Rabbi’s Reflections – Saturday, May 7, 2022
Shabbat Shalom *,
Counting the Omer – Day 14
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 two weeks and no days of the counting of the Omer.
Growing in Love for God 15
by David Harwood
We were created to receive revelation. In the following prayer we find that Paul prayed that they would partake of that purpose.
(I pray) that the God of our Lord Yeshua the Messiah, our glorious Father, may give you spiritual wisdom and revelation in knowing Him. 18I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you may know… (Ephesians 1:17–18a TLV)
The Lexham English Bible and the New English Translation decided to translate Ephesians 1:18 like this:
(the eyes of your hearts having been enlightened), (Ephesians 1:18 LEB)
—since the eyes of your heart have been enlightened (Ephesians 1:18 LEB)
We have been regenerated by the Spirit so we might be in, and develop, our relationships with God. The enlightened heart is ready to receive revelation – “that you may know.”
It is possible that this needs to be stressed again. The greatest command, endorsed and reinforced by Yeshua, is that you would love God.
(Yeshua) said to him, “ ‘You shall love Adonai your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ 38This is the first and greatest commandment. (Matthew 22:37–38 TLV)
God gave this command as He was seeking to win Israel’s, and each Israeli’s, heart. The Good News reveals that He is after every individual’s loyal affection. That includes you.
Why is your love sought?
He loves being loved by you.
Why?
You were successfully created to be the type of creation whose love for your Creator is important to your Creator.
You’ve been placed under orders, and the command to love God reveals that your love for God is important to the God you’re commanded to love. However, the command was not sufficient to bring this relationship about. We shield our hearts from the light. We hide.
Since Adam’s sin God has searched for us. He has always sought to win our hearts through giving us revelation.
Adonai reveals Himself through the synergy of Scripture and the Ruach ha-Kodesh. His Spirit makes the living Word come alive to us. His Word provides the guidelines and the grid through which God may seek to impress upon us spiritual reality, spiritually received.
This is part of a section of Scripture that has fascinated me.
These things we also speak—not in words taught by human wisdom but in words taught by the Ruach, explaining the spiritual to the spiritual. 14Now a natural man does not accept the things of the Ruach Elohim, for they are foolishness to him; and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned. (1 Corinthians 2:13–14 TLV)
The translators are trying to make sense of the Greek and I applaud them for their effort. Young’s Literal Translation’s attempt is worth looking at.
which things also we speak, not in words taught by human wisdom, but in those taught by the Ruach ha-Kodesh, with spiritual things spiritual things comparing (1 Corinthians 2:13 YLT)
Reading this section in the light of 1 Corinthians 14 is helpful.
Let two or three prophets speak, and let the others evaluate. 30But if something is revealed to another sitting nearby, let the first one become silent. (1 Corinthians 14:29–30 TLV)
As spiritual revelation about God is spiritually made known to us we are changed. It follows this pattern: When we see Him as He is we will be transformed. We will be like Him.
When Messiah, who is your life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with Him, in glory! (Colossians 3:4 TLV)
Loved ones, now we are God’s children; and it has not yet been revealed what we will be. But we do know that when it’s revealed, we shall be like Him, because we will see Him just as He is. (1 John 3:2b)
These two prophecies contain a spiritual principle. Paul wrote:
But we all, with unveiled face beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory—just as from the Lord, who is the Spirit. (2 Corinthians 3:18 TLV)
I encourage you to seek Him for the type of revelation about His nature and purposes that would strengthen your love for Him. He desires to do this. That desire is worth celebrating.
By the way, about celebration, God has revealed that He loves our praise.
Let’s examine that in our next meditation.
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Daily Bread, reading plan by Lars Enarson (https://www.thewatchman.org/)
Parashat Kedoshim
Sat 07-May-2022 6th of Iyyar, 5782 14th day of the Omer
Le 20:23-27 Am 9:7-15 1 Th 4:1-12