Shavuah Tov podcasts on the weekly Torah reading
As people of faith in the LORD, we profoundly feel the tension between affirming both that our loving Creator sustains all things by the word of his power and also acknowledging the ongoing depravity of human beings and how that results in suffering, heartache, and pain in this world. In the following theological audio discussion, I ponder some questions that arise when we seriously consider these matters..
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In today’s “Daily Dvar” broadcast I hope to encourage you to live without fear because of the great love and grace the Lord has for you. The Lord has personally redeemed you, friend; he calls you by name, and you belong to him. Indeed the Lord loves you “b’ahavat olam” – with everlasting love – and therefore he draws you close to him (Jer. 31:3). Shalom chaverim.
Shalom chaverim. Today’s “Daily Dvar” broadcast discusses matters of death and life in terms of the gospel message of Yeshua our Messiah. I hope you will find it encouraging.
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“The fear of the LORD is the first principle of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and correction” (Prov. 1:7). In this “Daily Dvar” broadcast I discuss how reverence or respect is axiomatic for a genuinely good life. Fearing God expresses the confidence that life is a sacred trust and that each soul is answerable to the Creator. Such godly reverence infers that nothing is trivial or inconsequential, and that all things will be accounted before the bar of divine truth. I hope you will find it helpful, friends.
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Since our Torah portion this week (i.e., Shelach) tells the tragic story of how the Exodus generation lost their inheritance by believing the faithless report of the spies, I thought it would be helpful to review the nature of faith so that we might guard ourselves from stumbling in a similar way. After all, concerning the tragic decree of God regarding the fate of Israelites in the desert (see Num. 14:21-35), the New Testament admonishes us to “fear lest any of you should likewise fail to attain the blessing of God’s promise.”
In this short audio broadcast, I discuss what faith is and how we must learn to trust God for our inheritance:
This is a short minute message intended to encourage you today… As God gives me strength and the means to do so, I hope to post these shorter divrei Torah on a regular basis to help us stay connected. Shalom chaverim!
In our Torah portion this week (i.e., Shelach-Lekha) we read how the spies faithlessly judged that the people were not strong enough to take possession of the promised land. They said, “we seemed to ourselves like grasshoppers, and so we seemed to them” (Num. 13:33). Here the sages note the subtle – yet profound – connection between how we see ourselves and how we imagine that others see us. This sort of “projection” is common enough, and sometimes we even make the mistake of thinking that God sees us the way we feel about ourselves…. In this shorter broadcast, I hope to encourage you to keep faith in the LORD God of Israel’s love and blessing for you, even if the present hour may seem dark, confusing, or overwhelming…
Our Torah portion this week (Shelach-Lekha) is a “heavy one” since it focuses on the Sin of the Spies and the subsequent failure of the people to trust that God would care for them. The people’s lack of bittachon (trust) in God is the most serious sin recorded in all the Torah, even more serious than the sin of the Golden Calf. This is confirmed by the testimony of the New Testament, which presents the fate of the Exodus generation as the dire warning of apostasy for those who claim to follow the Messiah (Heb. 3:7-4:2).
In this audio discussion on the weekly Torah portion, I discuss issues of faith, courage, and finding meaning for your life in the will and love of God. Trusting in God’s personal love for you presupposes that you are worthy to be loved and that there is a divine inheritance reserved for you. This gives you real courage to go take possession of the divine promise as its rightful heir…
Our Torah portion for this week (i.e., parashat Naso) includes the famous blessing that Aaron and his sons (i.e., the priests) were instructed to recite over the people of Israel: “The LORD bless you and guard you; the LORD make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; the LORD lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace” (Num. 6:24-26). The Hebrew text of the blessing begins with three words, is comprised of three parts, invokes the divine Name three times, and is therefore appropriately called “the three-in-one blessing” (שלוש בברכה אחת). Notice that the words are spoken in the grammatical singular rather than plural because they are meant to have personal application, not to be a general benediction over a crowd of people. The phrase, “The LORD lift up His face toward you…” (יִשָּׂא יְהוָה פָּנָיו אֵלֶיךָ) pictures the beaming face of a parent as he lifts up his beloved child in joy… The repetitive construction of God “lifting up His face” (יְהוָה פָּנָיו אֵלֶיך) suggests that God’s compassion now flows outward to the child in superabundant grace. Undoubtedly Yeshua recited this very blessing over his disciples when he ascended back to heaven, though of course He would have spoken it in the grammatical first person: “I will bless you and keep you (אני אברך אותך ואשמור לך); I will shine upon you and will be gracious to you; I will lift up my countenance upon you, and give you my shalom” (Luke 24:50-51).
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In this “Daily Dvar” audio broadcast I discuss why God may allow sorrow and affliction in our lives. It’s a difficult topic, of course, and there are no easy answers for why we suffer, though we can frame our concerns in light of the teaching and counsel of Scripture to encourage us to persevere in our faith — even when things are hard for us. I hope you find it encouraging in your journey.
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