Rabbi’s Reflections – Monday, May 6, 2024
Shalom,
Day 9 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 one week and two days of the counting of the Omer.
Follow up that prayer by remembering a blessing from the Lord and give Him thanks. Psalm 28:7 The Lord is my strength and my shield; in him my heart trusts, and I am helped; my heart exults, and with my song I give thanks to him.
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The Psalms
Psalm 7:1-6(1-5) – Part 3
Psalm 7:1 A passionate song of David, which he sang to Adonai concerning Cush, a Benjamite. 2 Adonai my God, in You I have taken refuge. Save me from each of my persecutors, and deliver me. 3 Otherwise he will rip me apart like a lion, with no one to rescue me. 4 Adonai my God, if I have done this—if there is guilt on my hands, 5 if I have paid back evil to anyone at peace with me, or unjustly attacked my adversary, 6 then let the enemy chase me, overtake me, and trample me into the ground, leaving my honor in the dirt! Selah
While this is a big piece of Scripture, I want to focus on only one small phrase of it. Psalm 7:4b(3b) if there is guilt on my hands. Of course this is only the first part of an if/then statement. He even says “then let the enemy… trample me… leaving my honor in the dirt.” And David concludes that statement with “Selah” meaning pause here and meditate because that is profound.
David goes on to say, “If I have paid pack anyone at peace with me.…” The key word that follows here is “unjustly,” which word does not appear, per se, in the Hebrew at all. The closest I can find is the word “Raqam” which is translated as “empty handed” or “without a cause.” The word is first used in Scripture by Jacob to describe how his father-in-law, Laban, treated him.
Genesis 31:42 “Had I not had the God of my father, the God of Abraham, and the fear of Isaac, you would have sent me away empty-handed now. But God saw my misery and the toil of my hands and last night He became the Judge.”
This same word actually appears in Yeshua’s sermon on the mount in the original Hebrew, which is very rare for the New Testament. We just don’t get much Hebrew from the Greek New Testament. Matthew 5:22 But I tell you that everyone who is angry with his brother shall be subject to judgment. And whoever says to his brother, ‘Raca’ shall be subject to the council; and whoever says, ‘You fool!’ shall be subject to fiery Gehenna. “Raca” while meaning “empty handed” connotes being without a just cause or purpose. In context it indicates accusing someone unjustly which is how the TLV translators of Psalm 7 got it right. (Kudos!)
The lesson of this first part of Psalm 7 is to be at peace if at all possible, and when necessary to defend or protect; but the key is, be sure your cause is righteous. Are there other places in Scripture where this is emphasized as important? At the end of Psalm 35 and again in Psalm 37, David says it clearly.
Psalm 35:26 May they be ashamed and humiliated, those who rejoice over my misery. May they who exalt themselves over me be clothed with shame and disgrace. 27 May they shout for joy and be glad, those who delight in my righteous cause. May they always say: “Exalted be Adonai, who delights in His servant’s shalom.”
Psalm 37:4 Delight yourself in Adonai, and He will give you the requests of your heart. 5 Commit your way to Adonai. Trust in Him, and He will do it. 6 He will bring out your vindication as light, and your cause will shine as noonday.
Let’s close with this… each of us should be sure the things we are passionate about are in alignment with the passions of God. Shalom shalom.
Daily Bread, reading plan by Lars Enarson (https://www.thewatchman.org/
28 Nissan Monday 6-May-24 9th day of the Omer
Leviticus 19:15-22 Isaiah 50 Proverbs 29 Matthew 15 1 John 5