TCv3 on Ha’azinu and Yom Kippur

Praying during Yom Kippur

This week I am solemn and weeping occasionally whenever I recalled back how many times HaShem is there for me and for my family members inclusive of my elderly-aged parents. Yom Kippur is usually a time for me to fast with psalms offering and study the Word of God seriously. Just yesterday I happened to read up this blogsite

http://derek4messiah.wordpress.com/2009/09/27/classic-reprint-reflections-on-a-yom-kippur-noob-experience/. This is a very interesting read because I feel the same kind of thoughts he had when I saw many Christians in Singapore churches have this kind of a superior religious attitude towards others whether believers or non-believers. When they commit sins to others, instead of repenting they continue to hurt others after they have prayed to Lord Jesus for forgiveness. In my personal opinion, I would feel that a pious Jew is more fearful to God and always offering penitential prayers with their siddur with their heart albeit they may not have the blessing of knowing their suffering Jewish Messiah than the Christian do. Still, HaShem receives them and still, I believe our beloved Master Yeshua is watching over them whether they believe in Him or not. Anyway our Master will come back for all of us whether Jews or Gentiles and we will all be One before Him.

This week Haftarah study will be on Parashah Ha’azinu and also Shabbat Shuvah study but I will just blog about the former one will do. The Haftarah portion for Ha’azinu is a psalm.

With some small variations, the same psalm also appears as Psalm 18 in the Psalter. In the psalm, David praises the LORD as a fortress of refuge and strong deliverer. He recounts how he came close to death and called out to the LORD for salvation. The LORD, seated in the heavenly Temple above, heard David’s cry for help. He rose in anger and quickly traveled to David’s assistance in the midst of storm and splendor. He beat back David’s enemies and rescued him from the grave. David states that his righteousness merited the LORD’s deliverance. David praises the LCRD who strengthened him for battle and saved His anointed king.

This week’s Torah portion (Ha’azinu) contains the Song of Moses, a prophetic oracle warning Israel about apostasy to come and the resulting wrath of God. The song looks far into the future, even envisioning the messianic advent amid rich and frightening apocalyptic imagery. It contains a theophany in which the LORD descends to make war against the nations on behalf of His people. In the song, Moses refers to the LORD by the title “Rock,” a name denoting God’s solid and unshakable attribute of justice. The sages selected 2 Samuel 22:1-51 for the Haftarah because it contains several similarities to the Song of Moses. David describes a vivid theophany in which the LORD descends to fight against his enemies. The description of the battle contains imagery similar to the Song of Moses. Moreover, David’s psalm alludes to the Song of Moses in describing God as the “Rock.” The two passages are also related in that David wrote his psalm near the end of his life and Moses composed his song on the day of his death. The synagogue lectionary designates the same psalm as the Haftarah for the seventh day of Passover. According to FFOZ, this week’s commentary repeats the content presented for Haftarah Yom Shevi’i Shel Pesach which I didn’t blog down earlier.

The sages enumerated ten songs. Israel recited the first song on the first Passover, the night that they ate their Passover lambs and the LORD struck down Egypt’s firstborn. They sang the second song after crossing the Red Sea on the seventh day of Passover. On Shabbat Ha’azinu, we read the Song of Moses, and for the Haftarah, we read a psalm of David. The sages enumerated them as songs four and seven respectively. The tenth and last song awaits the coming of Messiah.

1. The first was recited in Egypt, as it is said [in Isaiah 30:29], “You will have songs as in the night when you keep the festival.”

2. The second was recited at the Red Sea, as it is said [in Exodus 15:1], “Then Moses and the sons of Israel sang this song.”

3. The third song was recited at the well, as it is said [in Numbers 21:17], “Then Israel sang this song.”

4. The fourth Moses recited, as it is said [in Deuteronomy31:30], “Then Moses spoke in the hearing of all the assembly of Israel the words of this song.”

5. The fifth Joshua recited, as it is said [in Joshua 10:12], “Then Joshua spoke to the LORD.”

6. The sixth Deborah and Barak recited, as it is said [in Judges 5:1], “Then Deborah and Barak the son of Abinoam sang on that day.”

7. The seventh David recited, as it is said [in 2 Samuel 22:1]: “And David spoke the words of this song to the LORD.”

8. The eighth Solomon recited [when dedicating the Temple], as it is said [in Psalm 30:(1)], “A Psalm, A Song at the Dedication of the House.”

9. The ninth song was the one which Jehoshaphat recited, as it is said [in 2 Chronicles 20:21], “He appointed those who sang to the LORD … and said, ‘Give thanks to the LORD, for His lovingkindness is everlasting.’”

10.The tenth song will be recited in the future, as it is said [in Isaiah 42:10], “Sing to the LORD a new song, sing His praise from the end of the earth!” (Mekhilta on Exodus 15:1).

David prefaces the psalm by saying “the LORD delivered him from the hand of all his enemies and from the hand of Saul.” Why does he specifically single out Saul for special mention? David did not consider Saul an enemy in the same sense as his other enemies. David did not want to lump Saul together with the Philistines and other idolatrous nations with which he had made war. Of all David’s enemies, Saul was the most dangerous. Saul’s malice required David to rely on the LORD’s protection even more than he did when facing other foes, only because David could not strike back against Saul. If David faced a Philistine on the field of battle. he could kill him and end the matter. With Saul, however, David did not have that option. He said, “I will not stretch out my hand against my lord, for he is the LORD’s anointed” (1 Samuel 24:10). Saul’s pursuit required David to lean completely upon the LORD for deliverance and victory.

Ok, so far what have we learnt from this Haftarah study? This is a very interesting study I would say and also very inspiring regarding God’s assurances. Needless to say, we also need to know how to get hold of this same assurances that King David got from the LORD time after time without fail. 2 Samuel 22 is a very good piece of study in which we can learn why and how? The only understanding that came from my study of this passage is that because David fear God’s anointed and he don’t dare to go against what God had chosen. Only God can punish and destroy what he had form. Never take vengence into your own hands especially those whom God protected at all times. But sometimes those God protected ones maybe somehow evil before you, what would you do? Pray to God for help and rely upon Him completely just like what King David is doing in this passage.

Shalom for now and may your fast be a memorable one for Him and for yourself! Tzom Kal! G’mar Chatimah tovah!

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