Rabbi’s Reflections – Tuesday, September 17, 2024
Shalom,
Psalms
Psalm 18:10,11(9,10) – Part 13
Psalm 18:10 He parted the heavens and came down, with thick darkness under His feet. 11 He rode upon a cheruv and flew. He soared on the wings of the wind.
What we are reading here (in verses 10 and 11) is a continuation of God’s response to the cry of the righteous. Psalm 18:7a In my distress I called on Adonai, and cried to my God for help.
Rabbi Trail: The English translation of Psalm 18 verse 10 in the TLV is not faithful to the original Hebrew text. Side note: There is never a perfect translation. Words are nuanced. They have shades of meaning, as they attempt to communicate culture, mind-set, and feelings. In Hebrew the word for “word” (Davar) is also the word for “thing.” Words may fly around in the air, but to the Hebrew mind-set, they are real things too. So, in light of my objection to the translation (and with all due respect), let’s continue. End RT.
Verse 10 begins with the Hebrew word, “Vayetah” (from Natah (Nun-Tet-Hey) using the “Vav Consecutive” which changes a word from an incomplete action to a completed action. Note: it also works in reverse, taking a word from completed action to an incomplete action. While the word is here translated as “parted (the heavens),” a better (and more consistent with other uses of he same word) would be “spread out.” The word is used often to describe pitching a tent and also to describe the presence of the Lord descending in thick clouds. The best understanding would be that the Lord is present in the earth (on account of our calling out to Him).
The verse ends with “Arapel” (darkness) under His feet. This is not the “darkness” of the ninth plague, (See Exodus 10:21ff which is a different word altogether, “Choshech.”) but the atmosphere that changes when thick clouds descend (See Exodus 20:21). In the natural word, this means a storm is coming, but in the Spirit it announces the coming of the wrath of God.
Rabbi Trail: This reminds me of the “Day of the Shout” that is only 2 weeks away. The Feast of Trumpets is known in Hebrew as “Yom Teruah,” the “Day of the Shout,” and in English/Hebrew as Rosh Hashanah. It begins at sundown on Wednesday, October 2nd. We will have a special worship service that night beginning at 7PM. Please being your Shofar, if you have one. End RT.
The point not to be missed here is that the Lord is present and will be present in the earth to answer when we call to Him in our distress.
1Thessalonians 4:16 For the Lord Himself shall come down from heaven with a commanding shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the blast of God’s shofar, and the dead in Messiah shall rise first. 17 Then we who are alive, who are left behind, will be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air—and so we shall always be with the Lord. 18 Therefore encourage one another with these words.
Like other times, such as when Moses went up on the mountain to receive the Torah, the Lord will appear. This is also prophesied in Joel 2. He is coming (heaven is “spreading out”) and thick clouds and the sound of the Shofar will accompany His presence. Shalom shalom.
Daily Bread, reading plan by Lars Enarson (https://www.thewatchman.org/)
14 Elul Tuesday 17-Sep-24
Deuteronomy 26:16-19 Amos 5 2 Chronicles 8 Acts 1 Hebrews 11:1-19