Rabbi’s Reflections – Saturday, September 10, 2022
Shabbat Shalom,
Growing in Love for God 33 by David Harwood
One of my favorite old songs is Lonesome Valley. I believe it was first recorded in 1927. I don’t think anybody knows who wrote it. The traditional chorus is:
You’ve got to walk that lonesome valley
Well you gotta go by yourself
Well there ain’t nobody else gonna go there for you
You gotta go there by yourself
While I’m on this topic, there is a song, I believe it was written by Skip James, titled Jesus is a Mighty Good Leader. Here’s the chorus:
Let Jesus lead you, let Jesus lead you
Let Jesus lead you all the way
All the way from up (earth) to heaven
Let Jesus lead you all the way
From the beginning of the Messiah’s ministry He called individuals to follow. When each responded they found that they were with others of like allegiance.
Nobody can walk with God for you, but you’re never called to walk with God alone.
Nobody is called to a solitary walk with God, although everybody is called to a solitary walk with God.
We get to partake of fellowship. Fellowship means sharing. We share our lives. We share our challenges and needs. We share reports about what God has done in our lives.
Through fellowship we edify one another. The foundation of our fellowship is with the Lord, Himself.
What we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you, so you may have fellowship with us. Indeed, our fellowship is with the Father and His Son, Yeshua the Messiah. These things we write so our joy may be full. (1 John 1:3-4 TLV)
Our fellowship with the One who loves us is revealed in our love for one another. Note how the Master masterfully revealed God’s priorities. The Lord Yeshua was asked about the chief command. He answered and then revealed a command that is like a litmus test.
“Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Torah?”
And He said to him, “ ‘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. (Matthew 22:35–38 TLV)
In the next verse we find the proof of our love for God.
“And the second is like it, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’” (Matthew 22:39 TLV)
The quality of our love for God is revealed through the way we love others.
The Lord’s Emissary, John, reiterated Yeshua’ words. To John, the command to love God is followed by the divinely given obligation to love the brethren.
Owe no one anything except to love one another, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the Torah. (Romans 13:8 TLV)
One leads to the next and, the night before the Messiah was crucified, Yeshua made certain that those who followed Him would know this priority. Yeshua said “love one another” five times. (John 13:34b,35b; 15:12b,17b)
A way we fulfill the foremost command is by helping others to love the God who cherishes their love. That is a goal of our fellowship.
I’d like to share a pattern with you. Yeshua said:
I made your Name known to them, and will continue to make it known, so that the love with which You loved Me may be in them, and I in them. (John 17:26 TLV)
Let’s take that verse apart and make certain that we are seeing the same thing.
First: Yeshua took what Father revealed to Him about His Father’s nature (the Name) and shared it with His disciples. He stated that this revelatory fellowship will continue.
I made your Name known to them, and will continue to make it known
Next: Yeshua expected that they would begin to experience the revelation that He had of God.
so that the love with which You loved Me may be in them
Finally: This produces fellowship with the One who shared this revelation.
and I in them
Yeshua had complete revelation about the nature of His Father. He told His friends what He received.
Like the Messiah, we can share with one another what we believe God has showed us about Himself. As we do we are opening the door for them to experience what we have received. This increases our fellowship with one another and our love for God will grow. We will grow together.
A way we fulfill the foremost command is by encouraging others to love the God who cherishes their love.
That is a goal of our fellowship.
Daily Bread, reading plan by Lars Enarson (https://www.thewatchman.org/)
Sat 10-Sep-2022 14th of Elul, 5782 Parashat Ki Teitzei
De 24:14-25:19 Isa 54:1-10 Ro 8:18-30