Rabbi’s Reflections – Wednesday, October 28, 2020
Shalom,
Last night (Monday night, because I’m writing this on Tuesday morning) we were blessed to share in fellowship and worship with Justin Rizzo (and his wife, Naomi). Click these links to enjoy a few minutes of blessing, or longer, if you wish. It’s in two parts: https://www.facebook.com/shomair.yisrael/videos/1278071342547184/ and https://www.facebook.com/shomair.yisrael/videos/1278115345876117/ Facebook was having trouble playing some of it back for me today. I wonder if that is intentional on their part.
Rabbi Trail: Remember, just because you’re paranoid, it doesn’t mean they’re not out to get you. (Sorry, I can’t find the source of that quote other than “Mulder,” but I don’t think it is the X-files guy.) End RT.
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Daily Bread, reading plan by Lars Enarson (https://www.thewatchman.org/)
Wed 28-Oct-2020 10th of Cheshvan, 5781
Ge 14:1-20Jos 22Ps 22Mt 15(1 Jn 3)
How can I pass up on Psalm 22? This is part of the Jewish Bible. In fact, it is titled “A Psalm of David” meaning King David wrote it.
Rabbi Trail: The Psalms are in the Jewish Bible. Many of them appear in our Hebrew liturgy. The more orthodox the liturgy, the more Psalm are included. Psalm 22 is very Messianic (perhaps the most Messianic Psalm). Many rabbis believe it so accurately points to Yeshua because His disciples “rewrote history” to make it appear that He is the fulfillment. Conspiracy theories are always tempting and make for great novels and screenplay (fiction), but when God puts something in His Word, we should just believe it because God does not write fiction. End RT.
There is hardly a more widely known quote in the entire Bible. Psalm 22:2 My God, my God, why have You forsaken me? This is quoted in Hebrew in the New Testament. Matthew 27:46 About the ninth hour Yeshua cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” that is, “My God, My God, why have You abandoned Me?”
Please pray with me… Father in heaven, would You remove the scales from the eyes of Israel, so that seeing – they may see, and hearing – they may hear. Set the captives free… John 8:36 So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed! In Yeshua’s name, Amen.
Read the rest of the Psalm; it describes Yeshua on the cross, including this phrase.… Psalm 22:17b They pierced my hands and my feet. Could this be more obvious? Yeshua warned even His disciples, speaking several questions to them… Mark 8:17b You still don’t get it? Don’t you understand? Are your hearts hardened? 18 Having eyes, don’t you see? And having ears, don’t you hear? And don’t you remember?… 21 He said to them, “Do you still not understand?”
That last question must have been rhetorical, as no answer is given. Let’s pray again… Oh Lord, help our own unbelief so we can help all of Israel to be delivered from unbelief.
Week 44
Memory Verse: Romans 10:4 For the weapons of our warfare are not fleshly but powerful through God for the tearing down of strongholds. We are tearing down false arguments.
216 10/26 Monday: 2 Corinthians 9-10
217 10/27 Tuesday: 2 Corinthians 11-13
* 218 10/28 Wednesday: Romans 1-2; Acts 20:1-3
219 10/29 Thursday: Romans 3-4
220 10/30 Friday: Romans 5-6
Question of the day: What is Paul saying, are we really not to “judge?”
Answer: Paul does say exactly that… Romans 2:1 Therefore you are without excuse, O man—every one of you who is judging. For by whatever you judge another, you condemn yourself. For you who judge practice the same things. There is a lot of wrong understand that comes out of these translations, because there is “judgment” and then there is “judgment.”
Judgment that is condemnation is to be avoided as Paul writes, “In condemning others, we condemn ourselves.” However; the Bible is full of instruction to use discernment, sometimes called “righteous judgment.” Philippians 1:9 Now this I pray, that your love might overflow still more and more in knowledge and depth of discernment, 10 in order to approve what is excellent—so that in the Day of Messiah you may be sincere and blameless.
In fact, discernment is a sign of maturity, and to be prized… Hebrews 5:14 But solid food is for the mature, who through practice have their senses trained to discern both good and evil.
One of the major issues in the world today is that people are not able to distinguish between good and evil, right and wrong. Isaiah prophesied this would be a problem… Isaiah 5:20 Oy to those who call evil good and good evil, who present darkness as light and light as darkness, who present bitter as sweet, and sweet as bitter!
Yeshua is the light of the world. The reason we have light is so that we don’t stumble in darkness. John 3:19 “Now this is the judgment, that the light has come into the world and men loved the darkness instead of the light, because their deeds were evil. 20 For everyone who does evil hates the light and does not come to the light, so that their deeds will not be exposed. 21 But whoever practices the truth comes to the light, so that it may be made known that his deeds have been accomplished in God.”
The people of God have a call to righteousness. We have a call to join Yeshua in the light… 1 John 1:7 But if we walk in the light as He Himself is in the light, we have fellowship with one another and the blood of His Son Yeshua purifies us from all sin. Walk in the light that your judgments be righteous judgments.