Click here to access MP3 audio teaching

POSTED 13 SEPTEMBER, 2007

Days of Awe: Day One

by Mark Huey
mhuey@outreachisrael.net

Psalm 145
Genesis 21:1-21; 22:1-19; Exodus 20:1-2

The days between the Day of Blowing or Yom Teruah on the 1st of Tishri, and the Day of Atonement or Yom Kippur on the 10th of Tishri, are traditionally known as the “Ten Days of Awe.” It is during this time that many Jews focus on the final days of teshuvah, or return to the God of Israel.

In an attempt to encourage people around the globe to take the time to read and meditate upon the Word of God during the Ten Days of Awe, I surveyed a few of my Messianic Jewish brethren, asking them if Judaism has traditionally found some specific Scriptures to focus on during this time of teshuvah. Some indicated that Psalm 145 is read each day because of the implication in v. 19 that God will hear the cry of His petitioners and save them:

“He will fulfill the desire of those who fear Him; He will also hear their cry and will save them” (Psalm 145:19).

Upon further examination, I found that the Book of Job is often read at this time of year in order to reflect upon the trials and tribulations of a faithful servant of the Most High. Also, some specific Scriptures are designated for Shabbat Shuvah, which falls between Yom Teruah and Yom Kippur (Hosea 14:2-10; Micah 7:18-20).

Finally, I heard from a Jewish friend who mentioned one of the most obvious things to meditate upon and consider at this time. After all, there are ten days of reflection—and are there not Ten Commandments? When I heard this comment, it immediately made sense to me, so for the most part during the next ten days I am going to recommend some readings from the Book of Job, but also spend some time reflecting upon the Ten Commandments.

I also believe that it would be beneficial for each of us to take a look at Psalm 145 on a daily basis, because there is so much to comment on from this psalm of David. As you read and meditate upon it, I hope you will be blessed by the insights you will receive from the Holy Spirit as you are taught more about the mercy and grace of our Creator. If you will take the time to read this psalm, you will notice that its thoughts are broken into twenty-one verses that correspond to the Hebrew alef-bet. The letter nun (n), however, is skipped in v. 14, because as commentators often conclude that since the verb nafal (lpn) in Hebrew has an allusion to “downfall” or “fallen,” it is best to be overlooked. However, please note that since man does fall short of the glory of God, the verse essentially states that the Holy One will support the fallen ones and straighten the bent, broken, or bowed down.

Before we consider the First Commandment, let us take the time to read the following psalm and bask in the mercy of our loving Father:

“A Psalm of Praise, of David. I will extol You, my God, O King, And I will bless Your name forever and ever. Every day I will bless You, and I will praise Your name forever and ever. Great is the Lord, and highly to be praised, and His greatness is unsearchable. One generation shall praise Your works to another, and shall declare Your mighty acts. On the glorious splendor of Your majesty and on Your wonderful works, I will meditate. Men shall speak of the power of Your awesome acts, and I will tell of Your greatness. They shall eagerly utter the memory of Your abundant goodness and will shout joyfully of Your righteousness. The Lord is gracious and merciful; slow to anger and great in lovingkindness. The Lord is good to all, and His mercies are over all His works. All Your works shall give thanks to You, O Lord, and Your godly ones shall bless You. They shall speak of the glory of Your kingdom and talk of Your power; to make known to the sons of men Your mighty acts and the glory of the majesty of Your kingdom. Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and Your dominion endures throughout all generations. The Lord sustains all who fall and raises up all who are bowed down. The eyes of all look to You, and You give them their food in due time. You open Your hand and satisfy the desire of every living thing. The Lord is righteous in all His ways and kind in all His deeds. The Lord is near to all who call upon Him, to all who call upon Him in truth. He will fulfill the desire of those who fear Him; He will also hear their cry and will save them. The Lord keeps all who love Him, but all the wicked He will destroy. My mouth will speak the praise of the Lord, and all flesh will bless His holy name forever and ever” (Psalm 145:1-21).

The First Commandment

If you will recall the context of when the Ten Commandments were given to the Ancient Israelites, their deliverance from Egyptian bondage had been completed. The awesome display of God’s power had been exercised, and Israel, under the able leadership of Moses and Aaron, is now in the third month if dwelling in the wilderness of Sinai. Moses is called up to Mount Sinai to receive some instructions that will be personally initialed by the finger of God. Here in no uncertain terms, the Almighty tells Moses to communicate the following reason that He has chosen Israel to be the recipient of the Ten Commandments:

“‘Now then, if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, then you shall be My own possession among all the peoples, for all the earth is Mine; and you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’ These are the words that you shall speak to the sons of Israel” (Exodus 19:5-6).

The challenges given to the people of Israel are that if they obey the voice of God and keep His covenant, then Israel will be His possession among the nations of the Earth—specifically being a kingdom of priests and a holy nation. This is an incredible opportunity for a group of former slaves, who through the Patriarchs Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, had been promised much in previous generations. But now the fathers are some four hundred years deceased, and their memory is being kept alive by a group of people who have just endured harsh conditions by Egyptian taskmasters. In spite of the challenges of memory loss and ill treatment, when Moses gives these words to the elders of Israel, the response is a unanimous Amen and Amen:

“So Moses came and called the elders of the people, and set before them all these words which the Lord had commanded him. All the people answered together and said, ‘All that the Lord has spoken we will do!’ And Moses brought back the words of the people to the Lord” (Exodus 19:7-8).

When the response comes back that all Israel will do what God has spoken, the people agree to do what He has asked and do not even hesitate to ask why. The people of Israel were so impressed with the fact that the Holy One loved them so much as to deliver them from the oppression of Egypt, and that His love was so great that all that He said would be to their benefit, they categorically state with enthusiasm that they would do all that He said to do.

As you should recall, after a few instructions are given on how to prepare themselves for receipt of the commandments, the Israelites begin to hear the sound of the great shofar on the third day. Now that we are celebrating the Day of Blowing and listening to the sounds of the shofar as Believers today, hopefully we can begin to picture in our mind’s eye the intensity of this shofar sound echoing from the thickened clouds, which were illuminated by flashes of lightening and accentuated by the roar of thunder. This sound, however, was not one made by human lungs and lips. This sound was so deafening that the camp trembled. Read the account and imagine how fearless Moses must have been to climb to the summit:

“Now Mount Sinai was all in smoke because the Lord descended upon it in fire; and its smoke ascended like the smoke of a furnace, and the whole mountain quaked violently. When the sound of the trumpet grew louder and louder, Moses spoke and God answered him with thunder. The Lord came down on Mount Sinai, to the top of the mountain; and the Lord called Moses to the top of the mountain, and Moses went up” (Exodus 19:18-20).

It is from this dramatic setting that the Ancient Israelites received the Ten Commandments.

The First Commandment is very succinct and to the point:

“Then God spoke all these words, saying, ‘I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery” (Exodus 20:1-2).

The Holy One of Israel is not mincing words. He simply states, “I am the Lord your God.” He declares that He is the One and Only God. There is further amplification of this theme in the Second Commandment that deals with the prohibition about worshipping other gods, but for the First Commandment He just absolutely states that He is God. It can be understood that this is a positive commandment that requires all to believe that this Supreme Deity is the God of Israel. It is imperative to understand that for Israel, there is only One God.

We worship and celebrate the existence of the One True Creator God, who alone is God. Here for the sake of Israel, He personalizes the fact that He is the God of Israel. Of course, as He stated earlier to Moses, this specific word to the people of Israel has some incumbent responsibilities associated with it. Listening to His voice and obeying His commandments are of paramount importance to the people chosen to be a light to the nations.

It is the direct responsibility of Israel to take the words of the Holy One to the rest of the world. As a kingdom of priests, Israel is to intercede for the other peoples of the world, and pointing and directing them to the One God and Creator.

If you believe that you are a part of the Israel of God, who has been adopted into the family or grafted into the olive tree that represents Israel (Romans 9-11), or have become a part of the Commonwealth of Israel (Ephesians 2:11-12), then you have a great responsibility to believe in the God of Israel. As part of a group that has been separated out to receive His Word, it is our personal and corporate responsibility to point all mankind to the One God of the Scriptures and the atoning work of His Son, Yeshua HaMashiach. If you are like the Moabitess Ruth who could claim that “Your people shall be my people, and your God, my God” (Ruth 1:16), then you have decided by your free will to choose the great I Am who alone is the God of Creation.

Revel in this truth as you seek His face more fully during this season of repentance. Cry out to Him and He will hear you and save you as Psalm 145:19 declares. Likewise, consider the admonition of Isaiah and what He has done for us:

“Remember He is your God and there is none other: Declare and set forth your case; indeed, let them consult together. Who has announced this from of old? Who has long since declared it? Is it not I, the Lord? And there is no other God besides Me, a righteous God and a Savior; there is none except Me. Turn to Me and be saved, all the ends of the earth; for I am God, and there is no other. I have sworn by Myself, the word has gone forth from My mouth in righteousness and will not turn back, that to Me every knee will bow, every tongue will swear allegiance. They will say of Me, ‘Only in the Lord are righteousness and strength.’ Men will come to Him, and all who were angry at Him will be put to shame. In the Lord all the offspring of Israel will be justified and will glory” (Isaiah 45:21-25).

Mark Huey (B.A., Vanderbilt University in History and Graduate Studies at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University) is the Director of Outreach Israel Ministries (www.outreachisrael.net). He is the author of several books, including: TorahScope, Volumes I & II, and Counting the Omer: A Daily Devotional Toward Shavuot. He is also co-author of Hebraic Roots: An Introductory Study.