bad, we tip into heaven, but if our bad outweighs our good, oops, we tip into hell. God is not that way. He is seeking those who want to please Him. Those belong to Him by grace. This is what the prophet Hanani said to the Judean king, Asa… 2Chronicles 16:9 For the eyes of Adonai range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose heart keeps covenant with Him.
God judged the whole earth in the days of Noah, but He swore by His own name to never do that again. Genesis 9:11 I will confirm My covenant with you—never again will all flesh be cut off by the waters of the flood, and never again will there be a flood to ruin the land.” 3,000 years later, God judged the world was in need of His Son as a Savior. Galatians 4:4 But when the fullness of time came, God sent out His Son, born of a woman and born under law— 5 to free those under law, so we might receive adoption as sons.
Through Yeshua, we are all on a “level playing field.” In other words, we all have the same opportunity to answer God’s call. Yeshua put it succinctly. Matthew 5:48 “Therefore be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.” Paul put it this way… Rom 1:18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men. In unrighteousness they suppress the truth, 19 because what can be known about God is plain to them—for God has shown it to them. 20 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. So people are without excuse— End RT.
The second part of verse 12(11) says… (God) “is indignant every day.” The Hebrew word translated “indignant” is “Za’am.” This describes pent up anger, like a bull as he snorts and paws the ground before he charges. Let’s take a moment to be glad that God does not release His anger, but withholds His wrath. Psalm 103:8 Adonai is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, and plentiful in mercy.
I looked and found dozens of verses throughout Scripture expressing how God is slow to anger and abundant in kindness. Moses heard this as the Lord stood with him. Exodus 34:6 Then Adonai passed before him, and proclaimed, “Adonai, Adonai, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, and abundant in lovingkindness and truth.
God invites His people to join Him in this character trait. Jacob 1:19 Know this, my dear brothers and sisters: let every person be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to anger— 20 for human anger doesn’t produce the righteousness of God. Let’s meditate on that. Until “Machar” (tomorrow), shalom shalom.
Daily Bread, reading plan by Lars Enarson (https://www.thewatchman.org/
5 Iyar Monday 13-May-24 16th day of the Omer
Leviticus 21:16-22:16 Isaiah 58 Job 4 Matthew 21:1-22 Romans 3