Psalm 51 and Commentary

Psalm 51

To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David, when Nathan the prophet went to him, after he had gone in to Bathsheba.

1 Have mercy on me,a O God,
according to your steadfast love;
according to your abundant mercy
blot out my transgressions.

2 Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity,
and cleanse me from my sin!

3 For I know my transgressions,
and my sin is ever before me.

4 Against you, you only, have I sinned
and done what is evil in your sight,
so that you may be justified in your words
and blameless in your judgment.

5 Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity,
and in sin did my mother conceive me.

6 Behold, you delight in truth in the inward being,
and you teach me wisdom in the secret heart.

7 Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean;
wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.

8 Let me hear joy and gladness;
let the bones that you have broken rejoice.

9 Hide your face from my sins,
and blot out all my iniquities.

10 Create in me a clean heart, O God,
and renew a rightb spirit within me.

11 Cast me not away from your presence,
and take not your Holy Spirit from me.

12 Restore to me the joy of your salvation,
and uphold me with a willing spirit.

13 Then I will teach transgressors your ways,
and sinners will return to you.

14 Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God,
O God of my salvation,
and my tongue will sing aloud of your righteousness.

15 O Lord, open my lips,
and my mouth will declare your praise.

16 For you will not delight in sacrifice, or I would give it;
you will not be pleased with a burnt offering.

17 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit;
a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.

18 Do good to Zion in your good pleasure;
build up the walls of Jerusalem;

19 then will you delight in right sacrifices,
in burnt offerings and whole burnt offerings;
then bulls will be offered on your altar.

Footnotes:
a 1 Or Be gracious to me
b 10 Or steadfast

A Commentary from iTorah.com Tehillim followed by a brief comment by me.

“This chapter is among the few Psalms that make explicit reference to the context in which they were written. The opening verse informs us that David composed this chapter when he was approached by prophet Natan after his sin with Batsheva. As we read in the Book of Shemuel II (chapter 12), God sent Natan to David to condemn his sin and to warn of the harsh punishment he will endure as a result (“the sword shall not leave your household forever” – Shemuel II 12:10). Upon hearing Natan’s prophecy, David composed this stirring prayer begging the Almighty to forgive his wrongdoing.

“David’s prayer consists of a number of noteworthy elements, most prominently, perhaps, the emphasis on the theme of “cleansing.” He begs not merely for forgiveness, that he escape punishment, but also that he be “laundered” and “purified” from his sin (see verses 4,9). In fact, he asks for purification with “hyssop” (verse 9), which, as Rashi notes, refers to the purification process of a Metzora (leper) which included a hyssop (see Vayikra 14:4) and was required before the Metzora may enter the Mikdash. David recognizes that his misdeed not only renders him worthy of punishment, but also leaves an impression upon his soul; it hampers his ability to reach greater spiritual heights, just as a Metzora’s condition bars him from entering the Temple. He thus beseeches God for not only forgiveness, but for purification, for the complete eradication of the sin’s effects from his being so that he can continue his life of sanctity and Godliness. As he famously prays in verses 12-13, “Create for me a pure heart, O God, and renew within me a proper spirit. Do not cast me away from You, and do not take from me Your sacred spirit.”

“David also declares as part of his plea, “I shall teach betrayers Your ways, and sinners shall return unto You” (verse 15). Rashi and Radak explain this to mean that the forgiveness granted to David shall serve as inspiration for all sinners of all future generations, who will learn from his experience about the immense power of repentance. David understands full well the prominent place he has attained in Jewish history, that everything he does and that happens to him will be carefully studied for generations to come. He therefore appeals to God that for the benefit of all Jews for the rest of time, God should accept his repentance and thereby establish an inspiring precedent for all future sinners to follow.

“Towards the end of this Psalm, David proclaims that God is interested less in sacrificial offerings that in sincere, wholehearted repentance: “The offerings of God are a broken spirit, a broken and sorrowful heart – God will not reject” (verse 19). This, too, is likely intended for us, the readers and students of Tehillim who do not have the ability to offer sacrifices, reminding us that the true “sacrifice” is made by the heart, through genuine Teshuva. Even in the absence of the Temple, sinners can earn atonement and God’s favor through the process of repentance – the one “sacrifice” that the Almighty will never reject.”

We can be grateful for the full purification offered by Yeshua Messiah and L-RD. Our souls are washed and purified by Him. Spiritually we are seated with Him. In this present world, in our bodies, we are being made holy as we await the compete glorification of our bodies when we are with Yeshua. Hallelujah!

The L-RD bless you and protect you!
The L-RD deal kindly and graciously with you!
The L-RD bestow His favor upon you and grant you peace!
(Numbers 6:24-26)

How S. Korea slowed virus spread

An article on South Korea’s approach to slowing the virus appeared in the Atlanta Journal Constitution this morning. It is written by BY JOSÉ CARLOS CORDERO COTE, who writes for LA NOTICIA. I hope you will be able to view it here: How South Korea Slowed Virus Spread

In a nutshell, South Korea dealt with MERS and learned a few lessons from it. South Korea was able to get into full production of tests, set up free testing locations early on, and information was readily available to the public from the beginning. As individuals were identified as having COVID-19, they were tracked and that, too, was available to the public. (Yes, we’d freak out if that happened here.) South Koreans adapted well, not only to being tracked, but to both social distancing and wearing masks. Apparently masks were either onhand or available, and prices were controlled.

The measures slowed the spread of the virus and reduced the mortality rate to 0.99% (China’s mortality rate is above 4%.

The L-RD bless you and protect you!
The L-RD deal kindly and graciously with you!
The L-RD bestow His favor upon you and grant you peace!
(Numbers 6:24-26)

Went to the Dump Today

A tree, stuck by lightning a few years ago, fell into our fence. It’s not a fancy fence; it’s just a plain corral fence, or as they call them here, a ranch rail. It’s been repaired too many times, and finally last week I tore the damaged section out. I stretched some old wire fencing along the opening to keep the dogs inside until I build another. Some day.

Driving to the dump with the old boards and posts and a bunch of other junk was like any ordinary Monday mid-day. Traffic on the roads, people shopping, fast-food drive throughs with plenty of cars waiting in line. No restaurants had cars parked in front, though. Statewide closures, while I suppose not mandatory in our mostly rural county, are being followed.

In the afternoon my wife and I sat on the deck watching the pollen fall like snow, taking stock of a couple trees that will need to be cut down, after suffering from lightning strikes and finally dying, and we enjoyed rum and coke, and for me a cigar. A bluebird is building a nest, and we watched her go back and forth to the bluebird box with scraps of this and that. Cardinals and nuthatches flew around. No squirrels, however. One of our dogs eats them when the come near; the word got around.

It’s rather surreal, really.

Checking the news from my cell phone, I saw that Navy hospital ships are arriving in big cities. New York’s Central Park has tent hospitals set up. Hospitals in Atlanta are at capacity, with no end in sight.

Rather dismaying—Christians, according to an opinion piece in the New York Times, are to blame for impeding the efforts to contain SARS-CV2, the corona virus causing COVID-19. The author also says Christians are spreading the virus.

I checked out some webcams of highways and interstates around Atlanta. They should usually be congested, but were quite barren. Life seeming to come to a halt.

I thought about all the sci-fi books I’ve read, and the ones that dealt with the end of the world—the “apocalypse.” In most of the stories the world seems to go out with a bang. If this is the end, it’s going out with a whimper (which is exactly how one sci-fi author put it in his novel).

The conspiracy theorists are having a field day. The survivalists, called preppers these days, are feeling somewhat vindicated and a lot less eccentric—which probably means they didn’t rush to buy the last of the toilet paper. (seriously, the end of the world and there’s a rush to get toilet paper. Why’s that? Oh, right, CNN said to buy toilet paper, paper towel, and water.)

But my wife and I aren’t being cavalier about it all, even if life in our county seems to be going on as normal. We’re taking extra precautions, we wipe surfaces with cleaner, stay at home, take our vitamins, and stay away from people. After all, we’re at the same age as the average age of those who’ve died in Georgia. We’ve not shopped now for three weeks, and finally put in an order online from a local grocery store. We’ve reserved a time to pick up the groceries. We don’t need to go into the store, just park in a designated space and call; the groceries will be brought out to us, put into the bed of the truck, and we can head out with no contact. We’ll cleanse things at home, too. Is it necessary? I don’t know. We’ll do what we can do; we’ll trust G-d for all we can’t do.

A suggestion for short Bible study:

Isaiah 50:10
Who is among you that feareth the LORD, that obeyeth the voice of his servant, that walketh in darkness, and hath no light? let him trust in the name of the LORD, and stay upon his God.

From Barnes’s Notes:
“Who is among you that feareth the Lord? – This whole prophecy is concluded with an address made in this verse to the friends of God, and in the next to his enemies. It is the language of the Messiah, calling on the one class to put their trust in Yahweh, and threatening the other with displeasure and wrath. The exhortation in this verse is made in view of what is said in the previous verses. It is the entreaty of the Redeemer to all who love and fear God, and who may be placed in circumstances of trial and darkness as he was. to imitate his example, and not to rely on their own power, but to put their trust in the arm of Yahweh. he had done this Isaiah 50:7-9. He had been afflicted, persecuted, forsaken, by people Isaiah 50:6, and he had at that time confided in God and committed his cause to him; and he had never left or forsaken him. Encouraged by his example, he exhorts all others to cast themselves on the care of him who would defend a righteous cause.
That feareth the Lord – Who are worshippers of Yahweh.

“That obeyeth the voice of his servant – The Messiah (see the note at Isaiah 42:1). This is another characteristic of piety. They who fear the Lord will also obey the voice of the Redeemer John 5:23.

“That walketh in darkness – In a manner similar to the Messiah Isaiah 50:6. God’s true people experience afflictions like others, and have often trials especially their own. They are sometimes in deep darkness of mind, and see no light. Comfort has forsaken them, and their days and nights are passed in gloom.

“Let him trust in the name of the Lord – The Messiah had done this Isaiah 50:8-9, and he exhorts all others to do it. Doing this they would obtain divine assistance, and would find that he would never leave nor forsake them.

“And stay upon his God – Lean upon him, as one does on a staff or other support. This may be regarded still as the language of the merciful Redeemer, appealing to his own example, and entreating all who are in like circumstances, to put their trust in God.”

Numbers-6-24-26 - 1
Numbers-6-24-26 – 1

Infinity and Beyond

There’s a lot of fear in the news these past few weeks. There’s a sense of panic, too. We fear tomorrow; we fear the unknown. Certainly the world we’ve known seems to have ended.

It makes me think about infinity. It makes me think about eternity.

It must have been in third grade, after a discussion on the universe and the idea of infinity, that I lay on the grass looking up at the sky. There is no end to the universe, I thought, but couldn’t grasp it. I envisioned a cement wall at the end of the universe. I couldn’t go beyond that, however; I couldn’t grasp it all.

Eternity is like that, I think. Living in time and space I can grasp. I can get a handle on my past years. And today is the here that is associated with moment and the place in which I am. I get that. I can grasp a past that isn’t particularly mine, but something I have read about or been told about. I can relate to my own family history, the history of those I read about in books, the people in the Bible. But I can’t really grasp what eternity is like. Not really.

And yet we believe that, beyond this time and this place we call our world, there is Heaven that continues beyond time, beyond space.

As Children of G-D, our lives go on forever.

Fear of what I can’t grasp, of what I can’t control can drive me and my thoughts and my fears. This is the case if, and only if, I remainwith my eyes closed to our Heavenly Father. If I open my eyes to L-RD, if I set aside natural thinking, the things of this world grow dim and fear subsides. Apostle Paul says: “For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain.” Phil 1:21

Though I can’t fully grasp infinity, eternity, I need have no fear of what may come.

L-RD Bless, Keep, Shine . . .

 

An Explanation; A Future Hope

Here, in this Psalm for Sabbath, an explanation is given for the “wicked sprouting like grass and all evildoers flourish.” As with other Psalms, our Heavenly Father, through the psalmist, shows us the hope we have for a future downfall of enemies and that Believers will flourish.

Psalm 92 ESV

How Great Are Your Works

A Psalm. A Song for the Sabbath.

1 It is good to give thanks to the Lord,
to sing praises to your name, O Most High;

2 to declare your steadfast love in the morning,
and your faithfulness by night,

3 to the music of the lute and the harp,
to the melody of the lyre.

4 For you, O Lord, have made me glad by your work;
at the works of your hands I sing for joy.

5 How great are your works, O Lord!
Your thoughts are very deep!

6 The stupid man cannot know;
the fool cannot understand this:

7 that though the wicked sprout like grass
and all evildoers flourish,
they are doomed to destruction forever;

8 but you, O Lord, are on high forever.

9 For behold, your enemies, O Lord,
for behold, your enemies shall perish;
all evildoers shall be scattered.

10But you have exalted my horn like that of the wild ox;
you have poured over mea fresh oil.

11 My eyes have seen the downfall of my enemies;
my ears have heard the doom of my evil assailants.

12 The righteous flourish like the palm tree
and grow like a cedar in Lebanon.

13 They are planted in the house of the Lord;
they flourish in the courts of our God.

14 They still bear fruit in old age;
they are ever full of sap and green,

15 to declare that the Lord is upright;
he is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in him.

Numbers-6-24-26 - 1
Numbers-6-24-26 – 1

Now I Lay Me. . .

When I was young, I learned and prayed before bed the prayer that begins “Now I lay me down to sleep. I pray the L-RD my soul to keep. . .” My kids learned it when they were small, too.

What prayer is there for adults? Try Psalm 3.

1 O L-RD, how many are my foes!
Many are rising against me;

2 many are saying of my soul,
“There is no salvation for him in G-D.” Selah

3 But you, O L-RD, are a shield about me,
my glory, and the lifter of my head.

4 I cried aloud to the L-RD,
and he answered me from his holy hill. Selah

5 I lay down and slept;
I woke again, for the Lord sustained me.

6 I will not be afraid of many thousands of people
who have set themselves against me all around.

7 Arise, O L-RD!
Save me, O my G-D!
For you strike all my enemies on the cheek;
you break the teeth of the wicked.

8 Salvation belongs to the Lord;
your blessing be on your people! Selah

The L-RD bless you and protect you!

The L-RD deal kindly and graciously with you!

The L-RD bestow His favor upon you and grant you peace!

(Numbers 6:24-26)

A Daily Prayer

Psalm 67

1 May G-D be gracious to us and bless us
and make his face to shine upon us, Selah

2 that your way may be known on earth,
your saving power among all nations.

3 Let the peoples praise you, O G-D;
let all the peoples praise you!

4 Let the nations be glad and sing for joy,
for you judge the peoples with equity
and guide the nations upon earth. Selah

5 Let the peoples praise you, O G-D;
let all the peoples praise you!

6 The earth has yielded its increase;
G-D, our G-D, shall bless us.

7 G-D shall bless us;
let all the ends of the earth fear him!

A Prayer for the Morning

It is said that Kind David had an open “sky light” above his bed. That in the early hours of the morning a wind would awaken him. And he would pray:
1My heart is steadfast, O G-D!
I will sing and make melody with all my being!a
2Awake, O harp and lyre!
I will awake the dawn!
3I will give thanks to you, O L-RD, among the peoples;
I will sing praises to you among the nations.
4For your steadfast love is great above the heavens;
your faithfulness reaches to the clouds.

5Be exalted, O G-D, above the heavens!
Let your glory be over all the earth!
6That your beloved ones may be delivered,
give salvation by your right hand and answer me!

From Psalm 108 (ESV)

Psalm 73 & Commentary

A Psalm of Asaph.
1 Truly God is good to Israel,
to those who are pure in heart.
2 But as for me, my feet had almost stumbled,
my steps had nearly slipped.
3 For I was envious of the arrogant
when I saw the prosperity of the wicked.

4 For they have no pangs until death;
their bodies are fat and sleek.
5 They are not in trouble as others are;
they are not stricken like the rest of mankind.
6 Therefore pride is their necklace;
violence covers them as a garment.
7 Their eyes swell out through fatness;
their hearts overflow with follies.
8 They scoff and speak with malice;
loftily they threaten oppression.
9 They set their mouths against the heavens,
and their tongue struts through the earth.
10 Therefore his people turn back to them,
and find no fault in them.a
11 And they say, “How can God know?
Is there knowledge in the Most High?”
12 Behold, these are the wicked;
always at ease, they increase in riches.
13 All in vain have I kept my heart clean
and washed my hands in innocence.
14 For all the day long I have been stricken
and rebuked every morning.
15 If I had said, “I will speak thus,”
I would have betrayed the generation of your children.

16 But when I thought how to understand this,
it seemed to me a wearisome task,
17 until I went into the sanctuary of God;
then I discerned their end.

18 Truly you set them in slippery places;
you make them fall to ruin.
19 How they are destroyed in a moment,
swept away utterly by terrors!
20 Like a dream when one awakes,
O Lord, when you rouse yourself, you despise them as phantoms.
21 When my soul was embittered,
when I was pricked in heart,
22 I was brutish and ignorant;
I was like a beast toward you.

23 Nevertheless, I am continually with you;
you hold my right hand.
24 You guide me with your counsel,
and afterward you will receive me to glory.
25 Whom have I in heaven but you?
And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you.
26 My flesh and my heart may fail,
but God is the strengthb of my heart and my portion forever.

27 For behold, those who are far from you shall perish;
you put an end to everyone who is unfaithful to you.
28 But for me it is good to be near God;
I have made the Lord GOD my refuge,
that I may tell of all your works.

 

Commentary from iTorah.com

Psalm 73, which was composed by the Levite poet Asaf, addresses the age-old question of theodicy – the success of the wicked and the suffering of the righteous. Asaf confesses to having almost been misled by the power and prosperity enjoyed by the wicked, and that he even envied their lives of ill-begotten wealth, peace and serenity (verses 2-3). He observes that the wicked and corrupt men always seem to escape the hardships and trials endured by others, and enjoy the means and peace of mind to indulge to their hearts’ content (verses 4-7). Their success has led many among the masses to follow their example of crime and treachery, as people naturally began to wonder whether or not God in fact takes note of wrongdoing and punishes the wicked (10-14). Asaf goes so far as to say that were he to give a comprehensive account of the success and prosperity of the wicked, he would likely drive his entire generation of otherwise believing Jews to heresy (verse 15).

Asaf’s outlook thankfully changed when he “entered the Temples of God” (verse 17). Rashi explains that Asaf prophetically beheld the miraculous demise of the Assyrian army when it besieged Jerusalem (see introduction to chapter 68). That event serves as a dramatic example of a successful reign of tyranny and cruelty that meets a sudden, catastrophic end, and it thus clarified for Asaf why God allows the wicked to prosper: He allows evildoers to follow their chosen path which leads them further and further away from any possibility of repentance, thus guaranteeing their ultimate demise.

The Radak explains differently, claiming that “Temples of God” refers to the afterlife. Asaf reveals that he erred in focusing his attention exclusively upon this world; indeed, our experiences in this world demonstrate that corruption often brings success while piety can bring poverty and hardship. But once Asaf broadened his perspective and began to take into account the eternal life of the soul, he immediately resolved the dilemma of theodicy: God grants the wicked in this world whatever reward they deserve, so that they receive their punishment in full after death, in the afterlife.

Asaf thus concludes in this chapter’s final verse, “Va’ani Kirvat Elokim Li Tov” – closeness to God is what is good and beneficial for a person. Though we often see wicked and depraved men succeed and prosper at the expense of the righteous and upright, we must nevertheless retain our belief in the inestimable value of observing God’s laws, and that the reward that awaits those who devote themselves to God far exceeds the success enjoyed by the wicked in this world.

L-RD Bless, Keep, Shine. . .