Today is
twenty-four days which are three weeks and three days of the Omer.”
· Theme of the Week: Netzach - Victory
· Theme of the Day: Tiferet - Beauty
· Overall Theme: The Beauty of His Victory
· Psalm 11
If victory is
obtained in a bloody, ill-gotten and underhanded way it is ugly. But to see and
inspiring story of a victim of rape, let’s say, overcome the fear and anger,
face her assailant and genuinely forgive him, then go on to help other victims
of such crime is a beautiful victory. The victim could have stayed angry and
fearful and cheered when her attacker got life in prison and then became an
untrusting, recluse and that would neither be beautiful or victorious.
We become
beautiful victors when we realize nothing happens without reason (Rom. 8:28 ) and without potential benefit.
We are beautiful victors when we refuse to lie down and play the victim. We are
beautiful victors when we persevere. We will know we have become beautiful
victors when we hear… “Well done my good and faithful servant (Matt. 25:21).”
The Traditional
Psalm to read is Psalm 11:
1In the LORD put I my trust: how say ye to my soul, Flee as a bird to your mountain?
This Psalm was penned after David was told by Jonathan to flee from His Father, King Saul (I Sam. 18-19).
The Stones Edition of the Tanak says regarding this Psalm:
“The righteous suffer to atone for sin, but are rewarded in the World to Come. Evil doers are rewarded in this world.”
David, though having to flee bodily from Saul, is resilient and steadfast in his spirit with out fear. His total trust and confidence is in ADONAI. His spirit didn’t flee from, or shrink in Saul’s presence.
The Jewish commentator Malbam said, “David confronts the scoffers who urge him to abandon his trust in God.”
The word “trust” also means “refuge.” Here he is proclaiming God is his keeper and protector.
2For, lo, the wicked bend their bow, they make ready their arrow upon the string, that they may privily shoot at the upright in heart.
Here David proclaims the wicked as the cowards that need to flee to the mountains because they don’t face the men they shoot at.
3If the foundations be destroyed, what can the righteous do?
The Torah is the Rock basis for the origins of all that which is; which is the foundation of righteousness, for if the account of creation is not true or accurate, how then can the rest of the Torah be believed or followed? So if the foundation of creationism crumbles, the moral absolutes which rests upon it fall and thus opens the floodgates for abortion, euthanasia, and moral relativism. The Torah is the foundation spoken of in Matt. 7:24-27. Rock is Torah and sand is bits and pieces of rock, bits and pieces of Torah, bits ands pieces of truth. So the foolish man can be likened to the Christian who rejects the Torah as a whole and only accepts bits and pieces of it. The Torah is the basis for the final say in doctrine according to II Tim. 3:16.
4The LORD is in his holy temple, the LORD's throne is in heaven: his eyes behold, his eyelids try, the children of men.
“This answers the scoffers: Although G-d is infinitely exalted, He is thoroughly cognizant of human affairs.” – Stones Edition of the Tanak
The word, “behold,” in the Hebrew is, “chazah” and it means to behold, size up and divide, a picture of what a judge does. The next key word, “try” means to search out and examine so as to prove something. The picture here is of YHWH as an Omniscient Judge with an all-encompassing bird’s eye view that Google Earth or Santa Clause can’t touch! ADONAI, not Santa knows who’s sleeping, awake, bad, good, naughty or nice.
5The LORD trieth the righteous: but the wicked and him that loveth violence his soul hateth.
God is not partial, He “tries” the wicked and righteous both. Now the passage paints a scene of a smelter of precious metal which is melted and tried by fire. Impurities bubble to the surface of the molten metal as scum and it is skimmed off and thrown out and this is like the wicked. The righteous however, is the melted metal being purified.
Rashi said, “It is specifically the righteous who God chastises in order to purify them.”
6Upon the wicked he shall rain snares, fire and brimstone, and an horrible tempest: this shall be the portion of their cup.
The scum from the molten metal is thrown into the fire to be burned up and this sounds like what is done to the wicked in this verse.
7For the righteous LORD loveth righteousness; his countenance doth behold the upright.
Once the metal is refined, whether it be gold or silver, it can be taken out and made into something that is useful and also beautiful to look at.
This Psalm can be compared to Proverbs 11 which talks about the righteous and the wicked; like Father (David), like son (Solomon).
“Abba ADONAI God,
Help me and enable me to be a beautiful victor in every circumstance by and
with Your help. Refusing to lie down and play the victim, but use wrongs done
to me as an opportunity to better myself and help others. In Yeshua’s Name
Ameyn.”
