Rabbi’s Reflections – Tuesday, November 3, 2020
Shalom,
It’s here… today is election day throughout the United States. (Here is one link suggested by our friend from Jerusalem, Chaim Singerman.) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hhu01dDDXx4 Whether you click this link or pray in any other way, please do pray for our country and the issues that are important to God’s purposes. (Rabbi’s note: The representatives we elect and the way they vote and invest their energy will affect God’s purposes both within the United States and around the world. You can find God’s purposes in the Bible, where He wrote them down for us.)
God’s purposes are found throughout the Bible, but they are summed up in the New Testament like this; hear the words of Yeshua…. Matthew 22:36 “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Torah?” 37 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.’ (Deuteronomy 6:5) 38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 And the second is like it, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ (Leviticus 19:18b) 40 The entire Torah and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” As you can see, this is a repetition of God’s stated purposes in the Torah.
So simple, yet so complex. We have here a picture of the cross. The vertical beam represents our relationship with God, and His commandment that we love Him with all our hearts. (Rabbi’s note: What an honor to love the One Who gave His life, so that we may live in eternity together with Him.) Likewise, the horizontal beam represents our relationships with each other. (Rabbi’s note: Again, this is an honor to be commanded to love what (who) God loves.) These two beams cross over the heart of Yeshua, who stretched out His arms and said… Matthew 11:28 Come to Me, all who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. May we all enter into His rest through the remainder of this election cycle.
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Daily Bread, reading plan by Lars Enarson (https://www.thewatchman.org/)
Tue 3-Nov-2020 16th of Cheshvan, 5781
Ge 19:1-20 Jdg 3 Ps 28-29 Mt 20 (Jude)
The Aliyah for today (Torah reading from Genesis 19) is the story of the 2 angels of the Lord who have come to Sodom to warn Lot and help him escape the pending destruction. My question is, “Why did God destroy Sodom?”
The usual answer is that it was an evil city, but that’s not my answer. Yes, it was an evil city, but there have been (and are now) plenty of evil cities that God did not destroy. The men of that city (Sodom) of all ages gathered at Lot’s house because they wanted relations with Lot’s two male visitors. Lot offered them his daughters, but they still preferred the men and insisted. Lot was only able to escape because God struck the men of the city blind at the door of his house.
Yet all of this was not enough to make God destroy the city. God destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah because He had to, in order to preserve Abraham’s life. Simply put, if God had not destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah, they would have destroyed Lot and Abraham when he tried to rescue Lot. And why was it important to preserve Abraham’s life? Because through him (and his son, Isaac, and Isaac’s son, Jacob) the Messiah (Yeshua) would come. No Abraham, no Yeshua; it’s that simple.
God has a plan for the salvation of the world. It included Abraham, and God moved mightily to preserve Abraham. If you know Yeshua as your Lord and Savior, God’s plan for world redemption includes you too. As one of God’s chosen people, you too can expect God to move mightily to preserve your life. And that’s what we call “faith.” Psalm 121:7 Adonai will protect you from all evil. He will guard your life. 8 Adonai will watch over your coming and your going from this time forth and forevermore.
What, you don’t feel important? You’re in good company with Moses, Job, Gideon and even King David and many other Old and New Testament saints. Here is a prayer: Lord, fulfill Your promises to protect Your people, those who are called by Your name. In Yeshua’s name. Amen.
Week 45
Memory Verse: Romans 8:1 Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Messiah Yeshua.
221 11/2 Monday: Romans 7-8
* 222 11/3 Tuesday: Romans 9-10
223 11/4 Wednesday: Romans 11-12
224 11/5 Thursday: Romans 13-14
225 11/6 Friday: Romans 15-16
Question of the day: What is Paul explaining in Romans 9 & 10?
Answer: Romans 9, 10 and (continued tomorrow) 11 explain how much God loves His people, Israel, and is not ever going to reach an end of His love for them (us). These 3 chapters form the essential basis for what we believe as a Messianic community. Simply put, God has a future for Israel, and He is not going to redeem the world without Israel being a part of that redemption.
Read these 3 chapters, then you tell me if you have any doubt that God wrote the gospel truth in them. In fact, if you do doubt this, Paul has a question for you… Romans 9:20 But who in the world are you, O man, who talks back to God? Let’s keep this rhetorical and just end it here. Shalom.