8 Tishrei 5994 / 23 September 2023
Day 266 Readings
Torah: Ha'azinu, 7th Portion Devarim (Deuteronomy) 32:44-52
47 For this is not a trivial matter for you; on the contrary, it is your life! Through it you will live long in the land you are crossing the Yarden to possess.”
Haftarah Ha’azinu: Sh’mu’el Bet (2 Samuel) 22:1–51; Hosea 14:2-10; Micah 7:18-20; Joel 2:15-27
2 Samuel 22
New King James Version
Praise for God’s Deliverance
1 Then David spoke to the Lord the words of this song, on the day when the Lord had delivered him from the hand of all his enemies, and from the hand of Saul.
2 And he said: “The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer;
3 The God of my strength, in whom I will trust;My shield and the horn[a] of my salvation,My stronghold and my refuge;My Savior, You save me from violence.
4 I will call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised;So shall I be saved from my enemies.
5 “When the waves of death surrounded me,The floods of ungodliness [b]made me afraid.
6 The sorrows of Sheol surrounded me;The snares of death confronted me.
7 In my distress I called upon the Lord,And cried out to my God;He heard my voice from His temple,And my cry entered His ears.
8 “Then the earth shook and trembled;The foundations of [c]heaven quaked and were shaken,Because He was angry.
9 Smoke went up from His nostrils,And devouring fire from His mouth;Coals were kindled by it.
10 He bowed the heavens also, and came downWith darkness under His feet.
11 He rode upon a cherub, and flew;And He [d]was seen upon the wings of the wind.
12 He made darkness canopies around Him,Dark waters and thick clouds of the skies.
13 From the brightness before HimCoals of fire were kindled.
14 “The Lord thundered from heaven,And the Most High uttered His voice.
15 He sent out arrows and scattered them;Lightning bolts, and He vanquished them.
16 Then the channels of the sea were seen,The foundations of the world were uncovered,At the rebuke of the Lord,At the blast of the breath of His nostrils.
17 “He sent from above, He took me,He drew me out of many waters.
18 He delivered me from my strong enemy,From those who hated me;For they were too strong for me.19 They confronted me in the day of my calamity,But the Lord was my support.20 He also brought me out into a broad place;He delivered me because He delighted in me.
21 “The Lord rewarded me according to my righteousness;According to the cleanness of my handsHe has recompensed me.
22 For I have kept the ways of the Lord,And have not wickedly departed from my God.
23 For all His judgments were before me;And as for His statutes, I did not depart from them.
24 I was also blameless before Him,And I kept myself from my iniquity.
25 Therefore the Lord has [e]recompensed me according to my righteousness,According to [f]my cleanness in His eyes.
26 “With the merciful You will show Yourself merciful;With a blameless man You will show Yourself blameless;
27 With the pure You will show Yourself pure;And with the devious You will show Yourself shrewd.
28 You will save the humble[g] people;But Your eyes are on the haughty, that You may bring them down.
29 “For You are my lamp, O Lord;The Lord shall enlighten my darkness.
30 For by You I can run against a troop;By my God I can leap over a wall.
31 As for God, His way is perfect;The word of the Lord is proven;He is a shield to all who trust in Him.
32 “For who is God, except the Lord?And who is a rock, except our God?
33 [h]God is my strength and power,And He makes [i]my way perfect.
34 He makes [j]my feet like the feet of deer,And sets me on my high places.
35 He teaches my hands [k]to make war,So that my arms can bend a bow of bronze.
36 “You have also given me the shield of Your salvation;Your gentleness has made me great.
37 You enlarged my path under me;So my feet did not slip.
38 “I have pursued my enemies and destroyed them;Neither did I turn back again till they were destroyed.
39 And I have destroyed them and wounded them,So that they could not rise;They have fallen under my feet.
40 For You have armed me with strength for the battle;You have [l]subdued under me those who rose against me.
41 You have also [m]given me the necks of my enemies,So that I destroyed those who hated me.
42 They looked, but there was none to save;Even to the Lord, but He did not answer them.
43 Then I beat them as fine as the dust of the earth;I trod them like dirt in the streets,And I [n]spread them out.
44 “You have also delivered me from the [o]strivings of my people;You have kept me as the head of the nations.A people I have not known shall serve me.
45 The foreigners submit to me; As soon as they hear, they obey me.
46 The foreigners fade away,And [p]come frightened from their hideouts.
47 “The Lord lives! Blessed be my Rock! Let God be exalted,The Rock of my salvation!
48 It is God who avenges me, And subdues the peoples under me;
49 He delivers me from my enemies. You also lift me up above those who rise against me;You have delivered me from the violent man.
50 Therefore I will give thanks to You, O Lord, among the Gentiles,And sing praises to Your name.
51 “He is the tower of salvation to His king,And shows mercy to His anointed,To David and his descendants forevermore.”
Hosea 14:2-10
8 “Ephraim shall say, ‘What have I to do anymore with idols?’I have heard and observed him.I am like a green cypress tree;Your fruit is found in Me.”
9 Who is wise?Let him understand these things.Who is prudent?Let him know them.For the ways of the Lord are right;The righteous walk in them,But transgressors stumble in them.
Micah 7:18-20
18 Who is a God like You,Pardoning iniquityAnd passing over the transgression of the remnant of His heritage?
He does not retain His anger forever,Because He delights in mercy.[a]19 He will again have compassion on us,And will subdue our iniquities.
You will cast all [b]our sinsInto the depths of the sea.20 You will give truth to JacobAnd [c]mercy to Abraham,Which You have sworn to our fathersFrom days of old.
Joel 2
15 Blow the [a]trumpet in Zion,Consecrate a fast,Call a sacred assembly;
16 Gather the people,Sanctify the congregation,Assemble the elders,Gather the children and nursing babes;Let the bridegroom go out from his chamber,And the bride from her dressing room.
17 Let the priests, who minister to the Lord,Weep between the porch and the altar;Let them say, “Spare Your people, O Lord,And do not give Your heritage to reproach,That the nations should [b]rule over them.Why should they say among the peoples,‘Where is their God?’ ”
The Land Refreshed
18 Then the Lord will be zealous for His land,And pity His people.19 The Lord will answer and say to His people,“Behold, I will send you grain and new wine and oil,And you will be satisfied by them;I will no longer make you a reproach among the nations.
20 “But I will remove far from you the northern army,And will drive him away into a barren and desolate land,With his face toward the eastern seaAnd his back toward the western sea;His stench will come up,And his foul odor will rise,Because he has done [c]monstrous things.”
21 Fear not, O land;Be glad and rejoice,For the Lord has done [d]marvelous things!22 Do not be afraid, you beasts of the field;For the open pastures are springing up,And the tree bears its fruit;The fig tree and the vine yield their strength.23 Be glad then, you children of Zion,And rejoice in the Lord your God;For He has given you the [e]former rain faithfully,And He will cause the rain to come down for you—The former rain,And the latter rain in the first month.24 The threshing floors shall be full of wheat,And the vats shall overflow with new wine and oil.
25 “So I will restore to you the years that the swarming [f]locust has eaten,The crawling locust,The consuming locust,And the chewing locust,My great army which I sent among you.26 You shall eat in plenty and be satisfied,And praise the name of the Lord your God,Who has dealt wondrously with you;And My people shall never be put to shame.27 Then you shall know that I am in the midst of Israel:I am the Lord your GodAnd there is no other. My people shall never be put to shame.
B’rit Hadashah suggested readings for Parashah Ha’azinu:
Romans 10:14 –21; 12:14–21; Messianic Jews (Hebrews) 12:28–39; Romans 11:1–36
Romans 10:14 –21;
14 But how can they call on someone if they haven’t trusted in him? And how can they trust in someone if they haven’t heard about him? And how can they hear about someone if no one is proclaiming him? 15 And how can people proclaim him unless God sends them? — as the Tanakh puts it, “How beautiful are the feet of those announcing good news about good things!”[a]
16 The problem is that they haven’t all paid attention to the Good News and obeyed it. For Yesha‘yahu says,
“Adonai, who has trusted what he has heard from us?”[b]
17 So trust comes from what is heard, and what is heard comes through a word proclaimed about the Messiah.
Romans 12:14–21;
14 Bless those who persecute you — bless them, don’t curse them! 15 Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep. 16 Be sensitive to each other’s needs — don’t think yourselves better than others, but make humble people your friends. Don’t be conceited. 17 Repay no one evil for evil, but try to do what everyone regards as good. 18 If possible, and to the extent that it depends on you, live in peace with all people. 19 Never seek revenge, my friends; instead, leave that to God’s anger; for in the Tanakh it is written,
“Adonai says, ‘Vengeance is my responsibility; I will repay.’”[a]
20 On the contrary,
“If your enemy is hungry, feed him;if he is thirsty, give him something to drink.For by doing this, you will heapfiery coals [of shame] on his head.”[b]
21 Do not be conquered by evil, but conquer evil with good.
Messianic Jews (Hebrews) 12:28–39
28 Therefore, since we have received an unshakeable Kingdom, let us have grace, through which we may offer service that will please God, with reverence and fear. 29 For indeed, “Our God is a consuming fire!”
Romans 11
25 For, brothers, I want you to understand this truth which God formerly concealed but has now revealed, so that you won’t imagine you know more than you actually do. It is that stoniness, to a degree, has come upon Isra’el, until the Gentile world enters in its fullness; 26 and that it is in this way that all Isra’el will be saved. As the Tanakh says,
“Out of Tziyon will come the Redeemer;he will turn away ungodliness from Ya‘akov27 and this will be my covenant with them, . . .when I take away their sins.”[h]
28 With respect to the Good News they are hated for your sake. But with respect to being chosen they are loved for the Patriarchs’ sake, 29 for God’s free gifts and his calling are irrevocable. 30 Just as you yourselves were disobedient to God before but have received mercy now because of Isra’el’s disobedience; 31 so also Isra’el has been disobedient now, so that by your showing them the same mercy that God has shown you, they too may now receive God’s mercy. 32 For God has shut up all mankind together in disobedience, in order that he might show mercy to all.
Bible Study Together
Joshua 9
14 Then the men of Israel took some of their provisions; but they [e]did not ask counsel of the Lord. 15 So Joshua made peace with them, and made a covenant with them to let them live; and the rulers of the congregation swore to them.
22 Then Joshua called for them, and he spoke to them, saying, “Why have you deceived us, saying, ‘We are very far from you,’ when you dwell near us? 23 Now therefore, you are cursed, and none of you shall be freed from being slaves—woodcutters and water carriers for the house of my God.”
24 So they answered Joshua and said, “Because your servants were clearly told that the Lord your God commanded His servant Moses to give you all the land, and to destroy all the inhabitants of the land from before you; therefore we were very much afraid for our lives because of you, and have done this thing. 25 And now, here we are, in your hands; do with us as it seems good and right to do to us.” 26 So he did to them, and delivered them out of the hand of the children of Israel, so that they did not kill them. 27 And that day Joshua made them woodcutters and water carriers for the congregation and for the altar of the Lord, in the place which He would choose, even to this day.
Luke 9 34 While he was saying this, a cloud came and overshadowed them; and they were fearful as they entered the cloud. 35 And a voice came out of the cloud, saying, “This is [e]My beloved Son. Hear Him!”
365 Daily Kingdom Living
Magnus Opus
The greatest most renowned achievement of an artist, composer, or writer is called his Magnus Opus. Beethoven’s 6th Symphony has been considered his Magnus Opus. The Epistle to the Romans has been considered Paul’s Magnus Opus. The Last Supper by Leonardo da Vinci is also a top contender. Now consider yourself. You may not have created a masterpiece but you are a masterpiece! For we are created as a masterpiece in Christ Jesus. We are designed for good works not of ourselves, but from a living faith in Him.
Prayer: My heart rejoices in Your glory and majesty. Blessed be Your name. I am overwhelmed by Your creative work in me. I offer myself to you to complete the works You have for me. In Jesus' precious name, Amen.
Scripture
I forgot to read my remaining chapters for the day so this was read at 4AM Sunday during my dawn watch
Isaiah 41
8 “But you, Isra’el, my servant;Ya‘akov, whom I have chosen,descendants of Avraham my friend,9 I have taken you from the ends of the earth,summoned you from its most distant partsand said to you, ‘You are my servant’ —I have chosen you, not rejected you.10 Don’t be afraid, for I am with you;don’t be distressed, for I am your God.I give you strength, I give you help,I support you with my victorious right hand.11 All those who were angry with youwill be disgraced, put to shame;those who fought against youwill be destroyed, brought to nothing.12 You will seek them but not find them,those who contended with you;yes, those who made war with youwill be brought to nothing, nothing at all.13 For I, Adonai, your God,say to you, as I hold your right hand,‘Have no fear; I will help you.14 Have no fear, Ya‘akov, you worm,you men of Isra’el!’I will help you,” says Adonai;“Your redeemer is the Holy One of Isra’el.
15 “I will make you into a threshing-sledge,new, with sharp, pointed teeth,to thresh the mountains and crush them to dust,to reduce the hills to chaff.16 As you fan them, the wind will carry them off,and the whirlwind will scatter them.Then you will rejoice in Adonai,you will glory in the Holy One of Isra’el.
17 “The poor and needy look for water in vain;their tongues are parched with thirst.I, Adonai, will answer them.I, the God of Isra’el, will not leave them.18 I will open up rivers on the barren hillsand wells down in the broad valleys.I will turn the desert into a lakeand dry ground into springs.19 I will plant the desert with cedars,acacias, myrtles and olive trees;In the ‘Aravah I will put cypressestogether with elm trees and larches.”20 Then the people will see and know,together observe and understandthat the hand of Adonai has done this,that the Holy One of Isra’el created it.
21 “Present your case,” says Adonai,“Produce your arguments,” says Ya‘akov’s king.
22 Bring out those idols!Have them foretell the future for us,tell us about past events,so that we can reflect on themand understand their consequences.Or tell us about events yet to come,23 state what will happen in the future,so that we can know you are gods.At least, do something, either good or bad —anything, to make us awestruck and fearful!24 You can’t! — because you are less than nothing.Whoever chooses you is an abomination!
25 “I roused someone from the north,and he has come from the rising sun;he will call on my name.He will trample on rulers as if they were mud,like a potter treading clay.”
26 Who said this at the start, so we could know,or foretold it, so we could say, “He’s right”?In fact, no one said it; no one foretold it —the fact is, nobody hears what you say.27 I am the first to declare it to Tziyon,to send Yerushalayim a messenger with good news.28 But when I look around, there is no one —not a single one can give counsel,who, when I ask, can give an answer.29 Look at them all! What they do is nothing!Their idols are so much wind and waste.
Written 4AM 24 September 2023
Frank told me to lower my standards so that I can finally chose to marry someone. He has been like a counselor and I am grateful, he got me thinking about the man GOD has chosen for me. Could I be wrong? I surrendered Mosab - the ideal man from Zion to GOD. But surrendering can be hard especially when it comes to your ideals and what you first believed.
This Sunday morning I awaken at 4am and realized I need to keep watch because this is my time of watching as a dawn warrior watchman ever since, I was Aurora the Sleepless Beauty. And this morning I prayed, I have to keep holding on to GOD's promises because the man GOD promised me should be born in Zion; therefore it cannot be the lawyer, whom I have been feeling something... I did not even seek GOD about it on Shabbat, I kept thinking of Mario and asking GOD to forgive me for bruising him... that GOD would take care of him and heal him. But the part of my husband, I could not deal with the fact that the lawyer is chinese and very square. Am I that square??? I was more square or more idealistic than he is sure, that's why I was connected to the leftie lawyer who became selfrighteous and nuts. But to ask about the new laywer I did not want to because I felt I already understood what HE is trying to show me and so I conviced myself this morning to just not consider him saying "Therefore I will not consider him even though I feel something because he is not a man born in zion" but behold his word in Isaiah 41
Isaiah 42
Here Is My Servant(Matthew 12:15–21)
1“Here is My Servant, whom I uphold, My Chosen One, in whom My soul delights.
I will put My Spirit on Him, and He will bring justice to the nations.
2He will not cry out or raise His voice, nor make His voice heard in the streets.
3A bruised reed He will not break and a smoldering wick He will not extinguish;
He will faithfully bring forth justice.
4He will not grow weak or discourageda before He has established justice on the earth.
In His law the islands will put their hope.”b
5This is what God the LORD says—He who created the heavens
and stretched them out, who spread out the earth and its offspring,
who gives breath to the people on it and life to those who walk in it:
6“I, the LORD, have called you for a righteous purpose, and I will take hold of your hand.
I will keep you and appoint you to be a covenant for the people and a light to the nations,
7to open the eyes of the blind, to bring prisoners out of the dungeon
and those sitting in darkness out from the prison house.
8I am the LORD; that is My name! I will not yield My glory to another or My praise to idols.
9Behold, the former things have happened, and now I declare new things.
Before they spring forth I proclaim them to you.”
A New Song of Praise(Psalm 98:1–9; Psalm 149:1–9)
10Sing to the LORD a new song—His praise from the ends of the earth—
you who go down to the sea, and all that is in it, you islands,c and all who dwell in them.
11Let the desert and its cities raise their voices; let the villages of Kedar cry aloud.
Let the people of Sela sing for joy; let them cry out from the mountaintops.
12Let them give glory to the LORD and declare His praise in the islands.
13The LORD goes forth like a mighty one; He stirs up His zeal like a warrior.
He shouts; yes, He roars in triumph over His enemies:
14“I have kept silent from ages past I have remained quiet and restrained.
But now I will groan like a woman in labor; I will at once gasp and pant.
15I will lay waste the mountains and hills and dry up all their vegetation.
I will turn the rivers into dry landd and drain the marshes.
16I will lead the blind by a way they did not know; I will guide them on unfamiliar paths.
I will turn darkness into light before them and rough places into level ground.
These things I will do for them, and I will not forsake them.
17But those who trust in idols and say to molten images, ‘You are our gods!’
will be turned back in utter shame.
Israel Is Deaf and Blind
18Listen, you deaf ones; look, you blind ones, that you may see!
19Who is blind but My servant, or deaf like the messenger I am sending?
Who is blind like My covenant partner, or blind like the servant of the LORD?
20Though seeing many things, you do not keep watch. Though your ears are open, you do not hear.”
21The LORD was pleased, for the sake of His righteousness, to magnify His law and make it glorious.
22But this is a people plundered and looted, all trapped in caves or imprisoned in dungeons.
They have become plunder with no one to rescue them, and loot with no one to say, “Send them back!”
23Who among you will pay attention to this? Who will listen and obey hereafter?
24Who gave Jacob up for spoil, and Israel to the plunderers? Was it not the LORD,
against whom we have sinned? They were unwilling to walk in His ways,
and they would not obey His law.
25So He poured out on them His furious anger and the fierceness of battle.
It enveloped them in flames, but they did not understand;
it consumed them, but they did not take it to heart.
Ephesians 2
Brought Near by His Blood
11 Therefore remember that you, once Gentiles in the flesh—who are called Uncircumcision by what is called the Circumcision made in the flesh by hands— 12 that at that time you were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. 13 But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.
Christ Our Peace
14 For He Himself is our peace, who has made both one, and has broken down the middle wall of separation, 15 having abolished in His flesh the enmity, that is, the law of commandments contained in ordinances, so as to create in Himself one new man from the two, thus making peace, 16 and that He might reconcile them both to God in one body through the cross, thereby putting to death the enmity. 17 And He came and preached peace to you who were afar off and to those who were near. 18 For through Him we both have access by one Spirit to the Father.
Christ Our Cornerstone
19 Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, 20 having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone, 21 in whom the whole building, being fitted together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord, 22 in whom you also are being built together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit.
Psalms 67
New King James Version
An Invocation and a Doxology
To the Chief Musician. On [a]stringed instruments. A Psalm. A Song.
67 God be merciful to us and bless us,And cause His face to shine upon us, Selah2 That Your way may be known on earth,Your salvation among all nations.
3 Let the peoples praise You, O God;Let all the peoples praise You.4 Oh, let the nations be glad and sing for joy!For You shall judge the people righteously,And govern the nations on earth. Selah
5 Let the peoples praise You, O God;Let all the peoples praise You.6 Then the earth shall [b]yield her increase;God, our own God, shall bless us.7 God shall bless us,And all the ends of the earth shall fear Him.
Proverbs 23:29-35